Review of the Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
As of this writing, there are 3,551 customer comments and 620 answered questions for the Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. I’ve read the customer feedback, and then condensed the results into this review. I hope that this helps you when shopping for a shop vac.
Best Features
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Item Specifics
The Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum picks up both wet and dry debris. The polypropylene tank holds 2.5 gallons, and has a 6 Amps, 2 HP motor. A nice feature is the auto shut-off, which indicates that the shop vac is full and prevents overflow. Included is a 6 foot hose and 10 foot power cord. It cannot plug into the car, but it works great for cleaning cars since it is so portable. The hose comes inside the canister portion of the vacuum so that storage is easy. The product dimensions are 14.10 x 10.37 x 14.36 inches.
Great for the Car
This is a small shop vac, so you can easily use it in the car. Note that you cannot plug it into the car, but you can clean your car with this. Here is a comment from a customer who used this produce to sweep her car, “I bought this little guy to vacuum my car which is FULL of PET HAIR. My dog travels in the car every day to/from work with me, so there is so much dirt and fur everywhere (even though I use a hammock seat cover). Using all the tools/attachments and a decent amount of elbow grease, I was able to remove about 85-90% of the pet hair from the cloth seats. I could still vacuum some more to keep removing, but my arm got sore from scrubbing :). The small attachment brush for the radio and console area works great without scratching anything. I’m very pleased with this purchase and would recommend!”
Doesn’t Have Powerful Suction
According to customers, the suction is not that powerful. Some customers mentioned that it only cleans up 60% of dirt. Here is what one customer had to say, “For its size and the fact that it’s powered, this has a very weak suction. Not even strong enough to clean out my rabbit’s pen (bits of hay and pellets are too heavy for it). I would say it might be good for cars, but it doesn’t have a car adapter. So if that’s what you want it for, you’ll need to buy one yourself. “
Lightweight
This shop vac is very lightweight compared to large, heavy-duty shop vacs. It only weighs about 2.5 pounds, and it is easy to carry around. Here is what one customer commented, “I have a lot of health issues, so one of the nicest things about it is that it’s so lightweight and easy to maneuver. A lot of shop vacs are a chore just to get turned around facing a different direction. With this vac though I can really just carry it around the house swapping hands occasionally, that’s how light it is. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to empty it out. This is one of those products I’d give more than 5 stars if I could.”
Loud
Like all shop vacs, the Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum is a loud shop vac. When you operate this, you will probably want to wear ear plugs. Here is what one customer commented, “The only negative is it’s LOUD. I actually had to put on ear plugs. I can’t imagine anyone using this on a daily use without ear protection. And I hope I didn’t bother the neighbors since I did it in the garage with the garage door open. Otherwise a great product for a great price.”
Great Price
Many large shop vacs are at least $100. While this is a small vacuum, the price for this is much better than other shop vacs. Most of the customers were pleased with their purchase. One customer commented this, “Great buy for the price. I wish the suction was a little stronger but for the price and size I didn’t expect a commercial duty cleaner. Oh and it’s really light weight which is very ideal for cleaning cars which is what we use it for.”
Top Piece Doesn’t Snap on Too Firmly
A disadvantage that the Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum is that the top piece doesn’t snap onto the bottom piece too firmly. It will still wiggle around. While customers didn’t have too many issues with this, they thought that it would be better and more heavy duty if it snapped into place more securely. This customer explained, “Only minor con is that it seems like the top could snap onto the bottom more snugly. The connection seems a little wiggly and perhaps a better latch mechanism would give it a tighter seal. It doesn’t caused any issues with the operation of the vacuum though. I suspect the suction is holding the top/bottom together somewhat while it is operating negating any potential problems.”
Has a Blowing Feature
This shop vac can suck and blow, so you get to choose which mode you want it to be on. Many customers like the blowing feature for cleaning their garage, blowing out water after cleaning the car, and using it to blow off dust on a computer. This customer explained how he uses the blowing feature, “It does vacuuming as well as blow the air. The blow is so powerful that I can clean my garage floor by blowing it.”
Hose Comes off When on the Blowing Mode
When you have this shop vac set on the blowing mode, many customers have experienced the hose coming off due to the pressure. There isn’t anything you can do about it except to hold the hose in place while vacuuming or to find some way to attach it more securely to the shop vac. Here is what one customer commented, “When using the blower function the hose doesn’t stay in the hole and is blown out by the air pressure. That’s the only reason I gave it 4 stars.”
Comes with a Few Accessories
Included with this shop vac are a few accessories. The accessories include different brushes and a few short hose attachments. These accessories can be stored onto the shop vac. This customer explained more about the accessories, “There are only 4 or so attachments (in addition to the wet/dry filters), of which I’ve only used 2, but it’s nice to have the options and the ones I do use are indispensable.”
Cannot Plug Into the Car
Customers were disappointed that you cannot plug this shop vac into the car. If you don’t have an extension cord, it can be difficult for you to sweep your car. Here is what one customer said, “The bad is no cigarette lighter power adapter. It’s a home plug. And as a city person, I don’t have the luxury of pulling extension cords from the apartment complex. So despite all the pictures of it being in and around the car, don’t be fooled to assume that it plugs into the car. So my work around was to get a 30 dollar power inverter. Which isn’t what I really wanted but works fine.”
Sweeps Wet and Dry Debris
The Armor All vacuum can sweep both wet and dry debris. This is a nice feature that allows you to sweep up small puddles of water. Keep in mind that it won’t hold as much water as other large shop vacs, but it will hold 2.5 gallons. Here is what one customer had to say, “The vacuum does well with a mix of wet and dry vacuuming. I was able to vacuum up sand on a carpet, followed by standing water, then back to a sandy carpet. It also did a thick wet mixture quite well.”
Power Cord Is Short
The power cord is 10 feet long, and for some customers that was too short. However, you can easily fix this by buying an extension cord. Here is what customer commented, “The only con about this vacuum is that the electric cord is a bit short, but can easily be resolved with buying an extension cord.”
Pros
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Cons
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Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum Conclusion
The Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum is made to clean up both dry and wet messes. The tank is made of polypropylene and it holds 2.5 gallons. The motor is a 6 Amp, 2 HP motor. A 6 foot hose and 10 foot power cord is included. The dimensions of this shop vacuum are 14.10 x 10.37 x 14.36 inches. A popular feature is the auto shut-off which indicates that the shop vac is full. This feature prevents overflow. Customers liked the small size of this shop vac because it is very portable for cleaning out vehicles, and taking places. But note that you can not plug this vacuum into your car.
Common Questions
Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Armor All 2.5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum.
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