Water, rubble, workshop · review
A 2.5 gallon shop vac with named parts, a stated incompatibility and three years.
Where this ends up The only listing on this shelf that admits its gallon figure is drum volume, publishes its filter part number, and tells you which accessory kit does not fit. Three years of cover at forty-five dollars.
“Gallons indicated reflect drum volume, not necessarily [usable capacity].”
One footnote, and it reframes every number on this page.
The motor housing and the filter occupy the top of the drum. And on wet work nobody fills to the brim, because water reaching the motor is the failure that ends the machine. So a 2.5-gallon drum holds meaningfully less than 2.5 gallons of anything.
The other eleven listings publish a bare figure: Armor All 1.5 and 2.5 · Kärcher 1.8 · Bissell 18P03 4 · Craftsman 17040 4 · both Giraffe Tools 4.5 · Vacmaster ×2 and Shop-Vac 5 · Bissell 2035M 6.
Only the Bissell 2035M cross-checks itself, giving “6 gallon capacity” alongside “Dirt Cup Capacity: 23 L” — which is 6.08 US gallons, and consistent.
Read every other figure here as a drum volume, because that is what it is. It does not make them wrong; it makes them optimistic in a way only this listing flags.
“COMPATIBLE FILTER: CMXZVBE38737 Genuine CRAFTSMAN Filter Bag.” “NOT COMPATIBLE WITH: CMXZVBE38662 Car Cleaning Kit.”
The second is unique on this shelf, and it is worth more than most of the specifications above it.
The reason is bore. This machine uses 1-1/4 inch accessories; the car kit is built for the 1-7/8 inch fittings on larger Craftsman vacuums — including this maker’s own CMXEVBE17040 at $119.99, which publishes a “1-7/8 in. x 7 ft. POS-I-LOCK Hose”.
One and seven eighths is 2.25 times the cross-section of one and a quarter. The two systems do not interchange at all, and nothing on the box tells you that.
And the first number is the one you will want in three years. A filter bag is a consumable, and eight of these twelve listings do not even say what kind of filter the machine contains, let alone what to reorder.
The sibling 17040 goes further still, publishing two filter numbers — CMXZVBE38740 and CMXZVBE38741 — and a dust bag number, CMXZVBE43271.
Between them, the two Craftsmans are the most serviceable documentation on this shelf.
2.5 peak HP is 1865 watts. A 120 V American socket on a 15 A breaker supplies about 1800 W at maximum.
So this claim is just over the line, and others here are far beyond it: the sibling 17040 claims 5.0 peak HP (3730 W) and the Vacmaster VFB511H claims 5.5 PHP (4100 W). Neither is sustainable from a domestic socket; both are measured at stall or over a fraction of a second.
What proves the whole scale is unreliable is that Vacmaster publishes both on its two machines:
VFB511H — “5.5 PHP” and “320 Air Watts of Power, 20kPa” VOC508S — “4 Peak HP” and “135 air watt motor”
Four to 5.5 peak HP is a 37 per cent rise. A hundred and thirty-five to 320 air watts is a 137 per cent rise. The two scales do not track each other.
Air watts — airflow multiplied by suction, the useful work at the nozzle — is the honest measure, and only Vacmaster publishes it here. Three machines publish kPa: both Giraffe Tools and the VFB511H, all three at 20 kPa. Two publish amps: the Bissell 2035M at 11 A and the 18P03 at 12 A.
Seven of twelve listings, including this one, publish peak horsepower alone.
The hose is 1-1/4 in. x 5 ft. and the cord length is not published — which makes this the only machine on the shelf where total reach cannot be worked out.
What the others give:
Bissell 18P03 — a 32 foot hose (wall-mounted) Giraffe Tools ×2 — 30 foot retractable Vacmaster VFB511H — “25 feet of cleaning reach”, the sum published Craftsman 17040 — 15 ft cord + 7 ft hose = 22 ft Armor All AA255W — 12 ft cord + 6 ft hose = 18 ft Vacmaster VOC508S — “16 feet of cleaning reach”, the sum published Shop-Vac — 10 ft cord + 6 ft hose = 16 ft Armor All AA155 — 6 ft cord + 4 ft hose = 10 ft Kärcher — a 3.9 ft hose, but battery-powered so no cord at all
Five feet of hose is a car-interior length. For a garage floor you will be moving the machine every few minutes, and an extension lead is the practical answer — bearing in mind that a long thin extension costs a little suction through voltage drop.
