When most people think about vacuum cleaners, the brands that tend to come to mind are Dyson or Shark. But one vacuum cleaner blew us away this year, and it didn't come from either of them. Instead, it's a Dreame vacuum; specifically the R20.
This is one of the very best cordless vacuums we've tested, easily rivaling options from far better-known brands, and for a much lower cost too. We gave it a near-perfect 4.5* in our Dreame R20 vacuum review.
The design, features and spec list are impressive: it's ultra-lightweight (thanks to an innovative carbon fiber tube), you'll get a dedicated soft floorhead for delicate floors and there's automatic suction adjustment based on dirt levels – with information provided via a hi-tech screen.
Those are all features that are rare in the affordable price bracket, let alone all together in one vacuum. Price-wise, the R20 is $449.99 / £279 at list price, but discounts are common, so it's unlikely you'll actually have to pay that.
Specs aren't everything though, so what about the performance? This Dreame vacuum knocked our tester's socks off with its cleaning powers, and he commented that the suction was "exceptional for its compact size".
In fact, it's a little too powerful for some thicker carpet – thankfully, Dreame has included an air intake slider that can be opened to lessen resistance and make it easier to push, with no noticeable compromise in cleaning power. The automatic adjustment works exactly as advertised and means the vacuum can clear spillages with next-to-no effort.
Our reviewer was equally impressed with the maneuverability; the swiveling floorhead can steer easily around chair legs and into tight corners, and the flexible hose attachment helps amp up versatility, for example for cleaning under furniture and beds.
Perhaps the hardest test for vacuum cleaners is pet hair, but again the Dreame R20 rose to the challenge, pulling almost every last piece of hair from our multiple-pet-owning tester's rug in a single pass. (We rate it amongst the best vacuums for pet hair we've tested.)
It's not quite perfect. It makes a slightly annoying whine when working (in any mode) and the trigger is easy to accidentally activate when carrying the vacuum around. Finally, the bin is on the smaller side, so if you have a very large house you might find yourself emptying it annoyingly often. Other than that, though, it's an incredible all-rounder.
In fact, Dreame is one to watch in the home appliances space in general. As well as vacuums, the brand also makes robot vacuums, hair dryers, hair stylers, wet-and-dry vacuums and, recently, a lawnbot too. We've tested examples from each category and generally been very impressed.
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