The best wet and dry vacuum cleaners

If you’re looking for a cheap wet and dry shop vacuum for a garage or other area with indoor/outdoor hard floors, then this Wessex model could be for you. It does not clean floors with water or cleaning solution. Instead, it is only there for sucking up wet liquids, dust and coarse dirt.

It is available in three sizes: 18, 20 and 30 liters. We tested the 18-liter model on sawdust, dust, dirt, mud, and on a water leak and found it powerful and effective. It has a suction power of 18,000 Pa and comes with a main brush head, crevice tool and hose adapter that can be connected to the socket of certain power tools. It has a 1.5 meter hose and a 5 meter power cable.

You can use it on wet or dry spills, but keep in mind that you’ll need to add or remove the bag, filter, and a locknut depending on the task, so it’s not as easy to use as more expensive models. You can also use it as a blower, but that also requires adjustments.

As you’d expect from its price, there are compromises when it comes to build quality. It is almost entirely plastic, there is no angle adjustment on the floor brush and the bags are made of not very sturdy paper. You can replace them with universal bags, although you can buy vacuum cleaner ones from Toolstation for £4.98 for a pack of three.

This isn’t a buy-it-for-life model, but if you need something cheap, this is a good option.