If you can't get your hands on the Ninja Creami Swirl, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker could be the next best thing. It isn't as advanced as the Ninja machine, but can produce a smooth and creamy dessert once you get used to its quirks.
Preparing your ice cream is straightforward, and Cuisinart provides a good online recipe book to get you started. However, you have to keep a very close eye on the machine to ensure you stop it when your mix reaches the right temperature. Stop it too late and you'll have to wait for it to melt, or pull the churning mechanism out and scoop your ice cream out with a spoon. It's not the end of the world, but a timer would help avoid such issues arising.
The miniature hot plate for keeping sauces or melted chocolate warm is a nice touch and works well, but I'd argue that there's no need for three different topping containers – particularly since the design of their dispensing mechanism means most candies are too large.
It can be fun to use, but it would be difficult to justify spending on the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream maker unless you eat frozen desserts several times a week. It's reasonably priced and often available at a discount, but it takes up a lot of valuable space in your kitchen
Stop the machine when your ice cream reaches "Goldilocks" consistency, and it should pour out smoothly when you open the dispenser (Image credit: Future)
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker: price and availability
List price $179.95 / £200 / AU$249
Sometimes available at a discount
About half the price of Ninja Creami Swirl
The Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker has a list price of $179.95 / £200 / AU$249. It's available direct from Cuisinart's online store, and from third-party retailers such as Amazon. It's sometimes available for a discount, and you'll find all today's best prices below.
For comparison, the Ninja Creami Swirl comes in at almost twice the price at $349. At the time of writing (February 2025), international prices and availability had yet to be announced.
If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, the ice cream maker attachment works in a similar way to the Cuisinart, using a frozen bowl and a rotary motor to churn your ingredients while they freeze, but it lacks a soft-serve dispenser. It retails for $99.99 / £149 / AU$209.
Value score: 4.5/5
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker: design
Bulky, not very attractive
Excellent mini hotplate for sauces
Topping dispensers aren't ideal
The Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker is a large appliance, and at 17.7 inches / 45cm, it only just fit beneath my kitchen wall cabinets. Its footprint is relatively small though (9.4 x 11 inches / 24 x 28cm), which is more compact than a lot of coffee makers. You might not want to keep it on the kitchen counter at all times, though; its white plastic chassis is functional and easy to clean, but not a thing of great beauty.
From a mechanical perspective, it's quite simple. There's a double-insulated bowl that you freeze ahead of time, which cools your ingredients to freeze them as they're churned. When your ice cream is ready, simply switch off the motor, open a tap on the bottom, and the finished dessert pours out in a smooth stream (provided you've judged the timings correctly).
You'll need to freeze the main bowl and chill your blended ingredients for at least four hours before making your ice cream (Image credit: Future)
There are three removable topping containers on the top right of the machine, which I initially loaded with candy. Unfortunately, I later realized that they were only capable of dispensing very small items such as sprinkles due to the size of the mechanism inside. Toppings such as M&Ms or nuts will be too large, which is a shame. All three toppings are dispensed through a single funnel, which propels them into your ice cream as it pours. During my tests this mostly worked well, but some sprinkles ended up overshooting.
The Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker also has a small hotplate on the left-hand side of the bowl, with a little saucepan that you can use to melt a sauce to pour over your finished ice cream.
Design score: 3.5 / 5
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker: performance
Cuisinart's website has a good selection of simple recipes for the Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker, all of which can be adapted to suit your tastes. I started with the fresh strawberry ice cream, which is a mix of double cream, milk, hulled strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar.
You need to keep the bowl upright while it freezes, but I found it fitted in my freezer's deepest drawer quite easily, and I was able to stuff it with small frozen items to make good use of the space until I was ready to use it.
You'll need to blend your mix (take a look at our roundup of the best blenders, if you've been thinking about upgrading) then chill the mix for at least four hours before you start churning.
Once your mix is cold, it's time to begin. The frozen bowl fits easily into place inside the machine, then the lid with the churning mechanism clips on top. Once it's all in place, you start the machine using the switch on the left; make sure the lever is pushed up into the "closed" position, and pour your mix through the L-shaped hole in the top. I forgot to check the lever on my first attempt, which was a messy mistake.
The mini hotplate is activated by turning the control dial all the way to the right, and during testing it worked very well. It provides gentle heat while your ice cream churns, and will melt a cube or two of chocolate by the time your dessert is ready.
I initially filled the topping dispensers with candy, but they're not actually suitable for anything larger than sprinkles (Image credit: Future)
Unlike the Ninja Creami Swirl, the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker relies on gravity to dispense your ice cream, so it needs to be just the right consistency. If you allow the mix to chill too long, it will fail to flow through the dispenser, and eventually the churning mechanism will stop turning. This won't break the machine, but you'll need to wait for the ice cream to thaw a little before you can continue, or remove the lid and churning mechanism (which can be tricky if the ice cream has become stiff) and scoop out the dessert instead.
For best results, don't churn for longer than 20 minutes. If I wasn't sure that I'd achieved the right consistency, I found it helpful to turn off the machine, then use a spoon to scoop some of the mixture out of the bowl to assess its thickness. A programmable timer would be a good addition to avoid accidentally over-chilling the mix.
The topping dispenser has a tendency to overshoot your dessert (Image credit: Future)
I also found that the blades didn't quite reach all the way to the edge of the bowl, which created a layer of hardened ice cream that wouldn't dispense. This was difficult to remove with a spoon without thawing everything completely.
Performance score: 3.5 / 5
Should you buy the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
Buy it if
You eat a lot of ice cream
Large single-use appliances such as this are tricky to justify unless you'll be using them frequently. If you're more of an occasional dessert fan, an attachment for your stand mixer may be a more economical choice.
You have kids
Custom ice creams with different toppings will definitely appeal to youngsters (or to your inner child).
Don't buy it if
You're easily distracted in the kitchen
This isn't the kind of appliance you can set and forget. You'll need to watch the consistency of your ice cream closely to make sure it's just right.
You have a small kitchen
This is a bulky machine that will take up a lot of room on your counter, or in a cupboard.
Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker: also consider
Ninja Creami Swirl
The hugely popular soft-serve ice cream maker isn't available outside the US at the time of writing, but it's definitely more advanced than the Cuisinart machine (particularly its dispenser).
KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker
If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, this freezable bowl and churning attachment will do basically the same job as the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker, for less cash. You don't get the dispenser nozzle, though.
How I tested the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker
I used the Cuisinart Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker to prepare several recipes from Cuisinart's website, including soft-serve ice cream and sorbet. I tested the hotplate with different types of chocolate, and tried various sprinkles and candies in the topping dispensers.
The Laifen Mini is a scaled-down, mini hair dryer that offers the kind of power and features you'd expect from a full-sized option. It has the same streamlined silhouette as the majority of the best hair dryers on the market these days – it has a minimalist barrel, with most of the weight in the handle – but the whole unit has been shrunk down to a more portable size. The fact it comes with a carry bag suggests Laifen has travel in mind here, but I'd happily consider it as a main hair dryer if I was short on space.
It's lightweight and comfortable to use, with the (new with this model) matte finish adding grip as well as bumping up this model's style credentials. In terms of modes, there's the standard temperature and windspeed options, but also a couple more advanced modes. One will cycle hot-to-cold every two seconds, and is designed to protect your scalp and also set your locks as you style, and the other is a child mode that uses lower pressure and is better for delicate hair.
Although neither were required for my own styling routine, they both work as advertised and offer a more specialized option for those who want them. In the auto-cycle mode, it took two and a half minutes to rough-dry my hair to 90 per cent dry – a little longer than my full-sized dryer, but still very acceptable and impressively efficient for a travel-sized option.
There are some potential downsides, though. The cord is short and the fact there's currently no compatible diffuser will frustrate curly haired customers. I also found the controls a point of irritation – you set the mode using a series of long or short button presses, and you'll need to memorize these because the only way to note the current mode is by watching the glowing ring on the dryer's barrel and remembering what each color sequence means. It certainly looks cool, but it isn't the most efficient way to convey information.
Those frustrations aside, this is a very strong addition to the Laifen lineup. It's also affordably priced for the features it brings, sitting in the mid-range bracket and delivering strong performance, versatility and a cool look for that price. That's the short version – read on for my full Laifen Mini hair dryer review.
Laifen Mini hair dryer review: price & availability
List price: €129.99
Available: Europe, UK (via EU site)
Launched: September 2024
The Laifen Mini was unveiled at IFA in September 2024, and at time of writing is available to buy in the UK, other European territories, as well as South Africa. The UK situation is a little odd because it's only available to buy via the Laifen EU site and the price is listed in Euros, but Laifen has confirmed it's available for UK shoppers here, and you can specify that it come with a UK plug.
At time of writing, Laifen didn't have any information on if/when the Mini might be launched in the US or Australia – although when my teammate saw the dryer at IFA she was told the differences in voltage were a barrier to launching in the US.
At list price it costs €129.99 – roughly $135 / £107 / AU$213 – although it was reduced to €110.49 at the time of writing. This puts the Laifen Mini in the mid-range price bracket for hair dryers, and I think it's decent value for what it offers. It's a step up on basic in terms of features; it feels robust and good quality; and the design has a premium vibe.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Laifen Mini hair dryer specs
Laifen Mini hair dryer review: design
Stylish, small and lightweight build
Comes with magnetic concentrator and carry bag
Controlled via button and slider on handle; cord rather short
The Laifen Mini is a shrunk-down version of the brand's popular Laifen Swift hair dryer. Originally, that was part of a wave of new dryers with designs heavily inspired by the then-hot-new-thing, the Dyson Supersonic.
The new addition still has that streamlined shape with the weight in the handle and a minimal barrel. However, it now looks less like a knock-off and more of its own thing, and I'm a big fan of Laifen's styling. It's the first Laifen dryer to add a matte coating – this brings the double benefit of improving grip while also avoiding that cheap-looking shiny plastic look. It's available in four muted, pastel colors (arguably more on-trend than the tropical tones still favored by Dyson).
The Mini comes with a Concentrator and carry bag (Image credit: Future)
My review model is Glacier Blue (a grey-blue), but it's also available in Jungle Green (an olive-toned color), Coral Pink (really more baby pink) and Arctic White. It arrives with one styling attachment – a concentrator that snaps on and off magnetically. Other Laifen dryers have a compatible diffuser that can be purchased separately, but that isn't an option here.
To help with portability it comes bundled with a carry bag in either grey or brown (color chosen at random). It's just big enough for the dryer, cable and attachment to nestle inside, and is magnetic all the way along the top, making it super easy to open and close.
(Image credit: Future)
At 5.9ft / 1.8m, the cable is on the short side. That might be annoying if you're planning to use this as your main dryer, but it does make sense as a travel option. There's a rubbery cable tidy for when you want to pack the dryer in its bag.
For reference, most full-sized dryers have a cable that's around 8.5-10ft (2.5-3m) long. However, it's worth flagging that Laifen in general is stingy with its cables – the full-sized Swift has the same length cord as this Mini version.
Controls & modes
Controls are via two switches on the handle. There's a slider to turn the dryer on and move between the two different windspeed options, indicated by icons (0, I, II). The second button is used to set the mode.
(Image credit: Future)
Here's where things become a little confusing, because different modes require different press types:
Long press: temperature cycling mode
Two short presses: child mode
Single short press: shift between low, medium and high temperature
A ring around the barrel will glow different colors to indicate temperature; but other than that, there's no way to determine which mode you're in.
When the dryer arrived, Laifen had added a wrapper to the handle with instructions printed on it, and I was grateful that I took a photo at the time for reference – because once it's gone, you'll need to rely on your memory to know what's going on.
The temperature control is described as "smart", but that just means there's a sensor inside to prevent overheating, which I'd hope wouldn't happen anyway. Like most modern dryers, bar the ultra-budget models, it releases ions as it dries, to discourage frizz.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Laifen Mini hair dryer review: performance
Good amount of power for a travel-sized dryer
Controls are fiddly and require memorizing
Lightweight and comfortable to hold and use
The Laifen Mini is comfortable to hold, with a well-balanced design and good grip thanks to the matte coating. It's lightweight enough for use over long periods, and packs a decent amount of power for a travel-sized dryer. I tested it out on my armpit-length, naturally wavy hair, and my drying times were slightly longer than when using my Dyson Supersonic Nural, but not unreasonably so.
While the dinky size and helpful carry bag make it perfect for taking on trips, I think this would also work as a main hair dryer for someone who's especially short on storage space. The power and functionality are similar to what you'd get with a full-sized dryer; the main compromise you're making is the length of the cord (bear this in mind if your power outlets aren't helpfully placed close to your mirrors).
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of attachments, the provided concentrator snaps on and off easily and feels secure in use. It's just a shame there's no compatible diffuser for curly haired customers.
Modes in use
Let's take a closer look at the operation. There are two windspeeds; most modern dryers offer three, although I think two will be fine for most people's needs.
You're also slightly more limited than usual on temperature options. Most dryers these days will come with three temperature options plus a separate cold shot button. Here, you just have a medium, hot or cold temperature mode. The band around the barrel will glow yellow, red or blue respectively in these modes.
I was fine with having to cycle through temperature setting to access the cold mode, although others may prefer the more usual approach of a separate, dedicated button. Laifen's approach is easier for prolonged cold setting use, because it doesn't require a button to be held down.
If you're styling your hair or are particularly concerned about scalp health, you can opt for a temperature cycling mode, in which the Mini will switch from hot to cold every two seconds. At the same time, the band will gradually transition from pink to red to purple to blue. The aim of this mode is to prevent your scalp from becoming too hot, and to set your style as you're drying.
It took around two and half minutes to get my hair to 90 per cent dry in this mode. In comparison, with the Dyson Supersonic Nural's "auto" mode it takes around two minutes. I didn't find the automatic temperature cycling that useful for my styling needs or routine, but I appreciate the option is there if you want it.
(Image credit: Future)
A new addition with the Laifen Mini is the child mode. This isn't a child lock, but rather a mode designed for drying children's hair.
Laifen states that in this mode the dryer "maintains the same airspeed as regular modes, but the wind pressure is reduced, making the air feel gentler on the skin". Activate child mode and the dryer will stay at either 38ºC at low speed, or 48ºC in high speed, and the ring will pulse yellow.
(Image credit: Future)
I appreciate that Laifen is offering up more than just your standard modes here. While they won't all be useful for everyone – and for my styling routine, I found myself mostly sticking to the high windspeed, high temperature option – I appreciate the options are there to cater to different customers' needs and priorities.
However, I do have a slight issue with the labelling – or lack thereof. I'm all for a minimalist design, but the only way to know which temperature mode you're in is to sit and watch the lights (and remember what they mean). Unless you have a great memory, switching modes will probably be a process of trial and error for some time.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Should you buy the Laifen Mini hair dryer?
Buy it if...
You want a hair dryer for travel The compact build and helpful carry pouch make this the perfect companion for weekends away – and it packs a good amount of power for its size, too. All of these qualities make it a good choice if you're short on dressing table space as well.
You want a dryer for children / delicate hair Unusually, the Mini comes with a child mode that reduces the wind pressure for use on delicate hair and scalps.
You want a stylish and advanced dryer on a budget This is one of the best-looking hair dryers I've seen, and while it isn't the techiest option on the market, it packs some cool added features for an affordable price.
Don't buy it if...
You value simplicity The controls here aren't super clear, and not everyone will want temperature cycling or a child-friendly mode. If you'd prefer a simpler design with your standard temperature and windspeed sliders, there are plenty of options to choose from.
