The 14-gallon Ridgid WD1450 wet/dry vacuum is the top-rated consumer-brand shop vac in its size range, which experts say is large enough for most general uses around the house and garage. It scores well for low emissions, excellent suction and quiet performance. A drain makes it easy to empty liquids, and Ridgid offers a lifetime warranty once you register the shop vac. This consumer-brand shop vac isn't especially convenient for collecting dust from power tools because it lacks the auto-start feature, but reviews recommend it for both wet and dry pickup around a workshop or home. If you need a tool-triggered shop vac for power tool use, reviews recommend the Bosch AirSweep 3931A (*est. $400).
Consumer Reports tests the Ridgid WD1450 shop vac along with 22 other models, running them through objective tests before rating and ranking their performance. The more recent comparison tests at Popular Mechanics also include the Ridgid WD1450. For a longer-term perspective, we found useful owner-written ratings and reviews of the Ridgid WD1450 shop vacuum at HomeDepot.com.