The world of vacuums seems to have changed from the old days where the main question was how fast and how much they could clean up at once. Now there are high-tech choices, upright models, handhelds, steam cleaners for the home, artistically engineered models and many others.
For me, though, it all comes down to how much will it cost to clean my carpet and floors well.
I paid over $500 for my last vacuum, an old-fashioned bucket-style model plus attachments. Why so much? It had two features that I loved. First, no bags! All the dirt is deposited into a tub hooked to the bottom of the device. All that was required was to run the filter through the dishwasher now and again. Second, it had enough attachments that I could clean floors, furniture, and suck up dust anywhere.
This was the standard I measured against when I was testing the Soniclean VT Plus vacuum combination (retail price $299.80). The upright model claimed to not only be able to suck up grime and dirt from carpets but also from hardwood floors. The handheld vacuum that comes with it claimed the ability to handle all my other needs.
So how did that pan out?
What I liked:
- The upright is very light and easy to handle, weighing in at only 10.5 pounds.
- The upright has a floor only setting, so I could easy switch from my throw rugs to my hardwood floors.
- The upright definitely gets rugs clean, even grabbing pine needles effectively on carpet, and doing as promised, grabbing all the white dog hair on my dark brown rug.
- The hand-held model is also light, and it’s easy to swap in different attachments. It also sucked things up very effectively.
What I didn’t like:
- Bags. The the first bag did last a while, through a month’s worth of carpet vacuuming that included the dreaded Christmas tree clean-up. But additional bags are $24.99 for a packet of eight for the upright and $18.99 for a package of eight for the handheld. They’re easy to install and relatively cheap but it’s another step that I didn’t have before.
- I still need my broom. The answer to cleaning my floors isn’t the upright Soniclean. It vacuumed up some of the pine needles but spat the others around on the hardwood.
- Price. Not having bought a vacuum in some time, nearly $300 seems like a great deal to pay. On the other hand, it definitely works well, so if it lasts twenty years, like the previous model I’ve been using, then it will be worth it.
In all? This is definitely an upgrade over my previous vacuum. It’s lighter, more portable, easier to use and quieter. (Though my dog may beg to differ, as he seems to be one of those animals who wants to chase the upright vacuum cleaners.)
How does it stack up against those fancy Dyson cleaners I keep seeing on television? Well, the lowest Dyson cleaner seems to start at about $400. The Soniclean lacks that fancy ball to help get around corner but it is very lightweight and easy to maneuver. I don’t feel any desire for any more tech in my vacuum, just added suction. And the Soniclean model I tested fits the bill.
GeekDad received this item for review purposes.