You're annoyed by a short cable The cord here is short, so if your power outlets aren't ideally placed – or you like some freedom while you style – this isn't the best choice.
Laifen Mini hair dryer review: alternatives to consider
Dyson Supersonic Nural It's significantly pricier and more hi-tech than the Laifen Mini, but if you want to push the boat out, the Supersonic Nural is the crème de la crème of hair dryers. This full-sized option comes with an extensive range of attachments, and boasts a Scalp Protect mode that senses how far it is from your head and raises or lowers temperature accordingly.
The T3 fit is another lightweight, travel-friendly option. It's simpler than the Laifen Mini with fewer modes and (in my opinion) a much less stylish design. However, the cable is longer and there's a compatible diffuser if you want one.
I used the Laifen Mini as my main hair dryer for two weeks. For reference, I have armpit-length, naturally wavy hair. According to my hairdresser, the strands are fine but there are a lot of them. For this review, I tested all the different modes, recorded how long it took to rough-dry my hair from wet to 90 per cent dry in maximum windspeed and temperature mode, as well as in temperature cycling mode. I assessed how comfortable it was to use, and how straightforward the controls were. In all of these areas, I compared my experience with the Laifen Mini to other dryers including the Dyson Supersonic Nural (which I use as my everyday dryer) and more basic, cheaper models.
The Siemens EQ900 Plus is one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines for those who enjoy a latte, cappuccino or macchiato thanks to its excellent milk-texturizing system. It brews a very good espresso, too; but for me, the milk frothing is definitely the standout feature, and easily compares with the results an experienced user can get with a manual steam wand – with none of the effort.
Another key selling point of the EQ900 Plus that differentiates it from most of the best coffee makers is the fact that it has two hoppers, which make it easy to switch between different beans or roasts on the fly, or change to decaf in the evening. Some other bean-to-cup coffee makers I've tested (models from KitchenAid, for example) have a chute that you use to insert a scoop of ground coffee when you want something different to what's in the hopper, but this system is more convenient. The only downside is that the hoppers aren't removeable, plus the extensive set of cleaning and maintenance programs don't include a function for emptying beans and grounds from the machine, which makes it tricky to purge the system.
The Siemens EQ900 Plus is one of the best bean-to-cup coffee machines around when it comes to milk texturizing (Image credit: Future)
The machine offers a system called "beanIdent" that lets you describe the beans you've loaded into each hopper (including type, roast, and blend) and then adjusts factors including water contact time and grind size to suit. It also encourages you to tinker to achieve the flavor you prefer. There are two customization modes (Comfort and Barista), with support for 10 user profiles.
You can even set your preferred drinks as "favorites", much like the favorites list in your web browser, which is welcome and something I'd like to see in more coffee machines. I appreciate not having to browse through a menu to find my carefully created custom cappuccino setting.
The EQ900 Plus encourages tinkering, and Barista mode offers full control over the brewing process (Image credit: Future)
The smart cleaning programs are another key selling point of the EQ900 Plus, and bring another point of difference over the standard EQ900. The Plus has a hatch above the milk tank where you insert two tablets – one for cleaning and one for descaling. You'll be prompted to do this when setting up the machine, and it means you can run a full cleaning cycle whenever the machine needs it without having to hunt around for the necessary supplies or remove the brew unit to add a tab.
One of the biggest problems I find with bean-to-cup coffee machines is that the time you save grinding beans and adjusting brew settings is offset by the time spent maintaining the machine, so this smart cleaning is a welcome feature. However, I'm not sure it justifies the price difference between the EQ900 and EQ900 Plus. At the time of writing, the EQ900 Plus is only available for the full list price of £2,199 (about $2,800 / AU$4,300), whereas the standard EQ900 can be found for as little as £1,300 (about $1,600 / AU$2,600) on sale.
Siemens EQ900 Plus: price and availability
List price £2,199 (about $2,800 / AU$4,300)
Not widely available outside Europe
Can be found more cheaply if you shop around
The Siemens EQ900 Plus launched in October 2023, and has a list price of £2,199 (about $2,800 / AU$4,300) – although note that it isn’t widely available outside Europe. That puts it firmly at the top end of the price bracket for home bean-to-cup coffee makers, at about the same price as the Breville Oracle Touch (or Sage Oracle Touch, as it’s known in the UK).
The EQ900 Plus definitely feels like a premium machine with its stainless steel build, huge color touchscreen, smart cleaning, and advanced customization options. However, for a more affordable version consider the standard Siemens EQ900 (without the automatic maintenance system), which has a list price of £1,799 (about $2,300 / AU$3,600) and can be found for as little as £1,300 (about $1,600 / AU$2,600) if you shop around.
There's also a version of the EQ900 with a single hopper, priced at £1,599 (about $2,000 / AU$3,200), which may be preferable if you only enjoy one specific bean. Personally, I appreciate having the choice.
You'll find all of today's best prices for the Siemens EQ900 Plus below.
Value score: 3/5
Siemens EQ900 Plus: specifications
Siemens EQ900 Plus
Premium brushed metal build
Two bean hoppers
Intensive self-cleaning system
Cleverly designed milk system
The Siemens EQ900 Plus is a premium bean-to-cup coffee machine with a brushed stainless steel case and a huge 6.8-inch full-colour touchscreen. It’s the most impressive display I’ve seen on any coffee maker I’ve tested so far, and is even capable of displaying smooth animations (when you’re not using it to swipe through the drinks menu and tweak the various beverages to your liking).
At the top you’ll find two hoppers that you can fill with two different types of coffee beans. Some other coffee machines I’ve tested (the KitchenAid KF6 and KF8, for example) come with a chute to which you can add a scoop of pre-ground coffee if you fancy a change, but this twin-hopper system is even better. Some coffees (such as those with notes of caramel) are well suited to milk, while fruitier beans work better black – with this system you can choose the best one for your drink on the fly. You could also keep one hopper full of regular beans for the morning, and the other full of decaf for after lunch. A blue light will illuminate when one of the hoppers needs refilling.
Image 1 of 2
The machine has two bean hoppers so you can switch between different types and roasts on the fly (Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
A blue light warns you when a bean hopper is empty (Image credit: Future)
The EQ900 Plus’s water tank is hidden on the left of the machine, and can be lifted out for filling using the integrated handle. It has a generous 2.3-liter capacity, and can be fitted with an optional filter to reduce limescale build-up to improve the taste of your coffee. Note that there’s no transparent panel, though, so you can't see the current water level at a glance.
Milk is stored in a smaller tank that sits on the right, just underneath containers for descaling and cleaning tablets. It’s unusual for a coffee machine to keep descaling and cleaning tablets on-board, but it makes sense and means you don’t have to hunt around for the packet when it’s time for regular maintenance. This is the EQ900 Plus's main point of difference with the standard EQ900.
Removing the water tank and side panel lets you access the brew unit for rinsing (Image credit: Future)
Most fully automatic espresso machines have a separate container for milk that sits beside the machine. Here, a tank slots into the side of the chassis, delivering a much neater design. The lid means you can also keep your milk in the fridge between uses.
The drip tray slides out easily for cleaning, with a removable grille at the front and a slim section at the back that makes pouring clean and convenient. Used coffee pucks are dispensed into a bin that sits in the drip tray and can be lifted out for easy emptying.
Design score: 4/5
Siemens EQ900 Plus
Eight coffee profiles, plus two milk and two hot water
Coffee presets are easy to customize and save to your profile
Excellent milk frothing
Espresso is good, but crema not as stable as some
Some automatic coffee machines present customization as an optional extra, but it’s at the heart of the experience here. There are two control options, Barista and Comfort, depending on the degree to which you want to tweak your beverages; but all users are encouraged to tinker with their drinks to create something bespoke.
The EQ900 Plus offers two modes of operation: Comfort and Barista (Image credit: Future)
Barista mode offers the most control, allowing you to choose whether beans are taken from the left or right hopper, choose the correct cup size, and tweak the strength (1-9), grinding level (1-6), contact time (for instance, how long the water is in contact with the grounds), milk ratio, and brewing temperature. Comfort mode is simpler and designed for more casual coffee fans, only letting you set the aroma (mild, balanced, or distinctive), strength (light, normal, strong, or extra strong), and cup size.
Once you’ve created a custom drink (which is easy thanks to the sensitive touchscreen), you’ll be prompted to save it to a profile (the EQ900 Plus supports up to 10, so everyone in your household and their guests can create their own) and give it a name. Typing on the EQ900 is surprisingly easy; the screen is large enough to accommodate a full QWERTY keyboard, making the whole experience much less frustrating than it could be.
You can even choose a background color, so you can see at-a-glance whether your profile is the one selected, and save your most frequently made drinks to a favorites menu, accessible via a quick tap of the star button under the screen. Preset drink options include:
Espresso
Espresso doppio
Caffe crema
Caffe grande
Caffe XL
Cappuccino
Latte macchiato
White coffee
Foamed milk
Warm milk
Hot water (enough for a cup of tea)
Coffee pot (a larger amount of hot water for pour-over)
The crema wasn’t quite as thick as that created by the KitchenAid K6, which is a cheaper machine, and it didn’t last as long either, despite being brewed using the same beans (purchased fresh that day).
However, milk texturizing was impressive, with the Siemens EQ900 quickly turning whole dairy milk into a generous layer of long-lasting foam. A powerful jet of steam creates the perfect foundation for your cappuccino or latte macchiato.
You can slide the dispenser up and down easily, and unlike many bean-to-cup coffee makers, it’s easy to remove it for cleaning – just pull it towards you to detach it, then disassemble the components and wash them all with warm water and dish soap. Once done, push it back into place.
During testing, I found the water tank a little awkward to refit when filled to the maximum mark; you have to position the bottom of the tank, then align the top while also folding the handle down. The water tank and milk container are also tricky to clean and dry inside, since there’s very little space for your hand. The machine has a cleaning setting that removes all water from the interior, but you'll still need to thoroughly hand-dry the tanks before transporting or storing the machine.
You'll receive a warning when it's time to empty the drip tray, but not necessarily when the coffee grounds bin is full (Image credit: Future)
The machine notified when the drip tray was full, but didn’t push out an alert to inform me that the used coffee grounds required emptying. Most bean-to-cup machines deliver a warning after making about four drinks, but that wasn't the case here, and I ended up with some grounds stuck to the area above the drip tray when I pulled it out. It's a minor flaw, but a surprising one for a premium machine.
The beanIdent system is interesting, and lets the machine adjust its own settings to suit your two different beans so it can determine the optimum setting for each one. Once you've loaded the two hoppers, you tell the EQ900 Plus the type of bean you've chosen for each one (arabica or robusta), the roast (light or dark) and the blend, and it will set factors including grind size and water temperature automatically.
Of course, your preferences may be different from those of the engineers and experts at Siemens, so you can tweak these settings to suit your tastes. Nevertheless, they provide a very useful starting point.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the Siemens EQ900 Plus
Buy it if
You enjoy milky coffee drinks
The Siemens EQ900 Plus is the best bean-to-cup coffee machine I've tried to date for texturizing milk, producing a thick, silky, and stable foam every time.
You have a large household
The EQ900 Plus encourages you to tinker with settings to create your ideal drinks, and lets you save them to one of 10 user profiles, with quick access to your favorites at the tap of a button.
Don't buy it if
You're on a budget
The standard EQ900 is much better value if you don't mind losing the smart cleaning feature. It still offers the same excellent customization and milk texturizing.
You favor one particular coffee bean
The twin hoppers are excellent if you want to switch between two beans on the fly, but if you're loyal to one particularly type and roast, you won't get best use out of them.
Siemens EQ900 Plus: also consider
Not totally sure that the Siemens EQ900 Plus is the right coffee maker for you? Here are two other bean-to-cup machines to consider:
KitchenAid KF6
Its milk texturizing doesn't quite match that of the Siemens EQ900 Plus, but the KitchenAid KF8 is a more affordable machine and brews one of the most delicious espressos I've ever had, with thick and stable crema.
This is our favorite manual bean-to-cup machine, and an excellent introduction to the world of espresso. It's cheaper than the KitchenAid KF6, too, making it excellent value.
I tested the Siemens EQ900 Plus using fresh coffee beans from local coffee shops Mokoko and Clifton Coffee (one in each hopper), and chilled whole milk. I used each of the machine’s preset drink options, experimenting with settings in Comfort and Barista mode, and creating a custom profile.
I also ran all of the machine’s basic and intensive cleaning programs, washed and dried the dispenser, milk tank and water tank, and ran the frost protection program to remove water from the machine's internal circuits. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate on TechRadar.
The Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is just that. It is indeed an air fryer, and not really more than that, but the design is utterly unique. Rather than cooking in a plastic drawer, your food goes on a metal tray in a glass cooking container with built-in plastic handles and feet. The heating element, which Ninja calls the PowerPod, is placed onto the glass container. When your cooking is complete, simply remove the PowerPod and place the glass container right onto the table for serving.
If you have leftovers, you can just put the included lid on your glass container and stick it in your fridge. The glass containers come in multiple sizes and the PowerPod has an adapter so it will fit on each container perfectly. There are four cooking modes: Bake, Air Fry, Max Crisp, and Recrisp. Each runs at a different temperature range, so you have some flexibility.
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: price and availability
List price: $159.99 (about £127 / AU$251)
You can purchase the Ninja Crispi directly from Ninja’s website, where it’s available in a number of bundles containing multiple glass containers. You can also purchase extra glass containers in three different sizes separately: $29.99 for the six-cup container, $39.99 for the 2.5-quart container, and $44.99 for the four-quart size. The standard $159.99 system, which I tested, comes with the large four quart and the small six cup glass container. It’s available just about everywhere that sells air fryers online and in person, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and many more.
Value score: 4.5/5
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: specifications
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: design and features
Heat comes from removable Crispi PowerPod
Four cooking functions
Looks functional rather than attractive
The cleverly designed Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is a really a cooking pod, called the PowerPod, and a collection of glass cooking dishes. The cooking dishes, which Ninja calls TempWare Containers, withstand high cooking temperatures and are made just for the Ninja Crispi. You must use Ninja’s TempWare Containers; the PowerPod won’t work on other dishes. A built-in plastic piece adds handles and feet so you can place the dishes on any countertop. Each cooking dish comes with a metal crisper plate that nests inside and keeps the food off the bottom so air can circulate around it.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
Place your food into one of the glass dishes on the crisper plate and place the pod on top. The PowerPod fits the small six-cup dish perfectly on its own. If you’re using the larger four-quart dish, you’ll need to use the included adapter for the PowerPod. Choose your cooking function mode: Recrisp (380°-400°F), Bake (375°-400°F), Air Fry (400°-425F), or Max Crisp (425°-450°). Select your cook time by pressing the - or + buttons. Press the start button to begin.
As with most air fryers, you will usually need to flip your food over halfway through the cook time. To pause cooking, simply remove the PowerPod and it will power off automatically. To re-start cooking, place the pod back onto the glass container and hit the start button once again.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
The standard bundle comes with the largest glass dish, which has a four quart capacity, and the smallest one, which holds six cups. Ninja also makes a medium 2.5-quart glass dish, which is sold separately. Any of the glass dishes can be purchased separately, and there are different bundles you can buy with varying dish combinations. The handles and feet allow you to use the dishes for serving the food; there’s no need to transfer it to another container. All of the cooking dishes also come with an air-tight lid, so you can use the dishes for storing food as well.
