I've gone through several shop vacs over the years, from the old loud as a jet engine metal canister versions to the more recent shop vac brand ones that were strong and quiet, and mostly worked well. I've taken to using shop vacs instead of my theoretically more powerful dust collection system for some power tools, like my 12" planer, because the more powerful suction of the wet/dry vacs just works better for chip extraction. My last shop vac, though it worked well, had some parts that cracked and I never liked the tapered tub, which made it hard to remove a full bag without tearing. I was looking for something sturdier, and easy to empty, and the shape of the Dewalt 16 gallon looked smart. Here's the bullet list for good and weak points on the Dewalt: Good: Suction - pulls like a beast, as good or better than any other shop vac. Build quality - quite nice, very sturdy plastic tub, good seals, latches are sturdy. Feels "tool quality". Nice. Wheels - better than expected. There is a review on Amazon that does not like them, but for vac wheels, they seem sturdy enough and have a rubberized rolling surface so they won't scratch hardwood, and roll quiet. I can see where they might seem small only if full of water on soft ground. (side note, the mounting system for the front wheels is the same as for the back pair, so in theory you could order a pair of front wheels and mount them on the back to have 4 casters instead of the 2+2 as it comes. I don't see a model with 4 casters in the 16 gallon size from the factory) Handlebar: sturdy and well made, and importantly, easy to remove for times when pulling the vac around a finished space might result in damage to wall etc, 2 little buttons to push, one on each side, and lifts out/snaps back in. Sound level - without the "muffler" (more of a baffle) and hoses on, it is comparable to the quieter pro version shop vac I recently had, so adequately quiet. I expect with a half load of dust in the bag I will be about the same. Tools - don't seem as delicate as some reviewers suggested, and importantly, are fully compatible with my old Shop Vac brand 2.5" accessories and hoses. Only the dewalt hose connection to the machine is unique, the rest are standard tapered tube arrangement. Cord - nice and long, seems to be good quality, and has little tab for plug to connect to wrapped cord to keep it tidy. Seems like it can either be wrapped around the nice big handle, or around the handlebar. Handle - nice and large, easy to grab from any angle. Hose storage - the rubber strap to secure the hose is actually pretty nice, heavy soft rubber, easy to stretch into place, and works if hose is connected or just tucked round and round the top, which makes things more compact for storage. A clever idea well implemented. Whoever worked on this design, give them a bonus! Neutral detail: The hanging bag storage system for accessories is just ok. It works, but not really for the tall tubes. On the other hand, it is a bit more compact than the fixed mount for accessories my old shop vac had, which had been cracked for years! Nice that they thought to put grommeted drain holes in the bottom of the bag in case it gets out in the rain etc. Drain hole goes all the way to the bottom of the flat tank, but is not quite as large as the one on my old shop vac. Included accessory that screws on instead of the cap, and has standard garden hose threads is brilliant though, and allows for remote draining, which would be slow, and theoretically remote SUCTION PUMPING, which is awesome for tight spaces like a bilge or small hole, limited to the suction height of the machine of course. Weak point: The only real questionable detail I see at the moment is the inlet/diverter, which is fixed on the inside of the tank. Shop Vac branded vacs have a design where the diverter slides upwards, and also traps the cardboard surround on the vac bags, making it easier to remove the bags when full by pulling up, and keeps the bags from coming off while in use. Perhaps the vacuum suction itself will keep the bag in place, and perhaps the bag will not pull away from the diverter and not be hard to remove, but I have doubts. I will update after some use if its problematic, or works fine. I might hack my old shop vac fitting and mount it on the Dewalt if I'm not happy with this arrangement. Time will tell. Overall, I'm giving this 5 stars because of the high build quality, suction power, sound level, and generally well thought out design. So far it seems like it has that "nice tool quality" feel that makes things more satisfying to use. Side note, if you are not using bags plus filters on shop vacs for dry pickup, START! Yeah, they cost money, but suction stays strong all the way through, and you don't have the hassle of banging the dusty filter clean to restore suction, or dealing with the dust clouds when emptying. They are expensive but worth it, but only for dry pickup. And for fine dust like drywall and stone dust, they are the ONLY way to go.
