The Ryobi P710 Vacuum : Far From Perfect
Written: Mar 24 '07
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Pros: Handy, small, picks up a few ounces of liquid
Cons: Picks up a few ounces of liquid, loses suction immediatly, doesn't trap dust, filter
The Bottom Line: It's a very nice idea that was poorly executed.
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| AVaddict's Full Review: Ryobi P710 Handheld Wet/Dry Vacuum |
Product
The Ryobi 18v P710 is part of the One+ line of tools from Ryobi. They are called this simply because it a whole line of products working off a single battery type. This is not particularly unique, most companies have adopted this approach and have varying names for it. The vacuum comes with a couple of “wand” attachments, a little brush tip and an insert that seems to want to double as a squeegee. As with other Ryobi One+ tools, it doesn’t come with a battery or charger unless it is part of a larger multi piece kit. This vac looks as if it’s the same TuffSucker that is in another epins listing, but just to be sure I put it here, because I know mine is a 710, the other listing doesn’t seem to specify, even so, it appears to be the same unit.
Though it doesn’t have a battery or charger it does come with the plug in lanyard, I must assume to hang from one’s manly man tool belt. I have a bunch of the batteries so I don’t use the lanyards much. As a space saving idea it seems ok as one could hang them virtually anywhere keeping it out of the way or organized with other tools. This is one of the billion dust buster clones on the market and proves some really are better than others. If you don’t know what a dust buster is, it was the vacuum of this shape, size, and style that started it all back about 20 years ago. Back then it was pretty revolutionary, being cordless and rechargeable with decent suction and the ability to get into tight places that a bulky vacuum may be a pain with. It’s also good for little spills and clean ups. The Ryobi kinda hits all these points, but not very well.
Use
I got this on sale for $18 and change at Home Depot. It seemed like a good idea and I have all these other Ryobi tools, why not one more to keep them company. The unit itself is not too heavy, most of the weight comes from the battery pack, but even then, it is still light weight enough for anyone. When totally clean and picking up items that don’t really clog the filter, say Grape-Nuts or coarse sawdust the suction stays true and it happily picks up the soil or what have you well. I found out very quickly that the “filter”, a small cup covered with a synthetic weave material, does not trap sheetrock dust, at all, not even slightly, it blows most of it right back out. For giggles, I tapped it out well, oiled it with filter oil (the same you’d use on an automotive performance foam filter), no change and a dramatic drop in suction to boot. This didn’t make sense to me, but I stopped using it for fine dust or powder.
This is a wet/dry vac yes, but what you may not realize till you pull it out of the box and inspect it, it does not actually pick up that much liquid. My manual doesn’t say anything about capacity for liquids, but Home Depot’s online site said its capacity is .25gl, or a quart…..32 ounces. Not even close. A simple kitchen experiment shows it will hold 4oz without spilling, and that is holding at a very specific angle. If you were to tip it back to a flat and level position, it will leak, no matter how hard you push that insert back into the nose of the vac. That’s with the squeegee attachment off, with it on, its capacity skyrockets to almost 7.5oz. Either way, that’s a fairly gross disparity I would say. If you have a big spill, it is probably time to roll out the carpet cleaner or shop vac, whichever seems more appropriate. Keep in mind, I didn’t buy the thing with cleaning up wet spills with grace and ease as I prance about my delightful housecleaning day. I just wanted a little, versatile vac and although this one seems to be capable of the lightest chores, I probably should have purchased, and probably will, the Ryobi canister vac, another One+ tool.
Filters, filters, and more or less no filters, omething almost every review seems to lament is the lack of replacement filters. There is a replacement filter number, 3023109, but try searching that on Ryobi’s own site, zero results. Just for fun I asked a Home Depot employee in that section, who revealed I was not the first person to ask, but certainly the calmest. He said they do exist, but didn’t know how I might go about getting one since Ryobi doesn’t seem to make them. Per another customer who said she had called Ryobi, they referred her to an authorized repair shop, which recommended she call the manufacturer. Lovely. Since my use of this item may be fairly limited, I may just make my own from an old Bissell filter I have laying around. Meh, dunno if I will care enough to make the time.
Conclusion
This review was an easy endeavor for me. It really is as simple as this; There are better options out there in this style of vac, certainly more brands with replacement filters that are not made of unobtanium. Dirt Devil, Bissell, Eureka, GE, etc etc all make this variety, and there is always the original, the Dust Buster, which to be honest with you wasn’t all that, but better than this unit hands down. I have been led to believe Dyson is also coming out with one, MSRP starts at $529.99 (not really, but if it’s true, it will cost an arm and a leg). This is a vaguely useful hand held, but unless you have other Ryobi tools and need something compatible, you might consider this, or the larger canister vac, which I see in my near future as it is a nice filler between a hand vac like the TuffSucker and a small shop vac.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 20
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Location: Texas
Reviews written: 139
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