Retailers have slashed the price on this Dewalt 20V Max cordless HEPA-rated stick vacuum, DCV501HB, from ~$149 to $99.
This Dewalt cordless hand vacuum comes with a selection of attachments, including a flexible hose, floor nozzle, compact nozzle, crevice tool, brush tool, and extension wand, plus a bag to hold everything.
It’s rated at 65 air watts when powered with a 5Ah battery, and delivers 46 CFM of suction performance.
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The vacuum’s runtime is up to 21.4 minutes with a 5Ah battery.
Additional features include an LED light and a belt hook (which I have found also works well with utility carts).
I’ve used this Dewalt cordless vacuum before – and held onto my test kit (in case you have any questions). It delivers decent performance for its size, but keep in mind that it’s an ergonomic hand vacuum. I particularly like the canister design, which is easily removed and emptied.
Several retailers are holding the same deal right now. According to Lowe’s, the deal ends 11/22/23, but other retailers might have a different expiration date.
Sale Price: $99 (tool-only)
Home Depot seems to be the outlier – they have the vacuum (tool-only) priced at $149 right now.
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Tool Nut has a different deal going on right now, where you can get the cordless vacuum with a charger and 2x 5Ah battery starter kit for $199.
William
How does this compare to the DCV580? I have that vacuum and really like it for cabinet installs. Is the floor wand long enough and work well enough?
Stuart
I haven’t done head to head. The specs between the two don’t mesh with what I remember for the DCV580.
This model feels like a more powerful Dust Buster but with more attachments and capabilities.
It struggles with larger and heavier debris, but not to the point where I feel it’s very underpowered. I do feel it’s slightly underpowered for the sake of longer battery life, or maybe lighter weight. For most of the tasks I use it for, there’s always a line between where a vac of this class is useful and a larger vac is really needed.
I set my expectations with the first few uses, establishing when I could and shouldn’t bring it out.
es
This one should be more powerful. It has 46cfms compared to the 31 from the dcv580 https://www.dewalt.com/product/dcv580/1820v-max-cordless-wet-dry-vacuum
The dcv580 also does wet and a larger bin though. It’s weird dewalt puts such a weak 31 cfm vac when the other brands ie milwaukee, bosch , flex put out more powerful basic wet/dry vacs with at least 40 cfm . I’m aware dewalt does have a monster pricey cordless 60 flexvolt vacuum.
I think cfm is a measure of air flow and how well it collects dust. Waterlift is the other commonly seen measurement I think that rates the ability to pick up heavier items. I can’t find waterlift for these vacs.
In comparison a typical corded dust extractor hits 130-150 cfms and 98 inches of water lift. So what does it mean for work ? For things like concrete grinding, I think osha states 25 cfms per inch of grinding wheel. a 5 inch grinding wheel needs a dust extractor rated for at least 125 cfms. https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA_FS-3628.pdf
Having some collection is better than none. I find these small vacs great for cleaning up drill holes and some sawing work . The batteries do get eaten quickly.
Stuart
On paper, but I’ve used the DCV580 to clean messes the DCV501 cannot handle as well. The latter has a more convenient form factor for spot cleaning, and is easier to operate with one hand.
MoogleMan3
I grabbed this last month when theisen’s had it on sale with a 5.0Ah powerstack for $149. Handy little vac.
Big Richard
As did I, I already had the vac so I sold it to a friend for $100. $50 5Ah PS, yes please.
Al
Aw, shucks. That $99 price tag is the magic number where I don’t question or discuss…a package just shows up at the door.
[Fill disclosure: A lot of $99 packages show up at our house. And my conscience is clear.]
Would it be a good replacement for a DataVac? Is it quiet enough for office use? What about static?
Stuart
Quiet enough for office use? No. For that, you’ll want something like the Milwaukee M18 backpack vacuum.
Al
That 76db is close the the DataVac Pro’s 75db. But it’s huge. (size & price)
Is that sound all around? The DataVac is noisy at the exhaust end, which you can point at the carpet or least-favourite co-worker. Much quieter for the operator and other cubicle warriors.
The ESD is a concern because I work with servers & network gear. I keep myself grounded to racks, but vacs and plastic hoses tend to introduce a lot of static.
Stuart
I’m pretty sure this has no ESD rating. If you’re working near servers, use something that is certified for such environments.
In some anti-static vacuums, the AS features are more for cleanliness and user comfort than ESD protection.
I would say this vacuum is NOT suitable for use in ESD sensitive environments.
Shane
I wonder how this compares performance wise to other vacuums of this size? I have tried a lot of cordless vac’s over the years, and I’m still looking for that perfect combination of portability, power and overall performance. I will admit that I have a preference for a one handed vac. I wore out my Rigid R86090B but the ridiculously uncommon filters were a pain to find. Milwaukee 0960-20: Another tool that was and is highly used(it has been re-assigned to household use but it also has an uncommon filter). My Dewalt DCV517B was just OK but never seemed strong enough to pull much more than fine dirt/dust. The DCV581H is a little better but I don’t like a canister. Believe it or not my Milwaukee 0850-20 can match my Ridgid WD0319 in performance with a 6 ah battery.
I work as a service technician and my messes are small in general….small stripped wiring insulation, small aluminum shavings and concrete dust, etc. Filters clog quickly due to how fine the particulate typically is. I use a vac at least 1+ times a day. I wonder if this would be an upgrade?
James
Also a service tech and I make good use of the Bosch cordless vacuum, GAS18V-3N. I call it R2D2.
Good capacity, good suction, easy maintenance. Obviously sometimes I need the big boy vac, but I’m most often happy with just this one.
It fits with all its accessories in a packout crate, which is typically top row of the stack as the vacuum is taller than a crate. I’ve been meaning to turn a couple of Packout crates into a single tall one because if I have one gripe about the crates, they’re a little short, meaning that I get overflow of bulk items and can only stack them on the top row…
Koko The Talking Ape
I have one and I like it. I do know it’s more powerful than the DCV517B. And the reviews I’ve seen have generally been positive. The many accessories make it much more useful than many hand vacs.
One interesting and I think unique way to use it is to hang it from your belt and vacuum up drywall or plaster dust as you drill holes or whatever. No dust gets on the carpet.
But for cleanup I’d say it’s really for places you can’t reach with corded vacs. The hose and narrow nozzle really help with that.
Julian
It has good suction and a great asst of attachments, but is needlessly loud, like most dewalt cordless vacs. The makita version is MUCH quieter, if just a little bit less suction.
MKY
Stuart-
“Home Depot seems to be the outlier – ***they still the ***vacuum priced at $149 right now.”
Stuart
Thanks! *fixed*
Big Richard
Fyi, HD will have at $99 starting 23Oct, along with all their other holiday promos starting.
Saulac
Is the filter the same with the old 1 gal vac, or anything else? That would be a huge plus.
Look at where the dirt enter the canister. I applause Dewalt for going the extra mile to make thing better. On all other vacs of this type, the dirt enter at the very bottom which necessitate a flapper (that not fully closed after a while).
This type of vac is supper handy to have around the house. Yes, they are not powerful but don’t they handy for quick pickup. I don’t bother getting the big vacs to certain spots anymore.
MtnRanch
Does this one scream as loud and painfully as the old DC515?
MotorCityCraftsman
Handy little vac. Excellent form factor and the variety of attachments is great. The downsides is that the attachments reside in the included mesh bag that is awkward to store, handle and transport. It’s not very powerful. Clogs quickly with the smallest amount of drywall or concrete dust from drilling holes. As Stuart said, like a powerful dust buster. I may start looking at household portable vacuums as these tools companies are not good and small vacuums.