Whenever we hear about a new jobsite cordless vacuum it’s hard not to have flashbacks to my childhood of mom using her DustBuster (1986 commercial below) she kept mounted on the wall. It was a handy little vacuum she used to clean out her Silver Honda Hatchback. Jumping from those memories to a modern day jobsite isn’t the most natural leap however the trend to find better ways to create less mess while working and leave less mess afterwards is only getting more prominent. Leaving behind a mess can raise questions of professionalism, quality of work, safety, etc that make it a pretty simple extra step to take if you are interested in repeat business or referrals.
The Milwaukee M12 compact Vacuum 0850-20 ($59) is a pretty nice addition for anyone who’s already in the M12 system (batteries not included with vacuum). Milwaukee claims it will run almost half hour continuously with the XC4.0 battery or about half that with the standard 2.0 Ah M12 batteries. That should be more than enough to clean up after a small installation job or quick repair which is what this vac seems designed to tackle. It comes with several attachments and the filter is “reusable” which means you can blow it out and keep using it but under heavy use will need replaced eventually (2 Pack Filters – 49-90-1950 – $10). We also like that they added a clear debris window that will tell you when it needs empty.
The Milwaukee M12 cordless vacuum 0850-20 is not a wet/dry vac like the Milwaukee M18 cordless vacuum 0880-20 ($99) and there are no HEPA filter options for this compact vac. Makita is their largest competitor for a cordless vacuum powered by a tool battery and who they’ve set their sights on in the category. Milwaukee is claiming the suction power of their M12 vac is 70% stronger than the 12V Makita LC01Z vac and even slightly more powerful than the 18V Makita XLC02ZW vacuum. To be fair however Makita has now gone even more advanced with their new 18V cyclonic vac DCL500Z ($315) which based on price alone is a completely different animal.
While it’s clear a cordless vac isn’t a revolutionary idea having the same battery platform for clean up as you have for doing the work itself can be a very handy proposition. For more information on the Milwaukee M12 Cordless line up or if you have any questions give the pros at Ohio Power Tool a call 800-242-4424. They will be more than happy to help you find the right tool for the job.
