Inevitably, you'll find yourself with a mess that's big enough for you to whip out your shop vac, but not so messy that you want to disturb the bulky giant of the cleaning solution. When you find yourself in this situation, you'll be glad you have the Shop-Vac Hawkeye 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum. We researched it in our recent best wet and dry vacuums buying guide, a stripped-down version of this small shop vacuum that excels on smaller clean-up projects.
Notable features
Blower: Like most wet and dry vacuums, this model has a blower function. By pulling the hose from the intake and reconnecting it to the exhaust, you can turn the Shop-Vac Hawkeye into a low powered blower. It's great for removing light debris, but if I'm in the house, garage, or shop, I'm more likely to just vacuum up instead of blowing wood chips into corners.
Air Filtration: The Shop-Vac Hawkeye uses standard paper filters. It's a tried and true system with a great balance of filtration and airflow. Unless you specifically need a HEPA filter, there's no reason to choose a different style.
Mobility: This model does not include wheels. Shop-Vac designed this particular model to treat small areas, one at a time. Its relatively light weight and compact size make it easy to move to a bench or car—just don't plan to use it to clean an entire shop. It can also be used as a tool-specific dust collector for miter or table saws (you may need a hose adapter to install it).
Attachments and Storage: The Shop-Vac Hawkeye has the necessary attachments to get the job done without overdoing it. All accessories are stored on the back of the device. While everything has its place, one downside to this model is that the accessory mount feels a bit flimsy.
included in the kit
- Claw utility nozzle
- crevice tool
- adapter
- tool holder
Hose and cord management: The Shop-Vac Hawkeye is a bit clumsy when it comes to hose management. Tabs on the front and back of the handle let you control it, but the small size does make it unwieldy. The best thing to do is to store the hose in the canister when you're done using it.
The wire winding system that Shop-Vac has integrated into this model works well. The tags are nice and wide and the cord wraps up securely. The downside here is that the tangled cord prevents access to the latch.
Performance
The 6 hp Shop-Vac motor that comes with this model is a pleasant surprise. Usually you want to see 5 Hp or less. Still, that's what you do with what you have. 90 CFM and 50 inches of hydraulic lift won't blow your mind, and it performs very well compared to other vacuums in this canister size class.
90 CFM is enough to collect light dust that may be airborne. The 50" hydraulic lift is as light as I dare to go. It will suck up most of the wood chips and of course all the dust. But it leaves larger chunks and other debris behind.
Echoing that understanding, the compact Shop-Vac pulled just 2.5 pounds in our pull test. It's not the weakest we've tested (that crown belongs to Shop-Vac's 4-gallon model), but it's on the low side.
the bottom line
For just $89, the Shop-Vac Hawkeye gives you high portability and more power than you'd expect from a wet and dry vacuum cleaner of this size. If you want something bigger and/or roll around the store on wheels, there are options in a similar price range. What I really like about this model is that it can be used as a quick cleanup tool for vehicles, isolated areas of the shop, and your house. It also has the potential to act as a dust collector on any of your tools that have a dust port if you have the right size adapter and a 7 foot hose is enough for you.
- big cover lock
- Inlet accepts 1-1/4″, 1-1/2″ and 2.5″ hose ends
- 20' power cord
- rear blower port
- On-board power cord and accessory storage
- lightweight and portable
Shop-Vac Hawkeye 5 Gallon Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner Specifications
- Model: Shop-Vac H87S600Cr
- Motor: 6 hp
- Tank Size: 5 Gallon
- Hose Diameter: 1-1/2″
- Hose Length: 7′
- Cubic feet: 90
- Water lifter: 50
- Warranty: 5-year limited
- Price: $89