Cordless vacuums are boring? Narwal and Dreame prove the opposite
Integrated secondary battery, bendable brush that squeezes into gaps, automatic cleaning: Dreame and Narwal are upgrading boring cordless vacuum cleaners with exciting features at the IFA tech trade show.
Some cordless vacuum cleaners have a white light, others a blue one, and a third group a green one to illuminate the dust on the floor and make it visible. Some have stronger suction, others have a clever emptying system. But in reality, modern battery-powered vacuum cleaners are very similar.
Narwal and Dreame proved at IFA in Berlin that there is still room for innovative new features. I wanted to walk past both devices, but the press representatives said: «You have to see this!» And they were right about both devices: truly clever solutions in a very unspectacular device category.
Narwal V50 Cube: Everything in the station, including a spare battery
It is not the cordless vacuum that catches the eye here, but the base station. The manufacturer has built it to be square and compact. It is 88 centimeters high – and yet the vacuum can be docked for automatic emptying. This is particularly easy: I can drive the nozzle into a small garage at the bottom and slide the handheld unit onto the station at the top in one fluid motion.
Also striking is how light the vacuum is. The handheld unit weighs only 1.4 kilograms, yet the V50 Cube has a suction power of 28,000 Pascals or 210 airwatts. A special feature: when I vacuum a carpet, I can extend a lip on the nozzle, which seals the nozzle. This increases the suction power.
The nozzle is sealed in this way and the suction power is optimized. In addition, hair should no longer get caught in the brush.
The base station has two more surprises to offer. It has space for all the accessories and a replacement battery, which it also charges at the same time. Thanks to the second energy storage unit, the total suction time is said to be 180 minutes. The station also charges the battery while it is in its storage position. In addition, the system treats the dust bag with an antibacterial agent and is designed to be ready for use for up to 100 days before you need to change the bag.
You will likely be able to order the V50 Cube from us in October. The official retail price is 599 Swiss francs.
Dreame V40 Aqua Station: Brush folds into every corner
The base station is also the focus of this model. Only this one is not compact and inconspicuous, but massive and impossible to miss. It is reminiscent of Transformers, especially when I start trying out the various modes on the touchscreen. For example, I can open the side compartments at the push of a button. Then a plexiglass pane moves downwards and the accessory storage slides out to the side. The water and wastewater tanks can also be folded out via touch.
You read that right, the V40 Aqua Station is not just a vacuum cleaner, but also a wet-dry vacuum. For this purpose, the suction brush can be replaced with a wiping roller. After cleaning, this is of course washed and dried directly in the station.
The cleaning center also has space for a spare battery so that all cleaning work can really be done in one go. I can see the status of the batteries and water tanks on the screen at any time.
My highlight, however, is the newly developed brush for the vacuum. If I push the V40 into a tight spot, the ends of the brush give way. This saves me from having to switch to a narrower nozzle. As soon as I am back on an open surface, everything folds back and I am vacuuming over a wide area again.
Dreame did not reveal exactly when the V40 Aqua Station will be launched on the market or how much it will cost at the trade fair.
Gadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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