It was time for a new shop vacuum. After looking around a bit and comparing specs that were important to me (size, suction power, tool attachments, etc…) the Rigid 31693 WD1851 won the challenge and came home with me. I have had the Rigid WD1851 for a while now and thought I should update folks with my findings. Read on for the Rigid 31693 WD1851 review.
Suction. It’s a vacuum so I am cutting right to the “suction” portion of the review. The Rigid WD1851 sucks, in a good way. The powerful 6.5 peak HP motor does a great job at providing impressive suction. Because of this powerful suction you have to make sure and pick the right attachment. For example, I used the utility nozzle for my cars interior and it kept lifting the carpets up off the floor. Impressive but not effective. I switched to the car nozzle (duh) and things went much smoother. Not a complaint as I prefer the power.
Build Quality. Pretty good. Not great. First, I will talk about the things I am not in love with on this vacuum. The front wheels are smaller and are the standard vertical plug casters. The larger rear wheels use a one piece metal axle that holds them on with two cap nuts. Time will tell how this holds up, but my past experience with cap nuts is that they tend to fall off. How about a cotter pin?
The 31693 comes with a metal handle that plugs in to the vacuum and secures with two spring loaded detent buttons. My handle only secures on one of the sides. The other side will not seat properly and the button doesn’t line up with the hole. Seems like a manufacturing problem.
My last beef with the Rigid WD1851 is the caddy or hose storage area. The current design means that you have to make a choice of storing the hose or the extension wands, but not both at the same time. Come on Rigid, this isn’t that difficult of a problem to engineer a solution. I ended up storing the extension wands on the caddy and wrap the hose around the vacuum handles. It often falls off.
Ease of use. The vacuum is very easy to use. The 20-foot power cord wraps neatly around the orange handle on top of the vacuum cleaner. The power switch is mounted prominently on top of the unit and is orange for quick identification. Opening the unit to empty it and clean the filter is a snap. There is also a drainage port on the bottom of the unit for wet vacuuming. Nice touch. The suction hose clips on to the vacuum when in use so that it does’t pop off when pulled which was a problem with my past shop vac. Lastly, the storage bag for the attachments is very helpful. Not sure why this isn’t included, in one way or another, on all shop vacuums.
- 6.5 Peak HP Motor – Powerful suction picks up about 1 gallon of water per second
- Scroll Noise Reduction® is a patented feature that provides quiet operation by precisely controlling the flow of air through the vac
- Sturdy Cart, Push Handle, & Large Rear Wheels act together allowing the vac to travel easily up & down steps and across rough terrain
- Quick Release Accessory Storage Bag keeps accessories close at hand but is quickly removable to make emptying debris from drum quick and easy
- 2-Piece Drum Provides improved, more rugged construction to meet the higher demands found on the job site
- 3-layer Fine Dust Filter captures fine dust particles such as dry wall dust
- 7′ Dual-Flex® Locking Hose resists collapsing and adds 180? flexibility at both hose ends. Hose locks onto vac for uninterrupted cleaning
- Large Carry Handle allows easy lifting of vac into service vehicle
- Long 20’ Cord wraps neatly around carry handle
- Powerful exhaust airstream can be directed through the vac hose to blow debris from garages, decks, and sidewalks