Cleaning the Ninja Crispi is easy. You don’t need to clean the PowerPod, just the glass containers and crisper plates. They are even dishwasher safe, though it is easy enough to just wash them by hand. Though it’s not mentioned in the literature, I was able to use paper air fryer liners which made cleanup even easier.
Design score: 4.5/5
Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: performance
Though there are four cooking modes, the Ninja Crispi is truly an air fryer. The Air Fryer, Max Crisp, and Recrisp modes all worked pretty much as expected. The Bake mode, however, was a bit disappointing. I tried baking several items, all of which turned out fully browned on the top and raw in the middle. Since air frying in general requires flipping for even crisping, I’m not that surprised that the baking mode wasn’t great. I think baking would be fine for something quite thin, like cookies or very small mini muffins. If you want to make something thicker, like full-sized cupcakes, you’re better off using a regular oven. Of course, most people don’t buy air fryers in order to bake.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
I eat a lot of fresh roasted vegetables, so I air fried broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes. I used both Air Fry and Max Crisp modes. There is a learning curve, but once I got the hang of it, the veggies turned out delicious with just the barest spritz of oil. You definitely want to remember to flip your food, at least once during the cooking process. When I didn’t flip it, the food did not cook evenly. The Ninja Crispi is very, very fast. It’s a good idea to check your food frequently to make sure you don’t burn it. Even with careful flipping and checking, vegetables tend to brown (or blacken) quickly in some spots before all of them are fully cooked. Raw vegetables tended to come out more blackened and crisp rather than tender.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
My favorite vegetable cooked from its raw state was the diced sweet potatoes. They were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The next day I used the Recrisp mode to heat up the leftovers, which turned out great.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
I made a bunch of veggie burgers, as well as protein waffles, veggie tots, falafel balls, and veggie “chicken” nuggets. They all turned out wonderful and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I didn’t need to add any oil to any of these convenience foods.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
I hosted a Super Bowl party and air fried some frozen french fries for my guests. The fries disappeared so quickly, I ended up air frying another batch immediately! They were perfectly crisp and evenly browned on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. I did nothing to doctor them at all, no oil or seasonings, and they came out just right.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
My family got in on the air frying fun. My youngest is a more adventurous cook than I, and they made some panko-crusted and seasoned tofu squares. The tofu was delicious! As expected, it was nice and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They didn’t even have to press and dry the tofu first. I’m a vegetarian but my husband eats meat; he used the Ninja Crispi to quickly and easily cook some chicken breasts. They got nicely browned on the outside (flipping half-way through cook time is a must) and cooked all the way through.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
As I mentioned above, I did try Bake mode. First, I made some pancake bites in a little silicone baking dish. The tops browned but the rest was still raw. I actually pulled off all the tops, flipped them over, and put them through another bake cycle. That worked fine. I also baked a (rather thick) protein air fryer cookie with the same results. I did the same thing where I pulled off the top, flipped it over, and put it through another cycle. Again, it was fine that way. So if you do use Bake mode, just be sure your items are very thin.
(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
Performance score: 4/5
Should you buy the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System?
Buy it if
You want to minimize cleanup and hassle
Put your food in one specially designed glass dish. Then air fry, serve, and store your food without having to move it to another dish. You only have one dish to clean. Easy peasy!
You want multiple cooking modes
From low heat to high heat:Recrisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Max Crisp.
You want portability
You could easily keep the PowerPod at the office, for example, and just bring the glass container with your food inside ready to air fry each day.
Don't buy it if
You want something pretty to keep on your counter
The Ninja Crispi just looks functional. It has a lot of parts (stackable, but still) so you’ll need some storage space.
You want the cheapest possible no frills air fryer
There are certainly cheaper options out there.
You plan to do a lot of baking in your air fryer
If that’s the case, you might prefer a toaster oven-air fryer combo appliance instead.
Ninja Crispi: also consider
If you're not sure about the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System, here are some other options to consider...
Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer
Cook two different items two different ways at the same time in this two-compartment air fryer oven. This is a good pick if you want to bake and air fry with the same appliance, which is why it earned a place in our roundup of the best air fryers.
Just want a regular air fryer? This two-basket version does the job, twice, earning it the title “best budget air fryer” on our list of the best air fryers.
How I tested the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System
I tested Recrisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Max Crisp modes multiple times
I used it daily for two weeks to cook a variety of food
I cleaned it after each use
Although I’m a foodie, I’m kind of a lazy cook. As a wife and mother of three, I used to put more effort into crafting a variety of nutritious meals from scratch when my kids were little. Now that they’re grown, I still want to eat healthy meals, I just don’t want to take the time to cook them. The Ninja Crispi certainly helps me get food on the table fast. My family (my husband, my adult child, and I) used the Ninja Crispi daily, sometimes multiple times in one day, for two weeks. We made loads of fresh veggies, plus veggie burgers, veggie chicken nuggets, french fries, frozen waffles, breaded tofu, falafel, veggie tots, chicken breasts, pancake bites, and a protein breakfast cookie. I cleaned it after each use, which was quite easy. I did use paper air fryer liners sometimes, which made cleanup even easier.
The KitchenAid KF6 is a fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee machine, and it does its main job exceptionally well: brewing a delicious, rich espresso with the best crema I’ve ever seen.
It offers a wide menu of espresso drinks, each of which can be customized and saved to a custom profile. In addition, it includes an automatic milk-frothing system for options including cappuccinos, caffe lattes, and macchiatos. Unlike the higher-end KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 we reviewed in 2024, there’s no separate profile for plant-based milk.
Macchiato is one of seven customizable espresso drinks on the menu (Image credit: Future)
In addition, it's one of the quietest coffee machines we’ve tested here at TechRadar, with a pump that’s barely any louder than your refrigerator. The only significant noise happens for a moment during grinding and milk frothing, and it’s over in a second or two.
Thoughtful touches include a brew group that purges itself automatically between drinks to ensure you always have fresh beans ground to the correct size (like a barista would purge their grinder); a chute so you can make an occasional drink using a different bean to the one in the hopper; and a comprehensive set of cleaning functions that make maintaining the machine as simple as using it.
It’s also less expensive than you might expect. Fully automatic bean-to-cup coffee makers are never going to be cheap, but the KF6 costs far less than the KF8, with only a few compromises – and it’s often available at a discount, too.
KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6: price and availability
List price $1,199.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,799
Far less expensive than KitchenAid KF8
Often available at a discount
The KitchenAid KF6 launched in 2024, and is available to buy directly from KitchenAid, or from third-party retailers. It has a list price of $1,199.99 / £1,299 / AU$1,799, but you can often find it more cheaply. For example, at the time of writing it’s discounted to $999.99 in the US and AU$1,599 in Australia for Valentine’s Day.
It certainly isn't cheap, but fully automatic bean-to-cup machines never are due to their complexity; plus the KF6 delivers plenty for the money. It's far less expensive than its higher-end sibling, the KF8, which has a list price of $1,999.99 / £1,899 / AU$2,599. While the KF6 makes a few compromises to keep the cost down, it remains an exceptional coffee maker; in my opinion, it's much better value than its big brother. We’ve rounded up today’s best prices for you here:
The KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6 is a sleek, modern-looking coffee maker, with a matt finish and brushed stainless steel accents. It's available in three colorways: stainless steel, cast iron black, and porcelain white (the latter of which launched in January 2025).
Its screen measures 2.4 inches diagonally (6cm), which is smaller than that of the KF8, but it’s still bright and clear, with plenty of space for reviewing and tweaking your drink settings. You operate the machine using a set of touch-sensitive buttons positioned beside the display, and the power button is located discreetly on the left-hand side of the case.
The KitchenAid KF7 is controlled using a set of touch-sensitive buttons arranged around its small color screen (Image credit: Future)
The bean hopper is accessed via a hatch on the top, and has a central dial that twists to lock and unlock it. The hatch has a rubber seal to help keep your beans fresh. Next to the hopper, you’ll find a small chute where you can insert a scoop of pre-ground coffee if you want to use a different bean from time to time. This is particularly handy for those who prefer to switch to decaf in the evening; the machine will detect if the chute has been opened and automatically offer you the option of using ground coffee rather than beans when you next select a drink (a thoughtful touch). The KF6 arrives with a scoop to make this easier.
The KF6's water tank has a capacity of 2.3 quarts / 2.2 liters, which is the same as the other espresso machines in KitchenAid’s fully automatic series, and has a folding handle that makes it easier to carry it to the sink. You also get a water-testing strip, so you can decide which water hardness setting to choose, and a water filter that screws into the bottom of the tank. Additional filters are available to purchase directly from KitchenAid, or from Amazon.
The water tank is easily lifted out of the side of the machine, and comes with a filter that screws into the bottom (Image credit: Future)
The dispenser slides smoothly up and down to accommodate different-sized cups, and can dispense coffee and milk into one or two cups.The drip-tray beneath slides out smoothly when lifted slightly, and contains a removable bin where used coffee pucks are deposited. The tray has a spout shape at the back to avoid mess when emptying and rinsing.
The KitchenAid KF6 has an automatic milk-frothing system, but unlike the KF7 and KF8, it doesn’t come with a dedicated container. Instead, you just place the end of the tube into your own jug or cup of milk. The results are the same; the only difference in practise is that you can’t pop the closed container into the fridge between uses. However, unlike the higher-end KF8, the KF6 doesn’t have a separate profile for plant-based milk. You can still use it to heat and texturize oat, soy, or almond milk, but the system is optimized for dairy.
Used pucks are dispensed into a removeable bin that sits inside the drip-tray (Image credit: Future)
The only downside to the design is that I noticed a few small scratches on the stainless steel drip-tray after testing, which must have been caused by the bottom of the glass and ceramic cups I was using. They were noticeable only when observing up-close, however; you’d never see them in ordinary use. I was just a little surprised it happened so quickly.
Makes exceptionally good espresso with thick crema
Good choice of customizable drink presets
No profile for plant-based milks
The KitchenAid KF6 is very simple to use and, most importantly, makes a gorgeous espresso – rich and delicious, and with exceptionally thick crema that even earned praise from team coffee aficionado and reviews editor Josh Russell, who noted that his manual espresso machine couldn’t produce similar results.
The KF6 doesn’t have quite such an extensive menu of presets as the KF8, but still offers plenty of choice. There’s scope for customizing the strength, temperature, volume, and body of each drink, too. The options offered by the KF6 are:
Espresso
Cappuccino
Caffe latte
Macchiato
Latte macchiato
Americano
Coffee
The KF6 can also dispense hot water and warm milk. However, unlike the higher-end KF8, it doesn’t offer a cooler water option for brewing green tea, or foamed milk without coffee for a babyccino.
The KitchenAid KF6 produces an incredible espresso (Image credit: Future)
When I tested the KitchenAid KF8 in 2024, I found that the default settings for a cappuccino and latte didn’t produce as much milk foam as I like, and it was the same with the KF6. Thankfully, both machines let me adjust the volume of the drink to add more milk, which resulted in thicker foam. It’s easy to play around with the options before making your espresso drinks, and once you’ve set your preferences, you can save them to one of four custom user profiles. The KF6 supports six profiles, but four will be plenty for most households.
The KF6 is Quiet Mark certified, meaning it has been designed with noise reduction in mind. It’s definitely quieter than most of the best espresso machines I’ve tested. It reached 75db for a second or two while foaming milk (similar to a vacuum cleaner) and 66dB while grinding coffee (about the noise of a normal conversation), but averaged a mere 44dB while the pump was in operation (a very gentle hum).
Unlike the KF8, the KF6 doesn't have a mode optimized for plant-based milk (Image credit: Future)
Sometimes, the convenience of a bean-to-cup coffee machine is offset by the hassle of maintaining it, but this isn't the case here. All of KitchenAid’s fully automatic espresso machines offer a great selection of cleaning and maintenance functions, and you’ll be prompted when it’s time to run each one.
After each milk-based drink, you’ll be advised to run the "easy milk rinsing" program, which uses water from the tank to flush the lines. To keep things hygienic in the longer term, the "deep milk cleaning" function uses a cleaning solution to give everything a good wash and remove proteins and bacteria.
There’s a quick option for rinsing the brew unit, plus a deep-cleaning mode that requires you to remove the brewing unit and insert a cleaning tablet to remove any build-up of oils that could start to impact the taste of your drinks.
Remove the panel on the right-hand side to access the brew group for cleaning (Image credit: Future)
The KF8 also offers a function that purges all coffee from the hopper and brew unit (ideal if you want to switch to a different bean), and one that evaporates all water from the system (great, if you won’t be using the machine for a while or need to transport it). You may need to use a cloth to absorb a little leftover water from the dispenser once it’s done, but the evaporation system works very well.
Generally speaking, I found the differences between the KF6 and the KF8 to be quite small. Although there are fewer drink options, the ones I use frequently are still available (and customizable). The absence of a special container for milk barely affects the experience at all, and the smaller screen is still ample for displaying your various options.
The only thing I really missed was the plant milk option from the KF8, which yielded particularly silky micro-foam when used with almond milk. If you rarely use plant milk, it’s well worth considering opting for the KF6 instead – the experience is just as good; it handles dairy equally well; and it brews an exceptional coffee.
Performance score: 4.5/5
Should you buy the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6
Buy if if
You love espresso
I've said it before and I'll say it again, this machine produces truly great espresso, with masses of golden crema. It's delicious, and it will be perfect every time – with no skill necessary on your part.
You want minimal hassle
The joy of a bean-to-cup machine is its ease of use and consistency, and the KF6 excels in both areas. It makes preparing your favorite coffee a piece of cake, and is refreshingly easy to clean and maintain.
Don't buy it if
You prefer plant milk
There's nothing to stop you using the KF6 with your favorite plant-based substitute, but it's optimized for dairy. Unlike the KF8, there's no profile for soy, almond, oat and other alternatives.
You're on a tight budget
The KitchenAid KF6 is great value for a fully automatic bean-to-cup espresso machine, but if money is tight then you'd be better off choosing a manual espresso machine instead.
KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6: also consider
Not sure whether the KitchenAid KF6 is the right espresso machine for you? Here are a couple of other options that you might like to consider:
De’Longhi La Specialista Arte Evo
This is our favorite manual bean-to-cup machine, and an excellent introduction to the world of espresso. Plus, it's less than half the price of the KitchenAid KF6.
This espresso machine gives you the choice of manual or semi-automatic operation, and for those who lack the experience of grinding and tamping coffee, Breville's Impress system helps you create the perfect puck.
KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6: how I tested
I tested the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF6 using fresh coffee beans from local coffee shop, Mokoko, and chilled whole milk. I used each of the machine’s preset drink options, experimenting with the volume, temperature, strength, and body settings, creating a custom user profile.
I also ran all of the machine’s cleaning programs, including the intensive profiles for cleaning the milk system and brewing group, and evaporating water from the whole system. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate on TechRadar.
Ultenic has certainly upped the ante with the U16 Flex Cordless vacuum, launched in August 2024. As you may have already guessed from the name, the most notable feature is the U16 Flex’s flexibility. Thanks to a clever bendable elbow feature in its wand, this cool cordless does all the bending for you – making light work of pushing the floorhead deep under the furniture.
That's not the only feature borrowed from today's best cordless vacuums. The floorhead has 'GreenEye technology'; essentially bright green LED lights that help you track down less obvious dirt, dust and dander... as well as adding a bit of space-ship coolness. There’s a tangle-free roller brush that actually works, three power modes, six-layer HEPA filtration and a funky illuminated display panel that adds more spaceship vibes.
