Alright, so I've been in the market for a new shop vac. I've Been eyeballing the DeWalt stealth sonic for quite a bit. The 6 Gallon is normally 80 and the 9 gallon is always on sale for 90. Recently, I've been looking into the Bauer shop vac. The 6 Gallon is on sale for a little under $60 with ITC. Some of the reviews say they are stronger and quieter than DeWalt and Rigid.

I'm no professional so this will see general household use. Vacuuming cars and garage clean ups. Probably the occasional liquid clean up as well.

What's everyone's thoughts on the Bauer vacs compared to other options?

So, I look at this sub on occasion, and I see the consistent hyping of Sabo and Miele. Cool. I am thinking of replacing my current upright canister vacuum, and I checked in with Consumer Reports rankings, their top 3 bagged uprights are all Kenmore (Elite Pet Friendly 31150, BU1018, and Intuition BU4050) rated 77, 75, 74. Followed by 3 Oreck models (Elevate Command, Elevate Conquerer, and Elevate Control), rated 61, 61, and 54.

For bag-less uprights, they have the Shark PowerDetect AZ4002 at 82, then the Shark Navigator Professional NV360 at 78, and the Shark Stratos AZ3002 at 77. The Sebo Felix Premium rates a 66. The Miele Upright U1 Cat and Dog comes in at a 76, the maverick at 72, and the Twist at 72.

So, my question is why nobody on here seems to like Shark or Kenmore, and why did Wirecutter rank the Sebo so much higher? Is it just a function of Consumer Reports factoring in price relative to performance and the Sebo does marginally better but costs $600-$700, and the Shark and Kenmore costs $300-$450? Is it brand reliability and durability?

What accounts for the difference, and is it really that much of a difference in performance relative to price?

Edit: Since the moderator asked, I don’t really have a budget, and just want a quality product without overpaying. My floor type is hardwood over 2 floors, with area rugs in the living room, bedrooms, and hallways. There are 2 cats. I have a stick vacuum for the stairs, and a Roomba to get the dust/cat bunnies on a more regular basis.. I use the upright for deeper cleaning of the area rugs. I occasionally have a cleaning crew come in every 4-5 weeks to give the whole place a once over.

Trying to decide on a decent mid-sized wet/ dry vacuum for the garage mostly and occasional home use. I don't care much about the peak HP, as long as it's got good suction and is durable. Primary use: DIY/ home improvement projects mostly - so think ...drywall dust, sawdust from a sander, miter saw, workshop cleanup, etc. Budget: Ideally 60 -75$

Here are the options I'm considering, what do you guys recommend?

• CraftsmanCMEVXA18115/ 5 Gal / Stainless Steel / 3 yr limited warranty/ 60$

• Stanley SL18415-6B / 6 Gal / Stainless Steel /1-year warranty/ 60$

Additional Questions :

• I'm a bit unsure about the durability of stainless steel, some reviews have mentioned it rusts (which makes no sense tho)

• Does the 3-year limited warranty with Craftsman make it better than Stanley - 1 year? both these look and work the same from what I observed. ( except Stanley is slightly lower db).

Update: The suction, the steel drum, and durability were my main concerns with what I thought was a fairly good deal otherwise. I'd picked up the Stanley to test it out, but now that's a return. The more I read and talk to people --> I hear good things about Rigid and DeWalt. Also, looks like they do get discounted.. so I can wait.

Looks like I will be going with the Sebo K3 for my interior house vacuuming, but do you have a recommendation for the best shop vac?

I read some other posts on r/VacuumCleaners/ about deciding between a shop vac and vacuum cleaner, but I know I'm getting a vacuum cleaner and a shop vac (not only one or the other). The reason is because I plan on using the wet feature when I try to fix any issues with the toilet.

The handymen I worked with before all had the bad habit of spilling water from the toilet tank all over the floor when trying to catch it in a bucket. I saw a video on Youtube that showed me that a shop vac is supposed to be used to remove all the water and then, the toilet can be repaired.

I also read some people recommending to have two shop vacs, one for dry messes and another totally separate vac for wet messes. The reason is because combining them can cause mold issues. Another post recommended a Karcher and I'm considering this one:

https://www.kaercher.com/us/home-garden/wet-and-dry-vacuum-cleaners/wd-5-p-16283110.html

Do you have a favorite shop vac to recommend here? Thank you.