Friction fit rather than a locking collar is the cheaper arrangement: quick to change, and it pulls off if the hose catches. The 17040 uses “POS-I-LOCK” instead, which is the locking version.
“DESIGNED FOR TIGHT SPACES: 1-1/4 in. shop vacuum accessories allow for maneuverability in tight areas.”
This is the right way to present it, and the trade is genuine in both directions.
1-7/8 inch has 2.25 times the cross-section of 1-1/4. A wide hose moves much more air and passes wood chips, plaster lumps and leaves without blocking — which is why the sibling 17040 uses one.
A narrow hose moves less air at higher velocity, which is better at pulling fine dust out of a crevice or a seat rail, and the slimmer nozzles physically fit where a two-inch one will not.
So: a car interior, a workbench, a dusty shelf — this. A workshop floor after cutting timber, or anything with lumps in it — the wider machine, because clearing a blocked hose means disconnecting it and shaking it out.
Only three listings on this shelf publish a bore: this, the 17040 at 1-7/8, and the Armor All AA255W at 1-1/4.
3 Year Limited Warranty, matching the sibling 17040. Both Giraffe Tools machines publish 24 months; the other eight listings publish nothing.
What fails on a wet/dry vacuum is the motor, and it usually fails from water. Overfilling the drum, or running water through a dry cartridge filter, puts moisture through the impeller — and three years of cover on that is worth having at forty-five dollars.
The related point, which this listing leaves out: a filter bag is included, and a bag is a dry-only item. Running water into a paper bag destroys it immediately. The Vacmaster VOC508S is explicit about needing two filters — “a cartridge filter for dry pick-up and a foam wet filter for wet pick-up” — and the Armor All AA255W supplies both. The Kärcher at $172.99 is the only machine here claiming one filter handles both “without removing the filter - no matter if wet or dry dirt”.
So on a machine sold as wet and dry, check the filter before the first spill.
No air watts, no kPa, no amps — nothing that lets you compare suction with anything on this shelf.
No cord length, as above.
No filtration rating. The Vacmaster VFB511H is the only listing here with a number: “capturing fine dust particles down to 1 micron”. The Bissell 2035M publishes “2 stage filtration”.
No wet filter. A filter bag is included and nothing else, which on a wet/dry machine is the gap that matters most.
No weight, which the catalog also omits — the only machine on this shelf with neither. For scale, the dimensions 333 × 319 × 374 mm put it between the Armor All AA155 at 2087 g and the AA255W at 4985 g.
No blower nozzle, though the blower function is published. The Armor All AA255W includes a dedicated “blower nozzle adapter” among its thirteen accessories.
Read on the day this page was built: $45 at the American Amazon shop.
Read from Keepa on the day this page was last revised; stock and price both move without notice.
Prices quoted in this text were read on 2026-10-04. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Warranty | Three year limited — one of only four warranties on this shelf |
|---|---|
| Gallon figure | The description states gallons reflect DRUM VOLUME, not usable capacity — unique here |
| Compatible filter | CMXZVBE38737 Genuine CRAFTSMAN Filter Bag, named |
| NOT compatible | CMXZVBE38662 Car Cleaning Kit, named — the only stated incompatibility on this shelf |
| Hose | 1-1/4 inch by 5 foot friction fit |
| Accessory bore | 1-1/4 inch, framed as an advantage in tight spaces |
| Tank | 2.5 gallons |
| Rating | 2.5 peak HP — a catalog convention, see the FAQ |
| Blower | Yes |
| Storage | Carry handle and cord wrap |
| Dimensions | 333 × 319 × 374 mm (13.1 × 12.6 × 14.7 in) |
| Air watts | Not published |
| Cord length | Not published |
| Amazon reference | B07QXWG93C |
| EAN | 0648846007380 |
Because it is the only honest gallon figure on this shelf, and the gap is real. The description footnotes: "Gallons indicated reflect drum volume, not necessarily [usable capacity]." The motor housing and the filter occupy the top of the drum, and on wet pick-up nobody fills to the brim because water reaching the motor is the failure that ends the machine. So a 2.5-gallon drum holds meaningfully less than 2.5 gallons of anything. The other eleven listings publish a bare number: Armor All 1.5 and 2.5, Kärcher 1.8, Bissell 18P03 4, Craftsman 17040 4, both Giraffe Tools 4.5, Vacmaster and Shop-Vac 5, Bissell 2035M 6 — and only the Bissell 2035M cross-checks itself, publishing "6 gallon capacity" alongside "Dirt Cup Capacity: 23 L", which is 6.08 US gallons and consistent. Read every other figure on this shelf as a drum volume too, because that is what they are. It does not make them wrong; it makes them optimistic in a way that only this listing flags.