Operation is one-touch, by which I mean you don’t have to hold the power button in to keep it going, which is always a relief to my poor RSI-ridden hand. Ultenic promises the battery will last up to a full 60 minutes. I managed 54 in my tests, but that's still very respectable.
For all these features, you may well be expecting a price tag along Dyson lines, but perhaps the most astonishing aspect of the U16 Flex cordless is its price – if you shop smart, you can pick one of these little beauties up for under $200 / £200. It's absolutely one of the best budget vacuums I've tested.
I test it in out my four-bed home over the very busy Christmas and New Year holidays, and it did a sterling job on hard flooring (of which we have plenty). I loved how lightweight it was, and the power lasted plenty long enough to whip round downstairs before the next gaggle of guests descended.
However, there's one concession you'll need to make for that mind-blowingly bargain price. To get carpets clean, Normal mode won't cut it; you'll need to call on the maximum 'Turbo' mode. Unfortunately, the U16 can only manage 12 minutes of cleaning in this mode; not long enough to make it around my mostly-carpeted upstairs. So this one is only really suitable for people with mostly hard floors in their home.
Now you’ve read the short-and-sweet version, keep going to discover the full highs and lows of using this budget-friendly cordless in my full Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless review.
Everything that came in the box for my review model (Image credit: Future)
List price: $219.99 / £219.99 (but discounted everywhere)
Launched: August 2024
Availability: US / UK
The Ultenic U16 Flex cordless vacuum is a straight-up bargain. If you’re on the hunt for a lightweight player without dropping a small fortune, this sleek little number is worth a look.
Officially, purchasing direct from Ultenic the list price is $219.99 / £219.99, which is in TechRadar's lower-mid price bracket for vacuums. However, at time of writing, it's discounted there and on Amazon, so you can expect to pay more like $150-$180 in the US, or £160-£170 in the UK. That's firmly in the budget bracket.
Sadly, Australians are out of luck because it’s not available there yet. But for everyone else, this vacuum delivers mid-range performance for a low-end price-tag. It’s got power, it’s lightweight, and it’s brilliant for getting into all those low-level nooks and crannies.
If you’re after a cordless vac that’s stylish, effective, and doesn’t leave you eating instant noodles for a month, the Ultenic U16 Flex has got your back.
Value for money score: 5 out of 5
Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless specs
Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless review: design
Lightweight, with flexible wand for getting under furniture
Intuitive LED display and good bin capacity
Slightly plasticky build quality
Landing on my doorstep in a compact box, with a fair number of plastic bags and foam padding, it wasn’t especially eco-friendly looking on the packaging front, but the Ultenic U16 Flex was very well protected. After pulling out and unwrapping all the elements, I found it was super easy to put together without any need to look at the quick setup instructions.
In red, black and a hint of purple, the Ultenic U16 Flex cordless vacuum gives me '80s throwback fear. The design has hints of early Dyson, too – that purple cyclone-like filter chamber looks very familiar. Overall, it's lightweight and easy to use; you won’t be breaking a sweat lugging it around.
The build quality feels a bit on the budget side – kind of plasticky and a bit clunky to connect the wand to the floorhead, but given the price that's not a dealbreaker. It's sturdy enough to get the job done without worrying it’ll collapse mid-clean.
(Image credit: Future)
The main design highlight for me was the flexible wand, which can be released to bend forwards. It's an idea borrowed from today's best Shark vacuums (like the PowerDetect Cordless), and a game-changer for reaching awkward spots – like under the couch where crumbs and dust bunnies love to party. It bends and twists like a pro, making those hard-to-reach areas not so hard-to-reach. Combined with the lightweight build and searing green LED lighting in the floorhead (this one inspired by the far-pricier Dyson V15 Detect and Gen5detect), it was perfect for quick zips around the house.
Oddly, the control panel isn’t nearly as sexy as the previous model, the slightly cheaper U12 Vesla (which I have also put through its paces) but it’s still nicely styled and techy-looking. There's one button for switching between power modes, so you don’t have to overthink anything while you're cleaning. Plus, the battery indicator is super clear – no guessing games about how much power you have left in the tank.
The control panel shows power level and battery percentage, and the light ring turns more red as the power dials up (Image credit: Future)
The main floorhead is solid enough, with decent swivel action that lets you glide around furniture. It's also shallow enough that it doesn’t get stuck under my sideboards, like competitors' models have. It only comes with one detachable crevice tool, but let’s face it, that’s the one we all use – I’ve got a cleaning cupboard full of weird and wonderful (and never used) nozzles from various ghosts of vacuums past. If you do need the gentler approach of a bristled nozzle, for furniture or upholstery etc, one slides out in handheld mode, which is handy because it’s always there, close to hand.
The Ultenic U16 Flex features a generous dustbin for the cordless sector, with a 95ml capacity. I could vacuum round our 4-bed home at least twice before needing to empty it, and given that we have two very hairy spaniels and two messy kids so that’s pretty impressive. When it’s time to dump the contents, the process is simple – just press the release button, and the lid flaps open. You can then empty it directly into the trash with minimal mess – and I never had to get my hands dirty digging out any stuck muck.
The bin empties easily. (Image credit: Future)
The Ultenic U16 Flex’s charging wall mount is space-saving and convenient. I didn’t fix it to my wall because it wasn’t staying, but I could check how well the vacuum slots in and out and always appreciate a mount where the charging is automatic once docked – no need to fiddle about manually inserting the charger port. If you prefer, you can also slide the battery out and charge it away from the vacuum, which would be handy if you don’t have a socket where you want to store your cleaner.
Overall, the U16 Flex is designed to offer everything you need, with a few cool extras on top. It might not feel as premium as some high-end brands, but nor do you have to sell a kidney to buy it.
Design score: 3.5 out of 5
Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless review: performance
Excellent maneuvering, and great on hard floors
Easy to empty and clean
Battery-sapping Turbo mode needed for carpets
Let me start by saying that the Ultenic U16 Flex cordless vacuum isn’t great on carpets. It’s not the worst I’ve tested, but if you have wall-to-wall carpets throughout and like to feel the power of dirt lifting through from the floorboards underneath, this is not the vacuum for you.
Those with mostly solid floors, like me, should keep reading, especially anyone who is really feeling the cost-of-living crisis right now (also me!). The Ultenic U16 Flex has three power levels: Eco, Normal (which is the default startup setting) and Turbo.
In Eco mode, which gives you the maximum battery life, it did a perfectly good job of sucking up dog hair, crumbs and small particles of dust/dirt from my solid floors (in the busiest rooms of our home: the open-plan kitchen, hallway and utility). However, it wasn’t great at dealing with bigger debris like hay and shavings (we have horses, and half the yard seems to come home via the kids’ socks). Normal was much better and so it was the mode I used most of the time on my hard floors.
On carpet I felt like I was wasting my time in Eco mode. Normal was okay, but I also had to call upon the battery-depleting Turbo mode for carpets. The vacuum only lasted around 12 minutes in Turbo mode. This was okay if I was only cleaning the downstairs, where there's just one room that's carpeted, and it's small. However, it wasn't long enough to clean the four carpeted bedrooms upstairs.
The Ultenic U16 Flex took a little longer than I’d expect to complete a full battery recharge – around four hours. I could have done with a spare battery to tackle upstairs though.
Using the crevice tool in handheld mode (Image credit: Future)
The real star of this vacuum, though, has to be the flexibility. The floorhead swivels and moves really smoothly and I can glide around my furniture without getting the floorhead stuck. I never felt like I was doing battle with the vacuum, and my hand/arm never ached, even when testing the battery to its maximum use in Eco mode (I clocked 52 minutes).
The flex wand is also a total game-changer. It bends low so I don’t have to, stretching under areas that I can normally only reach by getting down on my hands and knees. That almost never happens so it was quite satisfying/disturbing to see how full the bin got when I tackled under the island and kitchen sofa.
Plus, the attachments are really easy, if slightly clunky, to pop on and off. I’ve been using the crevice tool on the end of the long wand for the edges of my baseboards and getting cobwebs up high, and it worked perfectly – again without making my arm ache.
The brush bar is great on hard floors and doesn't get choked with hair (Image credit: Future)
In handheld mode, the Ultenic U16 Flex really shines for quick and targeted cleaning jobs. It’s lightweight and easy to handle, making it perfect for tackling stairs, upholstery, or even light spills in your car (just don’t expect thorough detailing – for that you might need to invest in one of the best car vacuums).
With the crevice attachment, you can reach tight spots effortlessly, like between couch cushions or the corners of stair treads, without contorting into awkward angles or straining your wrists. In handheld mode, the suction is the best you’ll get from this cordless, easily picking up crumbs, and dust. I’d have like a mini upholstery head attachment, ideally with power brush, for really getting those deep-grained pet hairs out of my couch cushions though. TechRadar's best vacuum for pet hairlist has some alternative suggestions here.
It's light and nimble for cleaning the stairs (Image credit: Future)
When it comes to noise, the Ultenic U16 is pretty average for cordless vacuums – not too loud but not super quiet either. In the lowest power it recorded 71 dB on my decibel meter app, in Normal it was 74 dB and in Turbo it went to 82 dB, which is comparable to a food processor or blender. It’s not silent, but it’s definitely quieter than I expected for the price. The good news was I could vacuum in Eco without making my spaniel bark his head off, which is a huge win and a rare feat. He still lost his cool when I dialed up to Turbo, though.
Suction tests
When I ran our standard vacuuming tests – one with flour to mimic fine debris, and another with oats for larger particles – the results were exactly as I’d anticipated. The Ultenic U16 did well on the hard floors and failed on carpets.
The flour test was completed on our engineered wood flooring, and I found I had to switch to Turbo mode to get the best results, but it only took two passes to achieve a clean strip of flooring.
Flour on hard floors, the left strip shows Eco mode and the right is in Turbo (Image credit: Future)
Next came the oats test, again on engineered wood, and I was surprised to discover that I could get all the oats up as easily in Eco mode as I did in Turbo. In fact, the Ultenic U16 Flex made really light work of clearing away the entire spill, with a little help from the spaniels!
Oats on hard floors, the left strip shows Eco mode and the right is in Turbo (Image credit: Future)
Moving into the snug to check out performance on carpet (a short-pile wool number), and the flour test was an absolute fail. Eco mode barely touched the flour and even in Turbo I had to do a bazillion passes and then call in the big guns (my Miele Duoflex cordless) to get the job done.
Flour on carpet, the left strip shows Eco mode and the right is in Turbo (Image credit: Future)
The oats test was a bit better on carpet, but I still had to spend a lot of time going back and forth over the same spots. Then I had to get the crevice nozzle out to suction up the strays that had snuck into the threshold joint. I nearly ran out of power before my carpet was clean again.
Oats on carpet, the left strip shows Eco mode and the right is in Turbo (Image credit: Future)
Maintenance
I found the Ultenic U16 easy to clean and maintain. The bin pops open really easily and empties straight out – no fishing about with sticks to unblock clogs. The HEPA filter is also simple to access, which is a bonus for those who hate vacuum maintenance.
The filter is easy to clean under a running tap (Image credit: Future)
You just detach the dustbin by pressing the release button and the filter is easy to spot and pull out. Wash it under a running tap and leave to dry – there’s a spare so you’ll always have a dry one to hand. Another bonus of this cordless is the hair-evading brush in the floorhead, which didn’t get wrapped in any hair, string or random threads during the entire test period.
Performance score: 3.5 out of 5
Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless review: battery
Battery lasts 12 mins in Turbo, 52 mins in Eco
4 hours to fully recharge the battery
Removable and swappable battery
The Ultenic U16 Flex provides a practical balance between performance and battery life, especially in a home with mostly solid floors like ours. In Eco mode, the vacuum lasted a generous 52 minutes. That's not quite as long as the hour promised by Ultenic, but it's still plenty of time to tackle everyday messes in busy areas like my open-plan kitchen and hallway.
Most of today's best cordless stick vacuums will offer a maximum of 50 or 60 minutes' of cleaning (and a couple offer up to 70 minutes), although of course the suction in that mode will vary from model to model.
In Turbo mode the battery lasted just 12 minutes. It's not unusual for a stick vacuum's maximum suction mode to drain power that quickly, but the fact I had to use Turbo mode quite a lot when tackling carpets wasn't ideal.
Recharging takes around four hours. The U16's battery is removable and spares can be purchased if you want to extend the cleaning times further.
Battery life score: 3.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless?
Buy it if...
Your chiropractor is on speed dial
Anyone with limited strength, RSI or back pain will really appreciate this flexible, lightweight vacuum that makes cleaning tight spaces and under furniture a breeze.
You like to see what you’re cleaning
The bright LED lights in the floorhead of this thing are really exceptional, possibly the best I’ve tested – no dirt, hair strands or dust will escape your attention, even in the darkest of corners.
Analogue is your thing
Those who value simplicity and convenience, with easy-to-use features and quick attachment swaps will love the lack of nonsense tech and complicated controls. Turn it on, vacuum, empty and repeat. Simple.
Don't buy it if...
You covet a champagne lifestyle
If you’re all about luxury and expect a premium feel this is not the vacuum for you – it’s functional, but the plasticky build might not vibe with your high-end tastes.
Carpets are everywhere
You need heavy-duty suction power for deep-pile carpets; this one’s definitely better for hard floors.
You like a quiet life
If you are noise-sensitive and crave near-silent cleaning – or have a newborn or irritable neighbours, the sound levels may disappoint. It’s not super loud, but it’s no whisper either, especially on max power.
How I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless
I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex cordless vacuum for four weeks during the festive season, during which we hosted far too many family gatherings than was good for our livers, and a child’s birthday, too. Our home is a Victorian, four-bed detached property that is mostly open-plan downstairs. We don’t have any thick-pile carpet, but we do have virtually every other type of flooring – porcelain, terracotta, luxury vinyl, engineered oaks, wool carpets and lots of flatweave rugs. I used this cordless as the only vacuum during the testing period, in every room and up the stairs, checking out the various attachments as I went. I also conducted controlled tests using flour and oats on hard floors and carpet, monitored the sound levels using an App on my iPhone and timed battery use and charging.
If you’re after an all-in-one robot vacuum cleaner – one that vacuums, mops, and then cleans itself by also washing and drying its mop pads – you’re typically looking at a rather premium price point. The Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni offers you all of that, but without that high cost. And it doesn’t necessarily make too many sacrifices on features either, which really highlights how much bang for your hard-earned buck it can offer.
Depending on where you live, there might be two versions of the T30 Omni available – a white Pro model and the black non-Pro edition that’s reviewed here and is available in the UK and Australia. Strangely, neither model is currently listed on the US Ecovacs website. The only difference between the two, other than their color, is the Pro model gets three additional features: Ecovacs’ Yiko voice assistant, a dirt-detection deep-mopping mode and an onboard camera. I missed none of these during my time testing the standard T30 Omni, although some users might find the deep-mop function useful.
The first thing that got my attention was just how compact – or rather squat – it is compared to other all-in-one robot vacuums that come with two water tanks in the cleaning station. Ecovacs says the T30 Omni (and its Pro version) will fit under any kitchen or bathroom counter – while my under-counter cabinets weren't designed for such a scenario, measurements indicate that if I were to make small changes to how they're structured, it would take minimal carpentry to get the robot vacuum and its dock stowed away neatly. The rest of the design is also very well considered and I think it’s one of the better-looking full-featured robot vacuums I’ve seen.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
It doesn’t disappoint in its performance either. With four suction levels and four water-flow rates, there are a lot of custom routines you can set up for the T30 Omni. What I appreciate even more is that even at its highest suction setting, the robot isn’t as loud as I’ve previously encountered with other similar models, even those from Ecovacs. The maximum suction here is 11,000Pa, which isn’t as much as other premium models available on the market, but it’s more than enough for most homes. However, if you have carpets that are particularly dirty with tangled hair or fur, it will have trouble sucking those up in their entirety. What hair and fur it manages to clean thankfully doesn’t get entangled around the main bar brush, making ongoing maintenance easy.
