Guide

Vacuuming, emptying, cleaning: test cordless hoovers

20.4.2018

Translation: machine translated

In its new campaign, Dyson has made a promise: "Say goodbye to the traditional hoover". We tested and compared five models from different brands and price ranges.

We sometimes wonder whether marketing slogans are just empty promises and whether the price difference is really justified... So we've selected five hoovers from our range to put them through the ultimate test. And we can already tell you that even the cheapest hoover may be right for you, it all depends on your needs.

What did we test?

We wanted to draw our conclusions from concrete measurements. As we couldn't soil a carpet and weigh it to the nearest milligram before and after vacuuming, we therefore decided to test the hoovers on wooden floors.

Manipulability: is the hoover easy to manoeuvre? Is it pleasant to handle? We used the Swiss rating system.

Draining: is it easy to empty the tank? How easy is it to remove the tank? Is there a lot of dust escaping? We used the Swiss rating system.

Cleaning the vacuum cleaner: is it easy to dismantle and clean all the parts of the hoover, especially the filters? We used the Swiss rating system.

Suction performance: we put the hoovers through three everyday tests: they had to suck up rice, flour and M&Ms in turn. We took a photo at each pass, there and back.

Here are the products tested

Vacuum cleaners

CHF496.–

Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute

Vacuum cleaners

Philips FC6823/01 Speed Pro Max

Vacuum cleaners

CHF367.–

Gtech AirRam K9

Vacuum cleaners

Electrolux Eer7animal

Vacuum cleaners

Hoover Freedom FD 22G 011

Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute: design & quality combined with good suction power

Rice test

Rice suction test - left: result after forward pass, right: result after return pass

Flour test

Flour suction test - left: result after forward pass, right: result after return pass

Notes / remarks

Maniability: 6
Emptying: 6
Cleaning: 6
Comfort of use:
❌ does not suck in the return direction, noisy, you have to keep pressing the button
✔ powerful suction, manoeuvrability
Filter: HEPA filter
Other notes: built-in table hoover, battery level indicator

Other specifications:

Volume: 0.76 litres
Suction levels: 3
Autonomy: up to 60 minutes
Charging time: 3.5 hours
Charging type: wall-mounted charging station with cable
Manufacturer noise level: 87 decibels
Weight: 2.68 kg Accessories: direct-drive electric brush, mini electric brush, nozzle, combination accessory, extra soft brush

Conclusion - Dyson

The top-of-the-range hoover has good suction power and its wide nozzle means you can suck up everything in a single pass. The only downside is that the Dyson doesn't suck in the return direction. As you can see from the rice test, the hoover doesn't suck up the grains of rice in reverse. It simply pushes them forwards, which is due to the rotating brush, which works better forwards. This elegantly designed hoover can easily be used as a main hoover on a daily basis.

Philips SpeedPro Max: excellent suction power and multi-directional brush

Rice test

Flour test

Notes / remarks

Maniability: 6
Emptying: 5
Cleaning: 6
Comfort of use:
❌ grips the floor, all its weight weighs on the hand
✔ dirt on the sides is also picked up, good suction towards the rear too, goes well under furniture, pleasant noise level
Filter: washable filter
Other notes: built-in handheld hoover, battery level indicator, LED light for vacuuming less bright areas

Other specifications:

Volume: 0.6 litres
Levels of suction: 3
Autonomy: up to 65 minutes
Charging time: 5 hours
Charging type: wall station with cable and magnetic system
Noise level according to manufacturer: 84 decibels
Weight: 2.73 kg Accessory: mini turbo brush

Conclusion - Philips

The Philips SpeedPro Max didn't come out on top in the flour test, but it excelled in the rice test. Unlike Dyson's hoover, it vacuums both backwards and forwards, thanks to its 360° brush designed to suck up dust from all sides. The well-thought-out design means you can get under furniture without any problems. The only drawback is that the weight of the hoover makes itself felt in the arms, but in the absence of fractures, this isn't too disturbing. So this model is also perfectly suited to everyday use.

