Verdict

Decked out in Bosch's power-tool green colour scheme, it's clear that the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet & Dry Vacuum is designed for those DIY jobs – and a very good job it does too. A power socket built into the vacuum allows for plugging in power tools. Once you plug something into this socket, the vacuum turns on immediately to start sucking up dust. The vacuum coped well with all types of dry spill, and switching to wet mode was easy. With a powerful motor, great range of accessories and keen price, this is an excellent wet and dry vacuum cleaner – but the cable is a touch on the short side.

Pros

• Excellent liquid pick-up
• Great animal hair demolisher
• No need to change filter for wet/dry
• Surprisingly quiet
• Blowing function useful
• Auto switch-on with power tools

Cons

• Short mains cable (4m)
• Floor-head stiff on carpet
• Dust bag can leak

Simplifying life with a filter system that can be used on both wet and dry flooring, the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet And Dry Vacuum is a serious piece of kit with a powerful 1200W motor. It switches on automatically when using its extension socket for power tools and the blowing function is handy.

Water spills were picked up in seconds, dog hairs demolished, and a mix of carpet and hard flooring around the house looked great thanks to the cleaner’s potent motor. Edge cleaning was slightly disappointing, and the floor-head is tough to move on carpets, but its performance in the workshop was top-notch.

Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet & Dry Vacuum – What you need to know

• Cleaning on dry floors – Carpet, rugs, parquet and tiles all looked exceptionally clean, although the floor-head sucks down and is stiff to push forward on carpet.
• Cleaning wet spillages – Excellent. Really nothing else to say.
• Edge cleaning – One slow pass forward and back over parquet flooring gave us a great result generally, but there was test powder left close to the edge.
• Good enough for the workshop? – Most definitely. The Bosch was able to suck up gravel and wood shavings with ease and the auto-switch-on power socket is fab.

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Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet & Dry Vacuum – Powerful suction and excellent water pick-up make this a strong all-rounder

Resplendent in its Bosch power tool livery of deep green and black with red highlights, the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 is clearly aimed at the DIY and semi-pro tradesmen market. Its 1200W motor is mighty, and the extension power socket on the body auto-detects when a power tool connected to it is used and switches the vacuum on/off automatically. One for the workshop for sure, but it’s no slouch around the home either.

The AdvancedVac 20 has a universal filter system for both wet spills and dry areas, without any messy swapping out. The washable filter is easy to remove, by unclipping the main body, removing the cover and turning a smooth clip. Swapping between sucking in rubble to mopping up liquid doesn’t get any easier; just stick in the dust bag for dry vacuuming.

To empty the large 20l capacity bin there’s a handy liquid drain hole on the front. After testing a few wet and dry vacuums, this is the first we’ve seen with a simple screw-fit drain plug that saves you hefting the entire bin.

To empty the bag after vacuuming dry areas, simply unclick the sturdy red clips on either side and pull out the bag. Take care, though: we found that a fair bit of dust had leaked out of the bag and was liberally scattered around the bin. You get one bag included in the box and new bags will set you back around £6 for a pack of five. That’s a bit of a bargain given their large capacity.

The Bosch has four smooth-running and sturdy wheels that make for easy dragging around and they have handy brakes on them, too. The brake levers are small, but it does stop the machine moving around too much; it will still skid about if tugged too hard, mind.

Front-mounted extension power sockets are always nice to have on wet and dry cleaners, but Bosch takes it a step further with auto-vacuum switch on/off when the attached power tool. This model can also be used as a blower, too, which worked a treat for pushing away leaves that had crept into the garage.

Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet & Dry Vacuum – Easily dispose of liquid waste with its handy drain valve

The included floor-head has a removable brush for dry floors and rubber blades for water spillages. Both are mounted on a plastic carrier that clips on and off with ease, so no fiddly sliding the brushes or blades into place.

You also get two plastic tubes, a crevice nozzle and a 2.2m antistatic vacuum hose. Storage on the back of the main body allows you to secure all the accessories, wrap the hose around the body, and secure that with the elastic cords. Perfect. What wasn’t so great was the meagre 4m-long power lead. We ended up having to use an extension lead in the garage… which rather defeated much of the point of the front-mounted extension socket.

Although not in any way a lightweight at 6.8kg, this vacuum is far lighter than the advertised 7.6kg. We assume, therefore, that Bosch states the weight with all the accessories on board. Most brands quote weight for the bare cleaner.

The sturdy wheels make it easy to pull around either way, and it’s robust enough to withstand workshop-level abuse. It’s nicely stable, too; we couldn’t get it to tip over with regular pulling and twerking of the hose. In addition, the top handle is centrally placed for an even carrying balance.

The Bosch’s powerful and punchy 1200W motor translates its hefty draw from your power socket into prodigious suction, yet it isn’t as noisy as you’d expect at around 80dB. That’s busy traffic loud, but a fair bit quieter than some wet and dry models aimed at the workshop that we’ve reviewed in the past.

Over a mix of carpets, rugs and a range of hard flooring, the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 impressed on all levels. Its super-strong suction pulled up every crumb from carpets and hard floors during general cleaning, and it left the living room spotless. It also cleared up wet spills like a professional; a large glass of water was cleared with a few passes over the area.

The floor-head is basic but effective and comes with two attachments: one for wet spills and one for dry areas.  Even without the help of rotating brush bars, the Bosch pulled out animal hair with ease, even those wound deep into the carpet pile.

Over carpets you’ll need a firm hand, however, since the head has a propensity to stick down under the suction pressure. Edge cleaning is okay if not great, as there was residue left close to the skirting board. A couple more passes cleared to the edge entirely, though, so the AdvancedVac20 remains eminently usable as a daily cleaner.

Stepping it up a level and taking the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 up to the garage, it handled heavyweight and tricky debris with class. It eliminated thick, sticky cobwebs, light rubble, wood chips and sander dust when attached to the tools extractor vent. Switching over to wet spills adding the rubber blades, it cleared a generous amount of water with just a few passes over the area. The emptying cap made disposing of the liquid over a ground drain exceptionally easy.

Overall, the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 is a brilliant wet and dry vacuum, offering well-thought-out features, high build quality and impressive suction. It delivered well in all test areas and does just as well as a lightweight blower, too.

The excellent onboard storage system makes transportation an easy ride, the wheels are smooth-running and the brakes a nice touch… even if we doubt anyone will use them. Not having to change the filter in-between wet and dry cleaning was an added bonus. Had it not been for the woefully short mains cable and slightly leaky dust bag, the Bosch would have bagged a full five stars.

Should I buy the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 Wet And Dry Vacuum?

If you’re looking for a wet and dry vacuum with superb suction, workshop specific features and excellent water pick-up, then the Bosch AdvancedVac 20 is ideal. Its clever filter system means very little faffing between wet and dry cleaning modes, and the large bin means it takes ages before it needs emptying.

Around the home, it was great at pulling in pesky dog hairs, even deep within carpet fibres, plus general vacuuming is outstanding thanks to the potent 1200W motor – over 400W more than any mains powered vacuum cleaner. There’s some stick-down over carpet and the cable is woefully short at just 4m, but those niggles aside, the Bosch is a serious machine with brilliant cleaning power and great features, all at a very attractive price.