This 5-Gallon DeWalt Shop Vac Is Quiet as a Whisper — Here’s How It Performs

Key Specs & Features

The DeWalt 5-Gallon StealthSonic Wet/Dry Vac isn’t trying to compete with full-size, industrial shop vacs. Instead, it’s about balance: quieter operation, smaller footprint, and enough power for everyday garage and shop cleanups.

• Capacity: 5 gallons — enough for moderate messes without being bulky.
• Motor: 4 HP, tuned with StealthSonic baffles to reduce noise.
• Noise Level: About 75 dB, which is roughly half the racket of a normal vac.
• Included: Six disposable bags, two wands, brush, crevice tool, and filters for wet/dry use.

Assembly takes about 5 minutes: screw on four casters, plug it in, and you’re rolling.

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Performance & Usability

Here’s where this vac shines: it’s genuinely quiet. If you’ve ever fired up a shop vac in the garage and worried the neighbors thought you were running a jet engine, this feels like a relief.

During testing, it handled:

• Garage grit: Dirt, rocks, and leaves disappeared without clogging.
• Wood dust: Smooth pickup across sawdust piles.
• Wet messes: With the foam sleeve installed, it took care of water spills without issue.

Suction isn’t as crazy-strong as a heavy-duty 12-gallon vac. For perspective: it’ll easily clean up ashes from a laser mishap or shop debris, but don’t expect it to slurp up marbles or replace a sump pump.

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Unique Test

A large pile of wood-stove ash, wooden pellets, and sawdust. The DeWalt 5-gallon vac made short work of it — quiet, efficient, and without blowing debris back into the room. It's also quiet enough to take into the house, wife-approved.

Another highlight: the design routes exhaust through baffles, meaning you’re not blasted with air out the back while cleaning. That helps reduce noise and keeps dust from blowing around.

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Value & Context

At around $149, this vac sits in the middle of the compact shop vac market. You get:

• Quieter operation (a genuine edge).
• A full starter kit of attachments and dust bags.
• Compact design that fits easily in most garages.

What you don’t get:

• A blower port — so you can’t flip it to push air for leaves or inflation tasks.
• The raw suction of bigger, louder models.

It’s a tradeoff: less roar, slightly less pull. For many homeowners and woodworkers, that’s worth it.

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Final Thoughts

The DeWalt 5-Gallon StealthSonic Vac delivers exactly what it promises: quiet, capable cleanup for everyday garage and shop use.

If you’re working indoors or in shared spaces, the noise reduction alone is a game-changer. Just keep in mind — it’s not meant to replace a full-size shop vac for heavy-duty construction sites.

Our take: If quiet matters more than sheer force, this is one of the best small shop vacs you can buy right now.