Dreame U20 overview: the inexpensive cordless vacuum that tackles pet hair impressively properly

Dreame U20 cordless vacuum: two-minute overview

Hailing from guardian firm, Xiaomi, Dreame is quick turning into a well-liked sub-brand with an in depth product lineup. Starting from wet-dry vacuums, air purifiers, robotic vacuums (together with a robotic lawnmower), cordless stick vacuums and hair dryers, Dreame has all of it, and throughout totally different budgets, too.

Whereas its high-end robovacs are objects to dream about (pun supposed), as you’ll be able to see in our Dreame X50 Extremely overview, I’m in love with a less expensive product that helps me clear up after my pets. The inexpensive Dreame U20 has turn into my lifesaver, combining Dyson-like tech with the signature Dreame fashion. It’s a flexible and light-weight cordless vacuum that delivers nice efficiency for an exceptionally low price, because it’s very continuously discounted.

Its colour scheme belies its finances value level – accessible in a stunning gold and beige colourway, the Dreame U20 appears to be like much more premium than its $249.99 / £250 / AU$399.99 value level suggests.

What I discovered much more spectacular is its suction. For the value, its 120AW energy isn’t dangerous in any respect, which isn’t too far off the Shark Cordless Detect Professional’s 123AW of suction, and but it was greater than sufficient to wash my pup’s fur off my couch and carpets properly. Evidently, it handles exhausting flooring very simply, making it a candidate for being probably the greatest cordless vacuum cleaners.

It comes with the usual attachments, together with a multi-surface brush head with LED blue lights to light up darkish areas, a mini motorized brush for cleansing upholstery, a crevice instrument and a detachable battery that is rated for as much as 60 minutes.

Realistically, although, you will get no extra 37-40 minutes when utilizing the 2 motorized attachments on the bottom suction, however that is high quality for smaller properties – I can simply vacuum my residing space, two bedrooms and two bogs inside that point. Nonetheless, for those who principally have carpets, I discovered it could take longer to get it clear as you might have to trip just a few instances, thus consuming extra battery. The one battery indicator on the U20 is a tiny mild on the top cap, which is tough to see whereas in use, and it blinks when it’s operating low. There’s additionally no fast charging right here, and the vacuum can take as much as 3.5 hours to totally recharge.

The one different draw back to this in any other case nice purchase is that the dustbin capability is just 0.5L, which means you would possibly have to empty it continuously when you’ve got a big dwelling with pets. For those who do not want any extra bells and whistles, the Dreame U20 is straightforward to advocate as a top-notch finances cordless vacuum cleaner.

Dreame U20 at Goal for $249.99

Dreame U20 overview: value & availability

Checklist value: $249.99 / £250 / AU$399 Availability: Offered within the US, UK and Australia at third-party retailers

The Dreame U20 may be picked up within the US at Goal for an inventory value of $249.99. It’s additionally accessible on Instacart, with provides stocked at Costco and different smaller retailers. It’s presently not accessible on Dreame’s US retailer.

Within the UK, the listing value is £250, and you’ll decide it up from Amazon UK or Curry’s, however once more, the vacuum is presently unavailable on the model’s UK retailer.

For patrons residing in Australia, Amazon AU lists it for AU$399.99, however it’s sometimes discounted to AU$199.99. Even in Australia, the U20 is not accessible on the Dreame web site.

The Dreame web site lists 27 nations the place its gadgets can be found, together with the U20. For those who’re having bother discovering the product, examine their web site to see if it is accessible the place you reside.

Even at full value, the Dreame U20 represents excellent worth for cash, significantly if you could find it at a reduced value. Admittedly it is a very primary mannequin, so if you’d like a contact extra suction, Dreame has different mid-range fashions, with the Dreame R20 overview scoring very properly for balancing value and efficiency.

Worth for cash rating: 5 out of 5

Dreame U20 overview: specs

Dreame U20 overview: design

Compact cordless stick vacuum in a stunning colour schemeFive attachments, together with LED multi-surface brush, mini motorized brush and mixture toolCan be used as a stick vacuum or a small handheld vacuum

I’m new to the world of vacuum testing, with only one different for sister website Tom’s Information beneath my belt. Evidently, the Dreame U20 has been fairly the dream, particularly when it got here to design. For me, the gold and beige colorway was a winner, a stray away from the standard gray or black of different opponents. It lends the inexpensive vacuum a cultured look.

