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This lightweight stick vacuum boasts Dyson-like features for a quarter of the price
1:17 pm | February 14, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless: two-minute review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex cordless vacuum

Everything that came in the box for my review model (Image credit: Future)

Ultenic U16 Flex Cordless review: price & availability

  • 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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

(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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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 hair list has some alternative suggestions here.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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!

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Ultenic U16 Flex vacuum review

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.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

First reviewed January 2025

Dyson’s new handheld vacuum is a great performer, but you might be better off just buying the V8
3:01 am | February 4, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum: two-minute review

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.

Person holding the Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum

(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.

Person showing the bin-empty mechanism on the Dyson Car+Boat handheld vacuum

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.

Dyson handheld tool (left) and Combination tool (right)

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.

Dyson V8 next to the Car+Boat handheld

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.

Dyson Car+Boat with Crevice tool being used to clean a car

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.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

  • First reviewed February 2025
Dreame R20 cordless vacuum review
10:00 pm | January 28, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum: two-minute review

The Dreame R20 is a sterling lightweight compact cordless stick vac that delivers exceptional cleaning performance at a very competitive price. Its exceedingly powerful suction, useful blue light dust detection, superb manoeuvrability and user-friendly design make it a very strong contender against expensive premium brands like Dyson and Miele.

A sub brand of the massive Xiaomi empire, Dreame (pronounced Dreamy) is fast becoming a lead player in the arena of innovative floor cleaning products. Whether it's stick vacs, robot vacs or wet and dry hard floor cleaners, it seems the Chinese company has a product to suit all pockets and applications.

At 2.7 kilos, the R20 also one of the lightest stick vacs currently on the market, and that's not something to be sniffed at. Some of the best cordless vacuums on the market are notoriously heavy in the hand and therefore tiring to use for long periods of time.

Despite one minor anomaly – namely the over-sensitive on/off trigger – the R20 is a joy to use (if vacuuming could every be considered a joy). If you're in the market for a highly accomplished cordless stick vac that costs a fraction of the price of a Dyson and even some Shark models, step right this way. This is one of the very best budget vacuums I've tested. Read on for my full Dreame R20 cordless stick vacuum review.

Dreame R20 review: price & availability

  • List price: $449.99 / £279
  • Available: UK, US, various other territories (not Australia)

Those living in the US can head straight to the US Dreame store where it has a list price of $449.99, but is currently selling for just $269.99. Amazon also lists the R20 though it's currently unavailable on its website.

If you live in the UK, the list price is £279, discounted (very slightly!) to £259 when shopping direct at the UK Dreame store. Alternatively, it's stocked at a range of third party retailers, including Amazon, Currys and B&Q.

Incidentally, the Dreame website lists 27 countries in all – including most European territories – so head there if you have trouble sourcing this product in your country. Although Dreame does have a presence in Australia, the R20 isn't currently available there.

In the US and UK, the Dreame R20 sits near the bottom of the mid-range price bracket, and offers excellent value for that price, competing exceedingly well with premium brands like Dyson and Miele in terms of features and performance. In fact, it's become my new favourite vac, beating the excellent Halo Capsule X for size and storability and the Dyson Gen5detect for price and weight. It also ships with a wide range of accessories, including a short bendy suction tube for reaching deep under beds and sofas.

  • Value for money score: 5 out of 5

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum specs

Dreame R20 review: design

  • Compact cordless, bagless stick vacuum
  • Light in the hand and very easy to maneuver
  • Overly sensitive power trigger, easily accidentally activated

Although I've only reviewed two Dreame products to date – this mid-size cordless stick and the excellent Dreame L40 Ultra robot vac and mop – I have to say that I'm suitably impressed by what I've seen so far, at least when compared to some of the competition.

This model arrived in a larger box than the norm but that's only because it ships with a multitude of attachments, including two main floorheads for hard floor and carpet, a mini motorized head for upholstery and carpeted staircases, a ridiculously lightweight carbon fibre suction tube, a short Shark-like articulating suction tube that bends forwards 90 degrees for reaching under beds and sofas, plus the obligatory crevice tool with pull-down brush for cleaning hard-to-reach areas and along skirting boards and, to top it all off, a rectangular dusting brush for shelves and around the fireplace.

Everything included with Dreame R20 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

It also came with a Dyson-style wall-mounted charger that is thankfully far less fiddly to fit, and a power plug that looks identical to those provided by Dyson. A lot of Dyson-esque stuff, in other words. (See how it compares to those brands' top offerings in TechRadar's guides to the best Shark vacuums and the best Dyson vacuums.)

The Dreame R20 weighs in at 6 lbs / 2.7kg – almost a kilo lighter than my (admittedly very weighty) Dyson Gen5detect, and 26g lighter than the comparable Dyson V15 Detect. I put much of this lower weight down to the R20's featherweight carbon fibre suction tube (a paltry 205g against the Dyson Gen5's 387g) and the smaller size of its handheld motor and bin housing. Believe me, you'll come to appreciate this model's lower weight when it comes to a full clean of the home; it not only makes the R20 easy to push but also just as easy to carry from room to room, and especially up a flight of stairs.

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

The Dreame R20 wins no awards for unique design innovation since it adopts the same motor housing and bin configuration as the vast majority of other manufacturers, Dyson notwithstanding. Nevertheless, the hand unit feels comfortable enough to hold when being used, though the jury's out on the position and sensitively of the on/off trigger. It's not a major bind but I found that my index finger inadvertently set it off when carrying it from one part of a room to another.

I'm also not too enamored with the flat finger guard below the trigger, which feels a bit uncomfortable at times. There is, thankfully, a little button on the rear of the housing that engages the motor for continual running but even this handy feature is spoiled by the fact that you need to hover the index finger above the trigger or you might mistakenly turn it off again. In truth I'd prefer to have seen a system like that used on some of Dyson's most recent products where there's a single on/off button on the rear and no trigger whatsoever.

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum interface showing 'standard' and 'boost' modes

(Image credit: Future)

While we're discussing the hand unit, I should also mention the cute little elliptically-shaped LCD interface on the back. This provides battery information in percentage terms and a pretty butterfly icon that indicates which suction mode is in use.

There are two main modes – Standard (which lights up green) and Boost (which shows up blue/white). You can switch between the two manually by simply tapping a small button just below the rear interface. However, the vacuum also contains sensors that mean it'll automatically ramp up from Standard to Boost mode if there's a lot of dust about. This works really well – I used the vacuum to sweep my fire log shelf and it switched in and out of Boost on a regular basis. There's also a supercharged mode for when the sensor detects a really filthy section (the butterfly icon turns red for this).

Most modern stick vacuums will have a low-powered mode to extend the battery life when dealing with light cleaning tasks, but that's missing here. However, runtimes are still exceptional (more on this in the Battery section).

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum with red 'dirty floor' alert on interface

(Image credit: Future)

Before we look at the floorhead setup, let's take a tour of the R20's bagless dust bin. The bin itself has a 0.6-litre capacity which is about 0.2-liters less than much of the competition. This means the bin will fill faster and perhaps require an extra trip to the dustbin to empty it, especially if you have a household of shedding pets. It also means that this model may not be suitable for a larger house, unless you have one on every floor.

Like a lot of stick vacs, the R20's bin-emptying system is a basic affair comprising a simple latch that opens the bottom flap to eject the debris. When it's full of general detritus like dust, crumbs and the like, this system works perfectly well. But when it's full of mostly pet hair you will almost certainly need to reach into the canister with your fingers or tweezers to extricate the clumps. This isn't a slight on the product, mind, because it's the method used by the vast majority of vacuum manufacturers – an exception being Dyson. Besides, pet hair is one of the most obstreperous forms of debris found in the home and the nemesis of most vacuum cleaners.

One of the R20's standout features is its exceptional suction power. Equipped with a 190 Air Watt motor, it effortlessly tackles dust, debris, pet hair and even larger particles like puffer rice cereal and biscuit crumbs on both hard floors and carpets. However, the motor does produce an annoying high-pitched whine in both power settings.

It's not the worst I've ever heard and you'll soon get used to it, but it's also a bit of an irritant when vacuuming with someone else in the room. Dreame lists it at 85dB but I measured a more reasonable 75.4dB in Boost mode at head height.

In terms of filtration, the blurb says the R20 has a five-stage filtration system that supposedly deals with 99.9% of particles. All I can say is that it does indeed seem to effectively trap dust and allergens, ensuring cleaner air in the home. Cleaning the filter is a doddle and simply involves pressing a latch and removing the main cyclone housing, which you then rinse under a tap along with its small circular cloth filter. Just be sure that both parts are thoroughly dry before refitting, or you'll end up with a vacuum cleaner that smells.

Close up of two floorheads supplied with Dreame R20 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

Okay, let's get down to floor level and the business end of this model. The Dreame R20 ships with two main floorheads: a motorised 22.5cm roller fitted with hard plastic ribs and two curvy bristle brushes that's been designed for carpet use; and a 21.5cm bristle-coated head for hard floors. The ribbed head can also be used on hard floors if you can't be bothered to keep swapping heads though I have to say that the hard floor-specific roller is more efficient on wooden and tile flooring. And besides, it buffs up the flooring in the process. Both heads swivel at a near 90-degree angle for Dyson-like manoeuvrability.

Like many modern stick vacs, this model's carpet floorhead is also fitted with two bright blue LEDs that project onto the floor, illuminating hidden dust and debris that might otherwise go unnoticed. No, it's not as effective as Dyson's innovative laser light system but it's arguably better than much of the remaining competition.

Carbon tube on Dreame R20 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

Overall construction of the R20 seems very good, and the smooth shiny plastics used appear to be very robust, too. I especially like the look and feel of the carbon fibre suction tube, which adds a touch of class while dramatically reducing the weight of the whole package. However, I'm not sure the carbon tube would survive the weight of a misjudged foot were the unit lying on the floor – let's just say that it has a little more flex in it than I would expect from carbon fibre. At least I'm presuming it's authentic carbon fibre, given that it's mentioned on the Dreame website.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame R20 review: performance

  • Excellent suction performance on hard floor and carpet
  • Superb manoeuvrability
  • Light in weight

On test, the Dreame R20 delivered exceptional suction power for its compact size and I've been extremely impressed by its floorheads' ability to steer around chair legs and swivel at almost 90 so they can reach into the tightest of spaces. Top marks in this respect.

However, the high suction combined with the design of the main carpet-specific floorhead means that it's difficult to push the R20 on medium- and deep-pile carpet. I really needed to put my shoulder into it – a bit of a workout, in other words. But wait, I lie, because I subsequently found a small, almost invisible sliding air intake that improved carpet resistance immeasurably without affecting the R20's cleaning power. Just wish Dreame hadn't disguised it so well.

This model generally feels remarkably light in use and it's amazingly manoeuvrable – as easy to steer as any Dyson I've tested, I'd say. The flexible hose attachment further enhances its versatility, allowing for convenient cleaning under furniture and beds.

For my tests I stuck to the usual TechRadar remit and scattered a mixture of oats, flour and crushed digestives on both my wooden kitchen floor and medium-pile rug. I also scattered some Coco Pops for good measure (no, I haven't grown up yet).

I was frankly blown away by the R20's performance in the hard floor test because, as soon as its 'intelligent dirt detection' system kicked in, the motor ramped up to Boost and everything disappeared up the tube and into the bin, leaving a clear path with zero evidence of any flour remaining in the wooden floor's grooves. Yes, it scattered a couple of pieces of rice cereal up against the skirting board, but I simply aimed the front end at them and they were easily snatched by the fast revolving bristle head. Top marks again.

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Dreame R20 cordless vacuum preparing to clean a mixture of flour, oats and cereal from a hard floor

(Image credit: Future)
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Dreame R20 cordless vacuum showing results of suction test on hard floor

(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum bin after cleaning hard floor

(Image credit: Future)

I then performed the same task on my pet hair-strewn medium pile carpet rug and it sailed through the test collecting almost every last scrap in a single pass. Again, it flung some large biscuit crumbs and a few Coco Pops to the fore but these were easily collected with a second pass.

Image 1 of 3

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum before completing suction test on carpet

(Image credit: Future)
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Results of suction test with Dreame R20 cordless vacuum on carpet

(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3

Dreame R20 cordless vacuum bin after cleaning carpet

(Image credit: Future)

I was also amazed at the huge volume of dog and cat hair it collected at the same time with no evidence of tangles on the floorhead. And that just goes to prove that this model handles pet hair with aplomb – I'd rate it amongst the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair. However, you may need to visit the kitchen dust bin more often because, as mentioned above, the R20's 0.6-litre dust container is a bit smaller than many of its competitors.

I had zero issues using the controls other than accidentally pressing the trigger when carrying it. In fact, I found this one to be one of the easiest interfaces I've used. I also liked the way the digital display provided real-time feedback on both battery life and colourful info relating to its intelligent dirt detection.

I also gave it a whizz in handheld mode, using the long suction tube and rectangular detail brush to sweep the shelves, and it didn't feel too heavy in the hand. I also gave the mini motorized upholstery attachment a whirl on the dogs' bed; it worked a treat though I did need to apply some vigorous back and forth movements.

My final thoughts? As close to full marks as you can get, especially given the generally low asking price. Yes, I might suggest a model with a larger bin if being used in a three story house but for everyone else, the Dreame R20 will suffice just fine.

  • Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Dreame R20 review: battery life

  • Maximum runtime is 90 minutes (well above average)
  • Expect shorter runtimes if the floor is dirty
  • Recharge is also fast, at around 2 hours

According to the manufacturer, the R20’s maximum running time is a well-above-average 90 minutes. I suspect this figure applies more to laboratory conditions than the real world, but it's still incredibly impressive. To put that in context, most cordless stick vacuums offer 40 minutes to an hour, and prior to testing this model, the longest maximum battery life I'd seen was offered by the far more expensive Dyson Gen5detect, with up to 70 minutes.