Gtech AirRam K9: effective on large surfaces

Rice test

Flour test

Notes / remarks

Maniability: 5
Emptying: 6
Cleaning: 6
Comfort of use:
❌ heavier weight, wider working radius
✔ powerful suction, wide brush, scented cartridge
Filter: washable filter
Other notes: parking mode, interchangeable battery, battery level display, LED light to vacuum less bright areas

Other specifications:

Volume: 0.8 litres
Levels of suction: 1
Autonomy: up to 40 minutes
Charging time: 4 hours
Charging type: charging cable
Noise level according to manufacturer: 75 decibels
Weight: 3.7 kg Accessories: replacement filter, 5 replacement fragrance cartridges

Conclusion - Gtech

A small miracle of suction power lies behind this unusual design for the Swiss market. Large surfaces are quickly cleaned thanks to the wide brush. This hoover didn't pass the flour test, certainly because of the rubber tab on the brush. It did shine in the rice test, however, and had already sucked up almost all the grains in the forward direction. However, in both tests, the Gtech did not suck up grains in the return direction. Who is this hoover aimed at? In our opinion, given the speed of cleaning and the width of the brush, it's ideal for those who need to vacuum large areas.

Electrolux Ergorapido 2in1: very handy, for occasional needs

Rice test

Flour test

Notes / remarks

Maniability: 6
Emptying: 5
Cleaning: 4
Comfort of use:
❌ difficult access under furniture
✔ weight rests on floor, moves almost by itself
Filter: washable filter
Other notes: built-in handheld hoover, parking mode, brush cleaning, battery level display, LED light for vacuuming darker areas

Other specifications:

Volume: 0.5 litres
Levels of suction: 2
Autonomy: up to 45 minutes
Charging time: 4 hours
Charging type: charging station
Manufacturer noise level: 79 decibels
Weight: 3.44 kg Accessories: special nozzle for pets

Conclusion - Electrolux

First impression: what saddens me as Electrolux's biggest fan to date is that a lot of rice grains were ejected from the test area. Instead, I was hoping for a brilliant performance from Electrolux that would make us forget about the Dyson. But since we're dealing with facts, I'm going to stick to the truth. The suction power is average, as you can see from the photos. This hoover is therefore more of a second hoover for occasional use. Has your child spilt something? Did you get it all over the kitchen? The cordless hoover is waiting for you, charged and ready to use on its station.

Hoover Freedom: good value for money

Rice test

Flour test

Notes / remarks

Maniability: 4
Emptying: 4
Cleaning: 5
Comfort of use:
❌ weight distribution, bottom part very light, castors are noisy, rattle and rub when vacuum is handled with force
✔ button can be locked in on position, very slim and compact hoover, good performance in return direction
Filter: washable filter
Other notes: built-in handheld hoover, interchangeable battery

Other specifications:

Volume: 0.7 litres
Levels of suction: 1
Autonomy: up to 25 minutes
Charging time: 6 hours
Charging type: wall-mounted with cable
Noise level according to manufacturer: 76 decibels
Weight: 2.5 kg Accessories: motorised brush, special nozzle for vacuuming pet hair, narrow nozzle, 2-in-1 brush for furniture and cushions

Conclusion - Hoover

Elegant, practical and inexpensive. We couldn't wait to find out what it could do, but let's stick to the facts. It's not perfect, but at least it picks up on the way back everything it couldn't suck up on the way out. It's easy to see that this isn't a top-of-the-range model. And its battery only lasts 25 minutes. All in all, we were impressed with this model, which makes a very good extra hoover or one for small surfaces. It has the advantage of being easy to store thanks to its small size. It's perfect for any Swiss bachelor with a small flat.

And the M&Ms?!

All attentive readers will have noticed that we forgot the M&Ms! No hoover managed to suck them up, they pushed them all out, without exception. Still, here's a picture of the Gtech and Electrolux to show you the LED lighting.