Narwal V50 Cube: two-minute review

For its first stick vacuum, Narwal did a great job with the V50 Cube. It launched in November 2026 as an extremely lightweight and cordless stick vac with an extendable wand and a dock that does more than charge and auto empty. Over the course of two weeks, I used the vacuum to clean debris from my laminate and hardwood floors, the cobwebs in my windowsills, and dust from my ceiling.

Even with just a maximum 28,000 Pa suction (I’ve tested robovacs with more power), the V50 Cube did pretty well cleaning fine and thick materials, especially on my rugs. Most of the time, I used the AI or auto mode (and sometimes the turbo mode) as the eco mode wasn’t as effective.

The only time the vacuum struggled with a cleaning task was suctioning Cheerios from my hard floors. Other than that, I was very satisfied with its performance thanks to its dirt detecting capabilities which increased the suction power when debris was detected. I even appreciated the aqua headlight that showed me exactly where to clean as it magnifies dust more so than a regular white headlight. The front edge cleaning was poor, but at least the side edge cleaning was anywhere between zero and half an inch.

The charging dock auto empties the dust and debris and reverses the brush roll to prevent tangling. The two-in-one crevice tool is hidden away inside the dock when not in use. There, you’ll also find an extra battery that is always charged and ready to go. This is good since one battery only lasts seven minutes on turbo, 20 minutes on AI or auto mode, and 55 minutes on eco mode.

There are other little details about the design that’s amazing like how it automatically lowers a brush plate when cleaning a carpet to pull more dust and debris – or the way it’s outfitted with a manual scraper to pull off residue stuck in the dust cup. Sure, there are some drawbacks, like how the vacuum head and wand buttons sometimes stick or the crevice tool fell off a few times, but when weighing the pros and cons, I believe there is a lot of value in this vacuum and a promise from Narwal of more to come.

Narwal V50 Cube: price and availability

• List price: $649.99 (about £480 / AU$930)
• Launched: November 2026
• Available: US, Canada, China, and selected EU countries (Germany, France, Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Belarus)

The Narwal V50 launched in November 2026 with a price tag of $649.99, becoming the brand’s first stick vacuum in the US. That works out at roughly £480 / AU$930, but it's not currently available in the UK or Australia. It is, however, being sold in Canada, China, and the EU.

You may also be able to find it more cheaply in one of Narwal's regular sales. Despite its recent release, at the time of writing it has received a $150 discount in Narwal's Black Friday deals, bringing its price down to $449.99.

The relatively high price tag comes from the fact that the vacuum has sensors that detect floor type and dirt. It’s also sold with a charging base with auto-empty features, and an extra battery that doubles your battery life. Considering these features, I’d say the price makes sense.

• Value score: 4 out of 5

Narwal V50 Cube: specs

Narwal V50 Cube: design

• Extremely lightweight cordless vacuum that maneuvers easily
• Aqua headlight magnifies dust, dirt, and debris
• AI capabilities sense floor types and dirt

As Narwal’s first stick vacuum, the V5 has a lot going for it in terms of its design. The black and gray vacuum is modern, sleek, and compact. After pulling it from the base, I have to extend the wand to make it more comfortable to use (I’m 5’5”). The buttons on the vacuum can stick when it comes to removing the vacuum head or the handheld from the wand, but I never had an issue with the extension button. Unfortunately, the vacuum can’t stand on its own, but it can lie 180 degrees flat.

At only 3lbs., the V50 is super lightweight, which made it easy for me to move the vacuum across my floors or hold it up high above my head to clean ceiling corners. The vacuum head is 9.5 inches wide and it’s maneuverable without being uncontrollable, allowing me to clean around chair legs easily.

The grip on the vacuum is very comfortable with the power button and mode switch button in easy reach. A small screen shows the mode and battery life displayed as an icon. When in AI auto mode, the display screen has a curved line to highlight the dirt level. Purple tells you that the floor is clean, while red indicates unseen dirt.

I’ve always been a fan of headlights on vacuums, but this one really takes the cake. The aqua light covers 145 degrees, magnifying every bit of dust on your floor. It works very well in tandem with the AI DirtSense technology which detects dust and dirt, thereby automatically increasing the suction power. The AI technology senses rugs or carpets and lowers a brush plate to create a seal to better pull dust from the fibers of the carpet.

The charging dock is one of the most compact ones I’ve seen — and definitely ever tested. In fact, the vacuum won’t fit on the dock unless you unextend the wand. The charging dock automatically removes dust and debris from the dust cup into a sealed bag that holds up to 100 days’ worth of dirt. Dual H13 HEPA filtration and UVC+ Silver Ion Sterilization ensure that the dust stays locked away.

Narwal also added an anti-tangle hand tool to the dust cup that scrapes away tough residue. There’s a scraping ring under the vacuum that prevents hair or thread wrapping. And when you place the vacuum on the dock, the brush roll undergoes reverse rotation to flush everything out into the dust bag.

Behind the front panel of the dock, there’s a compartment that holds the 2-in-1 crevice tool and another one that charges an extra battery. I really admire that Narwal created a space to hide the accessory and the battery in the dock — something that not enough brands do in my opinion. My only critique would be to have the front panel placed on a hinge in the future.

Setup took no time at all. I added the wand and the vacuum head to the handheld, charged it up, and started cleaning.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Narwal V50 Cube: battery life

• 20 min on auto mode, 55 min on eco mode, and 7 min on turbo mode
• Extra battery stays charged in the charging base
• Took about two hours for the vacuum to fully recharge

The Narwal V50’s battery life differs depending on which mode you use and the dirt level of your floors. In my testing, the eco mode lasted the longest at 55 minutes, while the battery on turbo mode lasted only seven minutes.

The battery died on AI mode, or the dirt detection mode, after 20 minutes. In that time, I was able to clean about three quarters of the hardwood floors in my home, however, I was moving fast to achieve that. My floors were particularly dusty and dirty, so I’m not surprised that the battery lasted only 20 minutes. Each time the vacuum recognized dirt or dust, it increased the suction which used more power. To that effect, you may see the battery life adjust a bit depending on if you’re using the vacuum on carpet or hardwood floors, as carpet or rugs will cause the vacuum to increase the suction.

The battery life is quite average compared to others, and I wish it lasted a bit longer on the dirt detection mode. However, the cool thing about this vacuum is that it comes with a backup battery that always stays charged in the charging base. So whenever the battery dies, I can grab the other battery, fit it to the Narwal V50 and continue cleaning. It effectively doubles the battery life of the vacuum, allowing you to clean way more at once.

The vacuum took about two hours to recharge on the dock.

• Battery life score: 4 out of 5

Narwal V50 Cube: performance

• Powerful carpet suction, with decent edge cleaning
• Headlight and auto dirt detection work together to pick up dust and debris
• Very lightweight and nimble for cleaning floors or high spaces

The Narwal V50 is a fascinating vacuum. With a turbo suction power of only 28,000 Pa, it’s not the strongest vacuum I’ve tested, and yet, it performed surprisingly well in a lot of ways. I used the vacuum to clean my floors as I normally would, and ran a few tests to see how well it suctioned a variety of materials on different floor types.

One of my favorite aspects of this stick vacuum is its lightweight nature and the smaller vacuum head size. It’s so nimble and twists and turns easily so I could clean around a lot of my furniture without having to move it. The aqua headlight magnifies dust and debris considerably. (I was astounded by how much dust collects on my floors daily!) The ability to lie 180 degrees flat was a big bonus and because the vacuum head and the wand are so thin, I was able to clean under a dresser that I’ve never been able to reach with any other vacuum I’ve tested.

I was very satisfied with how the vacuum picked up dust and debris on the turbo mode and AI or auto mode. I used the V50 most days to pick up food droppings in my kitchen or to clean up dirt I trekked into my mudroom. I was also very glad that I could break down this vacuum and use it as a handheld with the 2-in-1 crevice tool to clean cobwebs from my ceilings and windows or dust from my base boards. I should note that the crevice tool fell off the wand a few times. I even struggled to remove the handheld from the wand too.

The eco mode performed better with the vacuum head on the body of the vacuum (rather than as a handheld), but I doubt I will use that mode from herein out since the suction power was quite low.

Edge cleaning wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. There was about an inch along the front edge of the vacuum. The side edge cleaning was better, ranging anywhere from 0.5 inches to no space along the side. Unfortunately, I never figured out why the side edge cleaning was not consistent.

To test the Narwal V50, I laid out Cheerios, rice, baking soda (on a rug), and flour (on hard floors) on my different floor types and used the AI dirt detect mode to see how well the vacuum picked up these materials. The vacuum performed perfectly on the rug, suctioning everything in a single go.

The hard floor results were not as good as the rug test. The Narwal V50 appeared to pick up all the flour from the hard floor, but there was a slight film of flour left behind that required the turbo mode to completely remove. While the vacuum picked up all the rice in a single pass, it struggled with the Cheerios. At first, it picked up some of the Cheerios, but after that, the vacuum just pushed the Cheerios forward. Even when I moved the vacuum head slower, I was only able to suction a few more Cheerios, which still left about five behind on the floor.

No matter what, I can’t praise the convenience of the charging base and its auto-empty capabilities. I love the ease of being able to put the vacuum on the base and going about my day, knowing that it suctions all the dirt and dust and keeps it fully contained until it needs to be replaced. The manual scraper tool inside the dust cup of the vacuum is also quite unique in that it removes stubborn residue that the suction power of the base might not be able to do on its own. I haven’t seen that with other vacuums so that’s a great maintenance feature.

I would by no means rely on the Narwal V50 to be your go-to vacuum to clean carpeted rooms. It’s great for cleaning rugs, but it doesn’t have the suction power to handle a house with mostly carpet. Instead, I’d utilize it as a quick-cleaning tool to pick up scraps of food, random bits of dirt, dust from your windowsills, or pet hair that clumps under furniture. It would also be a good choice for smaller homes or apartments.

