My workshop has limited space. That’s because, like many people’s workshops, my workshop is also my garage, and as such, it shares space with loads of tools, some bikes, my lawnmower, and various other space-claiming essentials such as a pressure washer and snowblower.

So when it comes to setting up a reliable dust collection and workshop cleanup system, a full-size shop vac isn’t really an option. I wish it was. When I tested the best shop vacs, one of my favorites was the large-capacity Ridgid 12-Gallon 5.0 Peak HP NXT Shop Vac. But for me, saving space was critical—as was maneuverability, since I also use a shop vac for cleaning out my cars.

A midsized model made the most sense, and of all the models I tested, the Vacmaster Beast Series 5-Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vac was the clear top choice. Nothing this compact should be this powerful.

It Sucks Up Messes Faster Than Shop Vacs Twice Its Size

The Vacmaster Beast comes equipped with a powerful 5.5-hp motor, which is about average for a shop vac with a 5-gallon capacity. And yet its performance for its size is anything but average. The Beast lived up to its name during my tests. It vacuumed 12 cups of sawdust in under 20 seconds, which beat out other shop vacs of a comparable size.

It also showed its mettle with spills, sucking up 2 gallons of water in under 10 seconds. The Beast is also capable of picking up heavier debris, including screws, nuts, and bolts—something other models, including much bigger ones, such as the DeWalt Stealthsonic Quiet 12-Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum, struggled with during testing.

A Long Cord and Wheeled Base Add Portability

The Vacmaster Beast’s compact size makes it ideal for my garage workshop and car detailing demands. I had no trouble carrying it wherever I needed to vacuum, whether it was upstairs, in my workshop, or out to my driveway.

The Beast, like other 5-gallon shop vacs, has a shorter, 7-foot hose, which can be limiting when cleaning a large area like a garage. But since it sits on wheels, I can move around the garage and into my driveway with the base following behind me as I clean. The 25-foot-long cord ensures I don’t need to reach for an extension in order to hit every corner.

The Included Attachments Excel at Car Detailing

Attachment quality varies among shop vacs, especially in the 5- to 6-gallon range. We’ve tested more than a few, including the otherwise impressive Ryobi One+ 18V Cordless Wet/Dry Vacuum, that come with poorly designed or too few attachments, and many in this size range also come with cheap cloth filters. The Vacmaster Beast is an exception.

It comes with a high-quality cartridge filter, and the attachments are well made with a clear bent toward car detailing. There’s a car nozzle that works great for cleaning upholstery and carpeting, and a crevice tool that’s handy for vacuuming up the grit that gets between the stitching in car seats and in the crevices in center consoles.

There’s also a dust collection bag, an accessory you don’t typically find on smaller shop vacs, and a noise diffuser that attaches to the blower part, which drops the shop vac’s sound output from about 80 to 70 decibels.

Final Thoughts

With its $110 price tag, the Vacmaster Beast is a little on the steep side for a shop vac this size. That said, it outperforms other midsized shop vacs with its suction ability, a quality collection of attachments, and an included high-quality cartridge filter.

If you’re someone who uses their shop vac as a dedicated dust collection system, you might want to look for an option with a higher capacity, like the Ridgid 12-Gallon NXT. In this scenario, disconnecting a smaller capacity shop vac like the Vacmaster Beast to empty it mid-project will get really old really fast.

But if you’re simply looking for a top-notch shop vac to clean out your car and your garage, to pick up some errant debris or to use to reach into a crevice with its narrow hose and helpful attachments, this is it.

Shop the Vacmaster Beast