Also aiding in making the user lazy is how well it washes its mop pads after each cleaning session. You can choose how often you want the pads to be washed and how long you want to set the hot-air drying for. And that’s a good thing because those mops can get dirty – during my testing, I found the mopping to be so effective that the pads would get brown within minutes! I had no idea how much dust my hard floors could pick up! Better yet, the extendable mop pads ensure even the edges of my rooms were cleaned well, although the occasional corner can be missed.
The tanks are remarkably easy to refill or clean out, and so is the base tray that the mop pads are washed on. And while you can always bend down to press a button in a pinch to start or stop the T30 Omni, it will also respond to a light kick to the bumper.
All in all, I think this is a really good all-in-one robot vacuum cleaner, able to give even more expensive models a run for their money, making this a really great-value investment if you want to stop spending time on vacuuming and mopping your floors. Where there’s scope for improvement is with the Ecovacs Home smartphone app, but only marginally.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Price & availability
Available since 2024 in UK and Australia; not sold in the US
List price: £799 / AU$1,749
Often discounted during major sales
Announced in May 2024 for most major markets, the Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni is now listed for purchase in European countries, including the UK, and in Australia. Strangely, it’s no longer listed on the official Ecovacs website in the US, although it was announced for the American market.
At full price, the T30 Omni will set you back £799 / AU$1,749 but it’s often discounted to a much lower price, which makes this a truly worthwhile investment given its power and feature set. For instance, at the time of writing, it’s available for £699 directly from Ecovacs UK, while it’s dropped as low as AU$1,199 in Australia.
Other similar models can cost you around the £1,000 / AU$2,200 mark: for example, the Dreame L40 Ultra available in the US and the UK with the same 11,000Pa suction has a list price of $1,499.99 / £999 (unavailable in Australia), but take it up a notch and the 12,000Pa Dreame X40 Ultra with detachable mop pads will set you back a whopping $1,899 / £1,299 / AU$2,799. Similarly, the Eufy Omni S1 Pro, with its interesting slimline design but with a maximum of 8,000Pa of suction costs $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,699.
There are, of course, cheaper robot vacuums but, given how well the T30 Omni balances power, performance and price, it represents very good value for money even at full price.
• Value score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Specs
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Design
Standard T30 Omni model only available in black; white is the Pro model
Not as tall and heavy as other all-in-one robot vacuums
Extendable mop pads that automatically rise to avoid carpets
Whether you opt for the standard T30 Omni in black or the white T30 Pro Omni version, the only physical difference between the two is the color – everything else is identical from a design perspective. Neither, however, come with any additional replacement parts, which is a glaring omission on Ecovacs’ part as you are immediately faced with having to purchase additional dust bags at the very least. Thankfully you won’t find the need to replace the mop pads too soon as the washing mechanism is fantastic, although keep an eye on them as, like any fabric, they will begin to show signs of wear and tear.
(Image credit: Amanda Westberg)
Lack of some replacement parts aside, the entire appliance, despite its plastic build, is quite solidly made. You’ll find no need for the user manual to set up the various parts of the robot vacuum’s dock – it’s all very intuitive and just slots into place. Once assembled, it doesn’t look like most other all-in-one robovacs – it’s shorter and looks more compact, although it has a similar footprint to other models. This compactness in height is what allows the T30 Omni to slot under a counter if you are able to fit it in.
Unlike other such all-in-one robot vacuums, the water tanks – clean and dirty – aren’t placed inside the clean station, but are an essential part of the dock, sitting atop the enclosure housing the 3.5L replaceable dust bag. From an aesthetic standpoint, I like that the translucent clean-water tank sits in the front, and it means you can see when a refill is needed. Both tanks have a 4L capacity, meaning they’ll last a few cleaning sessions before you need to manually do anything… although I don’t like having any dirty water in the tank for more than a day, so I’ve always just cleaned it out, but that’s just me. And I’m also appreciative of the fact that the dirty water tank is opaque and sits at the back of the machine.
Ecovacs has even put some serious thought into the design of the washing tray that the actual robot sits on to charge and have its mop pads washed. It reminds me of old ribbed washboards from the 1800s, with raised ridges that ensure the mop pads get a good scrubbing after (or during) each mop run. The tray is also very easy to remove and clean out.
Overall, I’m a big fan of the slightly voluptuous-looking clean station and how easy it is to get to any part of it to refill, clean or replace, although I can also see why some people may not like the look compared to the straight lines of other models.
Image 1 of 4
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 4
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 3 of 4
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 4 of 4
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The robot itself isn’t very different from the familiar round droid we see from most brands. There’s the usual lidar turret on the top to house Ecovacs’ proprietary TrueMapping 2.0 technology, while the top panel has three function buttons: zone cleaning, start/pause and exit/return to base. Combination presses of these three buttons can also be used but, from my experience, the only time you’ll really need any of them is at the initial setup process.
The top panel of the robot also simply lifts off to reveal the 300ml rectangular dust bin inside. You won’t, however, see the water reservoir, which is hidden under the opaque plastic.
On the front of the robot you can clearly see the obstacle avoidance system – called TrueDetect 3D 3.0 – on either side of which are distance sensors. Two contact points for charging are also visible on the rear of the robot, as well as the water inlet for filling the reservoir and the hatch to self-empty its dust bin. The front bumper is also sensitive to a light kick, which tells it to either start or pause wherever it is.
The underside of the robot has four anti-fall sensors along the rim, and there’s also a sensor that detects carpets. There’s one side brush, while the main bar brush has been redesigned to offer zero tangles when hair and fur is being vacuumed. I have to admit, I was rather skeptical about the ZeroTangle brush, but I’m quite impressed with how well it manages to remain free of all entanglements. The two rotating mop pads are affixed to the removable plastic supports via some seriously strong Velcro but, unlike more premium machines from Samsung and Dreame, the mop pads don’t automatically drop if you set the robot up for just a vacuum run. They do, however, extend outward to wash room edges and can rise up to 9mm to avoid carpets and rugs.
• Design score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Amanda Westberg)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Features
Up to 80% more suction power compared to the T20 Omni
Spot cleaning improvements based on user feedback
Foot-touch start/pause functionality
You’d think that, to keep costs down, the T30 Omni would be missing key features, but Ecovacs has managed to pack it full of the things you really need and left out anything that you wouldn’t necessarily miss – like voice control. The one thing that I do wish I could have tried is the deep-clean mopping mode that the Pro model has but, honestly, I didn’t necessarily feel any FOMO while testing the standard T30 Omni.
One feature I’m a massive fan of, and it’s actually a rather superfluous one, is the foot-touch start/stop functionality. What that means is giving the robot a light kick on the bumper makes it start or, if it’s already moving, stop where it is. I admit to being lazy and this makes my need to bend or reach for my phone unnecessary when I just need it to stop for a minute or two when I have to step in its path for whatever reason. I hands-down agree that it’s a novelty, but it’s the kind of fun feature I love.
Importantly for a robot vacuum, Ecovacs has upped the ante where suction is concerned. Compared to the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni’s 6,000Pa suction power, the T30 Omni now boasts a much better 11,000Pa. For its price point, this is a fantastic upgrade.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Another feature worth mentioning here is the reimagined spot-clean functionality that is now also available on other top-tier Ecovacs robovacs. At the press of the spot-clean button on the top of the robot, the T30 Omni will know to clean a 1.5m x 1.5m square area around wherever it’s located at the time. If it’s at the dock, it will clean around the dock; you can pick it up and place it anywhere in your home and it will begin the spot clean there. It’s a handy feature to have for those quick spills that need immediate attention.
One useful feature that’s not quite unique to the T30 Omni, but is effective nonetheless, is extendable mopping. This allows the mop pads to either remain extended at all times or automatically pull out when the robot senses a wall or furniture close by. This works so well that even thin furniture legs are identified and the mops can clean right alongside them and, where possible, move a full circle around them.
Other features include Bluetooth connectivity for easier setup and the Ecovacs Home app widget for iPhones and Apple Watches for getting a whole-house clean going instantly.
• Features score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: App control
Cleaner app than before but still scope for improvement
A number of custom ‘Scenarios’ can be set up
Editable map, but adding furniture is fiddly
I’ve reviewed quite a few Deebots over the last few years, some of which have been discontinued. So it’s fair to say I’ve seen the evolution of the Ecovacs Home app to its current form, which is arguably the best it’s ever been. It’s a lot cleaner and easier to use, although I still see scope for improvement. That said, in the few months that I’ve been testing the T30 Omni, I’ve not had a single app-related problem.
The Ecovacs Home app has everything you need to set up the T30 Omni if it’s your first Deebot, including giving it a name. In my case, I called the robot vacuum Dirt Vader. To get started, you can set the robot to do a mapping run which doesn’t take too long. It quite literally rolls through your home in a slightly random manner and picks up where the walls and doors are to create a basic map. This you can then edit in the app, adding names to the various rooms and even furniture. While it’s really easy to partition rooms, adding furniture is annoying as placements are not necessarily going to work on a flat 2D space.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
The app displays all the cleaning options clearly, including the various combinations of vacuum and mopping, and how often of both you want the bot to do. You can choose the suction power and the water-flow rate.
You can set up what Ecovacs calls Scenarios – different cleaning runs to suit different needs. For example, I have one called Daily Clean, which is a single vacuum run throughout my home at the highest suction. Another one that I call Deep Clean is two vacuum runs in the carpeted bedroom, followed by two mop-after-vacuum sessions in the rest of the house with hard floors. I have another called Quick Clean, which is a single vacuum-and-mop run on only the hard floors (so it skips the bedroom). The options are plenty, giving you a lot of control over your floor-cleaning routine.
The app also lets you change the volume of the voice prompts of the robot which, by default, is really rather loud. You get the usual cleaning logs and you can also keep track of when you need to replace parts like brushes, mops or the dust bag. Setting up schedules is also there.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
You’ll get voice prompts and an app notification if the wash tray needs cleaning in the middle of a session – that’s because the mop can be set to be cleaned at regular intervals. I had mine set to every 15 minutes, so Dirt Vader would go back to the dock a couple of times during most cleaning sessions to wash the mops. I really do not like brown streaks on my light-grey tiles.
My only issue with the app is with the Scenarios tab: only two Scenarios are visible on most phone screens, but the Manage option gets in the way of the second listing. It’s also not immediately clear that you just need to slide to view all the different Scenarios. I’d also like the map to be a bit more detailed, but that’s not really a complaint, but an observation.
• App control score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Performance
Hardly ever misses mopping a room edge or along furniture legs
Excellent vacuuming prowess on hard floors
Can struggle on excessively dirty carpets
We have quite a few Deebot reviews on TechRadar, and one thing they all have in common is their good performance. And that’s again the case here. In fact, I was rather impressed by how quickly, and accurately, the T30 Omni mapped out my apartment – it took just six minutes to do so and all walls, doors and floor types were correct even though it seemed to move rather randomly. It doesn’t account for furniture, but you can see the vague shapes in the basic map. Subsequently, I didn’t have a single issue with navigation either – Dirt Vader always moved in a clear pattern within each zone, hardly ever missing a spot.
Whether it’s just vacuuming, just mopping or both together, the T30 Omni does a very fine job indeed. During testing, I sprinkled some talcum powder on the floor to see how it would cope with such fine particles and, set to do a spot clean with vacuum and mop together, I was pleased that I couldn’t see white powder when I ran my fingers over the area.
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
While the side brush did scatter some grains of rice while vacuuming, a second run cleared those up as well. A few scattered grains that went into a corner did get left behind though, but I can’t blame Dirt Vader for a shoddy job – even my Dyson V15s Detect Submarine would have a hard time getting at those grains with the Fluffy Optic or the Digital Motorbar. I’d have to use the Crevice Tool for that. Perhaps the Dyson 360 Vis Nav, with its protruding tongue, might have picked up the stray grains… Or for situations like that, Ecovacs has another solution in the form of the Deebot T30S Combo, which packs a handheld cordless vacuum along with the robot.
Dirt Vader’s vacuum prowess is also quite good on carpets and rugs… provided the carpets aren’t already too dirty. Only the bedroom in my apartment has wall-to-wall carpeting and, over the duration of a week, my hair gets all over it. If there’s too much hair, I found that the T30 Omni set at max suction over two consecutive runs can struggle to do a deep clean. There were always some strands still visible, but it was along edges where it truly struggled to gather tangled hair. However, my medium-pile rug in the living room, which doesn’t get too dirty, always looked refreshed after a single vacuum run at max suction. On hard floors, reducing the suction to Standard or Strong is more than enough for a good clean.
Image 1 of 2
The brand-new ZeroTangle bar brush on the Deebot T30 Omni... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 2
..and the same brush after three months of use. (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Mopping is where the T30 Omni shines. When Ecovacs says ‘edge mopping’, it’s truly the case here. The extendable mop pads are effective at cleaning right along the 90º angle of a wall and where furniture legs meet the floor. No matter how thick or thin a leg might be, I saw Dirt Vader go a full 360º around the vertical axis where the height under furniture allowed it to go.
During my testing, I tried various water-flow rates and, for the kind of tiles I have in my apartment, the High setting was the best for a regular clean, so that is what I set it to for every Scenario. This saw all dusty footprints disappear in one mop session, as did a splatter of hot sauce on the kitchen floor. However, a thick, dried-up blob of mayonnaise took a couple of goes before it was cleaned up.
Getting the bin to auto-empty at the Extra setting meant that it was fully emptied, with only the barest film of dust along the plastic sides still visible, which can be washed out if you prefer, but I found no need to do so. The self-washing of the mop pads is also fantastic. After nearly three months of using Dirt Vader, the mop pads didn't look too worse for wear.
Image 1 of 2
The brand-new mop pads under the Deebot T30 Omni... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Image 2 of 2
..and the same mop pads after three months of use (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
What I love even more than its ability to clean is how quietly it goes about its business of cleaning. Given I’ve regularly used it at its maximum suction, I’ve never really needed to increase the volume on my TV while it was doing its thing. And my TV is in the bedroom where it’s cleaning only carpets, so the suction is always on. Ecovacs says it hits a maximum sound level of 65dB, but that’s only when it’s auto-emptying. That’s still relatively quiet compared to other self-emptying models. While vacuuming at maximum suction, it’s only ever hit 57dB for me, measured using a smartphone app, so do take that number with a pinch of salt. Still, it’s one of the quieter robot vacuums I’ve tested.
• Performance score: 4.5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni review: Battery life
Uses a 5,200mAh capacity lithium-ion battery
Rated for up to 290 minutes on a single charge
Can take up to 6.5 hours to top up an empty battery
Ecovacs has always endeavored to provide good battery life for its robot vacuums and, again, the T30 Omni delivers. Even with max suction and high water-flow rates set up for two mop-after-vacuum runs, Dirt Vader always had an average of 35% battery life still left after covering an area 74sqm. That isn’t bad at all.
It’s also intelligent enough to know how much battery it needs to finish an incomplete cleaning session if it does ever run out of power. This happened during one session, when I started my Deep Clean scenario (two vacuum sessions in the bedroom, plus two mop-after-vacuum runs in the rest of the apartment) when the battery was at 82% when it began. Instead of waiting till it was a full 100%, Dirt Vader charged till about 55% and finished the job it was meant to.
