For car interiors, small spills and quick portable cleanup, get the Armor All AA255W; for garage messes, renovations and bulk liquid pickup, get the CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590. Both are corded electric wet/dry vacuums with blower functions, so the decision turns on tank size, emptying, filtration and reach, not the wet/dry label both share. The Armor All centers on portability at 11 lb with a 2.5-gallon tank and a 13-piece car and detail kit, while the CRAFTSMAN centers on capacity with a 9-gallon drum, an oversized drain and dust-bag filtration for fine debris. On 09/12/2026 both Amazon US listings showed a Buy New box shipping from and sold by Amazon.com with no visible price in the observed page, so confirm the live price and availability before deciding.
Choose by your situation
| Situation | Model to consider | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|
| Car seats, floor mats, dashboards and vents, plus small wet spills where you carry the vac to the mess | Armor All AA255W | 2.5-gallon tank fills fast on big jobs; 6-foot hose is shorter than the CRAFTSMAN 7-foot hose; confirm live price. |
| Garage floors, workshop dust, renovation debris, basement seepage and clogged-sink water where volume matters | CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590 | Bulkier 9-gallon unit to store and haul; louder at 82 dB against 75 dB; confirm live price. |
Capacity and handling, side by side
| Criterion | Armor All AA255W | CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590 |
|---|---|---|
| Tank and motor basis | 2.5-gallon polypropylene tank; 2 peak HP motor per the maker and the Amazon listing | 9-gallon drum; 4.25 peak HP motor per the maker and the Amazon listing; maker notes gallons reflect drum volume, not collection capacity |
| Listed suction and noise | 48 inches maximum suction and 75 dB in the Amazon detail block | 68 inches maximum suction and 82 dB in the Amazon detail block |
| Wet emptying | Auto shut-off detects the fill limit and prevents overflow per the maker | Oversized built-in drain empties liquids without lifting the drum per the maker and the Amazon listing |
| Filtration | Reusable cloth filter for dry pickup plus foam wet filter; both in the 13-piece kit | Qwik Lock cartridge filter plus dust collection bag; bag targets drywall dust, cold ashes and ultra-fine particles |
| Hose, cord and reach | 6-foot by 1-1/4-inch hose; 12-foot power cord; 3 extension wands in the kit | 1-7/8-inch by 7-foot POS-I-LOCK hose; 123-inch cord per the maker; 2 locking extension wands |
| Blower use | Converts to blower for leaves and debris per the maker and the Amazon listing | Rear exhaust blower port clears garages, driveways and sidewalks per the Amazon listing |
| Size and weight | 11 lb; 14.2 by 10.6 by 14.38 inches; 4 wheels with top handle per the Amazon listing | 15.5 lb; 24.28 inches high and 16.61 inches wide per the maker; casters with carry handle and cord wrap |
| Warranty basis | Exclusive Limited Warranty per the maker page | 3 Year Limited Warranty per the maker and the Amazon listing |
Armor All AA255W: the portable car and small-spill pick
The Armor All AA255W suits drivers and small-space owners whose messes are crumbs in seat seams, muddy mats and water tracked in after a wash. The mechanism is the compact 2.5-gallon package: at 11 lb with a top handle and wheelbase it rides to the car, and the kit aims at interiors with a deluxe car nozzle, crevice tool, detail brush, round dust brush and 2-in-1 utility nozzle plus a floor brush and squeegee nozzle. The consequence is a complete interior pass without buying attachments, at the cost of frequent emptying once the job grows past a car or a workbench. The 12-foot cord plus 6-foot hose stretches around a vehicle without constant outlet changes, and blower conversion dries grills and wheels. Its limits are volume and reach: the small tank and shorter hose run out on garage-scale work, and the observed listing names the 2.5 Gallon-AC variant among four size options, so check the exact variant at checkout. The Amazon listing observed on 09/12/2026 carried 4.5 stars across 3,297 ratings with 4K+ bought in the past month and an Amazon's Choice badge.
CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590: the garage, renovation and bulk-liquid pick
The CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590 suits garage owners, DIY renovators and anyone moving water: flooded corners, seepage, sink backups and sawdust across a shop floor. The mechanism is the 9-gallon drum plus drain and bag system: the tank swallows bulk debris and liquids, the oversized drain pours liquids out without lifting a full drum, and the dust collection bag captures drywall dust and fine particles while speeding disposal. The consequence is fewer trips to empty and faster fine-dust cleanup, at the cost of a 15.5-lb unit that needs real storage space and an 82 dB working volume that wants hearing protection in enclosed rooms. The 1-7/8-inch by 7-foot locking hose resists pull-off mid-job, the Qwik Lock fastening speeds filter changes, and the rear blower port pushes debris off driveways. Its limits are portability and finish care: it is overkill for a car interior, and the maker cautions that drum gallons are not collection capacity, so wet fills stop below the brim. The Amazon listing observed on 09/12/2026 carried 4.5 stars across 4,861 ratings with 700+ bought in the past month and an Amazon's Choice badge.
What the ratings and specs do not settle
Neither observed page showed a price line for the exact variant; both hid price behind cart language, so price leadership cannot be declared from this evidence. Neither Buy New block showed an explicit stock line, so availability must be confirmed live. Do not read the 4.25-versus-2 peak HP gap as a cleaning-power hierarchy: the maker footnotes peak horsepower as a laboratory dynamometer maximum, and real pickup depends on seal, hose diameter, nozzle, filter condition and fill level. The 68-versus-48-inch suction figures are Amazon detail-block listings, not measured test results. Both units need the right filter state for the job: foam sleeve or wet setup for liquids, dry filter or bag for dust, since a soaked dry filter chokes airflow. Match both to 120-volt grounded outlets, keep drywall-scale fine dust bagged on the CRAFTSMAN, and empty the Armor All before its auto shut-off leaves a job half done.
Where to check the exact variants
Compare the Armor All AA255W (Amazon listing, 2.5 Gallon-AC variant, with Buy New shipping from and sold by Amazon.com in the observed page; no price line appeared, so confirm the live price) against the CRAFTSMAN CMXEVBE17590 (Amazon listing, 9 gallon 4.25 Peak HP variant, with Buy New shipping from and sold by Amazon.com in the observed page; no price line appeared, so confirm the live price). Choose portable car and small-spill cleanup with a full detail kit, or high-capacity garage and liquid cleanup with a drain and dust bags; keep the broom and towels when neither job exists today.