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Mozambique, Maputo
1 Level
700 Review
73 Karma

Review on Heavy-Duty 20 Gallon 6.5HP Wet/Dry Vacuum By CRAFTSMAN - Includes Attachments! by Rob Kerr

Revainrating 3 out of 5

Quiet but not as powerful as my old Craftsman 16 Gal 4 HP 25 year old work horse.

I bought the 20 Gal 6.5 HP model Craftsman with the wheel kit because I heard bad things about the 16 Gal model (broken power head snaps, low power). I'm sorry to say that the same problems are carried over to the 20 Gal model. While over all build seems "okay" the clamps for the power head to the tank are a bad joke. There's only 2 soft plastic clips instead of the 3 hard snaps on my old unit and one of them had a snapped off clip out of the box. This is just poor workmanship. The top stays on because I wheel this one around instead of carrying it like the old one (which just had casters and no actual wheels) but still this is lousy quality control and if I keep the unit I'll have to fashion a better attachment method. Also, this unit doesn't have even half the pulling power of my old "smaller" unit and appears to use different filters than my old reliable 16 Gal 4 HP work horse. :-( Also, this uses a plastic cup cylinder for debris/liquid stop incase of the unit tipping or getting full, instead of the "ball" check valve in my old unit. Doesn't seem very reliable and I'm not going to test it. Also, this new unit does not have a grounded power connection which really concerns me on an "wet" appliance. Might have to remedy that my self as well. Not sure what the deal is with all this stuff but I'll be investigating to see if there is some kind of restriction that is keeping this thing from developing real suction and I'll be calling customer support to ask what gives with all this "cheapness". May end up sending it back if it's going to be too much hassle to "upgrade" a brand new product. :-(

Pros
  • Features a sturdy, heavy-duty design that can withstand rough handling and frequent use
Cons
  • Hose may be too bulky for some tasks