That meant I didn’t have to wait the full six hours for it to top up to 100%, which is how long Ecovacs says it can take the T30 Omni to fully charge up from empty. However, I can’t really vouch for that as I’ve not had an opportunity to see it fully drained after completing a cleaning run (even the one time mentioned above, where it charged just enough to finish an incomplete Scenario).
• Battery score: 5 / 5
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
Should I buy the Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni?
Buy it if...
You want a relatively inexpensive all-in-one robot vacuum
I won’t call it ‘cheap’ but it’s definitely more affordable than some of its competitors. And given how well it balances its performance, features and price, I’d say this really is good value, especially when discounted.
You’re keen on getting room edges cleaned well
While the side brush helps a little to clean along the edges of a room, it’s the extendable mop pads that do the actual cleaning along skirting boards and furniture. And the software running the T30 Omni knows when it needs to do a full 360º too.
You want an all-in-one robot vacuum that can be hidden away
If you have the open under-counter space, the T30 Omni is short enough to be tucked away under your kitchen bench or island, or even under the bathroom sink – depending on how your home is set up. Your cabinets, of course, shouldn't be raised.
Don't buy it if...
You have wall-to-wall carpets that can get dirty quickly
Not only will the T30 Omni struggle to clean overly dirty carpets, it also won’t be good value as you won’t be taking advantage of its mopping capabilities.
You’re on a tight budget
While it might offer good value for money, the T30 Omni isn’t exactly cheap. If you want a more affordable option, you will have to consider foregoing some features that you'll find in most all-in-one models.
You don’t want any ongoing costs
All self-emptying robot vacuums will incur an ongoing cost of at least the dust bags, if nothing else. If that’s a deterrent, you could consider a self-emptying cordless vacuum cleaner like the Shark Cordless Detect Pro with Auto-empty System, which empties into a box rather than a dust bag, but then you will have to do the vacuuming yourself and it doesn’t come with a mop attachment.
Also consider
Eufy X10 Pro Omni
Currently sitting at the top of our best robot vacuum list, the Eufy X10 Pro Omni has 8,000Pa suction power and manages to deliver good vacuuming and mopping performance on hard floors. The app is intuitive, with good mapping and navigation too. However, the docking station is quite large. Read our full Eufy X10 Pro Omni review
Dreame L40 Ultra/X40 Ultra
If you have the money to spare and want one of the best premium robot vacuums that can handle pretty much anything, then consider the top-of-the-range Dreame L40/X40 Ultra. The L model is available in the US and the UK, but the X is available in Australia. Both offer excellent suction and mopping capabilities, with plenty of smart features that make them the most hands-off robovacs we’ve tested. The app is arguably the biggest disappointment here and they’re both large too. Read our full Dreame L40 Ultra review Read our full Dreame X40 Ultra review
Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo
For a higher price than the Deebot T30 Omni, you can get an Ecovacs robot vacuum that also packs a handheld cordless unit alongside it. It’s arguably the epitome of an all-in-one, taking care of stairs, the quick clean-ups and the regular big jobs too thanks to that extra cordless vacuum. Housing the handheld unit, though, means the docking station has a larger footprint than most other robot vacuums. Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review
How I tested the Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni
Used in my own home for about three months
Tried various settings and created different cleaning routines
Scattered various common grains, powders and liquids to test cleaning
(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
While I've had the Ecovacs Deebot T30 Omni for a few months for testing, there was a period of 4 weeks where it was switched off from the mains while I was overseas. Unlike some other connected devices that may need repairing to your smartphone after such a long time of inactivity, the T30 Omni remained paired and started up as if it wasn't lying dormant at all.
During the three months of actual testing, I used the T30 Omni in my one-bedroom inner-city apartment at least once a week, trying out various permutations and combinations of vacuum and mop. Given I have a mix of both carpets (in the bedroom) and tiles (rest of the apartment), it was easy to test the T30 Omni's cleaning prowess. I scattered powders, grains and sauces on the floor to see how it performed, plus I made a note of dusty footprints on the living room floor that came from a rather dirty balcony.
I kept tabs on how well the mop pads were washed and dried after each clean, and checked the dust box inside the robot to ascertain the docking station's suction. Practically every feature of the robot vacuum was tested for this review, including the foot-touch start/pause function.
I have previously tested several other Ecovacs Deebot models, as well as robot vacuums from other brands, putting me in a great position to compare the T30 Omni's performance and features.
The Roborock Saros 10R is one of Roborock's 2025 flagship models, and proof if we needed it that robot vacuum cleaner innovation is advancing at a truly blistering pace.
Yes, the Saros 10R is expensive ($1,599.99), but that's the price you'll pay for any premium robot vac, especially when it's from one of the best robot vacuumbrands around; Roborock is well known for consistently pushing the envelope of robot vac design, innovation and reliability.
This new flagship model can be considered a direct successor to the popular S8 MaxV Ultra and is available in two variants, the Saros 10R I'm reviewing here, which is equipped with a new type of Solid-State LiDAR that doesn't require a turret, and the cheaper Saros 10 which uses a retractable turret.
All you really need to know is that the Saros 10R is squat enough to zip under furnishings just 8cm in height while sporting a gorgeous looking mirrored glass dock, oodles of suction power, revolutionary StarSight LiDAR navigation and mapping, plus a fully integrated mopping system with full self-cleaning facilities.
If you have a cluttered home with a complex layout, lots of furniture and a surfeit of messy kids and pets in tow, this is the model – this autonomous household helper does pretty much everything but make the tea. That's the short version; read on for my full Roborock Saros 10R review.
(Image credit: Future)
Roborock Saros 10R review: price & availability
List price: $1,599.99
Launched: February 2025
Available: US
Although robot vac prices have generally dropped in price while offering far more tech for your money, the very latest premium models will always cost in excess of a grand, at least for the first few months of their shelf lives. That's certainly true of the new Roborock Saros 10R which retails at an eye-watering $1,599.99.
Yes, there are other high-end bots out there that offer generally similar performance to the Saros 10R – the Dreame L40 Ultra for instance – but I haven't come across another model that does quite as much as this one, including its ability to negotiate the deeper recesses of the home.
The Saros 10R launched in February 2025 and is available in the US only. As of writing, it's not expected to make it to UK shores – it does, expect it to arrive around March 2025. Assuming it's roughly the same price in pounds as it is in dollars, it would be around £1,290.
If you live in the US, you can purchase the Saros 10R direct from Roborock, or via Amazon. Best Buy also sells Roborock robovacs, so it may also become available there.
Value for money score: 4 out of 5
Roborock Saros 10R specs
Roborock Saros 10R review: design
Impressive vacuum and mopping features
Extremely stylish mirrored dock
Expert navigation, mapping and obstacle avoidance
Most robovacs these days are equipped with a LiDAR turret that protrudes about half-an-inch above the body of the bot. This not only makes the robot look a bit ugly but, more than that, it prevents the bot from passing under low-slung furniture like cabinets and some sofas and beds.
By stark contrast, this stunning, black-only hybrid model from Roborock eschews a turreted LiDAR in favour of a flush, newfangled solid-state LiDAR navigation system (as opposed to rotating LiDAR, where the laser beam rotated 360-degrees). This not only takes navigation performance to a whole new level, but also allows the robot to venture beneath furniture with just an 8cm gap to the floor.
In fact, at just 3.14" (7.98cm) in height, the Saros 10R is the first robot vacuum I've ever tested to make it under my TV cabinet with just one millimetre of clearance. What's more, having a robot vac with no LiDAR turret means no more issues of a spinning LiDAR module sticking on a loose strand of pet hair – it happens. And of course, it also gives the unit a much more sleek and stylish appearance.
Navigation features
Aside from raw suction power and overall cleaning performance, a robot vac is only as good as its navigation system. As alluded to above, the majority of modern robots use two-dimensional LDS (Laser Distance Sensor) LiDAR and it serves them well. However, Roborock has thrown that book out of the window and has equipped this model with StarSight Autonomous System 2.0, a Dual Transmitter Solid-State LiDAR system that offers '3D Time-of-Flight scanning of the home for expert navigation around and under low-lying furniture, and enhanced mapping by capturing detailed height and depth information'. I'll take that, whatever it means.
The Saros 10R also features front-mounted RGB and infrared cameras for high-resolution visual recognition, side-mounted VertiBeam Lateral Obstacle Avoidance for moving around irregular-shaped furniture, walls and unfurled cables, and a front-mounted LED headlight for improved navigation in dark spaces. There is also another infrared camera and transmitter on the rear, plus the usual array of downward-facing drop sensors to stop it from falling down a flight of stairs, no matter which way it's facing. (Here's more on how robot vacuums navigate.)
To give you some idea of how far ahead of the game this robot's LiDAR system is, Roborock says that its 3D StarSight LiDAR system produces over 21,600 sensor points as opposed to standard two-dimensional LDS LiDAR, which produces just one. Consequently, this potpourri of navigation systems makes the Saros 10R ideal for cluttered homes with irregular layouts, a surfeit of furnishings and a lot of obstructions like toys, shoes and other household items. As of writing, the Saros 10R's obstacle avoidance system can recognise up to 108 household objects.
Bot design
That's Roborock's pioneering navigation system out of the way, so let's take a look at the mechanical stuff starting with this model's suction power. According to Roborock, this model sports 20,000 Pascals of 'HyperForce' suction power and that's about as strong as it currently gets (the upcoming Eureka J15 Max Ultra will apparently offer 22,000Pa, but that's the highest we've seen). It means its suction will reach deep down into medium and deep-pile carpet, removing a lot of obstreperous dust particles in the process. This model also includes a feature called DirTec that automatically increases vacuum power whenever heavy soiling is detected.
I should point out that raw suction power alone isn't the be-all and end-all of a vacuum cleaner's performance, since much of the work is also performed by the brush roller. And I think Roborock has nailed it with its DuoDivide anti-tangle main brush – a rubber two-piece corkscrew design that shuffles pet hair towards the centre where it's instantly sucked into the robot's slightly larger-than-average 270ml internal bin. This brush head will also raise by a few centimeters when heading to and from the dock to avoid any unnecessary contact with the floor.
Along with the main brush bar, the Saros 10R is also fitted with an anti-tangle side sweeping brush that pops out of the side by a couple of inches so it can reach into corners and around furniture legs. This side brush also lifts when not required, like when on carpet.
(Image credit: Future)
Like the Roborock Qrevo Curv I reviewed a few weeks ago, the Saros 10R can negotiate thresholds, small steps and floor-mounted tubed furniture legs up to 0.39 inches (1cm) in height. However, the Qrevo Curv's chassis can raise much higher so consider that machine instead if you have tall thresholds.
I'm personally not a big fan of robot vacs that also wet mop the floor, but that seems to be the 'in' thing these days, especially when it comes to the mid-to-upper range of robot vacs. Sure enough, this one comes with a full bells-and-whistles mopping system.
Like most modern hybrid robot vacs, the Saros 10R uses twin spinning mop pads for cleaning hard floors and, like the Qrevo Curv and some Dreame bots, the right-hand side mop articulates outwards for edge cleaning along skirting boards and around furniture legs. Similarly, the mops lift by 10mm when traversing carpets. However, since the mops are attached magnetically, they can also be left in the dock whenever the robot is assigned to a vacuum-only task so that there is zero chance of a damp mop running over even the shaggiest of rugs and carpets.
You get three levels of water flow with this model's mopping system – low, medium and high – but I would suggest sticking to low if used on wooden flooring. Furthermore, I can't vouch for the safety of using this model – or any other hybrid bot for that matter – if your floors are made from delicate laminate since thin laminated flooring is easily warped if water seeps into the joins. (Here's more on how to clean hardwood floors.)
Like the vast majority of Roborock robot vacs, this one also offers its own built-in voice control, if that is your wont. What's more, the voice control continues to work even if your internet system is offline. Alternatively, you can program it to respond to Google Home and Amazon Alexa prompts. Likewise, the robot itself has a voice and it will often pipe up to let you know what it's doing before and after a task, including announcing when it's about to empty its bin into the dock's larger dust bag.
All robot vacs I've tested have either used Chinese or American-accented voices, which is fine. However, with this model – indeed all Roborock models – there's also the option to download British-accented voices (male or female) which makes ownership in the UK a little more personalized (if this model ever arrives in the UK…).
(Image credit: Future)
As if you haven't already absorbed enough details for one day, the Saros 10R also provides some cool tech for your pets. For instance, you can remotely drive the robot around like an RC car or select Pet Search and it will look for your dog, cat or gerbil and take a picture of it. You can also use its built-in microphone and speaker to chat with your furry friends, but I would practice this first while you're at home in case they freak out the first time you use it remotely.
Dock design
I recently wrote a feature on robot vac innovations I'd like to see and chief amongst these was a request for better looking robot docks that you wouldn't mind having in the sitting room if space elsewhere was limited. By bizarre coincidence, this model arrived a week later sporting a cleaning dock embellished with a tempered glass front fascia replete with a stunning black mirror finish that reflects its surroundings – especially wooden floors – so well that you hardly notice it sitting there. Thank you Roborock.
At 18.7" (47.5cm) in height, 15" (38cm) in width and 19" (48.8cm) in depth (if you include the ramp), the Saros 10R's charging and self-cleaning dock isn't especially small, so you will need to find an adequate spot to locate it with several inches of space on either side so the bot can dock without difficulty.
(Image credit: Future)
Like most modern hybrid robovacs, the Saros 10R's dock will automatically empty the contents of the robot's small 270ml bin into its much larger two-liter dust bag every vacuuming session and sometimes mid task if requested to do so in the app.
For the mopping system, it comes with two water containers – 3 liters for clean water and 3 litres for the dirty stuff – which you will have to attend to from time to time by simply emptying the dirty water into a sink or toilet and topping up the other tank with fresh water. This model also comes with a detergent dispenser that can be filled with your own choice of hard floor detergent, though Roborock, like any floor cleaning product manufacturer, will naturally advise against this so you're persuaded to buy their own brand.
(Image credit: Future)
There's no shortage of sci-fi tech in this dock when it comes to cleaning the mops. On returning to the dock after a mopping run, the dock's scrubbing mechanism washes both mops using hot water at a very effective 176F (80C). If its intelligent dirt detection system senses excessive dirt in its cleaning tray, it will rewash the mops to ensure near perfect cleanliness for the next session. It will then proceed to dry the mops using wafts of warm air at 131F (55C). When it's time for its next mopping mission, the dock will automatically fill the robot's small water reservoir with warm water for improved stain removal.
Some docks I've seen also come with a self-cleaning feature that injects water into the mop tray. However, in most instances you need to get down on your knees with a brush to help move the dirty water towards a suction tube. By contrast, the Saros 10R's self-cleaning system does it all for you by scrubbing the tray in hot 176F (80C) water before porting the dirty stuff up a small pipe positioned at the rear. To activate the self-cleaning function, simply go to Dock Settings in the Roborock app and select 'Self-Cleaning for Cleaning Tray'. I should add that it's worth checking the cleaning tray from time to time to remove any excessively large pieces of debris that are sometimes collected by the mops and the robot's brush rollers. The two-part tray is easily cleaned with a brush and some hot tap water.
If you have a smart modern kitchen and you like your appliances to be fully integrated, you can also request this model as a svelte plumbed-in version that automatically fills the fresh water tank while emptying the contents of the dirty water container into a drainage outlet.
