How to be sure you're buying the right cordless stick vacuum

While sales of cordless broom vacuum cleaners are soaring, "20 Minutes" gives you advice on how to properly equip yourself according to your real needs and your budget.

With sales boosted by teleworking, cordless stick vacuum cleaners are attracting more and more users.
Sold from 79 to 799 euros, not all offer the same performance.
In addition to the suction power and autonomy, it will also be necessary to ensure certain criteria around their ergonomics.

Boosted by teleworking, sales of stick vacuum cleaners are on the rise.

Yesterday complementary to a sled vacuum cleaner, the "broom" model would become the main equipment for floor maintenance for two thirds of buyers.

Still, when it's time to equip yourself, there's plenty to get lost in the jungle of offers.

No less than 76 references are present, for example, on the Boulanger site.

It displays models sold from 79 euros (H.Koenig UP600) to 799 euros (Dyson outsize absolute)!

On a price scale ranging from one to ten, how do you find your way around?

20 Minutes

gives you the seven keys to being inspired when it's time to aspire!

1. Define your needs

Before buying a cordless stick vacuum cleaner, you have to know why you are going to buy it.

"It's essential, even before checking the technical criteria: do I have a small or large surface, hard or carpeted floors, do I have children who play sports or cats at home... “, so many questions to ask, advises Philippe Michel, editor-in-chief of HomAp, a reference site on household appliances.

“If you have a lot of carpet, you will need power and brushes,” confirms Carlos Dorado Cardenas, system engineer at Dyson.

Consequence: all aspis are not necessarily adapted to your interior, nor your real needs.

Something to clean up among the dozens of references in stock...

2. Check (imperatively) the power

This is expressed in Airwatts.

It gives a key indication of the power of the motor and the efficiency of the vacuum cleaner.

"It's a visible and tangible criterion, which must be verified," says Florent Dumontier, product director at Rowenta.

From 20 to 230 Airwatts, a vacuum cleaner will therefore not offer the same services.

The H.Koenig UP600 model sold for 79 euros displays 34 Airwatts, against 220 Airwatts for the Dyson outsize absolute sold for 799 euros.

CQFD.

“Beyond 200 Airwatts, the power approaches that of a traditional vacuum cleaner,” says Carlos Dorado Cardenas at Dyson.

3. Charge the battery well

With cleaning sessions lasting 25 minutes on average in France, it is better not to run out of energy between the living room and the bedroom.

Now, most vacuum cleaners promise between 30 and 60 minutes of battery life.

But beware, warns Stéphane Bettoni, marketing director of the SEB group: “In the industry, we all announce autonomy at minimum speed.

And there, we can quickly go on disappointment.

Also, we try to guarantee that even at maximum speed, our vacuum cleaners do not drop below 20 to 25 minutes of real autonomy”.

A pitfall that can be offset by the possible purchase of a second battery.

4. Optimize autonomy

Beware, however: not all stick vacuum cleaners necessarily offer a removable battery.

And for Philippe Michel of HomMag, fixed-battery models can cause other setbacks: “This is what will fail first, sometimes even after two years if you make frequent use of your vacuum cleaner.

And good luck replacing the battery of an entry-level vacuum cleaner!

»… Some brands like Dyson and soon Rowenta offer stick vacuum cleaners whose power automatically adapts according to the nature of the floor: moderate on tiles, stronger on rugs or carpets.

What optimize performance, but also autonomy.

On its V12, Dyson even goes so far as to adapt the power, and therefore the autonomy, according to the nature of the dust to be vacuumed...

5. Examine the capacity of the collector

Where canister vacuum cleaners use bags with a capacity of up to 4 liters to collect dust, broom vacuum cleaners incorporate collectors with a lower capacity: from 0.4 to 0.9 litres.

Hence the need to empty this "bowl" more regularly.

Samsung has found the parade with Bespoke Jet One, its new broom vacuum cleaner whose collector empties automatically on a charging station (available in March 2022).

6. Check the practicality of use

Think ergonomics and accessories!

For ergonomics, the weight of the vacuum cleaner is something to watch out for, especially if you have large surfaces to clean.

“There are now generations of engines that deliver the same power with less weight.

You can save up to 500 grams on your wrist for twenty-five minutes!

says Florent Dumontier, Product Director at Rowenta.

Which is nothing.

Another criterion: the “standing station” or “parking” which allows certain vacuum cleaners to stand alone, without being placed against a wall.

“You still need a real parking position that holds”, tackles Philippe Michel at HomAp…

7. Choose the right accessories

Some specific brushes, such as those dedicated to animals, can be very practical.

Other brushes have LED lighting to help us spot dust under furniture and bed bases.

Some models are sometimes equipped with flexible pipes that can bend at 90 degrees.

It's ideal for getting under furniture.

Rowenta offers it as standard on its Flex models.

At Dyson, an accessory at 39 euros can be added to home vacuum cleaners.

8. Define your budget

“In household appliances, the prices are quite fair.

A vacuum cleaner at 300 euros gives its money's worth”, notes the editor-in-chief of Homag, Philippe Michel.

Still, broom vacuum cleaners can be divided into three families.

Up to 150 euros, these will be auxiliary vacuum cleaners with a fixed battery.

Between 150 and 300 euros, we will find models with more power, accessories, and a removable battery.

Beyond 300 euros, place for high-performance devices that will replace a canister vacuum cleaner.

The most expensive (1,299 euros) on the market remains the Kobold VB100 from Vorwerk, the Thermomix firm.

Not content with cordless vacuuming, it also mops with each pass.

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