Test winner: Dyson V15 Detect
Price tip: Dyson V7 Motorhead
The British rock band of the same name is history, but the Dyson V7 “Motorhead”, which is no longer brand new, still cuts a fine figure when it comes to vacuuming. The device is certainly not quite as loud as guitar music, but it is not exactly quiet either. Otherwise, it consistently gets good marks: The Dyson Motorhead V7 is fast, powerful and extremely manoeuvrable – on both carpet and hard floors. The device was convincing in the practical test: vacuuming is rock ‘n’ roll – and also quite affordable: it is available from 273 euros (price at the time of the test), making it a real price tip.
This is how COMPUTER BILD tests cordless vacuum cleaners
While DIN-compliant mixtures of dust and hair were used in the strict laboratory test, COMPUTER BILD used a balanced mixture of heavy grains of rice and light and stubborn shreds of paper in a quantity that tended to far exceed the daily amount of crumbs and shreds in the practice check . However, it was possible to use the measured time to get an estimate of how long it takes to vacuum a certain area with obstacles – and whether the battery is even sufficient for this.
-
Brush power: All cordless vacuum cleaners use the power of a rotating brush as standard, which is intended to transport the dirt in the direction of the suction tube. Because the pure suction power of the cordless devices is lower than that of classic vacuum cleaners. As long as the device is operated with the brush-equipped floor nozzle, this is not a problem at all. However, the difference is very noticeable in hand-held vacuum mode or with the crevice nozzles attached.
- Leftovers: The brush principle was also the reason why a few grains of rice often fell out again after most vacuum cleaners were switched off. They rotated in the floor nozzle and were not sucked up. Remedy: Finally, let the vacuum run briefly until the last grain has been vacuumed up.
- The right direction: Some test devices only suck really well in forward gear. In reverse, they often just pushed the granules backwards.
- Fine dust filter: If the filters used in the bagless systems are very dusty, the suction power decreases considerably. In the practical test, the laboratory experts measured losses of up to 30 percent. In addition, the amount of leftovers falling out at the end increased significantly.
- Vacuuming in everyday life: One square meter of carpet, three grams of confetti, ten grams of rice and a stopwatch: These were the tools for a test that the COMPUTER BILD experts used to determine a very important value: the “vacuum experience”. Because no matter how good soberly determined data such as motor power, charging time and suction power may be – in the end the decisive factor in the purchase is how convincing the handling of the individual parts is, how well the device can be maneuvered through the apartment and how long it takes until the last crumb has disappeared from the carpet
The test candidates bring that with them
The tested cordless vacuum cleaners are essentially characterized by the following features:
- Cordless vacuum cleaners: All devices have a rechargeable battery that literally lets the vacuum cleaner off the leash – and that is one of the biggest advantages: there are no tangled cables, no tripping hazards and no more spatial restrictions. The disadvantage: Sometimes the battery life is not even long enough for the living room – depending on the power level and surface, it is between around ten minutes and over an hour for the tested models.
- Bagless vacuum cleaners: All cordless vacuum cleaners in the test do not need a dust bag. The consumer no longer has to be annoyed by their sometimes horrendous prices. Disadvantage: Emptying the dust container is sometimes a bit cumbersome and generally quite dusty. The environmentally friendly principle is usually completely unsuitable for allergy sufferers. In addition to the container itself, filters or entire filter systems also require regular cleaning. And the test showed one thing clearly: If you neglect the dirty work of regular cleaning, you have to reckon with sometimes considerable losses in suction power.
- Manual operation: All vacuum cleaners can be operated in a handy mode if required. With almost all candidates, you only have to separate the long intake manifold from the head unit.
- Accesories: Separate attachments such as upholstery brushes or crevice vacuums are included with all candidates. With the models from AEG and Leifheit, the complete motor unit can be removed from the device directly above the floor nozzle and then used as an autonomous hand-held vacuum cleaner
Clear difference: Nothing works without a brush
In contrast to classic vacuum cleaners with a cable and dust bag, all tested cordless vacuum cleaners use a rotating brush in the floor nozzle. It hurls crumbs and fluff to the suction tube and thus requires less pure suction power. The brushes are always in operation on almost all devices – only on the Dirt Devil model can they be switched off. However, this is not recommended, as without this brush support, significant power is lost in some cases. This is particularly noticeable when the device is to be cleaned in manual mode. Then it is often necessary to use attachments without the brush, for example with the crevice vacuum cleaner.
Cons: Crumbs on the run
As good as the brush support is, it also has disadvantages. Depending on the type of carpet, the bristles of the rotating helpers rub the surface to a greater or lesser extent on all models – and wear out in the process. It can therefore be assumed that the brush performance will steadily decrease. In addition, it happened relatively often in the test that individual crumbs fell out of the vacuum cleaner after it was switched off. In practice, this happens above all when the cordless vacuum cleaner is to quickly remove a few thick crumbs from the floor shortly before switching off. Then the brush doesn’t manage to transport the thick chunks to the suction pipe fast enough. As soon as the engine stops, the crumbs fall back onto the carpet – this is annoying, but happened to almost all devices. Only with the Dyson models was this residual amount so small that it was negligible.
Obstacles: stairs? No problem!
The bottom line is that most of the test candidates can be said with certainty: vacuuming with these devices is not stressful and even fun. In view of this ultimately stupid housework, that alone is a kind of accolade for cordless vacuum cleaners. The fun is mainly due to the fact that the bottom line is that the suction power is quite good, there are no annoying cables, and the devices are mostly small, agile and smooth-running. Its comparatively low weight is a great advantage, especially when you have to vacuum a staircase or carry the device to another floor. Thanks to their compact design, the vacuum cleaners can easily find a parking space even in small apartments.