Cordless Cleaners

For quick cleanups around the shop without having to drag out the big vac, nothing beats these battery-powered vacuums. They run on (but most don't come with) the same rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that many of your tools use, and battery runtime exceeded our expectations. Granted, they don't have as much suction and airflow as comparable corded vacs, but they're still impressive as detail vacuums. Each comes with a short hose, a nozzle or two, a cartridge-style filter (HEPA-rated on all but the Ryobi), and 1¹⁄₂ –3-gallon collection bins. Here are five of our favorites.

• 18 volts, 2.6 gallons
• 877-267-2499, boschtools.com
• This model's supple 5'-long hose stores on the vac with a built-in bungee strap. The unit offers great suction and filtration, and easy waste dumping. It comes with three hose extensions, a detail (crevice) nozzle, and a wide sweep.

• 18 volts, 2.5 gallons
• 800-729-3878, milwaukeetool.com
• This vac works well and carries easily, and it connects to Milwaukee's Packout modular tool-storage system units via built-in latches and hooks.

• 18 volts, 3 gallons
• 800-525-2579, ryobitools.com
• With the largest collection bin, this vac takes longer to fill up, and still balances and handles nicely despite its size.

• 12 volts, 1.6 gallons
• 800-729-3878, milwaukeetool.com
• Its smaller bin size means more frequent dumping, but it's ideal for small cleanups.

• 20 volts, 2 gallons
• 888-331-4569, craftsman.com
• Although its tiny power switch can be difficult to trigger, this vac performs nicely.