In my hard floor test I managed to eke 84 minutes out of the battery in standard mode with no automatic boost kicking in (I started by vacuuming, then propped the vacuum up with suction lock on, and timed how long the R20 lasted before running out of juice).

If used to clean for the whole time, I suspect the runtime would be closer 75 minutes if used on a dusty hard floor and quite a lot less (between 45 and 60 minutes) when used on medium-pile carpet, which adds much more friction to the roller brushes. To be honest, I don’t know anyone capable of vacuuming for more than 40 minutes in any one session without an arm falling off, so these figures are more than sufficient in my opinion. Since the battery is removable, you could also purchase a spare to swap in, if you need even longer than that.

At this juncture I should also point out that the juice-hungry Boost mode is almost too powerful for use in any scenario other than cleaning hard-to-reach areas of the car because the battery percentage drops by almost one percentage point every five seconds or so. And that means Boost mode won’t get you much more than about seven minutes of use out of it. (It's not unusual for a vacuum's maximum suction mode to bleed the battery very quickly.)

  • Battery life score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Dreame R20?

Buy it if...

You want to be able to clean for a long time

The R20 offers up to 90 minutes of cleaning on a single charge, which is the longest battery life we've found anywhere and long cleaning sessions. Recharge times are fast, too.

You have a lot of pet hair

In my tests, the R20 effortlessly tackled the large volumes of pet hair from my dogs.

You want something light

Clocking in at 6 lbs / 2.7kg, this vac is lighter than much of the competition, and won't tire you out when using it for long periods.

Don't buy it if...

You're dealing with large volumes of dirt

This model has a relatively small dust cup, which means those with larger homes might find themselves having to empty it more often than they'd like.

You want an easy-empty option

This vac has the same empty mechanism you'll find on the vast majority of vacuums – i.e. one that requires a little bit of manual help, especially when filled with pet hair. The system on most Dyson vacuums (V10 and newer) is more efficient, or if you don't want to be bothered with it at all, Shark's newest flagship models – the PowerDetect Cordless and Detect Pro Cordless – have a compatible dock with a large dustbin, that not only charges the vacuum but also empties the small onboard bin.

How I tested the Dreame R20 cordless vacuum

TechRadar adopts a strict testing regime for all its products so potential buyers know exactly what they're getting. As usual I stuck to the remit and lived with the machine for a couple of weeks before putting it through some rigorous carpet and hard floor tests using a variety of obstreperous ingredients, including flour and raw oats. I also considered the unit's ergonomics, overall design and experience of using it before alighting on my final verdict.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

  • First reviewed January 2025
Yeedi C12 Combo review: a 3-in-1 robovac for all your floorcare needs
7:00 pm | January 18, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Yeedi C12 Combo: two-minute review

The Yeedi C12 Combo is an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink solution to vacuuming. The base station matches that of the Yeedi C12 Pro Plus, but with the more basic, mopless C12 robot vacuum, along with a cordless stick vacuum that can also mop, and accessories that can be added to the cordless vacuum for use as a handheld. It's quite the all-in-one tool.

The idea is fairly unique at time of writing, and its execution is perfectly decent but not amazing – don't expect the bot's performance to match that of the best robot vacuums nor the manual stick vac to be as powerful as today's best cordless vacuums.

Both the robot vacuum and stick vacuum have plenty of suction to do the job, and the robot vacuum's mapping and object avoidance are good. Mopping is also fine, although I don't love the way it's implemented here – the way the mop attachment fits on the wand makes the vacuum harder to push, and the mop pad takes a while to soak through properly. Perhaps more of an issue is that the mopping is manual at all, especially because most modern robovacs (even cheap ones) tend include an automatic mopping function. I also had a few niggles with the build quality: the latch that connects the handheld portion of the stick vacuum to the telescopic tube doesn't seem to work well.

However, none of these compromises are deal-breakers for me. Thanks to the relatively affordable price, its shortcomings are worth overlooking considering the savings you'll make compared to purchasing each vacuum type individually. That's the short version; read on for my full Yeedi C12 Combo review.

Yeedi C12 Combo everything included, laid out on reviewer's floor

(Image credit: Future)

Yeedi C12 Combo review: price & availability

  • Launched: September 2024
  • List price: $699.99 / (about £560 / AU$1,110)
  • Available: US only

The Yeedi C12 Combo launched in September 2024 and is only currently available in the US.

For a price tag of $699.99 / (about £560 / AU$1,110), you're getting quite a lot with the Yeedi C12 Combo. For that price, you're getting a robot vacuum (albeit a fairly basic one with no mopping capabilities), a cordless stick vacuum that can also mop, and comes with accessory tools to use as a handheld, and a base station that auto-empties the dust cups of both vacuums.

TechRadar's price bands are different for manual and robotic vacuums. For a manual vacuum the mid-range is $250-$500 (above that is premium, below is budget), whereas for robovacs mid-range is $400-$800. Considering you're getting two appliances included here, it's averaging out at very decent value for money – it averages out at mid-range or budget for both parts.

At time of writing, the closest that I've seen to the Yeedi C12 Combo all-in-one system is the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo, which has a much higher MSRP of $1,199.99 / AU$2,299 (about £950), and only has a handheld vacuum as opposed to a stick vacuum. For that, there is the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo Complete for $200 more. Since we haven't reviewed that configuration, I can't speak to how good the stick vacuum is, but it's worth highlighting that it's double the price of the Yeedi C12 Combo reviewed here.

Now, most people already have a vacuum of some sort in their home, so an all-in-one system might not be as appealing. That is, unless you really want everything you clean up to auto-empty into the same place to only be emptied into the trash every couple months. If you already have a stick or upright vacuum that you like, the Yeedi C12 Pro Plus might serve you better. It's priced just a little lower at $599.99 (about £470 / AU$900) and allows for the robot vacuum to handle the mopping.

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo specs

Yeedi C12 Combo review: design

  • Robot vacuum relatively basic in design (no mopping)
  • Manual vacuum comprises telescopic wand, handheld vacuum, mop and other attachments
  • Large base station docks both parts, and auto-empties the bins of both

The Yeedi C12 Combo comes in all black except for some splashes of red, most notably the HEPA filters visible through the clear dustbins in the base station and stick vacuum, and the silver telescopic tube of the stick vacuum. It's attractive and a bit more striking than most robot vacuum setups.

Yeedi C12 Combo set up

(Image credit: Future)

Both the stick vacuum and robot vacuum auto-empty into the somewhat sizable base station, which has to be pretty big as it also cradles the handheld portion of the stick vacuum as well as hiding the accessory tools in a compartment below it. (In fact, the dock dustbin is relatively small, compared to the market standard.) My only real complaint with the dock design is that the tools compartment doesn't clip back into place all that easily when putting the accessory tools back.

Yeedi C12 Combo HEPA filter from base station

The (smallish) dustbin in the dock contains a HEPA filter (Image credit: Future)

The robot vacuum itself is fairly basic. It has one side brush and a v-shaped anti-tangle brushroll with a lid held on magnetically to hide a pairing button and the small dustbin inside. It's probably the most basic part of this whole thing. There are three uncovered buttons visible through the lid: return home, power, and XXX. All basic stuff.

As far as the cordless stick vacuum goes, it's composed of two major components. The telescopic tube and the handheld vacuum. The telescopic wand and the floorhead are attached as one piece – this is a little unusual; generally you'd be able to swap detail tools onto the end of a stick vacuum's wand for cleaning up high. It's worth noting that the floorhead, which has a v-shaped brushroll like the robot vacuum, features headlamps to illuminate dirt and debris in front of it.

Yeedi C12 Combo stick vacuum floorhead

Headlights help illuminate dirt on the floor (Image credit: Future)

This cordless stick vacuum transforms into a mop – albeit in a much simpler way than most of today's best wet-dry vacuums. The attachment for mopping goes under the vac's wheels and covers them so you have to push a little harder to move the vacuum. The attachment is a small clean water reservoir with a mop pad that attaches via velcro to the bottom of it that needs to be dampened before use.

Yeedi C12 Combo mopping attachment for stick vacuum

The mop attachment (shown) clips on top of the stick vac's floorhead (Image credit: Future)

The telescopic tube, which clips into the side of the base station when the handheld is sitting in the base station to empty and charge, has one glaring issue and that's the fact that the latch to connect or remove the tube from the handheld feels very flimsy. It doesn't clip very easily into place when placing the handheld into it, and it doesn't easily disengage when pressed to pull the handheld out.

On the bright side, the two accessory tools clip in nicely. And since the handheld portion of the stick vacuum isn't too heavy, using it to clean higher-up areas or upholstery is not fatiguing.

  • Design score: 3.5 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo review: performance

  • Robot vacuum has powerful suction
  • Robot vacuum is loud in operation
  • Stick vacuum is powerful, but has some issues with mopping

I was surprised to find that the robot vacuum portion of the Yeedi C12 Combo did not do mopping – most robovacs these days have mopping abilities; even the cheap ones. While there's a lot going on with this all-in-one package, robo-mopping is definitely a crucial feature when striving for convenience.

That said, the robot vacuum does a fairly good job at what it's tasked to do. It has quite good suction as I was able to test with some cereal, granulated sugar, and flour, which it mostly scooped up in one pass (there was a little residual sugar left over). After all, it does have a powerful 10,000Pa of suction on tap.

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Yeedi C12 Combo robot vacuum cleaning up cereal, sugar, flour

I tested the robovac on different sized particles (Image credit: Future)
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Yeedi C12 Combo second pass on sugar and flour

There was a little flour left after the first pass (Image credit: Future)
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Yeedi C12 Combo robot vacuum cleaning carpet

Pickup on carpet was decent (Image credit: Future)

The robovac's object avoidance is decent as well; it danced around most objects fairly deftly. I'm hesitant to say it's amazing since there were instances, mainly with the dog dishes, where the vacuum would push something around for a second before backing off and going around. However, it didn't get stuck on anything other than cables (the regular enemy of robot vacuums).

Yeedi C12 Combo robovac navigating around pet food bowls

The robovac avoided most obstacles (Image credit: Future)

The robovac's brushroll is anti-tangle, so I didn't have to worry about hair getting wrapped around it. Strangely, the robot vacuum is really quite loud in operation at the highest setting (there are three), measuring a whopping 68 dB.

Stick vacuum

Moving on to the stick vacuum. This also has three settings, and performed well in TechRadar's suction tests. I did the same cereal, sugar, flour test with it and got everything up in one go. And it was easy to move around and use without the mopping attachment.

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Yeedi C12 Combo stick vacuum cleaning up cereal, sugar, and flour

The stick vac picked up all of this in one pass (Image credit: Future)
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Yeedi C12 Combo stick vacuum during use

Maneuverability is good (Image credit: Future)

Overall, I'm not a huge fan of the way the mopping is implemented here. With the mopping attachment, the manual vacuum requires a bit more pushing as the main two wheels are covered by the attachment. You also have to wet the mop pad before use, so that the water soaks through efficiently.

Unsurprisingly at this price, there's no automatic washing and drying of the mop pad, as you'll find on pricier hybrid robovac docks. That means you'll need to remember to clean it or you'll end up with a moldy mop pad, and by extension, potentially also moldy smelling floors.

Regarding the actual performance of the mopping attachment, it did seem a little streaky with the first few pushes, so I had to do a second pass on the first areas that I cleaned. But once I got going, it did a decent job of mopping.

Lastly, I do want to mention that both the robot vacuum and stick vacuum did well on carpet, especially the latter which I only needed to do one pass around the litter box to clean up some escaped litter.

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Yeedi C12 Combo review: app

  • Mapping is easy to edit
  • App is straightforward and easy to use
  • Somewhat limited features

When I reviewed my first Yeedi product, I had issues with the company's app in regards to limitations on map editing. That's no longer the case. From accurately mapping my space to allowing me to divide and combine rooms the way I need, I find the current app straightforward and hassle-free. It can even save up to three maps.

In fact, I would describe the whole app that way. It's easy to navigate and manipulate. Not only can I schedule cleanings, but I can create the order in which rooms are addressed. Of course, the reason it's so easy to use is partly because the robot vacuum itself is somewhat basic. There's no voice assistant support, so you won't be connecting this to Alexa or Google Home, for instance. And since there's no mopping capability on the robot vacuum, you don't have to deal with any of the related controls that pop up in the app on those models.

  • App score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Yeedi C12 Combo?

Buy it if...

You want an all-in-one vacuuming system

There aren't many of these around and certainly not at this price. If you want to be able to turn on a robot vacuum and use a stick vacuum that self-empty into the same place, then this is for you.

You want to manually mop

The mopping attachment for the stick vacuum allows a lot of control over mopping your floors in a way that's more convenient than traditional mops.

You want powerful suction

Both the robot vacuum and stick vacuum have quite a bit of power and are able to suck up all sorts of dirt and debris with ease.

Don't buy it if...

You want unparalleled quality

While the Yeedi C12 Combo is nice, it comes with some compromises to meet its price point. If you want the best possible robot vacuum, there are better options out there, even from Yeedi.

You want robot vacuum mopping

Having hands-off mopping is a very nice and convenient feature. If that's important to you, you won't find it here and will have to look elsewhere.

Yeedi C12 Combo review: alternatives to consider

Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo

It might be more expensive, but the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo is an upgrade of sorts. Not only does it do a great job vacuuming and mopping – it has that extendable mop pad to get edges – but it also comes with a handheld vacuum for some extra deep or spot cleaning prowess.

