Kobalt KWDV 0124B-03 Review

The Kobalt is a great wet/dry vacuum for those who want a low-in price machine but will nonetheless move dry materials without a struggle. To get these benefits, one will sacrifice a bit in wet work performance, battery life, and some convenience features. That said, this machine is at the top of the class for moving heavy debris and cleaning in tight spots.

Performance Comparison

Dry Work

Simply put, the Kobalt destroys in the dry work department. There isn't a material that fits into its hose that it didn't easily move into its canister. This model is particularly adept at sucking up heavy items like hardware and shared the top score for this sub-metric with the Ryobi. We know this because we had it sucking up everything from wood screws to ⅝ inch machine bolts to 100-gram calibration weights. The Kobalt shot these items up the tube into the canister after another.

This model is no slouch at slurping up mountains of sawdust, either. We piled 9 cups of the stuff on the floor, and the Kobalt gobbled it up in a mere 13 seconds. That's a rate of inhalation that puts it near the very top of the class. Last but not least, this machine's crevice tool has a good design and accomplishes the tasks it is made for with little difficulty.

Wet Work

To be clear, the kind of wet work we're referring to here is not what you hear about in cloak and dagger novels or Martin Scorsese films. Although. Humm… There may be some crossover. Anyway, getting back on track. We want to know how well these machines move liquids in common wet mess scenarios. While the Kobalt is not at the very top of the class in this metric, it performs quite well overall.

First off, we wanted to see how well these machines can move water uphill. The Kobalt can slurp up 2 gallons of water from an elevation of 27 inches in just 13 seconds — just under the class average. This tool can also move wet sawdust and clean up liquids spilled on a hard surface at a decent rate. However, this vacuum is a boss when sucking water from the carpet. We poured 2 cups of water on a car floorboard mat and let it soak in. Then we sucked the water back out and measured how much water was retrieved in the process. The Kobalt almost got it all!

As a final assessment, we used a water lift gauge to measure the suction power of this model. At 22 inches of lift, this vacuum was right at average for the group in this evaluation.

Battery

It really doesn't matter how well a vacuum moves liquids and rubbish if its battery runtime is so short that you can't finish the job. With that in mind, we ran a straightforward assessment of battery longevity. We plugged a fully charged battery into the vac in question and ran it without a load (i.e., only pulling air) until the machine died. The elapsed time is what we call runtime.

The Kobalt's runtime is 19 minutes, 35 seconds — which isn't that great. If we look at performance in terms of minutes of runtime/amp-hour as rated by the manufacturer, it's 4.9 minutes per amp-hour—about a minute below average.

Convenience

Let's be honest; vacuums are all about convenience. We look at many different features — such as ease of storage, hose durability, and length, filter type, noise, and weight — to assess convenience. Given a large number of variables, there aren't a lot of machines that can clear all the hurdles to score highly in this metric. While we like the Kobalt's toolbox shape with its streamlined internal storage for the hose and attachments, the machine also has some faults.

It may seem nitpicky, but this model is relatively loud at 80 dBa. Weighing in at nearly 11 pounds, it's also on the heavier side. Additionally, the vacuum has a rather long hose (96 inches fully stretched), which is fine if you need the length. However, it doesn't retract to a short, easily manageable length like some competitors. That said, the Kobalt has a HEPA-rated filter that is wet washable. We find that to be a real plus because the HEPA filter addresses one of the few safety concerns posed by these machines.

Should You Buy the Kobalt KWDV 0124B-03?

Although it is not the highest scorer, we like the Kobalt and feel that it is a product worth considering if you want an excellent dry cleanup machine but need to stick to a budget. The compact design and above-average wet work score add to its appeal. However, it has a short battery life, and if this is a deal-breaker for you, you may want to look elsewhere.

What Other Cordless Wet Dry Vacuums Should You Consider?

The dry work score of the Kobalt is only matched by the Milwaukee. If dry work is your top priority, these are the two best options. If you want a vacuum with a more well-rounded repertoire, the Craftsman earned a higher overall score by being above average in every metric, although it does not specialize in any one task.