Today we’re reviewing a vacuum cleaner! Lol Really though, this thing is pretty cool. Although I never thought I would be in a position where I offered a deep dive on the performance of a vacuum cleaner – here we are – The RIGID GEN5X 18 Volt Brushless Vacuum : )
Rigid did a good job on designing a light weight little hand vac and while I can see it being very useful for a quick pick up job, I’m still a little skeptical about it having a place around the shop. I see this more of a unit I will reach for in the house or even for my vehicle. However, I did place it in the shop to see what all it could get into.
Until my shop is built later this year, my dust collection system is marginal at best so I’ve been relying on my big shop vac as my main dust picker-upper. The downside to my current system is it’s big and bulky and limited to where it can roll. If I want it across the shop where my lumber rack is, I have to clear a path then bring it and my canister over to it. With this hand held unit, if I need to pick up a small pile I swept together then I can very quickly pick it up, squeeze the trigger and go. Cordless for the win!
I really enjoy a nice clean workshop and having a cordless vacuum helps in my maintenance effort by taking care of the small bits that my stand-alone dust collector from Dust Right either didn’t get or cant reach.
For instance, I currently do not have my DC plumbed over to my band saw, which makes quite a bit of fine dust. This unit has been perfect for short clean up jobs as soon as I am finished using the saw. No cords, no hoses, no b.s. – just point and shoot. In the future I’ll actually probably end up keeping this right next to my bandsaw to act as my clean up aid.
The vacuum is powered by a Lithium Ion battery. Like many of the other tools out on the market, Rigid also uses a brushless motor and it uses the same batteries found in their other cordless tools. As you would expect, there are a couple of attachments that come in the box with this unit. It comes with an extension tube, a crevice nozzle for tight spots, and a floor nozzle. I found the floor nozzle to be the perfect size for my indoor stairs and carrying this unit up and down the stairs for a quick clean is a lot easier than my Dyson.
I really like that it has a pre-filter before the paper filter element. This kind of technology is becoming more common on a lot of “filtered” devices. The fine woven mesh pre-filter really helps to keep the filter in good condition by keeping large dust and debris from ever coming in contact with the filter element itself. The filter element is also really easy to remove, does not require ay tools, and is cleanable.
So here is what might be a drawback for some – battery and charger not included. Consequently, this is an ideal product for those who are already committed to the Rigid cordless line-up. Otherwise you are on the hook for a charger and battery which brings your total cost to about $180…..$80 for the vacuum and $100 for a charger+battery kit according to the latest prices at The Home Depot. BUT! Something always worth mentioning when buying a Ridgid tool is it comes with a lifetime warranty if you register your product right after purchase.
All and all I think this is handy vacuum. It certainly can’t replace an dedicated shop vac in a shop that producing as much dust as mine but I don’t think Ridgid designed it with that intention. This is a perfect unit for getting into nooks and crannies where bigger units can’t get to, or where the pile of debris you’re going after just doesn’t require something as large as a traditional vac. The cordless feature is a big leg up for this unit so while I will use it once in a while in my shop I really see it being more useful in the house and trucks.
If you’re interested in checking it out a little further on The Home Depot’s web page you can find it here. Thanks so much for stopping by to learn more about this little hand-vac.
Yall take care – April
This review is sponsored by The Home Depot through their ProSpective campaign.
The post Review of the RIDGID Cordless Vacuum appeared first on Wilker Do's.
from Wilker Do's http://ift.tt/2uyhHux
No comments:
Post a Comment