Read our full Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo review

Yeedi C12 Pro Plus

The Yeedi C12 Pro Plus is simultaneously more pared down than its big brother reviewed here and more feature-filled as the robot vacuum has mopping capabilities. It's not the best with edges, but it's good with hair. It's also slightly cheaper.

Read our full Yeedi C12 Pro Plus review

How I tested the Yeedi C12 Combo

To test the Yeedi C12 Combo, I used it for a week to vacuum and mop the hardwood floors and a bath mat (to simulate carpeting) in my house. I ran TechRadar's standard suction tests, using fine debris and bigger debris. I also tested all the features listed in the app, particularly its mapping. I took note of how well the vacuum cleaned the edges of a room as well as around obstacles.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners.

  • First reviewed December 2024
Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: light and easy to steer, but comes up short on power
9:15 pm | January 13, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless: two-minute review

The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is a rechargeable and bagless portable vacuum cleaner that is designed to be suitable for use in the home and the car. It's affordably priced, although on test I found it lacked the power to tackle anything but the simplest vacuuming tasks.

The design is pleasantly lightweight and easy to use. There's a washable HEPA filter, and the dust cup has a capacity of 2.3 cups / 550ml – enough for a few small cleaning sessions. However, there are a few slightly annoying design features. In use, care needs to be taken not to absent-mindedly hit the dust cup release button that sits a little way up the handle from the sliding power switch. Emptying the dust cup requires removing the whole front of the vacuum, including the filter. That's not unusual for a low-cost mini vacuum, but it is a little fiddly. On the plus side, it did mean that I regularly shook off the debris that had collected on the filter.

The accessories that come with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless look a little cheap, but I found them to be useful. There’s an extension hose, a flat nozzle, and a small brush nozzle, which proved particularly helpful when vacuuming fabric surfaces.

Moving on to cleaning performance, and the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless was regretfully underwhelming. While it did an adequate job of picking up larger pieces of debris, such as biscuit crumbs and oats, it struggled to suck up finer debris like smaller crumb particles and flour, to the point where I needed to enlist the help of the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro (which sits at the top of TechRadar's best handheld vacuum guide), to finish the job to a good standard.

The Homekane Vacuum is sitting upright and leaning slightly to the right on a knitted, mustard color blanket.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

In terms of value for money, things are a little complicated. Comparing current Amazon list prices (which, it should be highlighted, can often change), it's significantly cheaper in the US than the UK. At the US price, it's perhaps worth considering if you just need something very basic for small cleanup jobs. However, in the UK, there are better affordable alternatives in our best car vacuum roundup.

That's the short version – read on for my full Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless.

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: price & availability

  • Different configurations available in US and UK
  • More expensive in the UK, and not good value for money
  • Far cheaper in the US, where it's better value

The Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is listed for £37.99 at Amazon UK, and this price includes the accessories and charging dock. It’s also possible to purchase the handheld vacuum and accessories without the dock (there’s a USB-C charging port on the end of the handle), for a list price of £29.99. While the price is relatively budget-friendly, it's not particularly good value for money when you consider the price and performance of other mini vacuums on the market.

In the US, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is significantly cheaper. The model with a charging dock is no longer available at Amazon US, but it’s still possible to purchase the standard version, for an extremely affordable $15.99. At that price, it's a much more compelling prospect, and might be worth buying.

You will need to factor in the ongoing cost of replacement HEPA filters. These aren't currently available at Amazon US, although you can pick them up at Amazon UK, where a pack of two costs £15.88. That's almost half the cost of the vacuum itself, but as they’re washable they should last a while, providing you aren’t frequently vacuuming areas that are excessively dirty.

  • Value score: 2.5 out of 5

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless specs

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: design & features

  • Small and lightweight
  • Cheap materials
  • Washable HEPA filter

Satisfyingly small and lightweight, the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is easy to carry between locations, making it perfect for quick couch cleans after a biscuit binge, or for taking out to the car for a mini-valet. It has compact dimensions of 13.4 x 3.2 x 3.5 inches / 33.4 x 8 x 9cm and weighs just 1.2 lbs / 560g, so I found it easy to maneuver to vacuum high and low surfaces.

As expected for the price, the material quality of the isn’t outstanding on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless or its charging dock. The majority of the plastic is a cheap-looking black plastic with a matte finish, and the material of the accessories isn’t the best either, but they did the job. The business end of the vacuum itself looks a little better, in a glossy translucent black plastic. This is pretty common among handheld vacs, as it still provides visibility of the remaining dust cup capacity, but helps to minimize the eyesore of the contents that were vacuumed up.

To power on the vacuum, there’s a teal-colored upward-sliding switch that I found a little more fiddly than a simple power button, but it wasn’t much of a hindrance. Further down the handle, toward the dust cup, there’s a pressable button with a subtle trash can icon that acts as the release trigger for the dust cup.

The detachable dust cup has a 2.3 cup / 550ml capacity, which is roughly a half cup more than the highly-rated Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus. Please be warned: the release button is so easy to press accidentally if you’re not paying attention. Fortunately for me, I only did this at the beginning of the testing process, so I didn’t end up emptying flour and oats over my car interior, but it could easily have happened.

This compact vacuum has a washable HEPA filter that sits on top of the dust cup. This meant that I had to remove it every time I needed to empty the cup contents, which is a small inconvenience, but did serve as a good opportunity to check the state of the filter each time and a reminder to wash it regularly to maintain efficient suction. I found it easy to release and remove the dust cup thanks to the button on the vacuum body. The filter was a little fiddly to remove as a type of rubber material surrounds it, but overall it was simple to pull out and replace.

The Homekane Handheld Vacuum sits in its dock along with the accessories.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

There are some convenient attachments included with the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, including an extension hose that I found useful for reaching further into tighter spaces when connected to the flat nozzle, plus a brush nozzle for keyboards, to hoover up pet hair, and other tasks. All the accessories attached to the vac easily enough, and they stayed firmly in place during use.

The cheaply-made hose attachment wasn’t the most flexible, but it was adequate for the job. The flimsy nature of the connecting ends gives me a little concern, though, as I’m not sure they’ll stand the test of time, and look like they could easily split. They performed well during testing however, so I could be being overly cautious.

Homekane claims that the Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless has a runtime of 25-30 minutes, and supposedly takes three hours to recharge via USB-C. It was a simple case of popping the vacuum into the dock, although I wasn’t a fan of the configuration. I understand that storing the vacuum handle first in the dock allows the dock to be smaller, therefore saving space, but it’s a little inconvenient.

In addition to this, the design means that the charging indicator light faces backward, so when the dock is placed against a wall, it’s not possible to see when the vacuum is fully charged. This may not be an issue for people who are happy to leave the dock powered at all times, but it's not ideal for the more energy-conscious among us.

The stated noise level of the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless is 80 dB, which is equivalent to the sound of busy traffic. Testing the noise of the vacuum with a decibel meter on my phone confirmed that this statement is accurate, and while it’s unpleasant for someone like myself who suffers from tinnitus, it’s no louder than one would expect from a compact vacuum cleaner.

  • Design and features score: 3 out of 5

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: performance

  • Struggles to vacuum up fine particles
  • Tackles larger pieces of debris adequately
  • Emptying process could be easier

Unfortunately, there’s only one power setting of 9,500Pa available on the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless, which is considerably less than the Temola Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, which offers 15,000PA on its highest setting. Even its eco mode is more powerful than the Homekane, at 10,000Pa.

Nonetheless, it had no issue when vacuuming up crumbs, but the real test was to come when I put it through its paces against our TechRadar vacuum testing process. Unfortunately for me, this involved decanting flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats into my car's interior.

I tested three car vacs together for a direct comparison, our best handheld vacuum and best car vacuum, the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, and the Temola TS20BS. The Homekane was lightweight and easy to wield, a nice contrast from the noticeably heavier handheld Shark vac. But, while it may have been more pleasant to hold, I quickly found myself wishing that I hadn’t left the Homekane till the last to test.

The lower suction level of 9,500Pa was evident, with the finer particles refusing to budge from within the pile of my car mat. Worse still, the back-positioned air outlet meant that I had to change the order of my testing process, as, to my horror, it blew the oats I’d spread for the next test everywhere – under my seats and deeper under the glove compartment area. I was not amused, to say the least. I didn’t experience these issues with the Shark or Temola, as their air outlets are helpfully located on the sides, making for minimal blowback.

A close-up of the nozzle attachment and extension hose, held by a woman's hand over a mustard colored sofa.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

I decided to test the small floor brush attached to the crevice nozzle to see how much this would help, and I’m pleased to say that it did a great job at picking up the elusive particles, making an incredible difference to the results I got from using the vac alone, so that’s one saving grace for the Homekane.

The results weren’t 100 per cent perfect, and I certainly wouldn’t use it for a full-on car valet, but overall the carpet looked clean enough. It did an okay job with the larger oats, which were collected fairly easily, but it was much slower than the other two car vacs. And again, there just wasn’t enough suction to pick up those smaller particles.

The crevice tool did a good job, presumably because the limited suction was restricted to a smaller area. It picked up lots of loose leaves and stones in the nooks and crannies of my car’s footwell and vacuumed the dust from the small gaps around my door’s armrest with ease. The flexible extension hose proved useful when vacuuming the crevices around my car’s center console, providing a little extra reach when the crevice tool on the Homekane Handheld Vac alone wouldn’t have fitted as far into the space.

I also used the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless with the crevice and brush nozzle attachments to vacuum my desk and keyboard in our busy TechRadar reviews office. It did a satisfactory job of making them look cleaner, but it left behind some of the finer dust and fibers. This result was lacking in comparison to the Temola TS20BS, which did a better job of picking up most of the debris thanks to its higher suction setting.

A close-up of the small brush attachment over a mustard colored sofa.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

When attempting to empty the dust cup, I found the washable HEPA filter tricky to remove, finding I had to put my fingers within the filter itself to get enough purchase to wiggle it out. After testing with the flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats, I found I needed to spend some time bashing the filter to remove as much as I could before washing it.

  • Performance score: 2.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless?

Buy it if...

You're in the US and you want a super-cheap vac
While I wouldn't recommend this handheld vac to fellow Brits, at the current price of $15.99 it wouldn't make a bad purchase for spontaneous clean-ups.

You want something lightweight
One thing this small vac has going for it is that it's satisfyingly small and light to wield, so it could make a good choice for someone who struggles with larger vacuums.

Don't buy it if...

You want good suction
There are plenty of other high-suction and better-performing alternatives out there for a similar price. I kept an open mind about the limited suction power, but after testing other vacs at the same price point that did a far better job.

You want high-quality materials
From the packaging to the vacuum and accessories, the low price point is clear. Don't get me wrong, nothing fell apart or broke when I was using it, but if you like to own products that look good quality, this isn't one of them.

Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless review: also consider

Temola TS20BS
This lightweight vac is only slightly more expensive than the cost of the Homekane in the UK, but you get an awful lot for that little extra investment. It has two suction levels, 10,000PA, and 15,000PA, with the latter doing a fantastic job of picking up the finer dust from testing, especially when the dust brush was used. One important caveat, however, is that I've been unable to source replacement filters so far, so this is something to keep in mind.

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus
A firm favorite here at TechRadar, this Shark handheld vac offers great vacuuming performance and versatile tools. No wonder it's our top choice for the best handheld and car vacuums. Check out the full review to learn more.

How I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless

  • I tested the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless against two other handheld vacs
  • I assessed its ability to vacuum both large and fine debris
  • I made use of the included accessories

I took a close look at the design and materials used for the Homekane Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Cordless. I used it to vacuum my sofa and my desk and put it through its paces against the TechRadar vacuum testing process in my car. This involves testing a vacuum's ability to pick up fine and coarse particles, namely oats, and a mixture of flour and fine biscuit crumbs.

I assessed the fit of the accessories and used each of them to see how effective they were. I also looked at how easy and efficient the dust cup emptying process was.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

First reviewed December 2024

Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuum review
11:00 pm | January 4, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Miele Blizzard CX1: two-minute review

Product note

The Miele Blizzard CX1 range is available in multiple territories, but in various different configurations. These have the same base model, but different tools and accessories. For this review, I tested the Blizzard CX1 Flex.

The Miele Blizzard CX1 is a bagless cylinder vacuum that plugs in via a power cable for endless vacuuming time. It offers four suction levels and four vacuuming accessories in addition to the main floorhead.

Miele is a German brand with a reputation for quality across many appliance categories. And since it's been making vacuums for around 100 years, it knows a thing or two about designing the best vacuum cleaners. Miele offers two distinct ranges of bagless plug-in cylinder vacuums, the Miele Blizzard CX1 range and the Miele Boost CX1 range.

There are a few different CX1 options which use the same base model but have different tools and accessories. For this review, I tested the CX1 Flex.

On the whole, its size, coupled with features like its large dust canister make it well suited to larger homes. And while performance was good, it's not the best I've tried on carpet and it isn't suited to homes with pets either. But it's quiet and easy to use, plus the super long flexible crevice nozzle allows you to clean those awkward, tight spaces between your large appliances and the wall.

All component pieces for Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum, laid out on the floor

(Image credit: Future)

Miele Blizzard CX1 review: price & availability

  • Various options in Blizzard CX1 range, depending on territory
  • Price: $479-$999 / £429-£499 / AU$849

The Miele Blizzard CX1 range is available in multiple territories, but exactly which models you can get depends on where you live.

For this review, I tested the Miele Blizzard CX1 Flex, which is only available in the UK, and costs £429. It can be bought directly from Miele, or via large electrical retailers such as Currys or Hughes. In the UK there are four Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuums ranging from £429 to £499 and at the time of writing some of them were available at a discounted price, so it's worth shopping around, especially around the time of seasonal sales.

