If you are browsing for vacuum cleaners in general, the brand Vacmaster will pop out a lot. That is because they offer some of the best price-to-value vacuums on the market. We find that a few of their models are also perfect for car cleaning and detailing. The Vacmaster VF408 Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum is one of those and here we will go through some of its main features and characteristics.
Our Verdict: If you are looking for an affordable wet and dry vacuum cleaner that has enough suction power to clean even the finest dust in your car, then the Vacmaster VF408 is a good place to start your search from. It has a powerful motor, a long hose, an even longer power cord, and can easily be moved around your house and garage to double-down as an all-purpose vacuum cleaner. Some of its issues are related to customer support and the motor overheating after continuous use.
If you are interested in other car vacuum models, head over to our detailed Buyer’s Guide in which you will find tons of useful information, as well as some of our top picks for this year.
Overview & Features
One of the key aspects of this vacuum cleaner is that it is very powerful. It has a two-stage motor with 5HP peak horse-power. That motor is also surprisingly quiet for such a big vacuum and is also very durable. It produces only 72 dB of noise which is less than almost any other car vacuum in this class.
The surprising theme continues as you move along the rest of the features of the VF408, which has a ton of accessories to it, HEPA filtration, a 7 feet long hose, and 18 feet power cord. These things might seem normal but usually aren’t for that particular price bracket. We will get into that further down.
Wet/Dry Capabilities
Another good thing about this vacuum is that it is a wet/dry model meaning it can work under any conditions, as long as you don’t directly suck up a lot of water. There have been some issues in regards to wet cleaning, such as problems with the motor when people are cleaning their ponds but those are rare and in most cases the vac works good enough.
Being able to suck up wet areas means that you can easily dry out or deep-clean your car’s interior in areas where you’ve just removed a stain from the seat.
If you want to check other wet/dry car vacuum cleaners, we suggest starting with the DeWalt DCV581H which is slightly more expensive but offers a cordless experience thanks to its battery packs.
Design & Build Quality
This car vacuum cleaner is sturdy enough to take a few hits around your garage but don’t treat it as a full-on industrial vac which can take on everything. The materials are mostly hard plastic which adds to its lightweight construction but also creates a lot of breaking points.
As a whole, it is best to protect it from extreme usage and maintain it well. That way it will last longer and will be able to pay off its initial investment.
In terms of design, it has an on-board accessory storage compartment which comes in handy when you need to use the crevice tool in your car. It also has a 4 gallon polypropylene tank for anything it gathers. That is fairly big compared to other models in this class which have around 2-3 gallons. It also means fewer stops to empty it out.
The power cord is 18 feet which is quite long again and has an automatic rewind function. Long power cords are often overlooked by customers and they end up using extension cords to clean their car when it is out of the garage.
Accessories
Apart from the 7-foot hose, the HEPA filters, dust bag, secure fit hose, foam sleeve, the rear caddy you also get:
- 3 extension wands
- A crevice tool
- 2-in-1 nozzle
- Floor nozzle
- Dust brush
Getting all those accessories for free is a good touch especially since many cheap vacuums compensate for their low price by selling the accessories separately.
Additional Notes
One thing that isn’t stellar (yet) about this brand is that their customer support isn’t on a very good level. A lot of people have complained about warranty issues and not being able to reach out to someone when an issue occurred. This is always a red flag for us, no matter how good the vacuum cleaner performs on our tests.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important pros and cons of this model now…
Advantages & Disadvantages
Pros
- Powerful 2-stage motor (5 HP)
- Durable construction
- Comes with a lot of accessories
- 15 feet long power cord
- Excellent for cleaning every part of your car’s interior
- Surprisingly lightweight & portable
- 4 Gallon tank size
Cons
- Some users report issues with overheating of the motor
- Doesn’t perform as well with wet cleaning
Check out some of the best ways to clean your car’s interior by clicking here.
Conclusion & Rating
Product Rating:
The Vacmaster VF408 Wet/Dry Shop Vacuum isn’t something remarkable on paper but when you consider that you are paying a fraction of the cost of premium vacuums and getting a similar performance, then it starts looking quite appealing. That is especially true if you are looking for a vacuum that will help you detail your car’s interior and also clean out your garage. Some of the drawbacks here are that you cannot really rely on the support staff and that there are some concerns about prolonged uses of the vacuum in wet areas. We hope that those issues get addressed further down the road. For now, they don’t seem to make this worse of a purchase but do make you consider other models. We gave the VF408 a score of 5 out of five stars mainly due to its affordability and functionality.