Jeff and I put seven large-capacity cordless wet/dry vacs and dust extractors through brutal, repeatable, real-world testing to find the best 6–12 gallon option for contractors. We scored air volume (CFM), static suction (water column), debris pickup in a sawdust “dust box,” dirty-filter performance, battery consistency, noise, weight, price/value, plus a full ergonomics and features evaluation. And this time we tested without bags on purpose—because a pre-filter bag can hide filter performance. (That said, I still think bags are best practice for keeping cleanup cleaner and extending filter and motor life.) On raw airflow and suction, EGO was miles ahead—126 CFM average at the end of the hose and a monster 105 inches of water in turbo. But in the debris box test, that same power clogged the filter fast and performance fell off hard. On the features side, the two true dust extractors—Makita and the Milwaukee dust extractor—were the standouts, with HEPA filtration and auto-cleaning systems built for capturing fine dust at the source. Overall winner in this class was the Milwaukee M18 dust extractor because it delivered the best total package, including the only AC/DC option in the group. If you’re shopping on value, the Ryobi 18V was the “golden nugget” for bang-for-the-buck, and it flat-out surprised us in multiple tests.