In the US there are three Miele Blizzard CX1 models, which have the same main vacuum as the one I tested, but different accessories and floorheads. They range in price from $479 to $999.

In Australia there's one model available, it's the Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog Powerline and it'll set you back AU$849. Take a look at the Miele website in your country, for more details on the models available.

No matter which model you go for, the Blizzard CX1 is in the premium price bracket, and while that's not unexpected for this brand, I think it's a little overpriced given the overall performance.

  • Value for money score: 3.5 out of 5

Miele Blizzard CX1 specs

Miele Blizzard CX1 review: design

  • Big and bulky for a cylinder vacuum
  • Not all tools stored on board
  • Good size dust canister

When I first removed the Miele Blizzard CX1 Flex from its box I was surprised at how chunky it felt. And maybe that is in part because I've just reviewed the super compact Miele Boost CX1, nevertheless it's worth checking out the dimensions if you're short on storage space.

The cylinder itself measures 51.5 x 31 x 29cm/ 20.3 x 12.2 x 11.4 inches (h x w x d) when stood upright on its end. The advantage of a larger vacuum is usually a larger dust canister and the Miele Blizzard CX1 has an ample 2 liter bagless canister. Though I would argue that its 7.5 meter/ 24.6ft power cord is on the short side.

Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum broken apart into its component pieces

(Image credit: Future)

This particular model comes with an upholstery nozzle and crevice tool, both of which are stored on board the vacuum, at the back. There's also a dusting brush, which frustratingly isn't stored on the vacuum. And lastly, there's an extra long and bendy crevice nozzle that's ideal for reaching down the sides of large appliances such as a fridge or dryer.

The crevice nozzle is what makes this the Flex model, the standard UK Miele Blizzard CX1 is exactly the same but without the flexible crevice nozzle. Other models in the range include different floorhead types such as parquet floorhead for very delicate hard floors, or a motorized floorhead for optimized pet hair pickup.

Image 1 of 2

Close up of floorhead on Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 2

Close up of the underside of the floorhead on Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

The floorhead included with this model is called an EcoTeQ floorhead and Miele describes it as being designed for energy efficient vacuuming with maximum cleaning. For the best performance cleaning carpet and collecting pet hair, you'll need to fork out for the top-of-the-range Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog model which comes with the motorized floorhead.

The controls are very simple, there are just two buttons and a dial on the body of the vacuum. The power button and the cord rewind button can both be foot operated to avoid the need to bend down. But when you want to switch between the four suction levels you will have to bend down to adjust the dial.

The only other control is the foot pedal located on the floorhead. The position of this switch dictates the position of the brushes on the underside of the floorhead, and you have to adjust it depending on whether you're vacuuming carpet or hard floors.

Close up of controls on Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

Between the floorhead and the handle is a telescopic wand, which is an adjustable height tube. That means you can adjust it to suit your height, or, if you're trying to reach under furniture, you can extend it to lengthen the reach.

The dust canister lifts straight up and out of the vacuum simply by grabbing its handle and pulling upwards. Then it's easily emptied by pressing the bright yellow release button which flips open the bottom of the dust canister, allowing all the dirt and debris to fall directly into your bin.

Inside the bin section of Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum, showing tool storage

(Image credit: Future)

Once the dust canister has been removed and emptied, there are two filters inside it that can be cleaned periodically. The filter frame slides out from inside the canister and the pre-filter can be found at the back of the canister. Both should be cleaned when obviously dirty by removing dust and rinsing.

The main fine dust filter can be removed and cleaned manually in water. But it also has a handy self clean function called ComfortClean. When it reaches a specified degree of soiling, the vacuum will switch off for around 20 seconds and carry out this cleaning process. Or, you can start the ComfortClean process simply by pressing the ComfortClean button.

  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Miele Blizzard CX1 review: performance

  • Quiet in use
  • Not effective at hair pick up on carpet
  • Excellent edge cleaning

In general I found the suction to be effective on all hard floors and was particularly impressed when I tested the pickup at the sides of the floorhead. I did this by sprinkling flour along baseboards and no matter which side of the floorhead I vacuumed with, the results were flawless and no flour was left lingering at the edges of the room.

Due to there being no brushes at the front of the floorhead, it does feel like it clatters along on my uneven, rustic slate tiled floors as opposed to gliding smoothly. And if I had very expensive or delicate hard floors, this might concern me more. On my wood floors, which are flat and not uneven, it glides more smoothly.

Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum cleaning flour from a wooden floor

(Image credit: Future)

To test the performance on very fine particles I dusted flour onto my hard floors and vacuumed it back up again. For the most part it collected the flour in one sweep. On wood floors it collected all the flour that had settled into the grooves between the boards but I could see that some flour was still embedded into the wood grain and this took a couple of sweeps to remove.

Depending on the direction I vacuumed towards the flour it did sometimes push a small pile of flour out in front of the floorhead. It was swiftly and easily sucked up by approaching it from a different angle, but I'd prefer this didn't happen in the first place.

Miele Blizzard CX1 vacuuming carpet

(Image credit: Future)

Overall pickup on carpet was good, but it wasn't faultless. I've got both a wool carpet and a synthetic carpet. On the synthetic carpet the suction felt really strong and I had to turn it down in order to actually be able to vacuum the room. It left the floors looking very clean.

On the less fluffy wool carpet, suction was fairly decent and having just reviewed the Miele Boost CX1, I do think the Blizzard CX1 offers better suction on carpet. But it still didn't feel like it was giving the carpet a thorough clean; I'd much prefer a motorized floorhead.

Picking up hair was effortless on hard floors, but on carpet, the hair got dragged around and clumped up before eventually being sucked into the vacuum after several passes. If you've got pets and carpet, you'll find models better suited to your needs in TechRadar's guide to the best vacuums for pet hair.

Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum on a step while tester cleans the stairs below

(Image credit: Future)

The body of the vacuum could just about balance on a step when vacuuming stairs, but it hangs over the edge of the step. So in all honesty it's a bit too big, and I didn't feel confident that it wouldn't topple. I found it best to move it up with me one step at a time and position my body in front of it, so it could only tilt into me and not fall.

By attaching the main floorhead directly to the handle, I found vacuuming stairs to be pretty quick and easy. When needed I could grab the crevice tool from its position onboard the vacuum to easily get into corners and edges.

I like the long crevice nozzle that gave me the opportunity to vacuum some areas that I can't normally get to with most vacuums. Awkward thin gaps like down the sides of my washing machine were finally within reach. Admittedly, I couldn't easily see how well it was doing, but I could hear debris being sucked up the pipe so it's safe to assume these areas were left cleaner than they started.

Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum cleaning a sofa

(Image credit: Future)

The upholstery tool is a bit basic in my opinion and it's also very small. And I found it frustrating that unless I remembered to push it very firmly into place, it would end up falling off mid-use. Having said all that, it works fine for sprucing up sofas and chairs.

Cleaning baseboards with Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

The dusting brush is good and effective. I like that by twisting it, the angle of the brush adjusts, so you can set it up perfectly for the job at hand. It made short work of dusting a huge shelving unit in my living room.

Overall, in my small home with its cottage proportions, this cylinder vacuum was quite simply too bulky. In tight spaces it can feel like the vacuum itself is always in the way. It was much more at home and user-friendly in larger, more open spaces.

Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum being used to clean a car interior

(Image credit: Future)

In the car I was able to use the main floorhead to clean the boot, but had to switch to the upholstery tool for most other jobs including the seats, mats, and carpet. The issue is that it's a very basic and small upholstery tool, so this took a bit of time.

The crevice nozzle was able to reach down most of the awkward gaps. For the really hard-to-reach spots, I got out the long bendy nozzle and it managed to reach some areas down the sides of the seats that have long been neglected. The dusting brush was useful for the dashboard and other hard surfaces.

Even on maximum suction, this is a quiet vacuum. On carpet it averaged 70-75dB and it was slightly louder on hard floors at 75-80dB. The noise level decreases as you decrease the suction, so even though it's not particularly loud, you can still make it quieter.

Person removing the bin on the Miele Blizzard CX1 canister vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

In practice, emptying the dirt was straightforward, though when the base of the canister flipped open, it often didn't open up as wide as it could, and in these instances some dust and debris would settle on it and need a quick shake to remove.

  • Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Should you buy the Miele Blizzard CX1?

Buy it if...

You live in a larger home

The two liter dust canister and longer power cord make the Miele Blizzard CX1 range more appropriate for larger homes than the Miele Boost CX1 range.

You want a vacuum that doesn't need charging

It might seem obvious, but a plug in vacuum offers you endless vacuuming time and removes the worry of running out of power, which is a common problem with cordless vacuums.

You want a straightforward vacuum

With just four power levels to choose from, this is a straightforward vacuum that's easy to operate and maintain, it won't befuddle you with unnecessary settings and controls.

Don't buy it if...

You're on a budget

If money is tight and you want a Miele canister vacuum, take a look at the cheaper Miele Boost CX1 range, the vacuums are smaller but much cheaper and still come with the Miele pedigree.View Deal

You've got pets

Due to the style of floorhead, this vacuum isn't designed for homes with pets. For effective and efficient pet hair pick up you'll need a vacuum with a motorised floorhead.

You lack storage space

This isn't the most compact canister vacuum you can buy from Miele, so if storage space is tight take a look at the Miele Boost CX1 range instead.

How I tested the Miele Blizzard CX1

In my career testing and reviewing home appliances I've tried out well in excess of a hundred vacuums. This gives me a pretty good understanding of what makes a good vacuum and what features and design details will quickly become annoying.

I set up this vacuum in my own home and used it for my regular cleaning tasks. Not only that, but I cleaned my car with it, and set up some tests to see how well it performed very specific tasks such as cleaning right up to the edges of a room.

I also checked the noise level, maneuverability and comfort in use. Furthermore I checked that any maintenance wouldn't be too complicated or overwhelming, and that emptying out the dirt would be easy and mess-free.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

  • First reviewed November 2024
Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: I was ready to make this my new car vac until I made an unwelcome discovery
7:00 pm | December 31, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum: two-minute review

The Temola TS20BS is available to buy at Amazon for $49.99 / £45.99. This is a fairly average cost for a handheld vacuum from a lesser-known brand, and after testing it out I would say that you get what you pay for here.

I was very disappointed to discover that there doesn’t appear to be replacement stainless steel HEPA filters for this model, although I could see replacements for some of their other vacs. Although the stainless steel covering could potentially increase the longevity of the HEPA filter within, but there’s no telling how long it would last. There is, at least, a replacement filter provided with the purchase, but without further replacements, this could significantly decrease the lifetime of the Temola TS20BS.

The Temola TS20BS is lightweight enough to use easily, although in my case using it with my arm extended with nothing to lean on did cause some aching. It’s fairly compact, so it has been easy to store, especially when combined with the convenient drawstring storage bag that fits the accessories, too. The Temola TS20BS doesn’t come with a storage dock but was easy to charge with the included USB-C cable, although it is disappointingly short at just 30.5 inches / 780mm long.

I was happy with the material quality of all parts of the Temola TS20BS set, the dust brush, crevice nozzle, and floor brush didn’t look cheap, the storage bag looked durable, and the materials on the vac itself felt sturdy and looked good. To aid visibility when vacuuming in darker spaces, there’s an LED light situated just above the top of the 3.6 cup / 850ml dust cup. It wasn’t outstandingly bright, but it was good enough.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

As is the case with many handheld vacuums in this price bracket, I had to remove the front end of the vacuum to empty the dust cup. Detaching it was easy, but care needed to be taken when removing the filter from within, as a lot of debris collects around it. Getting the dust cup to clip back on was tricky on occasion. The level of noise emitted from the TS20BS is fairly standard for a vacuum cleaner, reading 76dB at 10,000PA power, and 80dB on the higher 15,000PA setting.

I found the Temola TS20BS to be a helpful tool for vacuuming my desk and sofa, but it really proved its worth when I put it through its paces against our TechRadar vacuum testing process. It did an adequate job of picking up the larger particles of oats and a mixture of flour and biscuit crumbs when on the lower power setting, but the higher setting was required to collect up the finer dust particles.

When testing the floor brush attachment I found it wasn’t helpful in that instance, mainly flicking debris around rather than helping to collect it up. When I used the dust brush on the end of the crevice nozzle, on the other hand, the results were fantastic. I found this smaller brush to improve performance in many different areas of my car, from dusting and vacuuming the leather to removing stubborn bits of leaf from carpeted areas.

For the most part, I’d recommend you purchase the TS20BS, as it did a good job for its price. Sadly, though, the lack of replacement filters makes me hesitant to encourage you to buy without doing further research, in case some may have become available in the meantime. If you’d like to take a look at some alternatives to help make up your mind, we’ve collated a selection of the best car vacuums, and best handheld vacuums to help you discover the most suitable option for your needs.

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: Price and availability

  • List price: $49.99 / £45.99
  • Available at Amazon

The Temola TS20BS is a handheld vacuum that comes with accessories and a storage bag for a list price of $49.99 / £45.99 at Amazon. You’re getting what you pay for with the Temola TS20BS, considering the quality, performance, and ease of use; although some slightly more expensive vacs performed better, I was happy enough with its performance.

The set comes with an additional washable filter, which I was pleased about, but after investigating I cannot find replacement filters for this model. While the stainless steel covering of the filter may potentially increase the longevity of the filters, providing they are cleaned regularly, there’s no saying quite how long they’ll last, giving the Temola TS20BS a disappointingly short lifespan if replacements do not come available to purchase soon.