It saves you a return, and no other listing on this shelf does it. The bullet reads: "NOT COMPATIBLE WITH: CMXZVBE38662 Car Cleaning Kit." The reason is the bore. This machine uses 1-1/4 inch accessories, and the car kit is made for the 1-7/8 inch fittings on larger Craftsman vacs — including this maker’s own CMXEVBE17040 at $119.99, which publishes a "1-7/8 in. x 7 ft. POS-I-LOCK Hose". One and seven eighths against one and a quarter is 2.25 times the cross-sectional area, so the two systems do not interchange at all. The same listing publishes what does fit: "COMPATIBLE FILTER: CMXZVBE38737 Genuine CRAFTSMAN Filter Bag", and the 17040 publishes two filter numbers and a dust bag number. That is the most serviceable documentation on this shelf — in three years you know exactly what to order, where eight of these twelve listings do not even say what kind of filter they contain.
It depends entirely on what you are picking up, and this listing frames it honestly as a feature: "DESIGNED FOR TIGHT SPACES: 1-1/4 in. shop vacuum accessories allow for maneuverability in tight areas." The arithmetic: 1-7/8 inch has 2.25 times the cross-section of 1-1/4 inch. A wide hose moves far more air and passes wood chips, plaster lumps and leaves without blocking — which is why the Craftsman 17040 uses one. A narrow hose moves less air but at higher velocity, which is better at pulling fine dust out of a crevice or a car seat rail, and the narrower nozzles physically fit where a two-inch one does not. So for a car interior, a workbench and a dusty shelf, 1-1/4 inch is the right choice. For a workshop floor after cutting timber, or anything with lumps in it, it will block, and clearing a blocked hose means disconnecting it and shaking it out. Only three listings on this shelf publish a bore at all: this, the Craftsman 17040 at 1-7/8, and the Armor All AA255W at 1-1/4.
cleaning machines from the same category, at nearby prices. Only what all of them publish is shown: a column with holes compares nothing.
| Model | Price | Warranty | Tank | Rating | Blower |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17250 | $45 | Three year limited — one of only four warranties on this shelf | 2.5 gallons | 2.5 peak HP — a catalog convention, see the FAQ | Yes |
| Armor All AA155 | $36 | Not published | 1.5 gallons, tough polypropylene | 2 peak HP — which is a catalog convention, see the FAQ | Yes, by quick conversion |
| Armor All AA255W | $68 | Not published | 2.5 gallons, durable polypropylene | 2 peak HP — a catalog convention, see the FAQ | Yes, with a dedicated blower nozzle adapter |
| Vacmaster VOC508S | $75 | Not published | Stainless steel — the only stainless tank on this shelf | 4 peak HP, which the same maker pairs with 135 air watts — see the FAQ | Not published |
Details checked on October 4, 2026.
A car, a workbench and a buyer who intends to keep it serviced
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 7,000.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for cleaning machines and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
1,250 W · 65 l/s airflow · 200 mbar · HEPA filter
The only machine here that publishes both numbers that matter — airflow and suction.
Best for: Trade use, or a home workshop where the vacuum runs alongside tools most weeks
1,000 W · 15 l · five paper bags included
The small, cheap, sensible one — and the bags in the box are most of the value.
Best for: A flat, a car and light workshop use, where storage space decides more than capacity
L class · HEPA filter · button filter cleaning · 2,000 W tool socket
Einhell's site-grade answer: dust class L with a HEPA element and a socket rated for a real power tool.
Best for: Site and workshop use where the vacuum runs off a saw, and where L-class filtration with a HEPA element is the requirement