• Performance: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Narwal V50 Cube?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Narwal V50 Cube: also consider

If the Narwal V50 Cube isn't the right vacuum for your home, here are two other options that you should consider:

How I tested the Narwal V50 Cube

Over the course of a few weeks, I tested the Narwal V50 in my 1,600-square-foot house outfitted with historic hardwood and laminate floors and two large rugs. I used the vacuum to clean my floors, windowsills, baseboards, and ceilings, noting how it suctioned fine dust and large debris. After running multiple tests, I got a great sense of the battery life, maintenance required, and ease of use.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners.

First reviewed November 2026

Shark PowerDetect Transformer: two-minute review

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer is a wired vacuum cleaner that combines an upright, stick and handheld vacuum all in one. It offers plenty of the premium features you might expect, including tangle-free brush bar and dirt-illuminating LED, but also comes crammed with smart features like automatic dirt, surface and edge detection.

The Shark PowerDetect Transformer admittedly isn’t the most easily wielded vacuum cleaner in its upright form — weighing in at 17.6 lbs / 8kg — but it has a trick up its sleeve. Press a single button and its vacuum pod pops off, turning it into a svelte stick vacuum with its own discrete dust bin. Need even more flexibility? Pop off the top section and it becomes a handy handheld vac. Switching between each system is seriously swift, which is really smart design.

On top of this, the PowerDetect Transformer also offers an excellent range of accessories for different tasks, so you’re not just limited to its talented DuoClean Detect nozzle. The HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power brush is great for getting pet hair off your rugs and furniture — with its anti-tangle tech preventing the bar getting clogged — and it also includes old classics like a crevice tool and a multi-surface brush. On top of this, it has built-in HEPA certified filtration and an anti-allergen seal, which the asthma sufferers in my house definitely appreciate.

In my book though, the thing that helps the PowerDetect Transformer rival the best vacuum cleaners is how hassle-free it makes sucking up crud from your carpets and hard flooring. Absolutely chock full of auto-detection features, it will dial the level of its suction up and down depending on your floor type, the amount of dirt it detects or the direction you’re dragging it in. Even smarter is its edge detection, which senses when you’re vacuuming against furniture and along room boundaries and directs its suction toward them to more completely do away with detritus.

I’ll admit that being smart doesn’t necessarily always translate being capable. Fortunately, all these smarts do make Shark’s vacuum seriously good at shifting dirt. Pretty much every test I put the PowerDetect Transformer through it aced, getting up coarse dirt from a hard floor and dust out of a shallow pile carpet in a single sweep. And when vacuuming room edges — the achilles heel of many vacuum cleaners — every single lentil I’d tossed down vanished in one movement. The fact pretty much all of this happened without me having to tap a single button is just the icing on the cake.

On top of this, its brush bars were able to remove a disturbing quantity of cat hair from my upholstery without getting clogged, making it easy to clean up after my champion shedder. However, while the bars themselves were great at avoiding tangles, I did find that a couple of times a snarl of hair got caught around the exit into the cyclone chamber, causing it to get slightly backed up. This only happened a few times and won’t matter much as long as you empty the vacuum often enough to stop the hose getting backed up, but it’s worth bearing in mind for the hairiest households.

Once you’re finished, emptying the Shark is also seriously straightforward. After using either its handheld or stick modes, clipping its vacuum pod back on triggers its self-emptying cycle, rapidly emptying its smaller dust bin. And when you want to empty the vacuum pod itself, all you have to do is press the bin switch to detach the larger bin, hold it over your bin and unhook a catch to open the bottom and jettison its contents.

Perhaps the one criticism I do have of the PowerDetect Transformer’s performance is it’s very loud — measuring it with a sound level meter, it hit 74dB during upright use and a raucous 82dB during its self-cleaning cycle. So if you have sensitive neighbors or, like mine, your cat tends toward the scaredy, it might not be the one for you.

Still though, all in all, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is an impressive vacuum cleaner. Not only is it powerful, it’s smart, easy to use and flexible enough to vacuum pretty much every area of your home. Yes, wireless is always a nice to have — although its 8m cable meant I didn’t miss this as much as I thought I would — it’s loud and it occasionally gets a bit backed up. But I’m happy to forgive these minor quibbles given how much easier it makes day-to-day cleaning.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: price & availability

• Launched June 30, 2026
• Costs $529.99 / £499.99 / AU$699.99

Having launched on June 30, 2026, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is widely available now. It goes for a list price of $529.99 / £499.99 / AU$699.99 — although at the time of writing, in the US, you can use the code TRIO at the checkout to save $130, bringing it down to $399.99.

That price is hardly chicken feed but, for what you’re getting, it’s still reasonable value. For example, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless — our current pick for the best vacuum cleaner out there — is priced at a roughly equivalent $429.99 / £499.99 / AU$849.99 and while unlike the Transformer it’s fully wireless, it can’t convert into a full, high-capacity upright. Meanwhile, the premium Dyson Gen5detect is much more spendy at $949.99 / £769.99 / AU$1,549, while rocking relatively similar features.

In return for your spend, you’re not only getting three vacuums in one but also a solid range of accessories. It comes with the classics such as brush and crevice tools but it also packs a stair tool, the HairPro Pet Power Brush for powered action against pet fuzz and an anti-allergen dusting brush. It also comes with a handy accessory bag to keep them all in.

Finally, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer comes in two tasty colorways: Chimera Blue — a dusky sky blue — and Deep Sage Green. Both of these really pop, especially with those gold highlights, although I’d say I just marginally prefer the former.

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: specs

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: design

• Flexible, modular design
• Stuffed with auto-detection features
• Wired only

Okay, I’ll admit when I first heard the name Shark Transformer, I was hoping I was going to be getting a toy robot that converted into a toothy, predatory fish. Fortunately, the design of this vacuum cleaner is nearly as cool. Its modular design makes it easy to switch between three different modes — heavy-duty upright vacuum cleaner, lightweight stick vac and flexible handheld — at the click of a button.

Moreover, unlike previous 3-in-1 vacuum cleaners Shark has created, this one is a hoseless design, meaning you don’t have to hook and unhook elephant trunk tubing every time you want to switch modes. Sliding the vacuum pod on and off the wand, it just clicks into place and connects to the vacuum’s airlock in one smooth movement. It’s clever design and makes selecting the right tool for your job feel effortless.

Naturally, as a result of this protean form, it’s quite hard to comment on the overall size and weight of the device. Because in its upright vacuum final evolution it’s a pretty bulky and hefty beast but pop off a couple of sections and suddenly you’re left with something super light and flexible. So it’s a bit of a quantum vacuum cleaner: a superposition of heavy and light at the same time.

Fortunately, when it comes to its appearance, the PowerDetect Transformer is far less paradoxical. I’m definitely picking up what Shark is throwing down here: in its stick and handheld modes, the Transformer looks seriously sleek and although the vacuum pod is pretty hulking, it’s still excellently engineered. On top of this, the colorways on offer are stunning — the deep sage green colorway I tested looks great but the chimera blue version is genuinely droolworthy. Genuinely, it gives me the same vibes as my sky blue MacBook Air and I wants it.

Setting the Shark up for the first time is pretty straightforward, even if compared to other wired vacuums there is some assembly required. Essentially, all you need to do is click the wand into place on the nozzle, slide the vacuum pod into its home on the stick and insert the hand vacuum into the top.

After this, you’re basically all set to start sucking up grit right away, because the Transformer neither has smart home features to set up or battery to charge. And don’t sweat this last omission too much — its eight-meter cable means you should be able to comfortably reach most areas of your home.

Alongside all of these modules, the Transformer also features all of the usual suspects in terms of accessories, such as the brush and the crevice tool. However, it doesn’t stop there: it also includes Shark’s HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power brush, a miniature brush bar tool with anti-wrap technology for getting pet hair and dander out from carpets and upholstery.

But by far its smartest tool is its DuoClean Detect nozzle. On top of its self-cleaning brush roll that picks up hair without getting tangled and targeted LED lighting for showing up barely visible specs of dirt, it’s also absolutely crammed with smart auto-detection features. Whether it’s sensing your floor type, adjusting to the quantity of dirt, directing suction forward or backward depending on the direction you’re moving in or automatically targeting its air inflow to gulp down detritus right up to the edge of rooms, it does all the hard work so you can just focus on practicing your Freddie Mercury impression.

Given all of these auto-detection features, the controls on the Shark PowerDetect Transformer are almost comically uncomplicated. There’s an on button… and that’s basically all you need to understand. If you’re a real control freak, you can manually set its suction to match hard floor, shallow pile or deep pile carpet but honestly I never needed to manually control this, as its auto-detect features did a perfectly effective job at dialing its suction up and down.

Finally, given I live with someone who both suffers from asthma and has the nasal sensitivity of a sommelier with a Neti pot, I definitely appreciate how the Transformer handles dust and disagreeable odors. Its HEPA-certified filtration and anti-allergen seal keeps all of that bronchial-irritating crud locked away. And once you’ve popped one of Shark’s odor-neutralizing cartridges into the nozzle, you can dial its stench-scrubbing capabilities up or down to remove any distressing scents the grime kicks up.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: performance

• Fantastic suction in almost every scenario
• Emptying is wonderfully easy
• Startlingly loud

Given how clever its features are, this vacuum cleaner is clearly a real bright shark. But how does that translate into real-world performance? After all, what good is the cold, calculating mind of a great white if it’s stuck in the ungainly body of a sunfish? Fortunately, you don’t need to worry on this front — the Shark PowerDetect Transformer cuts through dirt like a dorsal fin through water.

As I’ve already remarked above, the bulk and weight of the Transformer really depends on which mode you use it in. In its upright form, it’s definitely on the husky side — I lift weights multiple times a week, yet I still felt the effort of dragging it round. Fortunately, its two-axis joint makes it pretty easy to maneuver around furniture and once you strip it back to its stick or handheld forms, it’s considerably easier to wield.

