Dewalt DC500 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum

When I first saw the Dewalt DC500 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum, I knew that it was a special tool. My biggest problem was parting with almost $100 to buy one. How could this size and type of shop vacuum cost so much? And why should a guy that has no less than 4 shop vacuums buy another one? My questions were answered this past fall when we had a Harman stove repairman at our house to clean our pellet stove. That's right, he walked in with one of these beauties and I saw it in action firsthand. About one week later, I bought one and have not regretted it ever since. I'm just sorry that I didn't jump sooner and save myself some money on these other shop vacuums.

Features, Specs, and Attachments.
Let's start with the two biggest features that sold me on this vacuum. First is the filtering system which contains 99.7% of drywall dust or coal/wood dust in my case. The filter is called a Gore Wet/Dry Filter which means no changing of filter to go from vacuuming solids or liquids. This filter is also completely washable and can be rinsed out with water. The next feature is portability. This vacuum not only allows you to use it without electricity (if you own a Dewalt battery), but the attachments and everything else you will need is right on the vacuum. This feature means that everything is compact and attached to the vacuum for easy transporting or even if you want to vacuum your car. Now down to the basics of what you get with the Dewalt DC500 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum. The vacuum weighs 7.2 pounds without the battery in place. Adding the battery probably adds another 1-2 pounds. The overall size of the canister is 12" wide by 15 ?" long by 13 ?" high with most of it being made of heavy plastic. It has a capacity of 2 gallons. This vacuum can be powered by a Dewalt 12 to 18 volt battery (the same ones used for drills and other cordless tools) or by plugging it into any 120 volt AC outlet. The AC cord is about 6 ft long. There are two ports on this vacuum one on each end. One is for vacuuming and the other end is for blowing. These ports have clips that allow the hose to snap into place so that disconnecting hoses will not be a problem. The power switch is located on the top of the vacuum and on the opposite side are the connection box for the battery and the holder for the attachments and hose. Also on this side is a place to coil the cord for storage when not in use. Emptying the vacuum can be done two ways depending on if you are vacuuming wet or dry remains. For dry items the bottom comes completely off by unsnapping two locks on each end much like other shop vacuums. To empty liquids there is a handy drain plug on the bottom of one side of the vacuum that you can open and drain the liquid without removing the top. There are only 2 attachments included with this vacuum, a crevice tool and a wide nozzle for picking up liquids. The hose is a standard size so find more is no problem.

My uses and experiences.
So far I have used this vacuum for several tasks here around the house. I also have had an opportunity to use it with one of my 18 volt batteries. The tasks include cleaning our pellet and coal stoves, sweep out our vehicles (with the battery in place), cleaning up pet hair, and general cleanup around the house. The Dewalt DC500 Canister Wet/Dry Vacuum performs beautifully for all of these tasks, but really shines with cleaning out our stoves. Other shop vacuums have not completely filter the fine dust from our pellet and coal stoves. With this vacuum we have no worry about if the dust is going to go through the filter and end up coming out the exhaust port. Also the use of the battery makes this vacuum the right choice for outside uses such as cleaning out vehicles and even working in our shed where electricity is a problem. The vacuum while not as powerful as some shop vacuums, does has enough power to complete all of our tasks without any problems. Also the vacuum is a bit quieter than most other shop vacuums that I have used. I also mentioned portability and ease of transporting. This vacuum is so compact when everything is stowed on it, that it is a breeze to carry along almost anywhere. I think that you can tell that I really love this DeWalt tool.

A few complaints.
Understanding that this vacuum is built to be compact, the cord could have been a bit longer. Also you will need a fairly newer, fresh battery to get much life of the cordless feature. Thankfully I have five 18 volt batteries to use in this vacuum and charging them only takes about an hour. At $99 the cost is a bit of a downer. Again you get what you pay for.

All in all: My only regret about this vacuum is that I didn't buy it when it first came out. I could have possibly saved myself from buying one or two other shop vacuums. This DeWalt tool does exactly what it claims it will and does it well. The portability and wonderful features of this vacuum makes it my choice for doing most household clean up jobs. Add the ability to run this vacuum by battery and you really have a winner here.

A few other vacuum reviews that I did:

http://www.epinions.com/content_223218536068

http://www.epinions.com/content_145390800516

http://www.epinions.com/content_73504689796

Thanks for checking out my reviews!!!
Steelfan