Review of the Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum
As of this writing, there are 367 customer comments and 94 answered questions for the Shop-Vac 5870400 4-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 Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum includes a hose, two extension wands, a bare and carpeted floor nozzle, a 10 inch wet/dry nozzle, a gulper nozzle, a crevice tool, a round brush, a cartridge filter, and a high efficiency filter bag. This shop vac features an 18-foot power cord. It has a compact size for easy storage. The on/off switch is large and easy to reach. This product is backed up by a three-year warranty. It can pick up both wet and dry messes, and it is lightweight. This product can easily be converted into a blower by hooking the hose onto the exhaust port. A nice feature is the on-board tool storage, which allows you to store the accessories/attachments on the shop vac. You can also hook the power cord onto the shop vac.
So Many Good Qualities; All Around Great Vacuum
There really are a lot of great qualities featured on the The Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. A customer summed up a lot of these features. He said, “I purchased this vacuum to replace a Shop-Vac purchased at the Navy Exchange in 1976. Yes, really! My old Shop-Vac was on its last legs and I decided it was time to treat myself to a new one. I did not consider any other brand as I received excellent service from my old vacuum for years. After reviewing the current Shop-Vac products, I chose this vacuum for the following reasons. I wanted a vacuum that would not tip over as you pulled it along. Upright canisters will do this if you are not careful. With the larger rear wheels this is no longer a problem. I wanted a longer hose. This one is 9 ft. long making it easier to reach areas without an extension. I needed a long cord. This has an 18 ft. cord making it usable without an extension cord for most jobs. I needed a model that could use a bag and a had a functioning filter. This has both. Suction power was a must and the 4.5 Hp motor provides plenty. Finally, the length of the warranty is a good indicator of quality. This has a three year warranty. As a bonus, this vacuum is made of plastic which will preclude any rusting problems when used for wet pick up. So far I am thoroughly pleased with my purchase and would recommend this Shop-Vac to anyone looking for a general purpose vacuum to use in the house or garage.”
Floor Attachment Is a Bit Small
According to some customers the floor attachment would have been better if it had been made larger. Here a customer commented, “the floor attachment is too small, it takes forever to clean a house of any size. I bought a wider attachment online. It’s called a “12 inch Central Vacuum Accessory Floor Brush.” It’s made for central vac systems. It’s a big improvement. I just looked it up for $10.44 on Amazon.”
Not Too Loud
Shop Vacuums in general are fairly loud. Some are louder than others. With some, you may even need to wear earplugs. But according to customers, the The Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum is not too loud. A customer explains, “The hose is long enough and it sucks the devil out of things. It isn’t any louder than the black and red, handle laden shop vac, and it is certainly quieter than any other shop vac I have used to date. That is not to say that it is not loud, it is. I wouldn’t use it in an apartment after 9:00 pm, but the thing is not going to force ear plugs.”
Great for Pet Owners
If you have pets, you may have to clean up hair and wet messes often. According to customers, this shop vac really does the job with pet clean up. A dog owner explains, “I have multiple dogs and vacuum lots. Every “real” vacuum I have ever gotten ends up being overwhelmed quickly by the job… lots of hair, mud and tracked in dirt, and actual puddles of water (and other, “yellow” puddles) from spilled water dishes, messy dogs and the like. The fabric hoses get wet and stinky really fast, and then you are basically scenting your house with Eau de Dogge every time you vacuum.”
“Shop vacs are GREAT, you can wash them out when you empty them, there are no bags to collect odor and moisture, and the hoses can be cleaned as often as necessary. This vacuum is perfect, it has plenty of horsepower to tackle the heaviest job, yet is gentle enough to run over the furniture and drapes. Best of all, the size is perfect for using in the house and the canister shape doesn’t tip or fall over when going around corners, etc. The filter is not only washable, but it is also replaceable for a reasonable price as well. I love it!”
Good Value for the Price
For the amount you will be paying, most customers felt that this was a good buy. One person explained it this way, “It has all the attachments shown and a handy attachment basket attached. It’s easy to put together. The suction is very strong, even when using a HEPA cartridge filter (from Cleanstream) and the included dust bag. It’s a nicer color than the usual red and it is compact and easy to stow away for clean up jobs in the house. I use my 8 gal Shop Vac for home improvement project cleanup and saw dust collection. I’d say this one feels about as powerful as the 8 gal 4.0 H.P. wet/dry Shop Vac. It isn’t as loud because I didn’t feel the need for ear plugs like I do with the 8 gal. I looked at all the Shop Vac vacuums and decided on this one because of it’s 4.5 H.P., it has a cartridge filter and also takes bags, its small compact size and nicer color. So far this seems to be exactly what I wanted. Well worth the $60 paid. The only things I’d like to change are 1. longer hose for doing stairs, 2. purple or blue color, Easier bag changing (have to fiddle with the screw on hose to get it to thread).”
Has Wheels but They May Easily Fall Off
There were quite a few customer comments left for this shop vac about wheels falling off. The nice thing is that it does come with wheels. Also, many people wrote about how the wheels easily allowed the shop vac to be moved across carpeting and non-carpeted floors. However, there were also several comments similar to this one, “When assembling they screws they provide are far to small. If its turned over the screws come out and wheels fall off. They should send a pin that fits well. No tool holder on this model also. It’s ok for what I need it for.”
Good Suction
This vacuum received positive reviews for the suction level. A customer explains, “It has all the attachments shown and a handy attachment basket attached. It’s easy to put together. The suction is very strong, even when using a HEPA cartridge filter (from Cleanstream) and the included dust bag. It’s a nicer color than the usual red and it is compact and easy to stow away for clean up jobs in the house. I use my 8 gal Shop Vac for home improvement project cleanup and saw dust collection. I’d say this one feels about as powerful as the 8 gal 4.0 H.P. wet/dry Shop Vac. It isn’t as loud because I didn’t feel the need for ear plugs like I do with the 8 gal.”
Pros
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Cons
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Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum Conclusion
The Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum comes with a hose, two extension wands, a bare and carpeted floor nozzle, a 10 inch wet/dry nozzle, a gulper nozzle, a crevice tool, a round brush, a cartridge filter, and a high efficiency filter bag. The power cord is nice and long at 18 feet. Because of the compact size this unit will store easily. This shop vac comes with a three-year warranty. It can pick up both wet and dry material. The Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum can be converted into a blower. The on-board tool storage, allows you to store the accessories/attachments right on the shop vac. The power cord can also be hooked up on the storage section.
Common Questions
Here are some top questions that I found for people considering buying the Shop-Vac 5870400 4-Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum.
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