Review: Craftsman XSP 12 Gallon 5.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac

I stopped at the Sears near my work on the way home and bought a Craftsman XSP 12 Gallon 5.5 Peak HP Wet/Dry Vac. http://craftsman.com/craftsman-xsp-12-gallon-5.5-peak-hp-wet-dry/p-00912006000P  

(My little man helping me unbox the new vacuum.)

This is the last of the "big" tools on my want list until I save up enough money to buy the Miller welder I want. 

I wanted a shop vac with the larger 2.5 inch hose and this is the smallest of the craftsman ones that has this option. I looked at a few other shop vacs online but this one claimed to have more HP than others in its class and happens to be the same one we have at work, so I know it's a quality machine. 

This thing is a beast. It comes well packed in a huge box that barely fit in the passenger seat of my car. 

The hose, wheels, etc are shipped inside the canister, which makes a lot of sense when you think about it. 

The wheels don't come on the vac and have to be installed using four little screws. 

Flip the vac over. 

Slide the wheels into the little grooves.

Make sure the screw hole lines up. 

Remove screws from plastic package.

Drive screws into holes using a screwdriver. I use my drill for driving 90% of the screws I need to do. 

Once the wheels are on, flip the canister back over, put the top motor part back on, attach the hose, plug it in, and start vacuuming.

Before

After

The hose can wrap around the outside of the canister and store there easily with two huge hooks on the side top, the accessories are pushed onto reverse cups on the wheels and store there when not in use. 

This thing is going to make keeping the garage clean MUCH easier than it was when I was just using a broom. We use the one at work for pulling all the packing peanuts out of a box when unpacking stuff and it can easily empty a box of packing peanuts without the hose getting clogged or the canister getting full. 

My kids thought it was especially cool when I attached the hose to the output side and turned the thing isn't a blower. 

Bottom line, I wold highly recommend this vacuume to anyone looking for a good high power wet dry vac with a large hose size. 

Bonus tip, go buy this in your local sears store, it was on sale online for $10 off the normal price, but the in store price ended up being even less than that.