  • Value score: 2.5 / 5

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: Specs

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: design and features

  • Materials look good quality
  • Short USB-C charging cable
  • Useful drawstring storage bag

Considering its price, I was pretty impressed with the material quality of the Temola TS20BS. The majority of the vacuum is black and off-white and has a gloss finish, aside from the buttons and dust cup securing latch, which are bright orange with a slightly textured finish. The dust cup that makes up the business end of the vacuum is made from shiny transparent black plastic, making it easy for me to see when the dust cup is reaching capacity while obscuring the contents enough to stop it from being an eyesore.

The Temola TS20BS is fairly lightweight, but it isn’t the lightest handheld vac I’ve tested. It weighs 2.1lb / 957g, so it was easy enough for me to use but caused a little bit of arm ache if I wasn’t able to lean a little on what I was vacuuming. It isn’t a bulky vac, at 15 x 4 x 5 inches / 350 x 150 x 150mm, making it easy to store away in the handy drawstring bag, which also holds the accessories as well.

The accessories included are a dust brush, crevice nozzle, and a floor brush. Most of these did a great job, although I found one of them wasn’t very helpful during testing. Another useful addition that resides on the Temola TS20BS itself is the integrated LED light that is positioned above the dust cup. It’s not the most powerful LED I’ve seen, but it did an okay job of helping me see a little better when vacuuming darker spaces.

A close-up of the floor brush attachment.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

The Temola TS20BS comes with what Temola states is a stainless steel HEPA filter in place, and an additional filter comes in the box. This is a nice touch, as although the filters can be washed, and made easier with the included cleaning brush, they would likely need to be changed within a few months.

The Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum doesn’t come with a charging dock, instead, it can be recharged using just a USB-C cable. While some users may prefer a dock for ease of access, I liked the flexibility of placement that came with charging via a cable, and I was still able to store the vacuum and accessories away neatly in the drawstring storage bag. The one downside here, however, is that the cable that comes with the Temola TS20BS is only 30.5 inches / 780mm long, proving a little annoying at times.

There isn’t a replacement battery available, so I was limited to the max run time, which wasn’t quite enough to give my car a full valet, although with it being winter as I write this and I both work and live near a lot of leafy trees, I can’t judge it too harshly for that. One aspect I appreciated is that the included USB-C charging cable can be used with a power bank, or with a cigarette lighter adapter, so I didn’t necessarily need to bring it into the house to charge.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum inside the storage bag on a mustard color blanket and sofa.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

I was satisfied with the level of noise the Temola TS20BS emits, as it was quieter than a lower-powered car vac I’d tested and pretty standard for a vacuum cleaner. On the low 10,000mAh setting it reached a sound level of 76dB, and the higher setting reached 80dB, so the highest setting was no louder than a busy restaurant. I still needed to use some ANC earbuds when using it, but that’s due to an auditory issue; for the average person I don’t envision the noise levels would be uncomfortable.

On a few occasions, I found that the dust cup didn’t always connect to the handle properly the first couple of times I’d attached it. It clicked on and looked attached, but any bit of pressure on it caused it to fall off, I found I needed to pay particular attention to making sure the bottom of the dust cup had clicked over the extra plastic tag, which was a little fiddly, but simple once I’d gotten used to it. This is likely just a personal preference, but long pressing the power button did nothing when on the lower suction setting, this would only work after increasing it to the max suction level. This is only a minor niggle, but I like to keep loud noises to a minimum, so I wasn’t a fan that the increase of sound was unavoidable when I needed to turn it off, especially when using it to give my desk a quick hoover in the office.

  • Design and features score: 4 / 5

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: performance

  • Performed well for the price
  • Dust brush works well
  • An extension hose would've been helpful

As it weighs just 2.1lb / 957g, the Temola TS20BS was easier to wield than the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, which is currently our top pick of the best handheld vacuum and best car vacuum. I found the handheld Shark vac made my arm ache a little when performing the same tests for a direct comparison.

The Temola TS20B did a good job when I used it to vacuum my sofa, but I really put it to the test when I used it in my beloved car. One thing I love about working for TechRadar is our mission to perform thorough testing on all products – I just wish that didn’t involve spreading flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats in my car. But, if nothing else, I’m dedicated to our mission. So, dear reader, despite how uncomfortable it made me: I did it, for every single handheld vac I tested, each time praying they were up to the job of cleaning it up. I’m relieved to say, in the case of the Temola TS20BS, I needn’t have worried.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

When following our testing procedure, the Temola TS20BS picked up most of the mixture of flour and biscuit on the lowest power setting, but smaller particles were left behind in the pile of my car mat. Turning up to the higher power setting made quick work of picking this up though, so I was able to get it all vacuumed up in a minute or so.

It was a similar story when it came to hoovering up the oats. The lowest setting picked up the large pieces without issue, but the smaller debris remained on the surface of the carpet and in the pile. Again, the higher setting cleared this up, but it required a little elbow grease and pressure.

The floor brush attachment of the Temola TS20BS didn’t do the best job of picking up the fine dust from my car mat. It kind of flicked debris around when using the lower suction, though it performed better on the higher setting. In the end, I found myself removing the floor brush attachment and giving the carpet a final going over on the higher setting just to collect the remaining dust. The dust brush, which is smaller and softer, did a vastly better job, even just on the lower 10,000PA power setting, and the performance improved further when I increased it to 15,000PA.

The dust brush attachment.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

The crevice tool performed as expected, reaching smaller areas, and, naturally, the pickup was best with the higher suction setting. One nice-to-have would have been a flexible extension hose like the one included with the Homekane Handheld Vac, as getting down the edges of my seats was a bit of a struggle with the limited reach. As with the earlier tests the performance improved by far after adding the dust brush tool to the mix as it aggravated the debris just enough to allow it to be picked up easily.

When it came to emptying the 3.6 cup / 850ml dust cup, I must say that I preferred the Shark configuration, which simply required me to push a button and pull down a flap on the underside of its dust cup, which felt quicker and less messy than needing to remove the dust cup and filter from the Temola TS20BS each time. I had to bang out the filter, as most of the debris was caught on its surface and the cavity at the bottom of the filter housing, and it was also tricky to put it back into place properly.

  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum?

Buy it if...

You want a simple-to-use vac
With easy-to-master controls and a fairly lightweight body, you'll be up and running with this Temola vac before you know it.

You want a vac that's easy to store away
Whether you plan on sticking it in a cupboard or in the trunk of your car, the drawstring storage bag makes it easy to keep all the parts neatly in one place.

Don't buy it if...

You don't want a vac with an expiry date
As there doesn't appear to be any replacement stainless steel HEPA filters compatible with this model at present, there is a risk that this handheld vacuum could only be usable for as long as the two included filters last.

You want a charging dock
The Temola TS20BS doesn't have a model with a storage dock, so if you're a dock fan this won't be for you. The storage bag provides a tidy storage solution, though.

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: also consider

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus
The top spot holder of our pick of the best handheld and car vacuums, this handheld Shark vac delivers great suction power, easy emptying, and some versatile tools. Take a look at our full review to hear how well it performed.

Shark WandVac System WS642 / WV361UK 4
This versatile vac requires more investment, but it's a great choice if you're looking for a lightweight and ergonomic vac that can be used in a stick or handheld configuration. It features on our list of the best handheld vacuums for its flexible use and light weight, but its battery life is a little on the short side. Here's our full review if you'd like to find out more.

How I tested the Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum

  • I tested the Temola TS20BS against two other handheld vacs
  • I assessed its ability to vacuum both large and fine debris
  • I made use of the included accessories

I took a close look at the design and materials used for the Temola TS20BS. I used it to vacuum my sofa and my desk and put it through its paces against the TechRadar vacuum testing process in my car. This involves testing a vacuum's ability to pick up fine and coarse particles, namely oats, and a mixture of flour and fine biscuit crumbs.

I assessed the fit of the accessories and used each of them to see how effective they were. I also looked at how easy and efficient the dust cup emptying process was.

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: I was ready to make this my new car vac until I made an unwelcome discovery
7:00 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum: two-minute review

The Temola TS20BS is available to buy at Amazon for $49.99 / £45.99. This is a fairly average cost for a handheld vacuum from a lesser-known brand, and after testing it out I would say that you get what you pay for here.

I was very disappointed to discover that there doesn’t appear to be replacement stainless steel HEPA filters for this model, although I could see replacements for some of their other vacs. Although the stainless steel covering could potentially increase the longevity of the HEPA filter within, but there’s no telling how long it would last. There is, at least, a replacement filter provided with the purchase, but without further replacements, this could significantly decrease the lifetime of the Temola TS20BS.

The Temola TS20BS is lightweight enough to use easily, although in my case using it with my arm extended with nothing to lean on did cause some aching. It’s fairly compact, so it has been easy to store, especially when combined with the convenient drawstring storage bag that fits the accessories, too. The Temola TS20BS doesn’t come with a storage dock but was easy to charge with the included USB-C cable, although it is disappointingly short at just 30.5 inches / 780mm long.

I was happy with the material quality of all parts of the Temola TS20BS set, the dust brush, crevice nozzle, and floor brush didn’t look cheap, the storage bag looked durable, and the materials on the vac itself felt sturdy and looked good. To aid visibility when vacuuming in darker spaces, there’s an LED light situated just above the top of the 3.6 cup / 850ml dust cup. It wasn’t outstandingly bright, but it was good enough.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

As is the case with many handheld vacuums in this price bracket, I had to remove the front end of the vacuum to empty the dust cup. Detaching it was easy, but care needed to be taken when removing the filter from within, as a lot of debris collects around it. Getting the dust cup to clip back on was tricky on occasion. The level of noise emitted from the TS20BS is fairly standard for a vacuum cleaner, reading 76dB at 10,000PA power, and 80dB on the higher 15,000PA setting.

I found the Temola TS20BS to be a helpful tool for vacuuming my desk and sofa, but it really proved its worth when I put it through its paces against our TechRadar vacuum testing process. It did an adequate job of picking up the larger particles of oats and a mixture of flour and biscuit crumbs when on the lower power setting, but the higher setting was required to collect up the finer dust particles.

When testing the floor brush attachment I found it wasn’t helpful in that instance, mainly flicking debris around rather than helping to collect it up. When I used the dust brush on the end of the crevice nozzle, on the other hand, the results were fantastic. I found this smaller brush to improve performance in many different areas of my car, from dusting and vacuuming the leather to removing stubborn bits of leaf from carpeted areas.

For the most part, I’d recommend you purchase the TS20BS, as it did a good job for its price. Sadly, though, the lack of replacement filters makes me hesitant to encourage you to buy without doing further research, in case some may have become available in the meantime. If you’d like to take a look at some alternatives to help make up your mind, we’ve collated a selection of the best car vacuums, and best handheld vacuums to help you discover the most suitable option for your needs.

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: Price and availability

  • List price: $49.99 / £45.99
  • Available at Amazon

The Temola TS20BS is a handheld vacuum that comes with accessories and a storage bag for a list price of $49.99 / £45.99 at Amazon. You’re getting what you pay for with the Temola TS20BS, considering the quality, performance, and ease of use; although some slightly more expensive vacs performed better, I was happy enough with its performance.

The set comes with an additional washable filter, which I was pleased about, but after investigating I cannot find replacement filters for this model. While the stainless steel covering of the filter may potentially increase the longevity of the filters, providing they are cleaned regularly, there’s no saying quite how long they’ll last, giving the Temola TS20BS a disappointingly short lifespan if replacements do not come available to purchase soon.

  • Value score: 2.5 / 5

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: Specs

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: design and features

  • Materials look good quality
  • Short USB-C charging cable
  • Useful drawstring storage bag

Considering its price, I was pretty impressed with the material quality of the Temola TS20BS. The majority of the vacuum is black and off-white and has a gloss finish, aside from the buttons and dust cup securing latch, which are bright orange with a slightly textured finish. The dust cup that makes up the business end of the vacuum is made from shiny transparent black plastic, making it easy for me to see when the dust cup is reaching capacity while obscuring the contents enough to stop it from being an eyesore.

The Temola TS20BS is fairly lightweight, but it isn’t the lightest handheld vac I’ve tested. It weighs 2.1lb / 957g, so it was easy enough for me to use but caused a little bit of arm ache if I wasn’t able to lean a little on what I was vacuuming. It isn’t a bulky vac, at 15 x 4 x 5 inches / 350 x 150 x 150mm, making it easy to store away in the handy drawstring bag, which also holds the accessories as well.

The accessories included are a dust brush, crevice nozzle, and a floor brush. Most of these did a great job, although I found one of them wasn’t very helpful during testing. Another useful addition that resides on the Temola TS20BS itself is the integrated LED light that is positioned above the dust cup. It’s not the most powerful LED I’ve seen, but it did an okay job of helping me see a little better when vacuuming darker spaces.

A close-up of the floor brush attachment.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

The Temola TS20BS comes with what Temola states is a stainless steel HEPA filter in place, and an additional filter comes in the box. This is a nice touch, as although the filters can be washed, and made easier with the included cleaning brush, they would likely need to be changed within a few months.

The Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum doesn’t come with a charging dock, instead, it can be recharged using just a USB-C cable. While some users may prefer a dock for ease of access, I liked the flexibility of placement that came with charging via a cable, and I was still able to store the vacuum and accessories away neatly in the drawstring storage bag. The one downside here, however, is that the cable that comes with the Temola TS20BS is only 30.5 inches / 780mm long, proving a little annoying at times.