Design score: 5 out of 5
Roborock Saros 10R review: performance
Industry-leading navigation
Great vacuum performance
Excellent dock functionality
There's a lot to get into on the performance front here, so I've broken this section up into sub-sections. I'll start with that pioneering navigation, then look at obstacle avoidance, vacuuming performance (including the results f our suction tests), mopping performance, and finally dock performance.
Navigation performance
As mentioned above, the Roborock Saros 10R uses StarSight to navigate, an innovative system comprising a turret-free LiDAR, front-facing RGB and infrared cameras, and all sorts of other sensors to help it maneuver through even the most complex of floorspace layouts.
I've had it running for the past few weeks and at no point has it failed to find its dock or simply stopped mid-task for no reason. Mind, that's been the case with most Roborock models I've reviewed. Its mapping is exemplary and you can watch it all unfold in real time on the app's map screen.
Like a whirling dervish, it trundles off on its mapping run – an advised process when using it for the first time – and completes the task with impressive speed. In fact it took just five minutes for it to map my open-plan living space comprising five different areas. Yes, it merged two areas together as one room but even that was easy to rectify, simply by going into the app and dividing them into two separate rooms.
One of the most common anomalies with LiDAR-equipped robot vacs is their refusal to punch through a bed or sofa valance. This is because LiDAR treats a fabric valance as a solid boundary. Well I'm pleased to say that the Saros 10R is the first LiDAR-equipped robot vac I've ever tested that's capable of penetrating the valance on my lounge sofa.
Rather confusingly, it doesn't do it every time it's vacuuming the lounge so perhaps it's something to do with its angle of approach at the time. That's the thing with robots; they sometimes behave in mysterious ways. Either way, I'm very happy with this discovery.
(Image credit: Future)
I also tried to replicate a threshold using books but the Saros 10R isn't designed for anything much higher than 0.39 inches (10mm). Unlike the Roborock Qrevo Curv, which scaled the same book experiment like an off-road tank, the Saros 10R made an attempt to ride over the books but then thought better of it and retreated. Hence, if you have tall thresholds up to 1.5" (4cm) in height, Roborock's Qrevo Curv model would be a better bet.
Obstacle avoidance
Most robot vacs I've tested haven't been that great at small obstacle avoidance, especially when the objects have been less than an inch and a half in height. Sure enough, the Saros 10R at first refused to recognize one specific obstacle – a one inch-high nylon dog bone that's been too low in height for most robot vac's cameras and obstacle sensors to detect. Like the majority of bots, it basically rode over the bone and then struggled to extricate itself by moving hither and thither while one of its wheels raised the whole unit up in the air at a cock-eyed angle.
(Image credit: Future)
I checked the Roborock app to see if I'd missed a setting and, lo and behold, I discovered that I hadn't activated the 'Pet' option that 'recognizes and avoids pets and their waste with precision'. I remember seeing this option when I first set it all up but the 'avoids pets' explanation sounded unnecessary to me, since most pets are larger in size than any small obstacle. So I originally left the option off. In hindsight, I think this function in the app needs to be amended to just say 'avoids pet waste' to circumvent any confusion, because once I'd activated it the Saros 10R became a different beast altogether.
(Image credit: Future)
In fact, it consistently avoided said bone every time I dropped it in its path. Sometimes it would avoid it by about six inches and other times come perilously close but deftly work its way around it. I should add, however, that it may not clean as closely to the object when the pet option is selected. Swings and roundabouts spring to mind. Would I rely on this model to reliably avoid all pet waste all the time? No way, José. I've been down that road already and don't wish to go there again.
Vacuum performance
The Saros 10R vacuums like a trooper and comes with five power bands – from Quiet to Max+. I have my test model set between Max and Max+ since I see no reason to select anything less, given that the bot has enough battery to complete an entire sweep of my home in either of these modes. And besides, even if it were to run out of juice it will simply return for a full recharge – which takes about two and a half hours – before heading out again to complete the task.
Unlike non-LiDAR robots like those from iRobot, this model vacuums in a systematic pattern that makes a lot of sense, especially when you're watching it work. I also like the way the side brush pops out of the casing whenever the robot approaches a corner. It does a fine job of flinging debris into the path of the roller brush. This brush also lifts off the ground when the robot is vacuuming rugs.
Aside from its generally excellent suction performance, a quick shout out to the developers for coming up with such an effective two-piece corkscrew-shaped brush roller because at no time has any pet tangled on it. Instead, any hair is cleverly coaxed towards a centre gap between the rollers and into the mouth of the suction area. In this regard, I can wholeheartedly recommend this model as one of the best robot vacuums for collecting pet hair.
For my hard floor vacuum test I scattered raw oats, flour and half a crushed Hobnob biscuit and set it to clean a small zone in the kitchen using the Max setting and two passes for good measure. As expected, the robot disengaged its mops in the dock and headed straight to the specific area I drew on the map. It duly sucked up all the larger pieces of detritus but did leave traces of flour in the floor seams.
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Future)
So I reprogrammed the test, this time using Max+ mode and it collected a bit more flour than before but still left some evidence in the cracks. I personally don't consider this a fail because no robot I've tested has ever completely removed flour from the joins in my wooden flooring. And anyway, in the real world one wouldn't rely on a robot vac to perform a one-off sweep of a specific area when you should, by rights, have a cordless stick vac to hand.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Test two involved the same ingredients on the medium pile rug I have in front of the dogs' beds, with the Saros 10R set to Max+ mode and two passes. Aside from some light evidence of flour on the rug that was easily finished off by the Dreame R20 stick vac I recently reviewed, I still rate this test a success. I was especially impressed with the way it moved both vertically and laterally across the rug to ensure full coverage.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Mopping performance
As I've mentioned above, I'm not a fan of mopping robots, mostly because I'm lucky enough to have a cordless wet-and-dry hard floor cleaner which I find is more than enough for occasional mopping duties. Nevertheless, the industry seems to have decided that mopping is what people want so, along with observing its bi-weekly mopping runs, I also put this model through a specific mopping test in the kitchen.
Using a hotchpotch of wet ingredients – soy sauce, syrup and a teaspoon of milk – and a pre-set zone routine in the app using the low water setting, the Saros 10R's dock filled the unit's small onboard water container with a mix of warm water and detergent, and primed its two spinning mops. It then trundled off to its predetermined zone.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Future)
Well blow me down with a feather if it didn't clear the floor of all evidence in a single sweep. This really impressed me because I at least expected to see a smear of syrup. That's a fine result in my book.
Dock performance
I've only had one minor issue with the dock and it occurred directly after a family Christmas with five dogs and three cats in attendance. Once everyone had gone home, I unboxed the Saros 10R and set it to work in the lounge. This room hadn't been swept for three days and the Christmas tree had dropped a lot of pine needles.
Cutting to the chase, the unit duly swept up as well as anyone could reasonably expect from a high-performance model of this nature but when it proceeded to dump the contents of the robot's bin into the dock's large 2-litre dust bag, the hair clogged up the works. A quick check of the robot's bin showed an enormous conglomeration of pet hair and pine needles protruding from the bin's outlet port and another clump that had blocked the inlet tube leading to the dock's dust bag.
I should add that every robot I've tested has had at least one issue like this – and even my Dyson Gen5detect has jammed up from time to time – so I put it down to rare circumstances and a combination of matted pet hair and pine needles. I'm personally not sure if the Saros 10R's dock suction is as strong as the Qrevo Curv's because it sounds quieter, which is a good thing. Nevertheless, I'm very pleased to report that the dock has experienced no further problems during the past four weeks I've been using it.
(Image credit: Future)
In terms of self cleaning the mops, it did them well enough in my opinion given the amount of muck on the floor. However, I would always advise removing them and giving them a good scrub under a hot tap with some washing-up liquid for good measure. By the way, I especially liked the way the dock cleaned the mops' tray using water and a revolving mechanism to sweep the dirty stuff towards a small rubber suction tube.
(Image credit: Future)
Although Roborock advertises up to seven week's worth of floor matter collection before its dust bag requires binning, I am having to change the bag every three weeks – but then I do have a large menagerie of furry creatures. Hence, I'd like to see some bigger dust bags going forward.
In conclusion, I have been really impressed with this robot vac's overall performance and I find it hard to give it anything less than five stars in this category. It's just so reliable and efficient at the tasks it was designed to do.
Performance score: 5 out of 5
Roborock Saros 10R review: app
User friendly
Superb customization
Impeccably clear maps
Judging by the Reddit forums, I'm not the only one to think that the Roborock app is the best on the market. This app is just so customizable, intuitive and informative to use. Firstly, it produces a highly detailed map of the home with evidence of every nook and cranny. And you can edit the map to your heart's content, whether that's dividing or merging rooms, or adding keep out zones and virtual barriers. Aside from being able to create an endless range of timed schedules, you can also assign specific zones you want cleaned on a frequent basis, and save them as routines that appear on the home screen for convenience.
(Image credit: Future)
The app also offers something called SmartPlan as an option when cleaning. This feature supposedly weighs up the tasks it's previously performed and adjusts its cleaning method accordingly. Hence, if, say, the robot mopped the kitchen yesterday it might avoid doing it today. I personally leave it off since I don't want it doing anything I don't want it to do.
This app also features a full smorgasbord of custom features, including settings for floor cleaning, the dock, the robot's reactive obstacle avoidance, maintenance, remote viewing, robot settings, the list goes on. Furthermore, each menu you select brings up a range of individual tweaks with explanations that you could spend many happy hours fiddling with.
App score: 5 out of 5
Should you buy the Roborock Saros 10R?
Buy it if...
You want unbridled efficiency
This bot performs all tasks with consummate skill.
You want hands-free operation
The Saros 10R's self-cleaning features are a key selling point – the dock will not only empty the dust cup and wash and dry the mop pads, but clean itself too.
You need versatility
This bot is designed for complex environments – layouts with a mix of floor types and lots of obstacles.
Don't buy it if...
You're on a budget
The Saros 10R is expensive with a capital E. And while the premium features and tech help justify that asking price, if you don't need the very latest tech then there are plenty of options that'll do a very good cleaning job for a lower price.
You have very tall room thresholds
While the Saros 10R is pretty good at getting over raised thresholds, it's not as good as the Roborock Qrevo Curv.
You don't require a mopping function
Mopping (and the related mop dock functions) bump up the cost of this model considerably, so if you're not fussed about that then look for a vacuum-only model and save some cash.
How I tested the Roborock Saros 10R
I received my test model of the Saros 10R just before Christmas and set it up before the New Year 2025. For the following month I ran different daily schedules in both vacuum and mopping modes. It has been one of those robot vacs that just gets on with the job without making a song and dance about it.
However, for purposes of this review, I also put it through three specific TechRadar tests involving both vacuuming and mopping just to make sure it was as efficient as it seemed. As you will have read, it sailed through everything without any major hiccups. I should add, however, that that was the least I expected from a brand which has a reputation for producing great gear that just works.
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: two-minute review
The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine is a semi-automatic coffee maker sporting a smart design, a beginner-friendly interface, and an impressive set of features that belie its entry-level price. At £399 (about $500 / AU$800), it's one of the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee makers I've tested, and also one of the best.
With its integrated burr grinder, manual steam wand, and centrally positioned display, it looks similar to premium semi-automatic machines such as the Breville Barista Touch Impress; but there are some key differences. For example, parts of the ProCook machine's chassis are made from plastic rather than metal, reducing both the weight and cost; its screen is crisp monochrome rather than color; and it has a manual steam wand rather than an automatic milk frothing system.
The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup is a good-looking semi-automatic espresso machine, with a case made from a combination of brushed stainless steel and silver-toned plastic (Image credit: Future)
None of those factors will be a problem if it will be your first espresso machine, and you're after something that will perform well and guide your hand while you get to grips with the process. Just select your preferred drink using the clear, high-contrast screen and set of four buttons, customize it if you like, and the ProCook Barista will guide you through (almost) ever step of the process.
There are a few quirks along the way. For example, the machine doesn't reveal that after pulling the lever for the steam wand, you'll have to wait half a minute for the steam to actually begin, even if the machine has already heated to temperature. neither does it tell you to tamp your ground coffee, instead directing you to transfer the portafilter straight from the grinder to the group head – a potentially messy mistake.
Those are small quibbles, though; overall, the ProCook Barista is a likeable, fun introduction to the world of espresso-making that demystifies what can sometimes be an intimidating craft.
The biggest drawback is that it's currently only available in the UK. If you live elsewhere, take a look at my list of alternative recommendations further down this guide.
There are six coffee drinks to choose from, each of which can be customized (Image credit: Future)
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: price and availability
Only available to buy direct from ProCook in the UK
Currently priced at £399 (about $500 / AU$800)
One of the most affordable bean-to-cup machines we've tested
The ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine is available to buy now direct from ProCook in the UK for £399 (although its usual price is £599). It isn't currently available in other countries. This is very good value, and cheaper than anything in our guide to the best bean-to-cup coffee machines.
If you're on a tighter budget, the ProCook Espresso Coffee Machine is an entry-level espresso maker in the same series priced at £199 (usual price £249). It has a similar LCD panel and manual steam wand, but lacks the built-in grinder of the Barista machine. It's available bundled with a standalone grinder for £269 (typical price £349).
There's also the premium ProCook Barista Elite Bean to Cup Espresso Coffee Machine, which has a full color display rather than monochrome, and an automatic steam wand with heat sensor. It's available for £599 (usual price £999).
Value score: 5/5
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: specs
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: design
Chassis is made from a combination of plastic and brushed metal
Controlled using high-contrast monochrome display and four buttons
Excellent integrated conical burr grinder with easy adjustments
With its centrally positioned display and brushed metal finish, the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine bears a passing resemblance to semi-automatic espresso machines from Breville, but there are some significant differences. Firstly, the ProCook machine's chassis isn't made entirely from stainless steel, but has strategically placed plastic panels that reduce both the weight and cost, without having a significant impact on aesthetics.
I certainly welcomed the lighter build when moving the ProCook Barista into position in my kitchen (at 21.38lbs / 9.7kg, it weighs a lot less than most similar espresso machines). The only downside is that plastic doesn't conduct heat well, which means you can't use the top of the ProCook Barista as a cup warmer (the circular depression I initially took for a cup holder is actually just a place to store the tamper).
Turning the bean hopper adjusts the grind size, and pressing it down while twisting lets you remove it to clean the burrs (Image credit: Future)
The tamper and portafilter handle are also light in the hand. They don't feel as sturdy as those you'd get with a pricier machine, and if you're particular about your accessories then you may prefer to invest in a heavier metal tamper that will help you apply more even pressure. However, the lightweight handle here could be a benefit for people with limited strength or mobility in their hands and wrists.
The bean hopper can be twisted to change the grind size, with markings on the side showing the difference your selection will make to the speed of extraction. It's a small but helpful touch for users grinding their own coffee for the first time.
You can remove the hopper by pressing down as you turn, then take the top off the grinder assembly to clean it using the stiff-bristled brush provided. The machine won't prompt you to do this, but it's a good idea to clean it regularly to avoid build-up of debris in the burrs.
The machine comes with a stiff-bristled brush that's ideal for cleaning the burr grinder (Image credit: Future)
The ProCook Barista's display is large and clear, with the decent contrast ratio making it easy to read, no matter the level of lighting in your kitchen. It doesn't offer touch controls; instead, you scroll through menus and select options using four buttons –two either side of the screen.
