ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner is small, cheap and rather useful car vacuum cleaner. It is corded vacuum cleaner using 12V cigaret lighter adapter with decent power for such small device, but it can’t be compared with the power of bigger, more robust and much more expensive vacuums.
ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner is small, cheap and rather useful car vacuum cleaner. It is corded vacuum cleaner using 12V cigaret lighter adapter with decent power for such small device, but it can’t be compared with the power of bigger, more robust and much more expensive vacuums.
- 2.5 Gallon Polypropylene Tank.Specific uses:Car,Garage,Shop
- 2 Peak HP Motor
Vacuum Cleaner Specifications and Description
It picks up both wet and dry debris, including smaller spills. Don’t expect it to clean a soda can, but smaller spills can be cleaned easily. Dirt bin is transparent allowing monitoring of amount of debris and liquids – when amount of liquids reaches certain level, one has to stop vacuuming and clean the vacuum, otherwise vacuum cleaner can be damaged.
Vacuum cleaner comes with 15 foot (cca 4.5m) power cord and 12-volt plug for car use. Note that vacuum cleaner requires around 5A during operation and probably little bit more when motor is starting, so use of some generic, low power AC/DC adapter is not recommended. However, if you do have 5A/12V adapter, it might be used – of course, if adapter is capable of supplying more current, better. In any case, proper fuse is highly recommended on the adapter.
ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner comes with built-in crevice tool. It is very useful for cleaning hard to reach areas. Note that this vacuum cleaner lacks suction power of bigger vacuums operated at 110/220V, so several passes are ofter required to clean the area thoroughly.
Vacuum cleaner is rather light, weighing around 1.6 lbs (~730g) and physically small – it can be used even by kids for longer period of time without tiring them.
Vacuum cleaner also comes with non-slip storage bag, detail brush (stored onboard at the base of vacuum cleaner) and with the squeegee.
Vacuum cleaner has built in LED light, very helpful while cleaning in the dark or lower light conditions (under seats, for example). Also, filter is reusable, so wash it as required.
Vacuum cleaner is cheap and can be stored in the car for use when required. It doesn’t have batteries of any kind, so it depends on car’s 12V power. It is said that 30 minutes of operation will not drain the power of any normal and functioning car battery.
Little bit of math: if it operates for 30 minutes – who vacuums car that long?! If the car is that dirty, use normal sized vacuum cleaner and clean it thoroughly! 🙂 – with 5A, it will drain 2.5Ah (Amp-hours) from the battery – note that this is the ‘worst case scenario’. Normal sized car battery has at least 50Ah and being 90% fully charged, it has 45Ah stored. That 2.5Ah represent around 5% of battery capacity and in no way can prevent your car from starting – if it does, check electric system of your car.
If you have larger car, it probably has at least 70Ah battery and that 2.5Ah is really nothing for that battery. And using this vacuum cleaner for 30 minutes happens rarely – one needs much less time to clean even the larger sedans.
Few more notes about ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner:
– if you want to clean the trunk of the car, 15 foot cord could be little bit too short. Solution is to open the trunk from the cabin (lowering the back seats) and cleaning it. Also, it is possible to buy 12V extension cord – very suitable for people who require cleaning things around the car, too!
– the coil cord stretches, just be sure not to pull it to strongly – it can be pulled out of 12V outlet if outlet is too lose and could come flying toward You!
– cleaning areas under sport car seats (these can be rather low in the car) could be little bit hard due to low height of that area.
Anyway, people expect a lot, even from such cheap devices. This is nice car vacuum cleaner with decent performances that comes at great price. Having no batteries means that it is cheaper, lasts longer, it can be left in the car during summer without worrying about shortening lifespan of the batteries etc. On the other hand, it doesn’t have mobility of the cordless handheld vacuum cleaners nor the power of larger, mains powered vacuum cleaners.
Personally – I clean my car using my cylinder vacuum cleaner, often using just a hose, without any attachments! 🙂
For more reviews and recommendations, feel free to follow ArmorAll Wet/Dry 12V Vacuum Cleaner Amazon link (link opens in the new window).
With a degree in engineering, Kathryn Hansen loves to write about how things work. Having her own dilemmas on how to pick the best vacuum cleaner for her large family (with a handful of furry four-legged members as well), Kathryn decided to help others in the same situation. After all, vacuum cleaners are critical to a healthy lifestyle and people have a hard time choosing the best one for their needs.
