The family friends' household vacuum cleaner saw an undeserved end, drowning in the abyss of a toilet bowl at the hands of a bored, unsupervised child. This is the peril regular vacuum cleaners always face. How many of us have wanted to vacuum the toilet bowl? It's a large portion, I'm willing to bet.
Wet and dry vacuum cleaners don't live with such an ominous threat looming overhead. Although not designed as water pumps, wet and dry vacuum cleaners can cope with moisture. Yet, they sit on the margins of household vacuum cleaner demand. What most people want is cordless. So be it, but be warned they are expensive, underpowered, and always threatened by the porcelain menace.
There are several models of wet and dry vacuum cleaners that are intended specifically for domestic use, rather than for the building site. One of these is the Bosch UniversalVac 15. If you glance at the spec sheet, you'd think it's magnificent compared to a cordless model. That's true, it is, but it has stiff competition from brands such as Karcher and Nilfisk. Is the UniversalVac 15 the DIY wet and dry vacuum to buy? We've been finding out.
Build and design
To survive not only a chance encounter with a toilet but also years of hard work, wet and dry vacuum cleaners must be tough. The UniversalVac 15 is constructed from reassuringly thick plastic and its side clip hinges are metal. Nothing feels brittle or fragile, including the attachments. Given this and its short, stout stature, you can liken the UniversalVac 15 to a rugby prop or hooker.
Style isn't really a matter of importance here, everything about a wet and dry vacuum cleaner needs to be functional. Therefore, all the slots at the rear exist to house the UniversalVac 15's attachments. Meanwhile, the bungee straps on the sides hold the air hose in place.
It's also important to make the switch from dry to wet vacuuming as easy as possible (and vice versa). Pleasingly, the UniversalVac 15 has a cartridge filter that can be used for wet and dry vacuuming. But there is also a fabric pre-filter that sits over the main filter. This needs to be removed before wet vacuuming, so unfortunately, you do still need to turn the machine off and remove something.
Bosch has clearly intended the UniversalVac 15 to be as versatile as it is robust. It can be hooked up to a power tool and be used for dust extraction. The UniversalVac 15 also has a blow function, which is useful around the garden and hard-to-reach zones in the car.
Usability and performance
EVs can be used with one-pedal operation. The UniversalVac 15 has something similar in the sense that it has one switch. So, the interface is impossible to be confused by. If you want to use the blower function, simply attach the hose in the rear socket instead of the front.
The hose connector is a twist-lock design at both ends. It's simple and secure. Hooked up and switched on, we were impressed by the UniversalVac's suction power. It cleans cars, garages and houses in no time. The rubber insert for the floor tool is naturally only useful on hard floor because it acts like a squeegee. You get a crevice tool as well, which can reach easily beside and underneath seats.
Most DIY-spec wet and dry vacuum cleaners have hose lengths between 1.5 and two metres. The UniversalVac 15's is 2.2 metres, which is extra handy for car cleaning.
Any downsides?
No brush attachment is included. In fairness, nor is one included with the UniversalVac 15's rivals from Nilfisk (Buddy II 18) or Karcher (WD 3) either. The brands know these models will get used for car cleaning and really should put them in.
It’s also important to note that the UniversalVac 15 doesn’t have an automatic stop-start feature for use with power tools. Again, nor do the aforementioned rivals, but its bigger sibling does, the Bosch AdvancedVac 20.
Price and competition
Let's have a look at how the Bosch UniversalVac 15 compares to its Nilfisk and Karcher rivals a bit more closely. In terms of capacity, the Bosch is the smallest of the three, although it's not enough to be significant. Then there is colour. Bosch's shade of green is a more reassuring hue than the Nilfisk or Karcher colours. Again, this isn't significant because all three brands have enviable reputations for reliability.
It also goes to show how similar these three models are. There are slight differences here and there: the Bosch has the longest air hose, the Nilfisk is a bit more powerful, the Karcher the most compact. But price is similar, performance is similar, all can be used for dust extraction but none have auto start-stop.
All three are top-quality machines but it's almost impossible for one to vanquish the others.
Throwing another contender into the arena is the Draper 90107 Wet and Dry Vacuum Cleaner. It too is a 15-litre wet and dry vacuum cleaner but costs far less than the UniversalVac 15. It's also more compact, a bit more powerful, and joy of joys, includes a brush attachment.
The differences lie in features and construction. The Draper doesn't feel as heavy duty as the Bosch, nor does it feature a blower function. You also need to fit and remove cloth and foam filter covers, depending on whether you're dry or wet vacuuming.
Objectively, the Bosch is the better machine, but the Draper certainly has merit and is a tempting option for more casual use.
Verdict
If the Nilfisk Buddy II 18 and Karcher WD 3 didn't exist, Bosch’s UniversalVac 15 would stand out. But they do, and all three are simultaneously excellent but none stand out. They balance each other like chemical equilibrium.
So, green, yellow, or blue. Which colour is your favourite?
Score: 4/5
Pros:
• Lots of power
• Blower function
• Can be used for dust extraction
• Cartridge filter for wet and dry use
Cons:
• No brush included
• Very similar to rivals
Specs:
Power: 1000W
Hose length: 2.2m
Weight: 7kg
Capacity: 15 litres
Dimensions: 49 x 45.5 x 39.5cm
Attachments included: Floor tool, crevice tool
How we tested it
We vacuumed stuff. Not wanting to sound like an obnoxious schoolkid but really, that’s what we did. Over a few weeks we used this vacuum around the house and for car cleaning.