Keen to really put the PowerDetect Transformer through its paces, I not only vacuumed my house top to bottom but conducted our full battery of standardized tests. First off, I sprinkled the contents of a teabag on a range of different flooring types to simulate the finer dust the Transformer would have to tackle. On my laminate flooring, the Transformer scarfed down those loose leaves in a single pass — even when repeating this test on my medium-pile carpet, the vacuum cleaner didn’t leave a single scrap behind.

Wanting to see how it fared with more substantial debris, I tried this same test with a small quantity of lentils. Once again, on a hard floor, the Shark snorted up every single pulse without hesitation. Admittedly, when I tried this out on carpet, it left behind three lentils out of about 50. But with a single swipe backward, its automatic direction sensing flipped the direction of its suction and it wolfed them down without issue.

Even trickier debris like pet hair didn’t seem to faze it. Trying it out on a ball of fuzz from my cat’s brush, the vacuum wolfed it down like cotton candy. I even put it to work on the cat’s favorite chair — which was so disgustingly furry that our previous vacuum cleaner had threatened to take industrial action — and yet Shark’s anti-hair wrap tool cut through it easily. And despite going up against upholstery more covered in hair than Hugh Jackman, it lived up to its name and didn’t get clogged or tangled.

So, all in all, I found its suction pretty impressive. But even more noteworthy are how those smarts I mentioned above improve cleaning performance across the board. Thanks to the Transformer’s Dirt Detect feature, during normal cleaning it regularly dialled up its suction strength to tackle denser piles of dust without me having to even think about it. And its edge-of-room performance is fantastic — trying to vacuum up lentils I scattered right up to the baseboard, the vacuum’s Edge Detect feature targeted its suction to pick up every last legume in a single sweep.

The Transformer’s other modes don’t offer quite as much smarts or power as the upright mode but they’re just as capable when tackling their own respective niches. The stick vacuum offers the same level of flexibility but a much lighter weight, making it the perfect tool for a quick runaround in a single room. Meanwhile, its handheld mode made short work of cleaning problem areas like the inside of my sofa and raised surfaces like my piano — without a bulky cyclone chamber attached, it felt so much more flexible than any other convertible vacuum handheld I’ve used.

And once you’re done cleaning, emptying the Transformer feels like a breeze, especially compared to older vacuums. Once you’ve used the stick or handheld vacuums, all you need to do is re-attach the vacuum pod and it will automatically suck out all the dust you’ve gathered into that main chamber.

Clearing out the vacuum pod itself is almost as easy. Detach it using the eject button and the dust bin and cyclone section come away, leaving the filter and vacuum components behind. Then all you need to do is open the bottom clip above the bin and it empties downward — far easier than banging it upside down against the bin till something finally dislodges.

Easy to clean though the Transformer is, I still wouldn’t say this process is absolutely foolproof. One thing I noticed a couple of times when emptying it out is that occasionally hair clogs would get snagged in the airlock into the vacuum pod, meaning that long fibers would start clogging up the main cyclone. Now, both my feline and my human housemates are world champion shedders, meaning this issue might not affect you as often, but it does make me worry you could quickly lose suction if you don’t stay on top of this.

One other slight drawback to the Transformer is a direct consequence of all its convenience and power: the noise. Reaching a volume of 74dB in upright mode and max volume of 82dB during its self-cleaning cycle, it hits the same rough volume as heavy traffic or a blender. While this didn’t bother the humans in my house that much, my cat HATED it — he found the noise while vacuuming upsetting enough but the automatic cleaning cycle sent him flying out of the room like he’d witnessed the Terminator itself. Turns out machines bellowing in rage without apparent human input is where he nopes out.

Ongoing maintenance of the device is a lot less stressful, fortunately. Although you need to clean the pre-motor filters of both chambers every month, the hand vac’s post-motor filter only needs cleaning every six months and replacing every 2.5 years, while the upright’s post-motor filter only needs cleaning once a year and replacing every three. Occasionally, you might also need to wipe those smart sensors to ensure they continue functioning properly but, all in all, this isn’t particularly punishing.

• Performance score: 4.5 / 5

Should I buy the Shark PowerDetect Transformer?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Shark PowerDetect Transformer review: also consider

How I tested the Shark PowerDetect Transformer

• Tested it for several weeks
• Tried it out on a range of flooring and with different materials
• Set it to work on shed pet hair

I tested the Shark PowerDetect Transformer over a period of several weeks. To test its general suction, I scattered loose tea and lentils over hard floor and carpet to simulate how it would handle dust and larger debris and see how many passes it would take to suction them up. I also scattered both of these items along the edge of the room to see how well the Shark would maintain suction at the edges.

On top of this, I used it to clean my whole house several times, as well as trying it out in a few specific scenarios. I tested how well it sucked up shed fur from my pet cat, as well as trying its HairPro Self-Cleaning Pet Power brush on upholstery and on the stairs to see how it removed built up hair from soft furnishings. Finally, I used a sound level meter to record how loud it was in use, recording its max volume in both upright mode and during self cleaning.

I’ve been testing tech and gadgets for around 10 years, as well as editing reviews of smart home gear and appliances. When it comes to first-hand experience, I’ve tested an array of small appliances for TechRadar, including fans and coffee machines. You’ll also be pleased to hear I’m no stranger to vacuuming — otherwise, after 20 years of adulthood, the quantity of dust in my home would be approaching the level of an Egyptian tomb.

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee
• First reviewed: October 2026

Dyson W1 PencilWash: 30-second review

Dyson has updated its lightweight wet floor cleaner with a redesigned floorhead and extra-long battery life, without increasing the price. The second-generation PencilWash takes the best features of the original — its lightweight build, ease of use, and effective wet cleaning — and adds thoughtful features that add up to make it an even better everyday cleaning tool.

The cleaning head’s plush-feeling roller is now sprinkled with stiffer bristles to tackle welded-on stains effectively without scuffing your floor. The upgraded clean water tank is larger and fully detachable, and emptying soiled water is less messy too. After mopping, your floors will be dry and ready to walk on almost immediately.

It’s an excellent package, but before buying, note that Dyson has now cut the price of the original PencilWash to just $199.99 / £179 in the US and UK respectively. That’s great value, and it could be all you need if you want to spruce up a relatively small home.

For me, the only real drawback of the W1 PencilWash was that hair tended to get wrapped around one of the wheels underneath the floor head, rather than sticking to the roller and being scraped off by Dyson’s new metal comb.

Note that the PencilWash isn’t a vacuum cleaner, and has no suction. If you’re looking for a slim and lightweight vacuum, take a look at the Dyson PencilVac instead.

Dyson W1 PencilWash: price and availability

• Went on sale in October 2026
• List price $349.99 / £299.99 in the US and UK
• Not yet available in Australia, but likely to be AU$549

Dyson announced the W1 PencilWash at its Dyson Unveiled event in September 2026, and the product launched globally in October the same year — nine months after the original PencilWash.

It has a list price of $349.99 / £299.99, which is the same as the original PencilWash at launch, though you may also be able to find it cheaper (for example, Dyson is offering a $100 discount in its US store at the time of writing). The W1 PencilWash isn’t yet available in Australia, but I would expect it to be AU$549 when it arrives.

That's relatively expensive for a wet-only floor cleaner, and there are several excellent wet-and-dry vacuums available for about the same price. For comparison, the Bissell Crosswave HydroScrub wet/dry floor cleaner is $369.99 (about £280 / AU$540), while the Shark HydroVac Cordless WD201 / WD210 is $359.99 / £329.99 / AU$399.99.

What you're paying for here is the light weight and compact design, which will be better suited to apartments and other small homes than a bulky wet-dry cleaner.

• Value score: 4/5

Dyson W1 PencilWash: design

• New stiffer bristles in microfiber roller
• Clean water tank is larger and fully removable
• Emptying waste water is less messy

At first glance, the W1 PencilWash looks very similar to its predecessor, with a slender handle (this time colored indigo rather than copper), and one of Dyson’s Submarine floor heads. A tank at the back of the floorhead dispenses water onto a microfiber roller, and a squeegee-like blade squeezes dirty water out, and dispenses it into a separate tank inside.

On closer inspection, however, there are a few significant differences. The most obvious change is the floorhead’s microfiber roller, which is now scattered with stiffer fibers to more effectively scrub away stubborn dirt. There is also a new metal comb designed to detangle and scrape hair off the roller. (Both of these features are borrowed from the bulkier Dyson Clean+Wash Hygiene wet cleaner, which launched at the start of 2026.)

The head disassembles into more parts, as you can see below. Most significantly, the clean water tank is now fully removable, making it easier to fill at the sink, and has a significantly larger capacity so you can keep cleaning for longer.

Dyson PencilWash floorhead comparison

Dyson W1 PencilWash

Original Dyson PencilWash

The dirty water collection tank has also been reworked, and is now much less prone to spills during emptying. It’s still wise to hold the whole floorhead over the sink when removing the cassette, but I found the process much less messy than the original PencilWash.

Note that the W1 PencilWash has different docks in the US and UK. The UK model, which I tested here, has a charging stand that holds the PencilWash’s handle, and a separate holder for the floorhead.

The US model has a magnetic charging stand called the Dok, which holds the whole PencilWash with its floorhead attached. This seems slightly more convenient, and will save a few seconds during cleaning.

• Design score: 5/5

Dyson W1 PencilWash: performance

• Excellent cleaning on dried-on spills
• Much easier to fill and empty than previous model
• Battery lasted over two hours in testing
• Hair wrapped around wheel underneath floorhead

In use, the W1 PencilWash feels very much like its predecessor. The handle is light in the hand, and its plush microfiber roller propels it forward so you barely need to apply any force when cleaning.

I tested it with a variety of stains and spills, including dried-on juice, ketchup, dried toothpaste (to simulate spills in a bathroom), flour, and hair.

You can use the PencilWash with plain water, or a cleaning fluid. I tested it with Dyson 02 Probiotic Hard Floor Cleaning Solution (which is specifically recommended for the company’s wet floor cleaners) diluted according to the instructions on the bottle.

