VacmasterProfessional - Professional Wet/Dry , 5 Gallon, Beast Series, 5.5 HP 1-7/8" Hose Jobsite Vac (VFB511B0201), Black

I’ve been researching replacement shop vacs for 6+ months since my old one finally quit after many years of loyal service. Happy to share that I definitely made the right choice buying this model! The suction power is incredible & I love that it converts to a blower. It’s lightweight, handy, and the size is perfect for my workshop & easy to store. The included attachments are great! I had to buy a diffuser separately for my old shop vac so I appreciate that this model came with one! The only thing it doesn’t have that I wish it did is a tool caddy, because I end up knocking off the large mouth attachment with the hose everytime I use it. Other than thatr than that minor annoyance, this shop vac checks all the boxes! It’s a powerful little beast of a vacuum!

What a sucking impressive vacuum, it’s compact, has very impressive suction, and is priced very fairly for the real world experience you get!

Needed a more powerful garage vac for a simple dust collection system using a Dust Stopper Pro, my current Shop Vac was just not enough at 4.5 HP. Also, space was an issue, so the smaller the unit the better. Found the Vacmaster Pro "Beast" 5 gal. 5.5 peak (no mention of running HP.). Easy setup, and very powerful suction, made my dust collector work as it should and fit where I wanted it. Even with a 30' hose I already had, it works really well. Exhaust defuser helps keeps the noise down a bit. Wheels look cheap but work fine. Oversized on/off switch very functional. The latches securing the motor head to the bottom can don't snap down tight and leave the latches just a little loose, but this does not seem to create a problem and makes for easy detachment. One desired improvement is that the hose could be more flexible and a bit longer, but no big deal. attachments are well made and useful. TIP, I cut down a Shop Vac paper pre-filter and installed over the Beast's filter to catch dust and small particles, works really well and seemingly does not affect vacuum strength at all. This will keep the unit's filter cleaner longer and much easier to clean. This also precludes me from using the large cumbersome, fold out paper filter included with the unit. I am very pleased with this unit and can recommend "The Beast" if you need a smaller, powerful vacuum

I had been looking at all of the shop vac manufacturers, e.g. Shop Vac, Vacmaster, Stanleu, Rigid, etc., I was not familiar with Vacmaster and the Beast. My requirements were: 1. power; 2. price; 3. portability/maneuverability; and, 4. reliability, in that order. So after looking over the reviews and going to YouTube, I decided get out of my comfort zone and give Vacmaster a chance, the price point was nice and I am sucker for the "5.5 Peak HP" marketing since it seems to be used consistently by all the manufacturers. It was delivered early (good job Amazon) and when I opened it and got into the initial assembly and whatnot, I was just struck by the material quality, especially the vacuum hose. Pleasant surprise no.1 was the vacuum hose. I am used to cheap plastic vacuum hoses that feel flimsy and end up with me spending more money on duct tape than I did on the vacuum. Not here, the hose is heave and dense and this will be a strange adjective, but it is supple. It is just a really nice quality material hose. Everything else was up to snuff and reflects that is is a well manufactured product. They included a vacuum bag as a gift so I set it up to run dry with the bag and the dust filter. It came with noise dampening contraption that I decided to wait before using so that I could hear it "raw" and then hear it "suppressed," I was anticipating needing my ear protection when it was running. Pleasant surprise no. 2 was just how quiet it was without the suppressor gadget in place. I have a Bissell Bing and it is so much louder and more obnoxious than the Beast, I am talking magnitudes of difference in noise. The Beast can be run without hearing protection COMFORTABLY, there isn't any discomfort from the noise. So I am very happy with my decision so far, and yes it has some awesome suction. I won't be able to assess its reliability until I have used it a few months, but initial impressions are good.I had to knock a star off my initial review because the first pleasant surprise, i.e. the hose, didn't hold up as expected. The marketing materials promote the blower functionality of this cleaner, (which is good and no complaints) but after having used it a couple of days I swapped the hose around to use the blower function and after about 5-10minutes, the hose separated from the connector on the end of the hose that was not attached to the vacuum clear, but is the end where you suck in or blow everything out. Inspecting the hose and the connector, I could see that hose could be "screwed" back on, and with a little heavy duty glue, I should be back up and running. But stll, I loved that hose when I first opened the box...