We live on an island in Georgia and part of our remodeling business includes cleaning vacation rental homes. Speed-cleaning to be exact. During our busy season, we flip as many as six houses in a six-hour period. Simply put, speed matters and efficient tools that enable us to do our work are important. And while I also used the the Milwaukee Backpack Vac gobbling up remodeling debris, turning properties gave us another look at it in action.
Short version: It did not disappoint. Well-executed design details make this a keeper of a tool.
The first thing I noticed is that the shoulder harness is easily adjustable. Different-sized users can easily share the vac without a major hassle fighting with straps. The straps also enable you to shift the weight of the vacuum back onto the shoulders, which is great for longer stretches of vacuuming.
The next thing I noticed is that the included 6-foot hose was fine for most tasks but that the optional 9-foot hose was great for working in small rooms—which made accessing closets, bathrooms, and inside cabinets significantly easier. I can put the unit down in the center of the space and just take the hose to the work. This saved me time and kept me from having to move the vac around.
The other thing that put speed on the track is having all the accessories right on the harness. It is super convenient when jumping from floor to baseboards to window sills to ceiling fans.
The battery life is great. While cleaning entire houses, I used it for a longer duration than for typical remodeling cleanup. The M18 battery hung in there through hours of gummy bears and my worst enemy: sand. I still needed two batteries, but not that often. That said, I worked faster by not having to chase (or trip over) a cord or locate an outlet.
From drywall and sawdust to gummy bears and sand, this thing cleans house.