The W1 PencilWash fared well in all my cleaning tests, clearing up flour, dried juice, and ketchup on a single pass. Congealed toothpaste proved the toughest challenge, taking about four passes to completely remove, but I was impressed that the roller system removed all the mess and deposited it in the waste tank, leaving no streaks when I continued cleaning the rest of the floor. The new stiffer bristles work well to scrub away dirt that would normally require you to get down on your hands and knees to remove, and I was pleased to note their tougher fibers aren’t rigid enough to damage your flooring.

The floorhead is fully articulated for easy maneuvering, and the handle can be laid almost flat to clean under low items of furniture. I was able to clean right between the legs of my dining chairs, which have a crossbar just a few inches above the ground. The roller cleans very close to furniture and baseboards as well, leaving a gap only half an inch wide.

Ketchup cleaning test

Before cleaning ketchup

After cleaning ketchup

Your floors will dry exceptionally quickly as well; after a pass on the regular cleaning mode, my laminate flooring was dry within 10 seconds.

The new metal comb wasn’t quite such a success. It does catch hair, and the roller needs less hand-cleaning after use, but quite a lot of hair became caught in one of the small wheels on the bottom of the floorhead during my tests. This didn’t seem to affect performance, and I didn’t even realize while maneuvering the cleaner, but it was wrapped tightly around the tiny axel and had to be cut free with scissors.

Toothpaste cleaning test

Before cleaning toothpaste

During cleaning toothpaste

It’s worth noting that the microfiber roller takes quite a long time to air-dry. I placed it near a dehumidifier to speed up the process, but it still took two days before it was dry enough for me to feel comfortable storing it.

The big surprise was the battery life. Dyson’s specifications claim that the W1 PencilWash can run for 45 minutes on a single charge (up from 30 minutes for the original PencilWash), but during my tests it ran for an astonishing two hours and 13 minutes — and that was during active mopping, not just running the roller without resistance. I have contacted Dyson’s press office to ask whether that’s expected performance, but it’s safe to say that you shouldn’t have any problems cleaning even large homes.

Overall, I’m impressed with the W1 PencilWash. Dyson has clearly taken on board feedback from the first model (the detachable clean water tank and scrubbing bristles are highlights) while keeping the fundamentals the same. If you have a large home with lots of hard flooring, or live with pets or children, then this new model would be a great choice. If, on the other hand, your home is relatively small and you want something for everyday maintenance, the original PencilWash might be the smarter choice at its newly reduced price.

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Dyson W1 PencilWash?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

Dyson W1 PencilWash: also consider

If the Dyson W1 PencilWash isn't the right wet floor cleaner for you, here are two other options to think about.

How I tested the Dyson W1 PencilWash

I tested the Dyson W1 PencilWash on sealed laminate flooring, using Dyson 02 Probiotic Hard Floor Cleaning Solution and tap water. I used it on common household stains including dried juice, dried toothpaste, ketchup, flour, and human hair.

I emptied the floor head cassette, and cleaned the tank, comb, and microfiber roller using plain water.

I fully charged the W1, then used it to clean the floors, moving it backwards and forwards as in normal use, and timed how long it took for the battery to run flat.

First reviewed November 2026

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: two-minute review

The Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus looks like an almost mid-range vacuum. And it largely is. It has an all plastic build, doesn’t come with a bunch of attachments, and really does one thing. But, it does that one thing really well and that is be a wet-dry vac. In fact, when using it to simultaneously vacuum and mop, it picks up anything and everything smaller than a Cheerio. Crumbs of all sorts. Dog hair. Spilled parmesan. Coffee grounds. You get the idea.

Plus, if you compare it to the best wet-dry vacuums, you’ll see that it’s quite affordable, even if it is among the more expensive Bissell models. I do have a few quibbles, such as the fact that there’s an upper limit on the size of the debris it can suck up or the fact that all the debris goes into the same dirty water tank making emptying it a bit of a mess.

Still, for the price, it might be the best vacuum with wet-dry capabilities out there. Just be aware that the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus is the same as the Bissell CrossWave Reach, but comes with a charging base.

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: price & availability

• List price: $329.99 (about £250 / AU$470)
• Launched: September 2026
• Available in the US

The Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus comes in at decidedly Bissell level prices. You don’t have to plop down the cash you would for something like the Dyson V15s Detect Submarine and its list price of $949.99 / £599.99 / AU$949. It’s even cheaper than some Chinese models like the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro with its list price of $799.99 / £599.99 / AU$999). Of course, that model does come with a larger capacity and a more impressive display.

Basically, the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus goes for $329.99 (about £250 / AU$470). This price includes the vacuum, the charging tray, two different sample sized bottles of cleaning solution, and a measuring cup for the solution.

It’s a price that I would consider mid-range for a vacuum, though it’s relatively cheap for a wet-dry vacuum. It’s also an expected price point for a higher-end Bissell product (Shark hits similar price points in my opinion). You can get the non-Plus version for $279.99. The only difference is that it comes without the charging tray.

• Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum specs

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: design

• Dirty water tank contains solid debris too, for better or worse
• Has a self-cleaning feature
• Can lie flat to get under furniture

The Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus may be an all-plastic build, but it looks durable and cuts a somewhat dashing figure. Not quite a stick vacuum, it’s ever so slightly modular insofar as the handles comes separated from the body. It's also slim at around 4.5 inches across the body.

The power and mode buttons (eco, high, turbo) are on the handles, and are within thumb’s reach during use. The battery indicator, which shows battery life using three LEDs, as well as the indicators showing which mode the vacuum, are all on the body facing you while you clean. There’s also a button here to run the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus’s Clean-Out Cycle — a nice feature for self-cleaning the brushroll after use.

The 600ml dirty water tank clipped into the back of the body is easy to remove for emptying. When removed, the filter on top pulls right out exposing whatever debris is inside. The one downside here is that, unlike the best robot vacuums that vacuum and mop, everything goes into the same tank. Vacuumed up a bunch of rice and sucked up a spill? You’ll have to empty everything out into the same place.

The clean water tank is clipped onto the top of the floorhead. Its 450ml capacity is decent, though will require somewhat regular refilling (of water and a cup of one of the included solutions). I do like the exposed look of it, though.

As far as the rest of the floorhead, it can swivel and has a hinge for the vacuum to lay up to 180 degrees back — essentially flat — to get under furniture. And it has one large tangle-free brushroll that’s removable for cleaning or replacing and can handle just about any hard surface one would mop. Also worth noting is that it’s rated as having a 10.6 inch cleaning path, though when I measured it, I would say it’s actually 9.6 inches. You lose an inch to the plastic bezels on either side.

Lastly, the charging tray that comes with this vacuum is essentially a molded piece of plastic with charging contacts so that if you put it back in the tray after use, it will start charging automatically.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: performance

• Great vacuuming except for larger debris
• Flawless mopping
• Can get pretty close to edges

When I first started using the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus, I found myself struggling to find something to dislike about it. After spending some time with it, that’s still mostly the case.

This is a wet-dry vacuum and mop, and it does both duties concurrently; there's no vacuum only mode, and no opportunity to only get the floor wet. Despite that, I’m going to try and separate these two functions just to give you a better idea of what to expect.

I performed a few tests when vacuuming. I threw a bunch of tea leaves on the floor as well as a bunch of rice. For both sizes of debris, the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus sucked them right up in the first go.

Because of the way the floorhead is arranged — there’s just the mop brushroll at the front end with a forward-angled silicon liner behind — it isn’t quite as successful on picking rice and similar sized debris when pulling the vacuum back as it can get caught by that liner. However, when pushing the vacuum forward, everything gets sucked up immediately.

The one caveat to that and a valid reason to still keep a regular vacuum around is the fact since the only moving part helping pick up debris is that brushroll, larger pieces of debris like cereal or popcorn will just get pushed around the front of it like a curling puck.

I found basically nothing to complain about its mopping capabilities, however. It lays down an even layer of water and detergent solution that is enough to fully mop whatever area’s been covered. And I found the floor to be dry within minutes after mopping.

I also tested the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus’s mopping by throwing a bunch of ketchup, mustard, and coffee (separately) on the floor. In each instance, whatever was on the floor was removed in one swipe. However, it takes a few passes to remove odors (and they can still persist for a short while).

Getting to the edges and corners with a vacuum is a concern, especially one without additional accessories for tight spaces. But that’s not too much of a concern here. I found that going up to edges with this vacuum allowed me to get as close as a quarter inch when moving with the right side towards the wall. With the left side of the vacuum facing the wall or edge, the three quarters of an inch closest to the wall is left untouched, while the front of the vacuum won’t touch that last inch closest to the wall. So, I was able to get pretty close to the wall but the vacuum orientation matters.

Generally, maneuvering the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus is easy. It does want to pull forward so pushing the vacuum in the direction I want to go feels effortless. When pulling back in a typical vacuuming fashion, I do feel some resistance since it wants to go in that direction. Turning is just as effortless thanks to the swivelling floorhead, and the fact that it can lie almost flat means it’s a cinch to get under furniture.

Lastly, the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus is not a quiet vacuum, but is in line with other cordless vacuums such as the Bissell PowerClean FurFinder. On eco mode, it reaches around 64dB. In turbo mode, it gets up to 67dB. And it hits about 65dB during its Clean-Out Cycle.

• Performance score: 4.5 out of 5

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: battery life

• Four and a half hour recharge time
• Up to 40 minutes of use on a single charge

Let’s get the bad out of the way. When fully drained, the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus is going to take over four and a half hours to recharge. If you are an infrequent charger, then, first, shame on you, and, second, you’ll have to suffer through what amounts to almost half a day of waiting if you have to charge from empty. That said, that’s actually a normal amount of time for a cordless vacuum to recharge, though I wish the battery was removable.

The good news is that the twenty minutes it lasts on turbo, specifically 23 minutes and 21 seconds, or almost forty on eco mode, 39 minutes and 49 seconds, is more than enough battery life for a regular home. These numbers are about in line with some of Bissell’s other offerings, though not quite up to what we see with the best cordless vacuums.