Aside from that, the Dreame U20 has a stock-standard design which permits it to turn into a handheld unit rapidly for cleansing vehicles, sofas, mattresses and, hey, even canine beds. To pair with the hand held unit, there’s a motorized mini brush within the field that might be helpful for mentioned canine mattress and the couch. It may even be used on carpeted stairs.

It has a set off, like most Dyson fashions, however you don’t have to preserve this pressed always to run the machine – you simply have to click on it on and off. There’s only one different management button on the motor’s finish cap to vary suction modes and that needs to be simple to achieve for many customers with the thumb when holding the U20.

The principle floor-cleaning attachment is known as the Multi-Floor Brush, which options LED blue lights that assist illuminate the ground in entrance of the comb head however don’t spotlight miniscule mud particles like Dyson’s Fluffy instrument does. And that’s OK as a result of it nonetheless helps you see in darkish areas – for instance, I used to be capable of see scattered kitty litter in an unlit rest room.

The opposite attachment within the field is a mixture crevice instrument, however a wall-mount equipment additionally ships with the vacuum in case you need to stow it away in a handy place with out compromising flooring house.

Weighing 3.3kg / 7.27lbs, the Dreame U20 is not precisely light-weight (compared, the Shark Cordless Detect Professional weighs 2.7kg / 5.9lbs), however it’s nonetheless very simple to push round. It measures 16cm x 30cm x 68cm with the extension rod hooked up.

The 120AW motor is able to operating at three totally different velocity modes, indicated by three lights on the top cap of the motor. You possibly can swap between the velocity settings (low, medium and excessive) by tapping the button instantly beneath the lights and switching it on by utilizing the set off. For many cleans, I discovered I tended to flick between medium and excessive, particularly when cleansing carpets.

In response to Dreame, the U20 motor has a multi-layer filtration system that captures as much as 99.9% of high quality mud and particles. Its HEPA filter additionally retains particles out of the air and contained in the bin whereas vacuuming, which is fairly normal for any cordless vacuum cleaner nowadays.

For its value level, the 0.5L bin is kind of normal, however it’ll seemingly refill quick when you’ve got, say, a two-bedroom or bigger dwelling with pets, which means you will have to make extra journeys to empty it. The bin has a helpful sticker on the entrance (which I did refer again to many instances) that signifies how you can insert or take away it to empty, and its so simple as pushing the button on the bottom and twisting the canister clockwise. After detaching, all it’s important to do is unscrew the filter from the container to take away the particles – finer mud or crumbs fall out simply, however you might have to get your fingers inside to take away clumps of hair from the bin.

The removable battery pack may very well be helpful for some customers as you’ll be able to clip it into the wall-mount attachment and start charging it when you’re emptying the vacuum for instance. Nonetheless, for those who’re a renter who cannot drill holes into your wall – like me – you’ll be able to go away the battery hooked up to the U20 and preserve the vacuum propped up towards a wall or in a cabinet for topping up.

It lacks an LCD display to point out suction modes or time remaining earlier than the subsequent cost. As a substitute, the battery life is displayed by a small vertical mild on the pack itself, which flashes when it wants charging. It is unlucky that it faces ahead, so it’s not seen to the consumer, and neither is it a really noticeable mild – and that is my greatest criticism with the Dreame U20 as there have been just a few cases the place the machine shut down mid-clean throughout my testing.

The U20’s multi-surface brush head is kind of just like many floor-cleaning attachments from different manufacturers, however it options blue LED lights on the entrance that illuminate two small triangular sections of the ground instantly in entrance of the comb head. Whereas it appears to be like just like Dyson’s inexperienced dust-illuminating mild on the Fluffy Optic, this blue mild doesn’t spotlight invisible mud on the ground, however I discovered it’s shiny and vivid sufficient to assist stroll round in a darkish room with out bumping into issues. Living proof: it completely confirmed scattered kitty litter in an unlit rest room that was, on the time, pitch darkish.