There isn’t a replacement battery available, so I was limited to the max run time, which wasn’t quite enough to give my car a full valet, although with it being winter as I write this and I both work and live near a lot of leafy trees, I can’t judge it too harshly for that. One aspect I appreciated is that the included USB-C charging cable can be used with a power bank, or with a cigarette lighter adapter, so I didn’t necessarily need to bring it into the house to charge.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum inside the storage bag on a mustard color blanket and sofa.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

I was satisfied with the level of noise the Temola TS20BS emits, as it was quieter than a lower-powered car vac I’d tested and pretty standard for a vacuum cleaner. On the low 10,000mAh setting it reached a sound level of 76dB, and the higher setting reached 80dB, so the highest setting was no louder than a busy restaurant. I still needed to use some ANC earbuds when using it, but that’s due to an auditory issue; for the average person I don’t envision the noise levels would be uncomfortable.

On a few occasions, I found that the dust cup didn’t always connect to the handle properly the first couple of times I’d attached it. It clicked on and looked attached, but any bit of pressure on it caused it to fall off, I found I needed to pay particular attention to making sure the bottom of the dust cup had clicked over the extra plastic tag, which was a little fiddly, but simple once I’d gotten used to it. This is likely just a personal preference, but long pressing the power button did nothing when on the lower suction setting, this would only work after increasing it to the max suction level. This is only a minor niggle, but I like to keep loud noises to a minimum, so I wasn’t a fan that the increase of sound was unavoidable when I needed to turn it off, especially when using it to give my desk a quick hoover in the office.

  • Design and features score: 4 / 5

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: performance

  • Performed well for the price
  • Dust brush works well
  • An extension hose would've been helpful

As it weighs just 2.1lb / 957g, the Temola TS20BS was easier to wield than the Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus, which is currently our top pick of the best handheld vacuum and best car vacuum. I found the handheld Shark vac made my arm ache a little when performing the same tests for a direct comparison.

The Temola TS20B did a good job when I used it to vacuum my sofa, but I really put it to the test when I used it in my beloved car. One thing I love about working for TechRadar is our mission to perform thorough testing on all products – I just wish that didn’t involve spreading flour, biscuit crumbs, and oats in my car. But, if nothing else, I’m dedicated to our mission. So, dear reader, despite how uncomfortable it made me: I did it, for every single handheld vac I tested, each time praying they were up to the job of cleaning it up. I’m relieved to say, in the case of the Temola TS20BS, I needn’t have worried.

The Temola TS20BS handheld vacuum

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

When following our testing procedure, the Temola TS20BS picked up most of the mixture of flour and biscuit on the lowest power setting, but smaller particles were left behind in the pile of my car mat. Turning up to the higher power setting made quick work of picking this up though, so I was able to get it all vacuumed up in a minute or so.

It was a similar story when it came to hoovering up the oats. The lowest setting picked up the large pieces without issue, but the smaller debris remained on the surface of the carpet and in the pile. Again, the higher setting cleared this up, but it required a little elbow grease and pressure.

The floor brush attachment of the Temola TS20BS didn’t do the best job of picking up the fine dust from my car mat. It kind of flicked debris around when using the lower suction, though it performed better on the higher setting. In the end, I found myself removing the floor brush attachment and giving the carpet a final going over on the higher setting just to collect the remaining dust. The dust brush, which is smaller and softer, did a vastly better job, even just on the lower 10,000PA power setting, and the performance improved further when I increased it to 15,000PA.

The dust brush attachment.

(Image credit: Cesci Angell / Future)

The crevice tool performed as expected, reaching smaller areas, and, naturally, the pickup was best with the higher suction setting. One nice-to-have would have been a flexible extension hose like the one included with the Homekane Handheld Vac, as getting down the edges of my seats was a bit of a struggle with the limited reach. As with the earlier tests the performance improved by far after adding the dust brush tool to the mix as it aggravated the debris just enough to allow it to be picked up easily.

When it came to emptying the 3.6 cup / 850ml dust cup, I must say that I preferred the Shark configuration, which simply required me to push a button and pull down a flap on the underside of its dust cup, which felt quicker and less messy than needing to remove the dust cup and filter from the Temola TS20BS each time. I had to bang out the filter, as most of the debris was caught on its surface and the cavity at the bottom of the filter housing, and it was also tricky to put it back into place properly.

  • Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum?

Buy it if...

You want a simple-to-use vac
With easy-to-master controls and a fairly lightweight body, you'll be up and running with this Temola vac before you know it.

You want a vac that's easy to store away
Whether you plan on sticking it in a cupboard or in the trunk of your car, the drawstring storage bag makes it easy to keep all the parts neatly in one place.

Don't buy it if...

You don't want a vac with an expiry date
As there doesn't appear to be any replacement stainless steel HEPA filters compatible with this model at present, there is a risk that this handheld vacuum could only be usable for as long as the two included filters last.

You want a charging dock
The Temola TS20BS doesn't have a model with a storage dock, so if you're a dock fan this won't be for you. The storage bag provides a tidy storage solution, though.

Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum review: also consider

Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus
The top spot holder of our pick of the best handheld and car vacuums, this handheld Shark vac delivers great suction power, easy emptying, and some versatile tools. Take a look at our full review to hear how well it performed.

Shark WandVac System WS642 / WV361UK 4
This versatile vac requires more investment, but it's a great choice if you're looking for a lightweight and ergonomic vac that can be used in a stick or handheld configuration. It features on our list of the best handheld vacuums for its flexible use and light weight, but its battery life is a little on the short side. Here's our full review if you'd like to find out more.

How I tested the Temola TS20BS Cordless Handheld Vacuum

  • I tested the Temola TS20BS against two other handheld vacs
  • I assessed its ability to vacuum both large and fine debris
  • I made use of the included accessories

I took a close look at the design and materials used for the Temola TS20BS. I used it to vacuum my sofa and my desk and put it through its paces against the TechRadar vacuum testing process in my car. This involves testing a vacuum's ability to pick up fine and coarse particles, namely oats, and a mixture of flour and fine biscuit crumbs.

I assessed the fit of the accessories and used each of them to see how effective they were. I also looked at how easy and efficient the dust cup emptying process was.

Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum review
12:00 pm | December 14, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum: two-minute review

The Levoit LVAC-200 is a lightweight cordless vacuum that won't break the bank. I tested one out to see how it compares to the rest of the best vacuum cleaners, as well as the best cordless vacuums specifically.

This brand is better known for its air purifiers, but as an affordable alternative to high-end cordless vacuums, the LVAC-200 impresses. At only 6lbs, it's easy to maneuver no matter the configuration. There are three suction levels to choose from, and in my testing, I found these were enough to tackle most messes, including fine dust. The fact you'll need to unleash the battery-sapping max mode for carpets means it's perhaps better suited to homes with mostly hard floors and perhaps the occasional rug.

Admittedly, the LVAC-200 can have some trouble picking up larger debris, especially if you go over the debris too quickly, and it struggles to vacuum in reverse. However, it still offers solid performance for the price.

The battery lasts over 40 minutes on the lowest suction setting, and while that's not the longest runtime around, it's in line with what I'd expect from today's best cheap vacuums and will be plenty sufficient for most people's needs. That's the short version; read on for my full Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum review.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum, standing upright, next to supplied accessories, in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

Levoit LVAC-200 review: price & availability

  • List price: $199.99 / £159.99 / AU$399
  • Launch date: November 2023
  • Availability: UK / US / AU

The Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum is sold in a range of territories, including the US, UK, and Australia. It was first announced in November 2023 and sits in TechRadar's budget price bracket for manual vacuums.

It's priced at $199.99 in the US, and is sold direct at Levoit as well as a range of third party retailers. In the UK and Australia, it's only available at third-party retailers like Amazon, and costs around £160 or AU$400.

At time of writing, this is the only vacuum in Levoit's range. Based on the number of accessories that you get, the length of the battery life, and the quality of the build, I think this vacuum is well priced.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Levoit LVAC-200 specs

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum review: design

  • Super lightweight, and comes with two accessories
  • Can be used as a stick vacuum or a handheld
  • Three suction speeds

The Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum is one of the lightest vacuums I've ever tested. At 6.17 lbs or 2.85kg, it is easy to maneuver this vacuum no matter if you're using it as a stick vacuum, a handheld vacuum, or by taking the vacuum head off and using the wand to clean in high places.

The stick vacuum itself is mostly white with black accents, and has a removable battery. In terms of size, it's 9.8 inches long, 7.7 inches wide, and 43.3 inches tall or 110 x 19.5 x 25 centimeters. Three LED lights are located on the front of the vacuum head. Inside that vacuum head is an anti-tangle brush. The wand is not bendable (as is the case with the best Shark vacuums on the market), but it can lie 180-degrees flat so you can vacuum underneath furniture with relative ease.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum broken up into its component parts

(Image credit: Future)

Setting up the vacuum took no time at all. I connected the wand to the handheld part and then attached the vacuum head to the wand. The dustbin is 0.75L, and it's attached to the front of the vacuum. This was a smart design choice by Levoit as it allows the vacuum to stand upright on its own, and not fall over when the vacuum head is locked into place. A wall mount is provided if you'd prefer.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum standing upright on its own

(Image credit: Future)

On top of the dustbin is a power button. In front of the power button is the suction speed button that lets you move between suction speeds – I, II, or III. If I needed to increase the power, I'd just push the button, and the vacuum would increase the suction. According to Levoit, the suction power is 70AW – that's likely the maximum power, although this isn't specified. (Here's more on how to tell how much suction a vacuum has).

Close up of handle and controls on Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

Thanks to a 5-stage filtration system, this vacuum is able to capture 99.9 percent of particles as small as 0.3 microns. The filter is washable.

The charger plugs into the side of the battery. Two accessories are provided: a crevice tool that also doubles as a brush tool, and a 2-in-1 pet tool. You'll have to store these accessories when not in use since this vacuum doesn't come with a base or has a built-in holder.

  • Design score: 4 out of 5

Levoit LVAC-200 vacuum review: performance

  • Cleans up fine materials perfectly on medium and max mode
  • Vacuums poorly in reverse no matter the floor type
  • Better on hard floor than on carpet

The Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum is lightweight with a vacuum head that swivels with ease. It can be broken down into three configurations – as a cordless stick vacuum with the vacuum head, a vacuum with just the wand, and as a handheld vacuum. There are three different suction modes that are labeled in roman numerals – I, III, and III – with sound ratings of 78, 82, and 83 dB respectively.

I tested this vacuum in my house, which has three types of flooring (hardwood, laminate, and rugs). I also utilized the different accessories to clean my furniture and blinds.

My testing process began by vacuuming my entire house as I normally would. Originally, I felt like it did a good job vacuuming the hard floors in my house as well as the large rugs. There was some dirt and dried mud in my mud room that it picked up well, and hair in my bathroom that it cleaned away without the hair getting stuck in the brush. However, if the caked mud was larger in size, I had to vacuum over the pieces more slowly for the vacuum to suction it all up.

I am a big fan of bendable vacuum wands, and unfortunately, this Levoit LVAC-200 is not equipped with one. I was able to lean the vacuum completely down to 180 degrees so I could reach under my bed and couch for more thorough cleaning, but this required me to crouch down. The floorhead is equipped with LED lights to help illuminate dingy areas.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum cleaning a rug

(Image credit: Future)

I should also note that this vacuum doesn't have any smart capabilities, which means it can't sense or notify you if the floor is dirty or clean. That's not surprising at this price point – mid-range models like the Shark Detect Pro can sense if they're on carpet or hard floor, and boost or lower suction in response, while very high-end models like the Dyson V15 Detect or Gen5detect can adjust suction specifically based on what needs sucking up on any particular patch of floor. Here, you'll have to change the suction mode manually.

Close up of floorhead and accessories for Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

I also tested out the two supplied detail tools. I used the crevice tool to clean tight spaces around furniture and the corners of the wall. The crevice tool doubles as a brush tool, and I used that and the middle suction setting to clean my blinds, which were very dusty. The results were great.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum in handheld mode, cleaning in the corner of a room

(Image credit: Future)

I should also note that I was surprised by how well the 2-in-1 pet tool managed to pull up hair from my couch. Granted, I had to put the handheld vacuum on the highest suction setting and brush the couch as the vacuum suctioned, but it did better than most vacuums I have tested – and impressively well for a budget model.

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum in handheld mode, being used to clean reviewer's sofa

(Image credit: Future)

Although it appeared like the vacuum did a good job cleaning my floors, I wanted to do more thorough tests with the Levoit LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum. To do that, I poured cereal, dried tea, and flour on my hard floors and on one of my rugs and then vacuumed over these items on the lowest suction setting.

No matter the flooring, it was clear that this vacuum is not equipped to vacuum in reverse, especially when it came to larger debris like cereal. Occasionally the cereal particles got stuck behind the wheels of the vacuum, and generally I noticed that the vacuum didn't pick up the dried tea or the flour as well when vacuuming in reverse as it did when vacuuming forward.

Image 1 of 3

Levoit LVAC-200 picking up fine debris on hard floor

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 3

Levoit LVAC-200 picking up cereal on hard floor

(Image credit: Future)
Image 3 of 3

Levoit LVAC-200 picking up cereal on hard floor

(Image credit: Future)

When I tested the vacuum on my historic hardwood and laminate floorings, I found it did a good job suctioning dried tea while set on the lowest suction setting and performed fairly well in cleaning up the flour, leaving only a slight sheen of flour on the floor. In my opinion, it's best to use the middle or high suction level when vacuuming fine materials on hard floors just to pick everything up in one go.

What surprised me the most was how much difficulty the vacuum had with picking up cereal on hard floors. When I pushed the vacuum head forward, larger pieces of the cereal would get pushed ahead of the vacuum head. Just like what occurred with large pieces of caked mud, I had to slowly vacuum over the cereal for the vacuum to suction the cereal up.