Because of how well it picks up debris (with the earlier size-related caveats), I was able to clean a 800 square foot area in about ten minutes. I ended up wandering in circles with the vacuum in tow waiting for the battery to die. That’s on turbo. The almost forty minutes on eco mode is more than enough for anyone not cleaning an office building.

• Battery life score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum: alternatives to consider

How I tested the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus Cordless Wet-Dry Vacuum

To test the Bissell CrossWave Reach Plus, I used it for a couple weeks, testing it on hardwood floors, tile, and marble. I ran it through its various modes as well as using the self cleaning function. For running benchmarks, I ran it from full to empty on both eco mode and turbo mode. And I vacuumed / mopped up tea leaves, rice, coffee, mustard, and ketchup.

Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners

• First reviewed September 2026

It's been an excellent year for tech releases, with the arrival of everything from new TV panel developments, to groundbreaking drones, to awesome spatial audio speakers, to a new breed of AI-connected screenless fitness wearable.

It's also been a really difficult year in tech, though, due to the component crisis and rising prices across nearly all products. In the middle of that tension, it only makes sense for us to find out which companies navigated the challenges best by asking the community of tech lovers out there — and so here are the first TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards.

The results are in, so below we've listed the TechRadar Readers' Choice Awards 2026 winners winners in every category, all 100% voted by you!

Phones & tablets

Phone of the Year

Phone Brand of the Year

Phones Innovation of the Year

Best Value Phone

Best Mid-Range Phone

Best Folding Phone

Best Flip Phone

Best Camera Phone

Best Gaming Phone

Best AI Phone

Best Phone Accessory

Best Tablet

Best eReader

Cameras & drones

Camera of the Year

Camera Brand of the Year

Camera Innovation of the Year

Best Beginner Camera

Best Mid-range camera

Best Professional Camera

Best Compact and Instant Camera

Best Action and Vlogging Camera

Best Camera Lens

Best camera accessory

Best drone

Computing

Computing Brand of the Year

Best Computing Innovation

Best Value Laptop

Best AI Laptop

Best Gaming Laptop

Best PC Gaming Handheld

Best Gaming Keyboard

Best Gaming Monitor

Best Gaming Mouse

Gaming

Gaming Device of the Year

Gaming Brand of the Year

Gaming Innovation of the Year

Best Console Accessory

Best Gaming Service

Best Gaming Controller

Best Gaming Headset

Best Gaming Chair

TV & home theater

TV of the year

Home Entertainment Brand of the Year

Home Entertainment Innovation of the Year

Best Gaming TV

Best TV for Sound

Best OLED TV

Best mini-LED TV

Best Value TV

Best Projector

Best Soundbar

Best Wireless Home Theater Speakers

Streaming

Streaming Service of the Year

Best Streaming Service for Movies

Best Streaming Service for Documentaries

Best Streaming Service for TV Series

Best Free Streaming Service of the Year

Audio

Headphones of the Year

Audio Brand of the Year

Audio Innovation of the Year

Best Wireless Headphones

Best Wireless Earbuds

Best Open Earbuds

Best Value Headphones

Best Value Earbuds

Best Value Open Earbuds

Best Wired Headphones

Best Wired Earbuds

Best Bluetooth Speaker

Best Wireless Speaker

Best Portable Audio Player

Best Turntable

Best DAC

Best Stereo Speakers

Health & Fitness tech

Health and Fitness Device of the Year

Health & Fitness Brand of the Year

Health and Fitness Innovation of the Year

Best Smartwatch

Best Running Watch

Best Fitness Tracker

Best Smart Ring

Best Electric Toothbrush

Best Connected Fitness Tech

Home tech

Home Device of the Year

Home Tech Brand of the Year

Home Tech Innovation of the Year

Best Home Light Tech

Best Home Security Device

Best Robot Vacuum

Best Vacuum

Best Air Fryer

Best Coffee Machine

Best Value Coffee Machine

Best Fan

It seems bizarre to get excited about a vacuum cleaner, but when you find one that makes the job of keeping your home tidy so much easier and effortless, the impact it has is hard to overstate. I had that experience when I purchased my first Shark vacuum, so when one of the manufacturer's latest and best vacuum cleaners gets a huge £200 price cut, I have to shout about it.

That's why I'm here to call out the Shark PowerDetect Speed on Amazon for £319.99 (was £519.99). This is the record-low price for two specific colourways of the vacuum, and only a little shy of the previous biggest discount we've seen on this model during Prime Day.

The Shark PowerDetect Speed is a top-tier option, too, as it's a new and upgraded version of the vacuum that sits atop our buying guide in this category. It also received an impressive 4.5 stars in our review for its exceptional cleaning power, convenient auto-empty function, and useful dirt detection features.

As far as investments in a vacuum go, it's obviously a big one to make, but as someone who bought a Shark vacuum five years ago, which is still going strong, it could be a worthy buy to help keep your home clean with far less hassle.

Save £200 on the Shark PowerDetect Speed

If I were looking to upgrade from the older Shark Stratos model I'm currently using, this would easily be my top pick. That's mainly for the convenience of the auto-empty dock, which helps keep dust and debris trapped instead of potentially flying everywhere when it's tipped into the bin.

On top of that, the PowerDetect Speed keeps all of the fantastic features that make other Shark vacuums so good at cleaning around the home. Namely, it's the anti-hair wrap tech that saves me time unclogging the brush roll every so often, the strong suction power that works across multiple surfaces, and useful extras like lights to show up dust and a flexible wand to get into hard-to-reach places.

Cheaper models that drop some of the nicer-to-have extras, like the auto-empty dock, are also on sale right now. For example, I'd also recommend the Shark PowerPro Pet Cordless on Amazon for £199 (was £299.99), as an alternative if you have a smaller budget.

• Dyson Total Restore is a door-to-door cleaning and restoration service
• It's available for Dyson's cordless and wet floor cleaners
• It costs £99.99 and is now available in mainland Britain

If your vacuum cleaner or floor cleaner needs some love, Dyson has just launched a new refresh and restoration service that will get it working like new (or as close as possible). Dyson Total Restore, now available in the mainland Britain, is a door-to-door service that aims to improve your cleaner's performance and extend its lifespan

For £99.99 (plus the cost of any repairs not covered by your warranty), the cleaner will be collected from your home and delivered to Dyson's service and repair centre in Chippenham, where engineers will carry out an engineering assessment, which covers areas such as airflow, battery health, and motor performance.

Engineers will then complete an industrial-standard deep clean to improve the performance of your machine, fix repairable faults, and replace damaged or worn components with genuine Dyson parts..

Once the service is finished, your floor cleaner will be returned along with a label showing the last service date, and any replacement filters or wet rollers required. You will also received digital photos, a digital health check report, and a digital certificate of service.

"It's offering to consumers a better service and allowing our machines to be looked after and giving them a second wind," Dyson's Chief Engineer, Jake Dyson, told my colleague Ruth Hamilton in a recent interview. "So, if they come in for a spa day, they go back in the same condition they were when they were new. So, you always start again on the reliability curve and the abuse curve."

Is your cleaner supported?

Dyson Total Restore is available for cordless vacuums (from the Dyson V7 through to the V16 Piston Animal), as well as wet cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 and PencilWash. To find out whether your cleaner is supported, log in to your account on Dyson's website and select the ‘My Products’ page. Eligible machines will be clearly labelled.

If yours isn't included, or you're thinking of buying your first Dyson cleaner, take a look at our complete list of the best Dyson vacuums.

Dyson Total Restore is currently only available in Great Britain, but is expected to roll out internationally in the future.

Dyson vacuums are highly regarded for a reason. In my previous role as a TechRadar Homes Editor, I tested out dozens of vacuums from a number of brands, and Dyson consistently stood out in terms of both performance and innovation. I've had hands-on time with almost the entire range (often for extended periods), so I know how the different models compare and where their strengths lie.

That means I'm in a good position to recommend specific models for specific needs. And that's exactly what I'll be doing in this article.

Now's a particularly good time to be investing in a new Dyson vacuum. The Amazon Prime Day deals are about to kick off tomorrow, but a number of 'Early Prime Day' discounts are already live, and there are rival sales running at a number of other retailers, too. Long story short, there are plenty of Dyson deals to choose from.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale in the UK

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale in the US

Below, I've rounded up three Dyson vacuums I've used and would recommend for specific shoppers. I'll run down what I liked about each one and where to buy it to get the best discount.

Best budget Dyson vacuum

Dyson V8 Cyclone

The Dyson V8 Cyclone is an upgraded version of the V8 — Dyson's perpetually popular, decade-old cordless vacuum. Compared to that older version, the Cyclone update boasts longer battery life and better suction, an extra suction level (increasing from two to three options) and it's operated with a one-press button rather than a trigger. Dyson has kept the straightforward design and — importantly — the affordable price tag.

This might be the least flashy option in the brand's cordless lineup, but it nails the basics. In my tests, it proved itself a very effective cleaner, picking up large particles and fine debris with ease, and handling pet hair incredibly well too, on both hard floors and carpet. It also had no trouble competing with pricier models when it came to cleaning oomph.

Read my full Dyson V8 Cyclone review

Best Dyson vacuum-mop combo

Dyson V15s Detect Submarine

The V15s Detect Submarine is one of Dyson's hybrid vacuum-mop models. It's a slightly modified V15 Detect vacuum with a self-contained mopping head that can be swapped on. The two functions are entirely separate — there's no suction element to the mopping — but it's a strong space-saving option if you don't want to have to store a vacuum and an electric mop.

The V15 is probably my favorite of the whole Dyson vacuum range. It's extremely powerful, with long runtimes and a handy screen to provide clear and useful information — like how long you have left on the clock in your current power setting. There's an excellent Auto mode, where the vacuum will sense exactly how dirty the floor is and raise or lower its suction in response, for an effective clean without wasting any charge. Perhaps less useful, but more fun, is the fact it'll also report back on dirt levels in real time, as you clean, via a colorful moving bar graph on its screen.

