Shop vacuums are a very versatile tool to have. They have a place in every home.
Shop vacs can remove water
Shop vacs, sometimes called wet/dry vacs, have the capability to suck up both dust an liquids. This ability makes them the essential cleanup tools for the smaller or larger mess in your home.
For example, if your sink is clogged and filled with gross water, you can suck up the water with the shop vac. It will cleanly empty the sink for you. Toilets are not a problem either.
A good shop vac will get the job done in a flash. Emptying a 5 gallon bucket into the vac will take well under a minute.
Shop vacs can remove large debris
Outdoors show vacs are great tools for cleaning your car, other tools, or rough stuff you don't want to waste your main vacuum on.
Most shop vacs have no bag. This allows them to collect much larger debris than a normal vacuum cleaner can. Coins and small stones are not a problem.
Sizing
The vacuums sold at home stores all come with totally ridiculous HP ratings. They all use 15A, which limits them to just over 1HP. Yet you will find models claiming to produce 6HP or more.
Ignore the labels and choose a model with the liquid capacity and overall size you are comfortable with. Then use the HP rating as a gauge of the build quality of the unit.
Shop vacs these days are disposable unit. They built cheaply and won't last long. Most homeowners, however, will get a decade of use from their purchase.
Summary
A good shop vac is an essential tool to have around the house. It can vacuum up water, rubble, and large debris, all of which would ruin your vacuum cleaner. Next time you need to clean up a spill in pinch, you will be happy to have a shop vac handy.