It's a system that works well and is extremely straightforward to use, although I was surprised to find that there's no simple way to exit a menu and go back to the previous screen. For example, if you selected "single espresso" but have changed your mind and actually want a double, you can't go back to the drinks menu – even if you haven't started grinding the beans yet. Instead, you have to restart the machine. It's a small quibble, but was unexpected considering how much thought has gone into designing the interface.
The generously sized reservoir is easy to lift off the back of the machine, and has an integrated handle for carrying (Image credit: Future)
The 95oz / 2.8-liter water reservoir is easy to lift off the rear of the machine for filling. Note that it doesn't have a filter, and ProCook doesn't sell any separately. As such, you may want to use pre-filtered water to avoid minerals changing the taste of your coffee and to slowdown the build-up of limescale.
Design score: 4.5/5
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: performance
Default brew settings produce consistently good results
Experimentation is encouraged, even for new users
Steam wand is particularly well designed
Some espresso machines come with an inch-thick instruction manual, but not the ProCook Barista. In fact, I found no manual in the box at all, because this machine simply doesn't need one. Just load up the bean hopper, fill the water tank, power it on, and you'll be guided through each step of the coffee-making process with clear on-screen instructions and diagrams.
There's no setup process to go through before you can start brewing; the machine takes you directly to a menu of drink options. There are six coffee drinks to choose from (single espresso, double espresso, cappuccino, latte, flat white, and americano), plus hot milk and hot water – the latter of which is dispensed via the steam wand.
You can stick with the default settings for each drink, or press and hold the "select" button to pick your own grind time (which correlates to dosage), water volume (to suit the size of your cup) and water temperature.
The on-screen instructions are clear, but don't attach the portafilter to the group head without tamping first (Image credit: Future)
Note, however, that the instructions do miss a couple of steps. For example, you're told to insert the portafilter directly into the group head, with no mention of tamping the grounds, so a little familiarity with making coffee will be helpful.
The machine also doesn't mention that after pulling the lever on the right-hand side, you need to wait a little while for it to actually start. This wait time is actually quite helpful, giving new users a window to get themselves and their milk jug in position; but if you're used to other espresso machines then you might mistakenly believe that the wand isn't working.
The cool-touch steam wand is a joy to use (Image credit: Future)
Like many manufacturers of coffee machines, ProCook advertises the pump's maximum pressure of 15 bars, but this isn't really relevant, and the machine will use the industry recommended nine bars when actually brewing. One thing I particularly like about the ProCook Barista is that it displays the exact pressure on-screen during the brewing process, so you can see the impact of your chosen beans, grind size, and tamping technique before you taste the finished drink.
During tests, the default settings provided consistently good results (although I did gravitate towards using my own metal tamper rather than the plastic one provided). The machine encourages experimentation, which is great for those new to espresso, who will find it interesting to see how tinkering with individual properties, such as water temperature, grind size, or bean type, can have a noticeable effect on flavor.
The steam wand is a pleasure to use. It has a cool-touch exterior, which I hadn't expected for an espresso machine at this price. It maintains good pressure, giving you plenty of time to stretch and heat your milk, and its angle makes it easy to achieve a good "whirlpool". It’s controlled using an arm on the right-hand side of the machine, which is pleasingly tactile; simply pull it forward to start the steam and push it back for hot water, as directed by the on-screen instructions. The only potential drawback is that there’s no control over the steam pressure, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing for a machine designed not to overwhelm beginners.
The steam arm on the right-hand side of the machine is pleasingly tactile (Image credit: Future)
Maintenance is refreshingly straightforward. The exterior of the machine can be wiped clean using a cloth, and the drip tray (easily pulled out), handle, and filters can be hand-washed in warm, soapy water. The ProCook machine arrives with a pair of cleaning brushes, plus a pin for clearing the nozzle of the steam wand if it becomes clogged.
As mentioned earlier, there's no water filter for the reservoir, and unlike pricier espresso machines from the likes of KitchenAid or Smeg, there are no settings for water hardness. You can use tap or filtered water, but whichever option you pick, you will be prompted to run the machine's descaling program once you've used it to brew 300 coffees. However, you can run it sooner if you notice that the water flow has become inconsistent, or it's making odd noises.
Speaking of noise, my decibel meter recorded a maximum volume of 75dB while the machine was grinding coffee, and 60dB while pumping water, which is about standard for a bean-to-cup coffee machine. If you want a quieter bean-to-cup machine, the KitchenAid Fully Automatic Espresso Machine KF8 averaged just 44dB in our tests.
Performance score: 5/5
Should you buy the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine?
Buy it if
You want your first espresso machine
As a semi-automatic machine, the ProCook Barista helps you with some of the trickier parts of making espresso, while letting you tackle the fun parts (such as steaming milk). It's easy to use and explains what's happening at each stage of the process, so you can see the effect of tinkering and experimenting on your finished drinks.
You don't want to spend a fortune
This is one of the most affordable bean-to-cup coffee machines we've tested, yet ProCook hasn't compromised on components where it really matters.
You're tired of using capsules
Its integrated grinder with automated dosing means fresh coffee beans are just as easy to use as foil-sealed coffee pods.View Deal
Don't buy it if
You don't live in the UK
At the time of writing, this machine is only available to buy in the UK directly from ProCook.
You already have a grinder
ProCook also sells a version of this machine without the built-in grinder, and it's even cheaper.
ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine: also consider
Not sure that the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso machine is right for you? Here are two other options to bear in mind.
Breville The Barista Touch Impress
We awarded the Barista Touch Impress a full five stars thanks to its excellent, consistently brewed espresso and auto milk frother that handles both dairy and plant-based alternatives with ease. However, it does cost well over twice what you'd pay for the ProCook Barista.
If you're looking for a manual espresso machine that won't break the bank or take up too much space in your kitchen, this stylish little number is the one for you. It has an impressive steam wand, and it's super affordable. It lacks a grinder, though.
How I tested the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine
I used the ProCook Barista Bean to Cup Espresso Machine in place of my usual Gaggia Classic and Dualit burr grinder for two weeks. I prepared all drinks from the menu, customizing several of them to suit different-sized mugs and experimenting with heat and grind time settings.
I used coffee beans from Exhale Healthy Coffee, which were provided by ProCook, and freshly roasted beans from Clifton Coffee Roasters here in Bristol. I tested the machine using both full-fat dairy milk and almond milk, which were used cold from the fridge.
The Dyson Car+Boat is a handheld vacuum with suction and battery life that put other handhelds to shame. The reason for that is that it's not really a handheld at all; it's a V8 bundled with different attachments. At time of writing, it's the only handheld option in the Dyson lineup. I put it to the test to see how it compares to the rest of the best handheld vacuums on the market, and if it's worth the extra investment.
I'll start by making it clear that despite being called the Car+Boat, this is not a wet-dry vacuum – Dyson is just suggesting it would be well suited to that. I don't have a boat, so I tried it out on my Fiat Panda.
Overall, it fared well. The suction is powerful, picking up dust and mud with ease, and – if I unleashed Max mode – also sucking up the many little stones that had collected in my footwells. The dust cup is generously sized and you'll get three attachments bundled in. Of those, the most interesting is a small, motorized head that's perfect for tackling larger, relatively flat surfaces like seat cushions and car mats. The Crevice tool is also essential for getting into narrow gaps. Battery life is far longer than most handhelds, offering up to 50 minutes on a single charge.
The compromise you'll have to make for the extra suction and longer battery is that the Car+Boat is a little bulky and heavy compared to many of today's best car vacuums. I was also annoyed by the fact that the trigger must be continually compressed for use – this is tricky when you're trying to maneuver the vacuum into small, awkward spaces.
It's expensive, although that's partly justified by the excellent performance, and that you're getting the mechanics of a full-sized vacuum. You'll need to weigh up whether it's worth just paying a little more for a Dyson stick vacuum (which, after all, can easily be converted into handheld mode). Alternatively, for less intensive cleaning tasks, there are plenty of far cheaper handhelds on the market.
If you're looking for a more heavy-duty handheld, though, the Car+Boat is a strong choice. It's great for larger cleaning sessions, and I'd especially recommend it to pet owners who need that extra suction, and a dust cup that can handle plenty of hair. That's the short version; read on for my full Dyson Car+Boat review.
(Image credit: Future)
Dyson Car+Boat review: price & availability
List price: $279.99 / £249.99 / AU$449
Launched: February 2025
The Dyson Car+Boat was announced in late January 2025 and went on sale in the US, UK and Australia at the start of February. It's available direct from Dyson as well as via a selection of third-party retailers. At list price it costs $279.99 in the US, £249.99 in the UK, or AU$449 in Australia. That puts it in the premium price bracket for a handheld vacuum.
It's no surprise that this is an expensive option, but is it worth the extra outlay? It's certainly an excellent handheld. The specs are well above most handheld vacuums, and the design and build quality are high, too. If you're on a budget, there are certainly plenty of cheaper handheld vacuums to choose from. Rival vacuum brand Shark's top handheld model – the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro handheld vacuum – is a third of the price at $89.99 / £79.99 (about AU$150).
You'll need to factor in that the Car+Boat isn't really a handheld – it's a full stick vacuum, without its wand and floorhead. That means the mechanics are in line with what you'd get with a full-sized vacuum, and you'll also want to consider if you'd be better off just buying a stick vacuum, when it comes to value for money. The base model for this is the Dyson V8, and prices for that start at $349.99 / £329 / AU$799.
Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5
Dyson Car+Boat specs
Dyson Car+Boat review: design
Base model is a Dyson V8
Crevice tool, Combination tool and new handheld tool included
On the bulky / heavy side for a handheld vacuum
The base model for the Dyson Car+Boat is the Dyson V8 – the only difference is the attachments included. That model launched in 2016, and as a result, you're getting a slightly older configuration and motor here. There are cylones, the motor, dust cup, and removable battery, and the attachments can easily be swapped on and off. The motor spins at 110,000rpm, and there's a whole-vacuum filtration system that can capture 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.
Operation is via a trigger that needs to be continually depressed, and there are two suction modes (regular and Max), which you can toggle using a switch. The 0.54L dust cup is generous for a handheld, and empties by pulling the whole cyclone array upwards, at which point a flap at the base of the bin will drop open.
Pull the whole cyclone section upwards to empty the generous dust cup (Image credit: Future)
You get three attachments bundled in with the Car+Boat. Two are standard tools included with almost all other Dyson stick vacuums: a long, narrow Crevice tool for getting into tight spaces, and a Combination tool that looks like a wider nozzle with retractible brush surround. (More on these in my Dyson vacuum tools guide.)
The third looks like it's new to the Car+Boat, and it's a small motorized head for cleaning relatively flat surfaces like car seats, boat cushions and car mats. It includes a brushroll, and a cover that will move to sit flush with the surface as you clean, to maintain suction.
The new handheld-specific attachment (left) and Combination tool (right) (Image credit: Future)
It probably goes without saying, but there's no long wand or full-sized floorheads, as you'd get with the regular V8.
Dyson stick vacuum comparison
Because the Car+Boat is essentially a V8, and because all of Dyson's stick vacuums can be used as handheld models, it makes sense to briefly cover how the Car+Boat compares.
The V8 was released in 2016, and at time the launch of the Car+Boat, there are three newer vacuums in the lineup – the Dyson V11, the V15 Detect and Gen5detect – all of which have more powerful motors and longer battery life. There are further design differences: all have a more suction-efficient in-line configuration of bin, wand and motor, all have useful LCD screens to provide information, and all have a slightly simpler and more efficient bin-empty mechanism.
Although the V8 isn't the best Dyson vacuum by specs, it is perhaps the best option for handheld use. It's lighter than all the newer models (considerably so, in some cases), and more compact.
Design score: 4 out of 5
Dyson Car+Boat review: performance
Excellent suction and tools work very well
Slightly bulky in small spaces
Awkward to keep the trigger compressed in use
I used the Dyson Car+Boat to clean my embarrassingly dirty Fiat Panda, and overall I was impressed. The suction is excellent, picking up mud and dust easily, and even pulling up various small stones that had collected on the carpets. I found the Max mode useful for tackling tougher, more ingrained dirt.
The attachments are useful and, for the most part, very well designed. The Crevice tool is long enough to get right into small gaps like down the side of the seats, and the new motorized tool great for larger, flatter areas. The rotating cover works well to maintain a 'seal' around the roller and maximize suction efficiency. I found myself using the Combination tool the least, but it's still useful to have as an option.
The new motorized tool is great for flatter surfaces (Image credit: Future)
All of these tools are well designed, although not quite perfect. The brushroll can be prone to getting tangled with hair, which isn't a massive issue but is something Dyson has addressed elsewhere – its Hair Screw tool has a conical brushroll that directs hair straight into the dust cup. I think you could use a Hair Screw tool as an effective alternative to this new attachment. I also found the button that locks the brush surround on the Crevice tool into place could be a little fiddly.
The Car+Boat is on the chunky side for a handheld vacuum, and could be awkward for getting into tight spaces. I couldn't use it to dust my dash, for instance, because the motor wouldn't fit far enough under the windscreen, and it was a little tricky to maneuver under the seats, too.
A long Crevice tool gets right into tight corners (Image credit: Future)
My main complaint is that the trigger must be continually pressed in when using the vacuum – there's no clip or switch for continuous running. That's annoying even on a floor vacuum, but doubly so here, where you're trying to shift it at awkward angles spaces. (Dyson has upgraded this to a button on the newest Gen5detect, but none of the others.)
The design is excellent for larger, flatter spaces, however. I also think it'd be a great choice for pet owners, because the suction is powerful enough to handle pet hair, and the dust cup large enough to hold relatively large volumes of it (especially compared to other handhelds). The battery life is also outstanding, but I'll get to that in a second.
Performance score: 4 out of 5
Dyson Car+Boat review: battery life
Up to a quoted 50 minutes on one charge; less in Max mode
Far longer runtimes than the majority of handheld vacuums
Battery removable and swappable
Battery life is one of the areas where the Car+Boat really stands out from competitors. Dyson quotes a maximum of 50 minutes cleaning on a single charge. That's way above average – most cordless handheld vacuums offer a maximum of 30 minutes of cleaning, but sometimes it's more like 15 minutes. 50 is in line with some of today's best cordless vacuums. Note that Max mode will bleed the battery much faster, but that's to be expected – this mode is really only for tough spot cleans.
On test, I really appreciated this longer runtime. Cleaning cars and furniture is fiddly – it takes time to do it properly, and there's nothing worse than running out of battery halfway through the job, once you've wedged yourself into a footwell. I imagine it's the same with boats.
The battery is removable and swappable, so theoretically if you wanted to extend runtimes further, then you could purchase a spare.
Battery life score: 5 out of 5
Should you buy the Dyson Car+Boat?
Buy it if...
You want to clean large areas The long battery life and relatively large dust cup (for a handheld) make this model perfect for bigger cleaning jobs.
You're dealing with pet hair You might not need such powerful suction if you're just clearing dust from your car floors, but if you have molting pets that travel with you, it might be worth the extra investment in a Car+Boat.
Don't buy it if...
You already have a V8 The Car+Boat is just a V8 without the floorhead and wand – so if you have that model (or even a different Dyson one) you could just use that in handheld mode.
You have a small car and are on a budget If you don't need the long battery, there are lots of alternatives at a far lower price.
How I tested the Dyson Car+Boat
I used the Dyson Car+Boat to clean my Fiat Panda, including seats, carpets, footwells and as many nooks and crannies as I could get into. I also tested it on furniture in my home. I used all the various attachments, and compared it to other vacuums I've tested out in terms of both specs and usability.