As for the mopping function, it's great for basic cleanups. In our tests, the Submarine head handled everyday cleans and trickier tasks like mud and dried-on food well, and despite being a little drippy, is still a useful addition.

Read TechRadar's full Dyson V15s Detect Submarine review

Best ultra-light Dyson vacuum

Dyson PencilVac

The Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones is not your regular vacuum cleaner. At first glance it doesn't appear to have any mechanics at all — just a floorhead fitted to a broom-shaped handle. On further investigation, it becomes apparent that everything from the motor, to the filters, battery, and even the dust cup have been shrunk down and tucked into that handle.

The floorhead is also unusual, with two pairs of fluffy, cone-shaped rollers spinning in opposite directions, and a bright, dust-illuminating laser light mounted to each side.

In use, the the PencilVac is incredibly nimble and easy to maneuver. It spins around with complete ease, can be used forwards or backwards, and the handle can lie completely flat to the floor. The design and suction levels are meant for hard flooring rather than carpet, but if your home is all hard floors it's a stellar choice.

Read my full Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones review

While Dyson might be the most popular vacuum brand everyone keeps lusting after, some of its high prices make the brand a hard choice for many people. Moreover, as someone who's been testing and writing about some of the best vacuum cleaners in Australia for a decade, I know there are other options that more powerful and perform better than what Dyson currently offers.

And that brings me to Shark.

Now going under the banner of SharkNinja, the latter has been competing with Dyson for yonks and seems to be consistently making alternatives that aren't just more affordable, but also work very well indeed.

Like the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty, which is my #1 pick of the best stick vacuum in Australia. It's currently sold out on the SharkNinja website despite a AU$799.99 price tag, but it's still available on Amazon for a much lower AU$462.10. That's sadly not the lowest price I've seen for this model — that was just over AU$438 when Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026 started on September 29 — but I'd easily recommend it at around the AU$600 mark as that's how good I think it is.

• Follow our dedicated live coverage of the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026 sale for more deals and discounts

Now, I haven't tested the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty myself, but I trust my colleague Ruth Hamilton who did — she's also quite the floorcare expert. According to her, the PowerDetect "came out top in my cleaning trials, beating even Dyson's priciest vacuums to the cleaning crown”.

Like all pricier options, the PowerDetect can automatically adjust suction when it detects different floor types and how dirty the floor is. In fact, it will do so even when it senses it's close to a room edge. Moreover, the floorhead's design allows it to suck just as well when moving backward as it does on a frontal push.

The free-standing self-emptying charging dock is also a fabulous feature at this discounted price, and it doesn't even need replacement dust bags. The box in the dock is easy to empty every now and then, plus it's fully washable too. You can purchase ongoing odour neutraliser pucks so bad smells don't build up inside the vacuum, but that's optional — just keep it clean and you won't need to spend the extra cash.

You can roll with this one too

Hold on for a sec longer as that's not the only vacuum recommendation. The heftily named Shark Cordless Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brushroll (IZ102) is always popular with our readers and stock typically runs out quick when it gets a discount.

Oct 4 update: Sorry folks — as predicted, this one has again sold out. If you missed out, Amazon's Black Friday sale is likely your next opportunity to snag a similar price.

And it's now at a record-low price of just AU$189 (or AU$10 less than what it was during July's Prime Day sale). We haven't tested it ourselves at TechRadar, but something has got to be said about the 4.3-star average rating it's got with hundreds of Amazon customers giving it 5 stars. It's even got 72% positive ratings on Product Review, so it must be doing something good.

Honestly, at this price, this no-frills stick vac is perfect for those quick cleans, whether that's inside the house or the shed. Hey, even use it in the car or boat.

If neither Shark tickles your fancy, I've handpicked more of the best October Prime Day vacuum deals, which includes a Dyson going for just under AU$290. I've also included some good robot vacuum deals, as well as upright, handhelds and corded barrel types. So there's plenty to choose from and no need to wait for Black Friday 2026 sales in Australia to pick up a new vacuum cleaner.

If there's one thing you can trust on Amazon is that there's always going to be a fabulous discount on a vacuum cleaner any time during the year. What you can also trust is that when a major Amazon sale is on, like the current Prime Big Deal Days event, the discounts on trusted brands and models are absolutely worth hoovering up (pun intended of course).

And just because a cordless stick vac is now going for less than AU$150 doesn't mean it's not good — I've tested plenty of affordable models and they're great budget buys.

And so, to help you find your next spring-cleaning companion, I've dug up a fair few options across all types of floorcare machines for you, including some of the best vacuum cleaners in Australia. Of course, I've also gone looking for some the best robot vacuums in Australia and the best stick vacuums, giving you plenty of options to choose from.

So, no matter your needs — whether you're a pet-friendly household or have only carpets — there's a vacuum cleaner that's right for you and there's no need to pay full price. On day 4 of the sale, there's just one price change: the already-affordable Bissell PowerForce Helix Turbo (2110F) upright vacuum has dropped to an all-time low of just over AU$98.

It would be good for you to be a Prime member when shopping these deals as they're exclusive discounts for subscribers. If you're a first-time customer, Amazon will give you a 30-day free trial and you can cancel any time.

• For more deals and discounts, follow our live coverage of the best Amazon Prime Big Deal Days offers

Best Prime Big Deal Days vacuum deals

Stick vacuum deals

Robot vacuum deals

Wet-dry floor washer deals

Upright vacuum deals

Corded vacuum deals

Handheld vacuums

Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac review

The first I heard of Kleva Range was earlier this year, when a colleague mentioned it has a heck of a lot of home appliances and kitchenware in its catalogue. As a floorcare expert, the Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Power Vac caught my attention, especially since it listed an industry-leading spec — a whopping 450AW of suction, which beats out Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Ultra with its 400AW. Other powerful cordless stick vacuums I've tested are the Dreame Z50 Station with 330AW of suction, while the Dyson V16 Piston Animal has 315AW.

With the Krapof (surely that's a tongue-and-cheek take on a name?), it's not the suction that stands out, but how compact and lightweight it actually is. The vacuum weighs 2.3kg with the floorhead attached, while the self-cleaning docking station adds just another 5kg. That's a very lightweight package. It's also very compact, with the appliance taking up an area of just 25.5cm x 21.7cm — about the same footprint as Samsung's Clean Station but smaller than Dreame's Z-series auto-emptying docks or some free-standing docks like Dyson's.

While the Krapof Slim Vac (as I shall call it from here on in) is quite short, even for short people like me (I stand just five-feet tall), thankfully the wand is telescopic and should suit most people.

Otherwise it's not all that different from so many other self-emptying stick vacuums on the market. However, unlike many of them, the dock has options for you to set auto self-emptying when the stick vac is placed back for charging or trigger it manually, although the former didn't always work during my testing, requiring me to press the Start/Stop button on top of the dock.

You can, however, empty it manually as well as directly into a bin if you wish, which could save you cash in the long run on buying replacement dust bags — just keep the self-emptying function in the dock turned off and press a button on the lower part of the dust canister in the handheld unit to lower the trapdoor.

You can also clean out the inside by twisting the top to remove and access the filter. Dismantling fully isn't the easiest task, though, but it at least means you can maintain the vacuum well to increase its lifespan and keep it in tiptop condition.

One thing to note about the stick vacuum while it's docked and charging is that the top display will be upside down when you stand before the appliance, but it's fine when you take off the dock to use. So if you see the percentage sign of the battery indicator before a number like 85, assume it means it's a 58%.

What I do appreciate about the self-emptying charging station is that it has dedicated space to store the two extra attachments that ship with the vacuum (a crevice tool and a brush) — they just clamp onto two stumps on the side of the dock's base.

The Krapof Slim Power Vac has three suction settings, which can be accessed by pressing the +/- icon on the touchscreen when needed, but in its default Auto settings, dynamic suction sets in and the power increases or decreases depending on how much dirt the vacuum senses. The change in suction in denoted by the colour of the Krapof logo on the front of the handheld unit, going from green to blue to red as you shift from lowest to highest power settings.

Interestingly, despite claiming to have a whopping 450AW of suction, the Krapof Slim Power Vac is not very loud and, to be honest, it doesn't even perform as well as the 400AW Samsung Bespoke Jet AI Ultra or the 280AW Dyson Gen5detect. I suspect a lot of that has to do with the overall design of the stick vacuum, which also means its disappointing performance is down to a floorhead that tends to scatter visible particles, even those as small as chia seeds.

So while it's perfectly good for invisible dust, other household spills like cereal (even small bits of oats), tea leaves, grains of rice or other dry spills get pushed around by the edges of the floorhead (as you can see from the video below). That means you're cleaning parts of the floor you've probably already vacuumed, doubling your work and making cleaning more of a chore than it really ought to be.

The scattering happens on both hard floors and carpets, so it's really not dependent on floor type and definitely got to do with the design. Furthermore, the floorhead's best suction is the forward motion, which is disappointing given its price tag and the fact that other models that cost about the same can suck equally well when moving front or back.

The floorhead has headlights built in, but they're not very bright and, in a well-lit room, aren't useful at all. Even under furniture, I didn't think the lights helped illuminate dust but highlighted long-forgotten lost items under furniture.

Another disappointing aspect of the main floorhead is the amount of hair and fur that gets entangled in the bristles. So if you have pets, I definitely wouldn't recommend it. That said, if you exclusively have just hard floors, a separate roller is included in the box that can be used in the floorhead to avoid bristle damage if your wood floors are sensitive, and this minimises the entanglements, but you will need to clean out the brush if you use the main floorhead as your primary cleaning tool.

This also means that your regular maintenance of the appliances increases as performance will be affected if you don't keep the floorhead free of human hair and pet fur.

As disappointing as I may have found the scattering of dirt and the hair tangles, battery life at least is quite standard here. Depending on how often dynamic suction gets triggered, you can eke out about 35 minutes of vacuuming on the default Auto mode, but if it's just daily dust, you can get a more with the LED floorhead attached.

This matches Kleva's claims of getting up to 30 minutes on the 'standard' setting, but switch to the non-motorised attachments and you'll get up to 80 minutes on the lowest Eco power setting.

