Bosch wet & dry vacuum cleaner UniversalVac 15 (1000 W, 15 l container volume, in Carton Packaging)

Variant: Bosch UniversalVac 15 Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner.This is a monster vacuum cleaner, a delight in use in spite of its slightly old fashioned feature set. Most high powered wet & dry vacuum cleaners I have used have a motor speed control, but this one doesn't so it is at full power or switched off. That surprised me but it isn't a big disadvantage. The first time I used it sucked up the steel bolt mentioned in my review title, which meant I had to switch it off and check that the bolt had not punctured the bag — it hadn't. Hmm, have to watch for things like that in future... I had a few problems in one room with the vacuum lifting the carpet, but I am delighted with how well it deals with sawdust and other debris. It's a really powerful machine.I found the machine overall is excellent, but I was surprised that there is no variable speed and no proper cable management. My old Hoover from 1986 had a place to store the cable, with this machine you just pile it on top. The tool storage is fairly good however, and works well to help you put everything away in one place. No chance of losing bits unless you're really careless.Once I had vacuumed the floor I had to get some scrap wood and try out the feature that allows you to connect the machine to some Bosch power tools. I connected the vacuum cleaner to my jigsaw and made a few cuts, then to the sander and rounded off a few corners. I found that it did a better job connected to the sander than it did when connected to the jigsaw, getting most of the dust while with the jigsaw it missed a lot of it. I have not yet tried it with my router but I expect that will be somewhere in between. My circular saw is not a Bosch but I am assured that there is an adapter that allows this vacuum cleaner to connect to it, so I will be on the lookout for that.So the tool connection feature does not get all the dust, particularly with the jigsaw, but it does get enough to dramatically reduce the time required cleaning up afterwards. Since I do a fair amount of woodwork this is one of the reasons I chose this machine.The bags for the Numatic Charles vacuum cleaner fit this machine so that solves the problem of the overpriced and scarce Bosch bags. The Numatic bags are cheaper and of better quality and I can confirm that they fit.I have used this once to clean up not only inside but outside my front door, where there is a porch with a concrete floor and a concrete yard. The machine sucked up leaves, paper and other debris with no problems and did a better job than a broom would have done. I liked it even more after that.Things I like about this vacuum cleaner:• Suction Power.• Tool storage.• Wet & Dry feature (I hope I never need to use it for wet cleanup but it's nice to have that option)• Connects to some Bosch (and — with adapters — other brand) power tools to clean up as you work.• Ease of use.Things I don't like:• Overpriced & hard to find bags (easily solved by buying bags made for the Numatic Charles vacuum cleaner)• No variable motor speed (come on Bosch, it's 2019!)• No proper cable management (come on Bosch, it's 2019!)Overall I would recommend this both for normal domestic cleanup and for the tool connection feature.

Attachments seemed a bit flimsy but worked well. This is ideal for what i needed. When power washing i was left with so many puddles that the dirt I'd cleaned seem to settle in. I scooped it all up with this so really clean, dry finish Perfect for my needs, would recommend. Had to empty often but if it was any bigger i would have struggled to empty it so worth the compromise. Definitely recommend.

I've been using mine as a dust extractor, attaching it to some Bosch power tools. It works really well for this. Using a sander, the fine dust seems to stay in the collection bag and not work its way out to create a mess (yeah, I've had that with other tools). The only negative I've found for this role is the next model up (the one with 20, rather than the 15, in its name) will start and stop automatically as you start and stop the power tool you are extracting from. That seems like a great convenience feature I wish I had paid a little more for.

Great hoover perfect for messy diy job's great suction and accessories highly recommend.

Good performance

We are surrounded by trees and Autumn was a nightmare with the dropped wet and dry leaves. On top of this I had an accident so couldn't use one arm and hand. This picks everything up with no problem at all and I can use it with just one hand. Emptying would be easy (I just have to have something at the side of my bin to rest it on while I scrape it out) You will get the occasional block if you pick up something too big but even I've had no problem clearing it and you do get to recognise what not to aim for ! It does hold quite a bit as it compacts what you collect. I've had no problems with loss of suction. It does stop picking up once its full so easy to recognise when it needs emptying. Really good and easy to use for a one armed woman ;-) For an able, two armed person I'd maybe go for a bigger size then you don't have to empty it so often. NB - I haven't used this indoors as it was specifically bought to tackle the leaves problem. Easy to clean, just give it a good rinse out when you've finished. I would definitely recommend.

Great suction, easy to clean and empty. We have wooden floors in our living room and I was sick of dog hair etc getting tangled round the rollers on our upright hoovers we’ve had in the past. Must have been through at least 10 upright hoovers in the past (keep telling the wife they’re not for flying on).Plus with this it easily attaches to my Bosch power tools to clean saw dust away if I’m doing any joinery in the house. Overall I’d say it’s good value for what you get.

Needed a, “Garage Vac” and was about to buy a Henry (which are brill btw!) Saw this Bosch and read the reviews. The wet function was the decider. I can confirm that I’ve (personally) found Henry hoover bags do fit (albeit slight effort required) Hoovered my work van before return and suction was incredible! Then used in my garage to suck up dry leaves and all cobwebs. Did a fantastic job and upon checking the inside of the vac, was amazed to find the bag had worked and very minimal (less than 0.01%) in the vac base. I’ve worked in tool hire for nearly 20 years and have seen the best and worst products fail. Always down to user error. If you buy this product, then look after it like an investment, keep the filters clean and bags changed (about a quid each) and am sure this Bosch will give you longevity.