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Levoit LVAC-200 picking up flour on a rug

(Image credit: Future)
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Levoit LVAC-200 picking up flour on a rug

(Image credit: Future)

When I ran these same tests on my rugs, the results were slightly different. The Levoit vacuum picked up cereal way better on carpet than it did on hard floors. Unfortunately, when I vacuumed over the flour and the dried tea, I had to do a few passes to clean these fine materials.

Again, using higher suction settings, such as the medium or high setting, requires only one or two passes on rugs. If you want to use this vacuum on carpet, you'll need to use the higher suction settings (which will sap battery fairly quickly). On balance, I don't think this is the best vacuum choice if your home has a lot of carpet.

Emptying the bin on the Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum

(Image credit: Future)

All the dust and debris are contained in a dustbin on the front of this cordless vacuum. It is very easy to dump the bin. I just had to remove the handheld portion of the vacuum from the wand, take it to a trash can, press a latch, and the dust and debris went straight into the trash can.

Beyond that, I didn't have to do much maintenance. The brushroll does a good job of preventing the tangling of hair, string, or debris. However, it's simple to remove it from the vacuum head and wash it separately if required. The filters are also washable and should be washed once a month, then replaced every three months.

  • Performance score: 3.5 out of 5

Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum review: battery life

  • 16 mins on max mode, 25 mins on medium and 42 on min mode
  • Less than the quoted 50 minutes, but enough for most people
  • It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes to fully recharge

According to Levoit, the LVAC-200 Cordless Vacuum has a battery life of 30-50 minutes. However, when I ran the vacuum on the lowest suction setting, it only lasted about 42 minutes. On the medium suction setting I managed 25 minutes of cleaning. In maximum mode, I only got about 16 minutes of battery life (probably long enough to clean less than 900 square feet in a single go).

In my opinion, the vacuum has a decent battery life considering how much it costs. It was more than enough time for me to clean my home – in fact, I could clean my house almost three times over in 42 minutes. If you have a much larger home, pricier models will give you longer – up to a full hour on a single charge. The fact that the battery is removable means you could also buy a backup battery and hot-swap them to eke out a longer cleaning time.

What is most impressive is that the LVAC-200 took about 2 hours and 40 minutes for the battery to fully recharge. This is much faster than the 4-5-hour estimate that Levoit provides on its website.

  • Battery life score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Levoit LVAC-200 cordless vacuum?

Buy it if...

You're on a budget
The main selling point here is really how affordable this vacuum is. You're getting solid performance, battery life and build quality for the price.

You have mostly hard floors
In my tests I found the LVAC-200 did a good job of clearing debris on hard floor, and can also handle rugs with no issues.

You need a vacuum that can handle a variety of jobs around the house
The Levoit LVAC-200 has three configurations and comes with two accessories. Essentially, you can vacuum hard floors and rugs with ease, as well as clean furniture, blinds, baseboards, and in tight spaces. View Deal

Don't buy it if...

Your home is full of carpets
This vacuum is better suited to homes with hard floors and rugs. For a proper clean on carpet, you'll need to use the maximum suction mode, which will run down the battery quickly. If you have a number of rooms with carpets, you'll be better with a more powerful model.

You want or need to vacuum efficiently, in a hurry
There are no automation features here, you'll have to vacuum slowly to pick up large debris, and this model doesn't vacuum very well in reverse. All that can extend your cleaning times.

You have lots of furniture to clean around
Although the floorhead pivots well, this vacuum doesn't have the outright maneuverability of a Dyson model, nor does the wand bend forwards to easy under-furniture cleaning as is possible with many Shark vacs.

How I tested the Levoit LVAC-200

I used the Levoit LVAC-200 as my main vacuum for a couple of weeks, using it to clean my apartment – which has a mixture of hardwood, laminate, and rugs. During this time, I got a feel for how well designed it is, how easy to maneuver, and whether there are any usability issues.

To get a more objective idea of this vacuum's suction powers, I ran TechRadar's standard tests, on both hard floor and soft rugs. These tests included vacuuming cereal, flour, and dried tea forwards and in reverse to determine the vacuum's suction capability. I also tested the sound rating and battery life to see if it matched up with the specs provided by the brand.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

  • First reviewed November 2024
iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review
10:00 am | December 7, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances Vacuums | Comments: Off

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max: two-minute review

Despite the high-end build quality, the 2-in-1 iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max is quite some way behind the competition in terms of mapping, vacuuming, auto bin emptying and mopping. And although its price has dropped from an initial $1,399 / £1,499 to a more reasonable $999.99 / £799, I still consider this bot too expensive for what it offers, especially when compared to the almost sci-fi level of tech that companies like Roborock, Eufy, Dreame and Narwal are fitting to their products.

Although it isn't equipped with an extendable side brush, the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max is very capable at vacuuming hard floors. However, it struggles on carpet, especially if there's a lot of pet hair on it. Its bin-emptying and mopping system, too, are very underwhelming.

In iRobot's defense, the company apparently has some of the best troubleshooting tech support in the business, but then the secret to any good tech is to not require any troubleshooting at all – technology like this should work efficiently, reliably and logically which, sadly, this bot isn't especially good at, at least when compared to the extremely high level of futuristic smarts from the majority of its nearest competitors.

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review: price & availability

  • List price: $1,399 / £1,499 (regularly discounted to around $999.99 / £799)
  • Launched: July 2024

The iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max was announced in July 2024 and went on sale in the US, UK and elsewhere shortly afterwards. It's available to buy direct from iRobot, or via third party retailers like Walmart or Amazon.

At time of writing, this model sits right at the top of the iRobot Roomba range in terms of price and specs. The official list price is $1,399 / £1,499 – firmly in the premium price bracket, and up there with the most expensive models on the market. However, by the time my UK review unit arrived, the price had dropped to £999. At time of submitting this review it's now it's £799 – a huge drop that suggests that iRobot looked closely at the Chinese competition from Dreame, Roborock, Eufy, Deebot and Narwal and felt they had no option but to bring the price crashing down. In the US the price-drop is less, but not insignificant: it's now $999.99.

That's still in the premium bracket, but lower down. And yet, I still think that even the current, discounted price is too big an ask given how far the vast majority of the competition is ahead of the game.

  • Value for money score: 2.5 out of 5

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max specs

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review: design

  • Low-profile bot and attractive dock
  • Fixed mop that shifts to sit on top of the bot when not required
  • Loud in operation

There's a fair bit to get into here, so I've split the design section into the robot design and the dock design.

Robot design

With its long history in both industrial and military-use robots, US-based iRobot has been at the forefront of robot vacuum design for over two decades. But like any industry that finds favor with the public on a massive scale, it wasn't too long before a flurry of copycats jumped on the bandwagon with a host of new innovations and improved software design, to the point that today iRobot finds itself competing with around 15 other companies, mostly from China, a world–leader in robotics.

Sadly, on evidence of the company's latest machine, the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max, it seems that the brand everyone went to as a first port of call has begun to lag behind the mainstream, with some reused technology and not many striking new innovations.

Let's start with the robot itself. It's fitted with a twin rubber roller system that should work wonders on carpet by beating deep into the pile to release as much dust and debris as possible.

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max flipped over to show underside

Underneath, you'll find two rubbery brushrolls and a fixed side brush (Image credit: Future)

However, while the rollers seemed perfectly capable on hard floor, they struggled at collecting pet hair from carpet (more on that later). I'm also wondering whether there's a lack of suction power. iRobot is pretty much unique amongst robot vacuum brands in not releasing suction specs, arguing that it's not a good indicator of pickup power. All I have to go on is that the unit offers three suction levels – Quiet, Balanced and High – and that it offers double the 'Standard' pickup power of most of the rest of the iRobot range.

It's a shame iRobot didn't opt for an extendable spinning side brush because this new innovation is very good at stretching into corners where the robot's centrally located brush rollers cannot reach. It's also a shame that iRobot only ever made one robot vac that was D-shaped – the excellent Roomba s9+ – so that even its fixed side brush could reach into any right-angled corner. But then again almost all robot vac manufacturers other than Dyson and Eufy continue with a circular design for their robots, and I know not why.

On the plus side, I'm thrilled to see that this bot is capable of riding over loose hard floor rugs without ruffling them up too much or worse, getting stuck in the middle of a rug mountain.

Mop pad on Roomba Combo 10 Max

This bot has a fixed mop pad rather than rotating one (Image credit: Future)

Where things fall away considerably is in the design of the Combo 10 Max's rear-mounted mopping system, at least by today's standards. When robot vacuum manufacturers originally discovered that they could include a wet pad on the rear to mop a floor while the front end did the vacuuming, they opted for a static wet pad that just dragged along behind as the robot moved around.

Then someone noticed that the wet pad was being dragged across any carpet that the robot needed to traverse en route to its next place of work. Roborock solved this conundrum by fitting a mechanism that raised the rear mop a few centimeters whenever the robot was on carpet. It was a revelatory innovation that others would soon adopt for their own products.

However, iRobot went even further with its earlier Combo j7+ model and instead of just raising the mop a few centimeters – which is plenty enough on all but the deepest of carpet pile – it developed a convoluted system that not only raised the mop but placed it on top of the rear of the machine.

Mop pad on iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max retracting to sit on top of the bot

Rather than simply raising the mop when not in use, this bot repositions it on top of the machine (Image credit: Future)

The very same system is in use on the Combo 10 Max. Which brings me to one of the biggest disappointments with this machine. You guessed, the nature of static mop itself. Anyone who has ever removed a floor stain using their hand and a wet cloth will know that a few tight circular swirls is more efficient than just swiping from one side to the other.

Consequently almost every other manufacturer has already dropped old-fashioned static mops like this for spinning towel-covered dual circular mop pads or, as in the case of Eufy, a cylindrical spinning towel. Moreover, some models like the Dreame L40 Ultra and Roborock Qrevo Curv even use extendable rear mops that pop out the side to run along skirting boards and around chair legs. By stark contrast – for a premium-spec model at least – the Combo 10 Max sticks to the old dyed-in-the-wool method of simply dragging a very thin and watery mop pad around behind it, albeit with some pressure applied by the weight of the robot itself.

While a static mop like this will sweep a floor clean of most light stains, it's no match for a pair of fast-spinning mops. Furthermore, the act of positioning the mop above the bot when it's not in use leaves unsightly splashes of water all over the top of the bot's shiny rear surface.

Water left on top of the Roomba Combo 10 Max after mop pad has shifted off

The retracting mop pad leaves the top of the robot wet (Image credit: Future)

When it comes to navigation around the home, almost all robot vacs these days use LiDAR, a radar-like laser-based range finder that maps an entire home in mere minutes. Like Dyson, iRobot has stuck to SLAM technology using its tried-and-tested RGB camera, LED headlight and sensor system, but this makes it painfully slow to map an entire floor plan.

However, one good thing with this bot is that its front-mounted RGB camera is pretty good at detecting obstacles. It will often pick up obstacles smaller than those detected by most other models, even those fitted with both LiDAR and a camera. Also, having no LiDAR on top of the machine means the bot can venture under low slung furniture and – if it feels like it – punch through sofa and bed valances, which is something LiDAR-based models cannot do.

Close up of camera on iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max

A front-mounted RGB camera is used for object detection (Image credit: Future)

The Combo 10 Max is equipped with all the usual technology to detect obstacles like stairs, drop-offs, walls and, as mentioned above, most small items like shoes and cables. However, as you'll read in my performance chapter, this robovac's obstacle avoidance is no better than the excellent Dreame L40 Ultra, though I would say that it's still a cut above some of its competitors.

The Combo 10 Max is also armed with a feature called ‘Dirt Detective' and according to iRobot, it 'creates a cleaning plan based on how often each room is cleaned and how frequently dirt is detected in each room. Selecting Dirt Detective to start cleaning will enable your robot to automatically prioritize the dirtiest rooms and use the most optimal cleaning settings for each.' To be honest, this function is very difficult to analyze since there are no real signals to suggest when it's in operation. But I'll give iRobot the benefit of doubt in this regard.

The great thing about most robot vacs is that they're pretty quiet while they go about their daily chores. Invariably all you will hear is a low-pitched hum as it passes by. Conversely, this model's sound frequency is higher pitched and, while it measures at an average 62dB, the nature of its higher frequency whine can be annoying when it's in the same room.

Dock design

The Roomba Combo 10 Max's AutoWash Dock gets an immediate star for great aesthetics. In fact, iRobot has consistently provided some of the best looking docking stations since the launch of the J7+. Yes, at 44cm in height, 50cm in depth and 40cm in width, it's a pretty large thing to have in the lounge or hallway, but in its favor the ribbed matt black plastic surround is a lot better looking than most other docks I've seen and, of course, the color black is far less noticeable in a home situation.

Like most contemporary robot vacs, this model's dock charges the robot, empties its small bin and cleans its mop. Although iRobot doesn't state the size of the AutoWash Dock's dust bag, it seems to be about average (around 2.5 liters).

Dust bag inside iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max dock

The bot empties dust into this dock dust bag (Image credit: Future)

Accordingly, it should hold enough debris in a non-pet household for over a month's worth of cleaning before you need to think about discarding it and fitting a new one (a spare bag is provided in the package). However, if you have shedding pets, you can expect to change dust bags much more frequently – possibly every two weeks.

Since this model also mops, it comes with two larger-than-average rectangular water tanks hidden behind a front door, one for clean water (2 liters) and the other for the dirty stuff (about 1.8 liters).

Water tanks inside the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max dock

The dock contains two water tanks hidden behind a door (Image credit: Future)

However, both water tanks have horizontal lids and both tanks are positioned horizontally instead of vertically, which means that the weight of the water forces the back of the containers downward as you pull them out.