Decent battery life, however, does not make up for the fact that this vacuum cleaner, while fine for some basic tasks, will struggle and make you work harder rather than easing the task of cleaning your floors. At the end of the day, I found it to be a frustrating experience overall and, for its price, find it hard to recommend over options like the Samsung Jet 95S or the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty if you really want a self-emptying option. In fact, I would even recommend a discounted Dyson V8 Cyclone and the additional purchase of the Auto-empty Dok. Despite lower suction, any of these three will offer a much smoother experience.

What surprises me even more is the number of glowing user reviews online, but the vast majority on Product Review seem to be incentivised ones, so please don't fall for the hype.

Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac review: price & availability

• Only available directly from Kleva Range
• List price of AU$899 but usually discounted to around AU$649

For a stick vacuum that claims to offer industry-leading suction and a self-empty function, the Krapof Slim Power Vac is well priced even at its RRP of AU$899. However, it's only directly sold via the Kleva Range website and is typically available with a discount that saves you AU$250.

However, given its design flaws that affect the overall user experience, even the discounted price of AU$649 is a bitter pill to swallow as you can opt for a lower-specced and more reliable vacuum for about the same price or lower.

Take, for example, the Dyson V8 Cyclone which, with its 150AW of suction feels overpriced at AU$649 and no self-emptying. However, it regularly drops to around the AU$450 mark, then add on the cost of purchasing Dyson's Auto-empty Dok for about AU$250 and you'll get just as good a clean with a much easier vacuuming experience for AU$700.

Shark has a lot of options too, all of which have lower suction than what the Krapof lists in its spec sheet, yet do a better job. In fact, the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty can be had for around the AU$650 often on Amazon, giving you a self-emptying charging dock that doesn't even need replacement dust bags.

If I had to score the Krapof on value alone, it'd be a rather low number.

Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac review: specs

Should I buy the Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac review: alternatives

How I tested the Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Vac

The Krapof Auto Clean Self Empty Slim Power Vac was tested in TechRadar's Sydney office which has large open spaces of hard floors and low-pile carpet. While regular dust suction was tested every two days on hard floors where particles are more visible then on darker carpet, I also used mixtures of various pantry staples to emulate different particle sizes. Tea from a bag is fine dust, while chia seeds are small. Along with them, I added in quick-cook oats which are smaller than regular rolled oats, plus pieces of freeze-dried raspberries.

One of my colleagues also kindly brought in fur from her two dogs for me to test this vacuum for pet households, which I scattered on both the hard floor and on the low-pile carpet in the office.

Battery tests were conducted with the main motorised floorhead with dynamic suction and without by leaving the machine running in one spot. The latter was also done using the crevice tool attached to the handheld unit.

[First reviewed September 2026]

Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro: two-minute review

In August 2026, Tineco launched its most advanced floor washer to date — the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum. With a suction power of up to 25,000 Pa, it’s one of the most powerful wet-dry vacuums on the market, picking up fine materials like flour in a single pass and large materials like 8-12 leaves in less than a minute. With the lie flat design, you can reach further under furniture. Side edge cleaning doesn’t get better than this. You can clean along the front of the vacuum up to about one-half to one-eighth of an inch. With a battery that lasts 65-75 minutes on Auto mode and up to 100 minutes on Quiet mode, you can clean most houses in a single go.

Thanks to four cleaning modes, including a dirt detect mode, the Tineco Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum soared through our various cleaning tests from dry debris to wet messes and stubborn stains. A HydroBurst sprayer that can spray solution on tough stains is a great addition, but kind of unnecessary since the mopping power is exceptionally good. Not only does the wet-dry vacuum use hot water to clean (and continuously washes the brushroll as it mops), but the brushroll presses against the floor for a deeper clean and utilizes a streak-free scraper when the wet-dry vacuum goes in reverse. This helps to remove tough messes and prevent streaks or water stains.

The most notable upgrade, however, is the Smart Refresh Station. Tineco clearly took inspiration from robot vacuum bases and created a base that automatically refills the wet-dry vacuum with cleaning solution and clean water from a 5-liter water tank. This reduces the maintenance required, which is already impressive considering the base uses hot water and hot air to clean the brushroll. Maybe soon enough Tineco will surprise us with a base that removes dirty water and debris too.

Perhaps the biggest drawback to this wet-dry vacuum is the price. It’s one of the highest on the market. If you’re willing to do a little more maintenance, the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro cleans just as well. Still, I can’t deny that the Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum might do better with larger debris and is a great investment for those with larger homes who want to clean their space on a single charge.

Keep reading for my full review of the Tineco Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet and Dry Vacuum and see why it’s currently my favorite on the market.

Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro: price and availability

• List price: $1,199 (about £880 / AU$1,660)
• Launch date: August 2026
• Availability: US

The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum launched in the US in August 2026 at a list price of $1,199 (about £880 / AU$1,660), making it Tineco’s most expensive wet-dry vacuum and a premium-priced wet-dry vacuum on the wider market. It’s sold through Tineco, as well as third-party retailers like Amazon and Walmart.

The price is not surprising, considering it may be the first wet-dry vacuum to offer a base station that auto refills the unit with water and solution. I’ve been testing wet-dry vacuums for years, and though this isn’t new technology (in that we see it utilized with wet-dry robot vacuums), it is new for wet-dry vacuum bases. Add in the exceptional battery life, solution sprayer, and streak-free scraper technology, and this price makes sense.

Perhaps during the holidays, the Tineco Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro will be discounted. For now, you could go with the equally exceptional Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum if you’re willing to refill the water tank by hand. It’s usually $849, but it’s discounted to $599, and I can say firsthand that it has a similar cleaning prowess as the S9 Scientist Pro.

• Value score: 4 out of 5

Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro: specs

Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro: design

• 180-degree lie-flat design for hard-to-reach places
• Four cleaning modes and a solution sprayer for tough stains
• Self-cleaning and clean water auto-refilling base

It took minutes to put the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum together. All I had to do was remove it from the packaging, slot the handle into the unit, and put it to charge on the base. A bottle of cleaning solution, extra brushroll, and a cleaning brush were provided in the packaging.

The first few things I noticed about the design were the thickness of the vacuum head and the sleek rectangular box design of the body. It looks almost robotic-like, and as I delved further into the design, it makes a lot more sense why the vacuum looks the way it does.

The Tineco Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum is 30lbs, so it’s not lightweight, but thanks to a self-propel system, it doesn’t feel heavy. I liked that vacuum head and the body are flexible and twist and turn easily. The wet-dry vacuum can also lie 180-degree flat making it easy to reach under beds and sofas to clean. This is possible because the dirty water tank is on the back of the vacuum body and the clean water tank is on the top of the vacuum head — hence why the vacuum head is so bulky.

A streak-free scraper under the vacuum head lifts when you push the vacuum forward and drops when you pull it backwards, so that it can scrape excess water and tough stains. This results in a completely clean floor free of water stains and streaks. A white headlight helps to illuminate dark spaces, while a comb and scraper near the brushroll prevents the tangling of hair and other debris.

A small LED screen is placed on the handle with three buttons. The power button turns the unit on and off, while the change mode button lets you move between the four cleaning modes — Auto, Max, Quiet, and Suction. The mode in use and battery life appear on the LED screen. A HydroBurst button causes cleaning solution to spray from the front of the vacuum head onto tough stains.

Tineco has done something a bit different with the Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum in terms of the Auto Mode (or the dirt detect system). When using Auto Mode, a light blue digital ring on the front of the unit’s body appears. Parts of the ring turn red to notify you how dirty the floor is. The more red the ring is, the dirtier the floor.

While this digital display is intuitive, there are seven status displays in total that appear on the front of the vacuum’s body and not all of them are easy to remember. The seven displays are Dirt Level, Battery, HydroBurst, Self-Cleaning, Drying Mode, Malfunction, and Water Filling Indicators. Each one has a different shape and a different color indicator. This is probably the biggest design drawback for me, as I think Tineco could’ve displayed such indicators in an easier-to-understand method. With the voice commands, you’ll understand what each indicator means, but if you turn off the voice commands, you might find yourself slightly confused.

There is also a self-cleaning button on the top of the handle. It’s to be pressed when the wet-dry vacuum is on the base. Three buttons appear on top of the vacuum body when it’s on the base. The 'Hot Water Refill' button refills the wet-dry vacuum with hot water, while the 'Silent' button results in a longer brushroll drying period. The brushroll dries in five minutes if you press the 'Flash' button.

The base may be large, but consider this: it charges the wet-dry vacuum, self-cleans it with hot water and air, and auto refills the wet-dry vacuum’s clean water tank with water and cleaning solution. At the back of the base there is a cleaning solution compartment that can hold an entire bottle of Tineco cleaning solution. A 5-liter tank of clean water is then placed on top the cleaning solution compartment, so that when the wet-dry vacuum is on the base, the base can move hot water into the wet-dry vacuum hands-free.

While the design outshines other wet-dry vacuums on the market, I see some room for slight improvements in the future.

• Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro: performance

• Phenomenal cleaning capabilities with great edge cleaning
• Does a outstanding job suctioning liquids and large debris like leaves
• Front edge cleaning varies between ½ and 1/8th of an inch from the wall

From the get-go, I really liked how the handle of the the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum twisted and turned so easily. This especially helped when I laid the wet-dry vacuum flat to clean under my bed. I was able to reach around the legs of my bedframe easily.

The dirt detection system was fantastic, recognizing even the smallest amounts of dust. My home is very dusty because it’s historic, and I was glad to see that the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum suctioned up the dust rather than spreading it about or pushing it back into the air. The headlight illuminated dust and debris in dark spaces, though I would’ve preferred a green rather than a white headlight as green lights make dust and debris more visible. At least, I could trust the Auto Mode to 'see' hidden stains or dirt that I couldn’t see under the white headlight or with the naked eye.

The suctioning capabilities of the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum are beyond impressive, which isn’t surprising considering it has a suction power of 25,000 Pa. (Trust me, that’s massive.) I used the wet-dry vacuum to pick up a lot of dried leaves that had fallen around one of my plants. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wet-dry vacuum accomplish such a task in such a short time. Most struggle to suction one or two leaves, much less 10. Even the reverse cleaning was better than most wet-dry vacuums.

One of the first things I tested was the edge cleaning. There was no space between the wall and the side edge of the vacuum head. However, I noticed that there was about half an inch along the front edge of the vacuum head and the wall. That was a bit disappointing, until I realized that with certain things, like my really tall thresholds, the space shortened to about 1/8th of an inch. After some experimenting, I realized that if I approached the wall slowly with the front of the vacuum head, the front edge cleaning improved and I could clean closer to objects or walls.

Because the wet-dry vacuum’s head is so bulky, I couldn’t reach under cabinet overhangs. This has been my biggest gripe with wet-dry vacuums since they started putting the clean water tank on the top of the vacuum head because it means I have to go back through the house with a vacuum to clean those spaces.

The clean water tank lasted about 30 minutes (which is quite long), while the dirty water tank had to be emptied at about 40 minutes. These results are well above average.

While most people may use a robot vacuum or vacuum to clean daily, the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum is a really great wet-dry vacuum to have on hand for weekly deep home cleanings and stubborn stains.

Cleaning tests

I ran several cleaning tests to see how well the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner cleans on Auto mode and was impressed with the results. I sprinkled flour, coffee, and crunchy oats on my laminate flooring, and spilled a variety of liquids like water, soy sauce, and barbeque sauce. I also place an egg on the ground and sprayed some chocolate sauce and siracha sauce and let them both dry slightly.

The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner picked up all the fine and large materials in a single pass, though some flour got stuck on the wheels when I reversed over the flour. The Suction mode did a fantastic job suctioning up the water. I used the Auto mode for the barbecue and soy sauces just to ensure the floor wasn’t sticky afterwards. It cleaned both sauces in a single go without any remaining residue.

While the wet-dry vacuum picked up the slightly dry siracha sauce in a single pass, it took about four passes to pick up the driest and thickest parts of chocolate sauce on auto mode. The thinner areas of the chocolate sauce only took a single pass.

I test a lot of wet-dry vacuums throughout the year, and Tineco consistently beats every other brand in cleaning capabilities. The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum Cleaner didn’t disappoint, and proves that this wet-dry vacuum cleans the most consistently and effectively (and with less effort!) compared to others on the market.

Maintenance

The Tineco Floor One Station Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum stands out among all wet-dry vacuums because of its base which is outfitted with a 5-liter water tank and a solution bay (that can hold a single solution bottle). The base automatically refills the wet-dry vacuum’s clean water tank in less than 30 seconds – and it’s pretty amazing to watch.

After each cleaning session, I placed the wet-dry vacuum on the base and ran the self-cleaning system which uses hot water to clean the brushroll. This hot water process is quite effective as the brushroll comes out super clean. I only found a very small amount of dust under the vacuum head when I removed the brushroll — far less than I have found with other wet-dry vacuums that I’ve tested.

The base dries the brushroll and filter with hot air that’s 230 degrees Fahrenheit. Flash dry takes five minutes to dry the brushroll, while silent dry results in a quiet (40 dB sound rating) drying process. I wish I could say that the brushroll was completely dry when using either of these settings, but there was a very slight amount of dampness. On the flash dry setting, the brushroll was 95% dry, while the silent dry mode made the brushroll about 98% dry.

The only thing the base can’t do is empty the dirty water tank – so you have to do it by hand. A brush is provided by Tineco to remove debris. The debris catcher design could be better, but it catches a decent amount.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Tineco Floor ONE Station S9 Scientist Pro: battery life

The battery life of the Tineco Floor One Station Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum is more than adequate for most homes. I was able to clean my 1,600-square-foot home in 30 minutes on Auto mode, and still have 50% of the battery life left.

Overall, the battery lasted between 65-73 minutes on Auto mode, which is in-line with Tineco’s predictions that the battery, on Auto mode, can last up to 75 minutes. Remember on Auto mode, the vacuum automatically increases the suction and cleaning power depending on how dirty the floors are. It could use more power and thus more battery life if your floors are especially dirty.

Battery score: 5 out of 5

Should you buy the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro?

Buy it if

Don't buy it if

How I tested the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro

Testing the Tineco Floor One Station Scientist Pro Wet Dry Vacuum occurred over multiple weeks during a Texas summer in my 106-year-old house that produces a lot of dust and has multiple high traffic areas with dirt and debris.

My 1,600-square-foot house is a mix of laminate and historic hardwood flooring, making it a great testing space. I ran a variety of cleaning tests with various liquids, barbeque sauce, eggs, flour, coffee, and dried chocolate sauce, making sure to utilize different cleaning modes and taking notes on things like edge cleaning, battery life, and maintenance requirements. For more details, see how we test, review, and rate products at TechRadar.

First reviewed September 2026

• One-click transformation between upright, stick and handheld vacuum
• Features Shark's Detect and Reveal tech to optimize power and capture every last speck
• List price £479.99 (already on sale in US for $529.99)

Shark has launched a brand new vacuum system — the Shark PowerDetect Transformer — which is an upright disguised as a stick disguised as a handheld. In other words, it's three vacuum cleaners in one.

The idea behind the Transformer is to provide multiple cleaning tools in a single package: a deep-cleaning upright for your carpets and hard floors, a stick vacuum for quick cleans, and a handheld for high places and hard to reach spaces, as well as for things like your car.

According to James Kitto, SharkNinja's SVP Managing Director for the EMEA region, "The upright vacuum hasn’t meaningfully changed in decades. With Transformer, we’ve rethought what a vacuum can do by removing unnecessary complexity and creating a system that adapts to real life."

What's so clever about the Shark PowerDetect Transformer?

It's definitely well thought out. In handheld and stick mode, the goal is light weight and portability, so the Transformer uses a relatively small dust chamber that sits just below the handle. When you need to get rid of serious amounts of dirt, there's a much larger dust collector that snaps onto the front, giving you the capacity of a normal upright.

The Transformer also comes with two key technologies we've seen in other recent Shark vacuum cleaners: PowerDetect, which automatically optimizes the cleaning power based on dirt levels, the floor type, your movement, and the cleaner's proximity to things such as skirting boards; and Reveal, which uses illumination to ensure that dust and dirt have nowhere to hide.

Other features include auto-emptying of the small bin into the larger one with a single click; HEPA filtration with anti-allergen sealing; odor neutralization; Shark's no-hair-wrap system to take hair from the brushroll rather than letting it accumulate; and DuoClean Detect brushes that have been designed to capture dirt, debris and hair on carpeted, tiled and wooden floors without having to switch heads.

Could the Transformer depose our current favorite Shark vacuum, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick? It might: it's essentially an even smarter version of the PowerDetect, and yet it's slightly cheaper; while the PowerDetect Cordless Stick has a list price of £499.99, the Shark PowerDetect Transformer is £479.99. It's already on sale for $529.99 in the US, but we don't yet have details of availability in Australia.

Tineco is showcasing its latest smart home care technology under the theme “The Future Cleans Itself,” at IFA 2026, demonstrating how automation can simplify tasks before, during and after cleaning. For years, Tineco has developed smart home care products designed to make everyday cleaning simpler, and in 2020, the brand helped pioneer the floor washer category with the launch of the FLOOR ONE S1. Since then, Tineco has continued to push the category forward, earning recognition as the world’s No. 1 household wet & dry vacuum cleaner brand for four consecutive years.

Building on that evolution and leading Tineco’s floor care showcase at IFA 2026, is the Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro which combines powerful cleaning performance with automated features designed to simplify operation and help keep the machine ready when you need it.

One of the key conveniences of the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro is the base station. While some vacuum cleaners can be a chore to use and put away, the base station helps streamline both the cleaning process and the steps that follow. It provides fast charging, keeping the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro powered up and ready for cleaning sessions of up to 100 minutes.

The station automatically replenishes hot water and dispenses cleaning solution, reducing the need for manual refilling during cleaning. The base station’s five-liter tank holds plenty of water for frequent cleaning, even in large homes.

After cleaning, the base station works with the floor washer to flush its roller and pipes and dry them with 230°F hot air in just five minutes. An integrated comb in the head of the Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro helps cut out hair and detangles as you clean.

All of this cuts down on the manual upkeep needed before the next cleaning session.

The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro brings a full arsenal of cleaning capabilities to tackle the many messes that your floor might face. Its wide brush head and 25,000 Pa of suction can tackle dry debris with ease. Powered wheels, a swiveling neck and an edge-to-edge roller make it easy to navigate and clean along edges and baseboards. The Tineco Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro can even lie flat to get under furniture as low as 4.33 inches.

For dried, sticky or oily messes, Hydro Burst Cleaning blasts the area with high-pressure water and cuts right through the mess. As you move the floor washer forward, it operates normally, rolling up debris, but with one click it can seamlessly drop a special scraper and move in reverse to more effectively pull up liquids and wipe away water for a streak-free finish.

The Floor One Station S9 Scientist Pro is just one part of Tineco’s broader showcase at IFA 2026. The brand is also unveiling the FLOOR ONE S11 Artist Fusion Steam, FLOOR ONE S9 Artist Boost Steam and PURE ONE STATION 7 ZeroTouch, all making their global debut at the event. Beyond these floor care launches, Tineco’s IFA presence spans floor washers, carpet cleaners, vacuum cleaners and smart kitchen products, with additional new products and technologies on display across the portfolio. Together, the lineup brings Tineco’s “The Future Cleans Itself” theme to life through technology designed to make everyday home care simpler.

*Source: Euromonitor International (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.; measured in terms of the brand’s global retail sales volume (in units) of household wet & dry vacuum cleaners in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. Household wet & dry vacuum cleaners are defined as household cleaners that dispense clean water (or cleaning solution) to wash hard floors and vacuum the dirty water and debris thereafter. Based on research completed in March 2026.