If, for instance, the simple clip on the dirty water tank isn't firmly in place and you pull it out without bracing for the weight, the whole contents could easily tip backwards as it leaves the plinth and pour the dirty contents all over the floor. Unlike other models, removing and carrying these tanks to the sink is most certainly a two-handed operation.

Clean water tank from iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max dock

The tanks need to be held flat as they pull out horizontally (Image credit: Future)

The Combo Max 10s also performs a weird mop-cleaning routine whereby the robot moves in and out of its housing to run its mop over a ribbed rubber roller. That's in contrast to the way other systems work, where the cleaning mechanism moves back and forth across the mopping pad or, as is the case with most modern hybrids, a spinning system that scrubs the circular mops. This dock also uses a soft fan to dry the dock area after washing the pad but since the pad itself is positioned face down above the robot unit, the pad itself doesn't benefit from much drying at all.

  • Design score: 3 out of 5

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review: performance

  • Decent mopping
  • Disappointing suction on carpet
  • Dock suction is poor

Again, there's plenty to discuss here, so I've broken this section up into Navigation performance (below), Obstacle avoidance, Vacuum performance, Mopping performance and Dock performance.

The iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max uses SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) navigation technology, which isn't terrible but also is nowhere near as efficient as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), specifically when it comes to fast and accurate navigation in all levels of light, even complete darkness.

For instance, it took about 30 minutes for the Combo 10 Max to map my open-plan floorspace comprising living room, dining area, kitchen, hallway and passage. A LiDAR-equipped model takes about eight minutes to map the same space.

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max cleaning around a rug in reviewer's home

This bot had real trouble mapping my home (Image credit: Future)

Also, the map it produced was nowhere near as defined as a LiDAR-equipped machine, which produces maps of such accuracy you can see exactly where to select a specific cleaning zone, like a small rug or highlighted section of flooring. LiDAR also allows you to see the robot work in real time and pinpoint its whereabouts using a phone app. Conversely, with this product you may find it tricky to accurately divide one room from another, because it's not particularly clear which bit of the map is which.

To give you some idea how confusing it is to decipher the iRobot map, I endured the following scenario. Firstly, I created a ‘kitchen vac & mop' routine under ‘Favorites' and it mopped the first few feet of kitchen floor, then retracted the mop and vacuumed the kitchen rug. So far so good. However it then completely forgot about the rest of the kitchen (amounting to 70% of the floor space) and went back to its dock to wash the mop. I thought it was just doing a mid-session clean but, no, that was it.

Floor looking extremely wet after mopping by iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max robovac

After mop cleaning, this bot left my floors too wet (Image credit: Future)

Round two. I set it off on the same task and this time it went straight to the kitchen rug to vacuum it. Then it started mopping the same section as before, only this time the amount of water left behind on the floor was unacceptably high due to the mop having just been washed. It then trundled back to the dock as before.

This confused me, so I checked the map which, at a glance looked okay until I examined it more closely and noticed that the bot had never fully mapped the kitchen during the dry mapping run it performed the moment I set it up. I expected it to at least learn about this unmapped space when it was in the kitchen vacuuming and perhaps think ‘oh, here's a new part of the floor plan I didn't see earlier. I'll go ahead and amend the map'.

In the end I resorted to resetting the whole system to get it back to the start and remapped the whole house again. Bizarrely, it mapped the entire home accurately the second time around, albeit with weirdly-shaped walls that still make it hard to work out what's what.

Obstacle avoidance

I then performed some obstacle avoidance tests and the results were varied but not too bad it must be said. For my first two obstacle tests I perhaps placed too many obstacles in the bot's path because it cut short both rug cleaning sessions and scuttled back home. Test three with reduced clutter proved more successful, though the Combo 10 Max did ride over the circular dog chew that has similarly flummoxed every other bot in previous tests. Sadly, it also failed to notice the wayward shoe lace. However, it did avoid the sock and the phone cable.

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iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max trying to avoid a charge cable

(Image credit: Future)
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iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max trying to avoid obstacles, including a sock and dog toy

(Image credit: Future)
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iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max trying to suck up a shoe after unsuccessfully avoiding it

(Image credit: Future)

Would I rely on it to avoid dog mess? Despite iRobot stating that, like many of its forebears including the j7+ and j9+, the Combo 10 Max will avoid dog waste, I would never trust it to avoid it 100%. But then again, I'd never trust any robot vac to avoid pet waste – it's already happened to me with a previous product and I'm not going down that horrendously smelly toothbrush road again. The moral is – if you have a puppy in the home that hasn't been housetrained yet, do not rely on any robot vac to avoid any messes it makes.

I should finally add that the Combo 10 Max also bumps into walls and furnishings as part of its daily routine and this inevitably adds so many scuffs and scratches to the sides of the unit that it may look 5 years old after just a few weeks of use. However, there is a setting that will reduce this pinball issue at the expense of not performing as thorough a cleaning job along edges and around table legs.

Vacuum performance

I expected much better carpet performance from this machine, especially as it's equipped with twin rubber brush rollers. During my basic rug and living room carpet test, the Combo 10 Max occasionally ruffled up some Labrador hair into long bundled strands that it left behind and, while the robot's small internal bin showed some evidence of hair collection, it turned out that it hadn't collected as much as I expected.

Dog hair rolled on carpet after the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max has failed to pick them up

The Roomba Combo 10 Max occasionally left remnants of Labrador hair bundled on the carpet (Image credit: Future)

To check this, I sent the Roborock Qrevo Curv to the same sections of carpet and its bin contained even more hair than the Combo 10 Max – after it had already been there. If you have a lot of hairy pets, this might not be the best robovac for you (head to TechRadar's best robot vacuum for pet hair guide for bots that can handle pet hair).

Roborock Qrevo Curv bin full of dog hair, after going over the carpet once the Roomba Combo 10 Max had tried to vacuum it once

This what the Roborock Qrevo Curv picked up after the Roomba Combo 10 Max had done a vacuuming cycle on this rug (Image credit: Future)

I then proceeded to embark on some proper pickup tests on both carpet and hard floor using TechRadar's menu of ingredients: raw oats, flour and biscuit crumbs. My Persian-style rug is only about 2.3 x 1.4m but the robot seemed to miss some sections entirely and the areas it did clean – including the specific test area – it didn't do very well. It literally made one speedy pass over the test patch and then started to erratically clean some but not all of the rest of the rug, leaving plenty of flour in its wake. It then went back to base.

Roomba Combo 10 Max trying to vacuum biscuit crumbs, oats and flour from a rug

The Roomba Combo 10 Max made one speedy pass over my purposeful spillage, then proceeded to head off elsewhere (Image credit: Future)

Worse, while doing this test, it also proceeded to smear more rolled strands of pet hair that had clearly been shed since a previous test. After returning, the dock's incredibly loud suction kicked into action to remove the contents of the bot's bin and you can read about the results of this in a chapter below.

My final test included the same ingredients on my kitchen's wooden floor and it collected the vast majority of detritus in the first pass and then went back and forth over the section several times. It also trundled back to base midway through the kitchen session to have its bin emptied and then headed back to finish the task. Good result.

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Hard floor with dry debris spillage before cleaning with Roomba Combo 10 Max

(Image credit: Future)
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Hard floor with dry debris spillage after cleaning with Roomba Combo 10 Max

(Image credit: Future)

One especially annoying aspect with this system is the level of noise it creates. Firstly, the bot's side brush makes an irritating scuttling noise on hard floor and the high frequency whine of the vacuum section is audible from the other side of a room. By comparison, my Roborock Qrevo Curv is almost as quiet as a church mouse.

Mopping performance

Unlike much of the competition that has already moved over to plush spinning mop pads, the Combo Max 10 sticks to the old-fashioned method of dragging a thin, damp mop around behind it. Yes, the mop lifts completely off the floor and out of the way – but then the few centimeters that other models raise their mops is sufficient to prevent any damage to most carpet, bar, say, the deep pile variety. And anyway, some of the very latest bots with revolving mop heads now simply leave them in the dock if not being used.

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max mopping a wooden floor

The retractible mop pad in mopping mode (Image credit: Future)

To give it its dues, the Combo Max 10's mopping is actually pretty decent, despite the lack of any dirt agitating vibration tech like that fitted to some earlier Roborocks. In my kitchen test, it mopped efficiently enough and no worse than some cheaper models I've tested. I also noticed that it also made a few back-and-forth passes over the stain I created so its SmartScrub system feature seems to work okay. Was it as good as a pair of spinning toweling mops? No, but for light mopping duties it'll do.

Suction inlet on iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max clogged with damp dust and debris after vacuuming and mopping simultaneously

Simultaneous vacuuming and mopping will leave the suction inlet clogged with damp dust and dirt (Image credit: Future)

However, if set to vac and mop at the same time, this bot will still vacuum over areas it has already mopped and this causes extra dampness around the suction intake which will start to look very messy after a few tasks. Many robot vacs do that, but at least some models now provide the option to vac then mop, rather than do both at the same time.

Dock performance

Perhaps one of the most surprising disappointments I've experienced with the Combo Max 10 is the poor level of the AutoWash Dock's suction when emptying the robot's bin. Aside from being much louder than the norm (around 83dB), it has had continuing trouble emptying a full bin's worth of pet hair.

Firstly, it made a racket with a sound of rushing air and no whoomph sound that all robots make when a clump of hair is sucked from the robot's bin into the cleaning station's dust bag. When I removed the robot's bin, I noticed a large semi-circular clump of pet hair sticking out. This can happen with some robot vacs, especially those with poor docking station suction. So I removed the protruding clump and the rest of the contents were eventually sucked into the AutoWash Dock's large dust bag. Or so I thought.

A large clump of hair stuck in the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max's onboard bin

Hair blocked the onboard bin and prevented it from emptying properly (Image credit: Future)

When I checked the robot's bin again, I noticed a lot of large sand-like particles and a few small pieces of gravel. These should have also been sucked into the main dust bag like every other robot vac I've ever reviewed. This very same anomaly occurred after my carpet and hard floor tests using raw oats, flour and crushed biscuits.

Debris left in the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max's onboard bin

I regularly found debris left in the onboard bin after the auto-empty process (Image credit: Future)

As my photos illustrate, the dock simply refused to suck the majority of oat flakes out of the robot's bin. And that's a major fail in my opinion. Put another way, I wouldn't recommend this vac if you live by the seaside or its cleaning station may struggle to remove all traces of beach sand from the bot's bin.

Regarding the dock's mop cleaning ability, I'm not convinced that a robot moving back and forth over a simple ribbed rubber roller is an efficient way to clean a mop. Yes it removes a lot of detritus and most signs of discolor but in no way can this system compete with the competition for cleanliness. Perhaps worse is the fact that, after having been washed, the mop itself is well and truly sodden, which means any subsequent mopping sessions will have it dragging around a soaking mop instead of a dampened one.

Wooden floor soaking wet after mopping with iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max

The mop cleaning process leaves mop pads (and subsequently, my floor) soaking wet (Image credit: Future)

Also, the amount of water the cleaned mop leaves on top of the robot is unacceptable for a product in this price band. Yes there is that drying cycle I mentioned earlier, but all that really does is dry the cleaning area in the dock and not the mop itself. And, as we all know, a damp mop usually leads to mustiness and mold, especially after a few days of non-use.

  • Performance score: 3 out of 5

iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max review: app

  • Decent home screen
  • Basic customization
  • Quite buggy

While there are some elements of the iRobot app that impress – like the instant home page access to pre-programmed favorite routines – I find it mostly confusing to use, clunky and full of bugs. For instance, I've received error messages whenever I tap on a Favorite routine while that particular routine is in operation. It should either allow you into that setting or remain inoperative. Instead you just get an unhelpful error message that says ‘please try again'.

Screenshots of iRobot companion app

The lack of LiDAR means the maps lack detail and accuracy (Image credit: iRobot / Future)

As alluded to above, I also find the floor plan map quite tricky to read because it's nowhere near as detailed as that of a LiDAR-based model. In fact, it's primitive and quite blocky. Take my dining room map, for instance. I have a large dog bed against the window but that area is represented by a slanted wall that makes no sense. This made it tricky to locate a precise area in front of the dog bed so I could create a specific zone-cleaning routine.

As you'd expect, the iRobot app provides options to create room dividers, room labels and – if you can work out the map – cleaning zones. It also lets you adjust various parameters like whether you want the dock to dry the mop pad (it doesn't totally dry it), set a child lock and locate the unit when it's lost by emitting a faint sound. You can also command this model using Alexa and Google.

  • App score: 2.5 out of 5

Should you buy the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max?

Buy it if...

You value aesthetics
This bot has one of the best-looking docks on the market.

You have more hard floor than carpet
The vacuuming is decent on hard floor, and the light mopping is fine too.

You find a really good deal
This robovac is very overpriced at full price, but if you find a good discount, it could be worth considering.

Don't buy it if...

You have pets in the home
The pet hair pickup on this model isn't great, and can easily clog the self-empty mechanism.

You want a no-fuss option
This robot can be hard to control, and the app has a few annoying quirks, too.

You want ultra-quiet operation
Both the robot and cleaning base are noisy in operation.View Deal

How I tested the iRobot Roomba Combo 10 Max

TechRadar has a set testing regime which I followed to a tee. Aside from having it set to perform some daily cleaning routines, I also tested the model's vacuuming ability using oats, crushed biscuits and floor on both hard floor and medium-pile carpet. I also tested its mopping function on engineered hard wood flooring and how well it navigated various obstacles. Finally, I made notes on the cleaning station's performance at bin emptying and mop cleaning, measured the noise levels of both the robot and its docking station and spent a lot of time getting to know the iRobot app.

Read more about how we test robot vacuum cleaners.

  • First reviewed November 2024
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