Halo Capsule X review

The unique, independently made Halo Capsule cordless is one in all our favorite vacuums, due to its ingenious design and cleansing energy. Its makers prioritised gentle weight, straightforward emptying, sturdy suction and minimal environmental affect and pared again pointless options. The ensuing vacuum cleaner is in contrast to anything available on the market.

Quick ahead a number of years and the unique Capsule has been joined by the Capsule X. The Capsule X retains the distinctive parts of the unique, together with its carbon-fibre shell, its compostable cardboard mud baggage and big dustbin, however provides some new options equivalent to swappable batteries, HEPA filtration, headlights and new cleansing attachments.

Does the Capsule X enhance on the unique? We examined it out. Right here’s what we expect.

Design & Options

• Three bundle shopping for choices
• Two-hour quick charging
• As much as 60 minutes of use

What you get while you purchase the Capsule X will depend on whether or not you go for the Worth Bundle, the Additional Equipment Bundle, or the Final 2-Battery Bundle. You possibly can see the costs and equipment on the Halo Home equipment web site.

We’re testing out the Final Bundle, which comes with three motorised cleansing heads (optimised for exhausting flooring, carpets and fabric), the primary vacuum physique and wand, separate crevice and brush heads, two swappable batteries, a hose, a wall-mounted dock and spare mud pouches.

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The Additional Equipment Bundle comes with the identical extras, minus the extra battery.

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Within the Worth Bundle, you’ll solely get one motorised cleansing head (optimised for carpet) and also you’ll miss out on the hose and spare battery as nicely.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

If there’s a specific accent you need, you should buy it individually from Halo Home equipment. Spare lithium-ion batteries price £79.99. The truth is, each a part of the Capsule X might be purchased individually – you’ll be able to even purchase a alternative physique for £129.99.

This makes it straightforward to switch a broken half, reasonably than shopping for an entire new vacuum cleaner and it’s one other approach by which the makers have put sustainability first. If you wish to purchase a vacuum as soon as and maintain it long run, the Capsule X is a good alternative.  

Open the recycling-friendly field and every thing is neatly packed in cardboard inserts. The one lower than excellent packaging aspect are the plastic sleeves defending a few of the equipment. The makers say that this can be a little bit of an environmental compromise as prospects ask for replacements for any scratched or lower than pristine components, which simply creates extra waste.

All of the Capsule X’s parts and equipment are high-quality. The wand is coated steel. The physique of the vacuum is, in fact, carbon fibre. The cleansing instruments are straightforward to swap out and click on satisfyingly into place when hooked up.  

You’ll have to cost the battery earlier than you get began. It takes simply two hours to cost from flat to full, which is superb when in comparison with rivals. When it’s prepared, clip it onto the physique of the Capsule and also you’re able to go.

The Capsule X has a bolder color scheme than its predecessor, in sky-blue and black. The one design compromise to suit the brand new options is seen on the capsule-shaped vacuum cleaner physique, which is now bulked out under the deal with to deal with the motor and swappable 32v lithium-ion battery. This doesn’t have an effect on its weight distribution whereas cleansing flooring, however I discovered it more durable to assist it whereas cleansing overhead. 

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Proper above the deal with are the controls. There’s an On/Off button, a button to change on the motorised cleansing head (when you’re utilizing it) and a button to cycle by way of the three energy modes, with a corresponding set of indicator lights.

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Beneath the deal with is a four-bar battery indicator gentle. For those who’re used to a vacuum that shows a battery timer in minutes, you might miss that preciseness. However so long as you control the indicator and cost when it hits one bar, you received’t be caught out. And you’ll have it again as much as full battery energy in simply two hours of charging time – or instantly swap in one other battery.

Capsule X’s makers say that the battery life will provide you with as much as an hour of vacuuming, which is normal for high-end lithium-ion powered vacuum cleaners. What’s completely different concerning the Capsule X is that you simply’ll get extra cleansing time from that hour when utilizing a motorised cleansing head. In different phrases, battery life doesn’t appear to fall off a cliff when you’re utilizing something aside from the bottom setting.  

What’s extraordinary about Capsule vacuums is the simplicity of their design. The capsule formed physique is a wholly hole dustbin area (fitted, in fact, with a mud pouch). There’s no tubing inside, which implies there’s fewer blockage factors and fewer to go unsuitable.

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Because the bin has a mighty 2-litre capability (in comparison with 0.77l for Dyson’s Gen5detect and 1.6l for the unique Halo Capsule), you’ll solely want to alter the bag each 2-3 weeks, relying on how a lot mud and hair there may be to hoover up.

Extra mud pouches price a really affordable £25.99 for a 12 months’s provide (26 pouches) they usually’re obtainable in numerous pack sizes from the web site.

The big dustbin dimension signifies that it doesn’t should be clear, so that you received’t want to have a look at all of the horrible gubbins you’ve been vacuuming up. Clear dustbins are actually ubiquitous on cordless vacuums, for sensible causes, however they should be the nastiest innovation we’ve accepted into our properties. It’s a pleasing change to make use of a cordless with out one.  

And, due to the Capsule X’s mud pouch system, you received’t have to fret about eradicating clumps of hair wedged into the bin. Because it has a HEPA filter, it’s a superb vacuum cleaner alternative for anybody with hay fever or a sensitivity to mud. The bag is simple to swap out – simply be sure to’re holding it the precise approach up while you unclip the dustbin chamber, otherwise you may get a number of escapee crumbs.

Efficiency & Options

• Three energy settings
• Motorised cleansing instruments
• Headlights

One of many Capsule X’s finest options is its gentle weight. At 2.6kg (in comparison with the Dyson Gen5detect’s 3.5kg) it’s notably gentle and manoeuvrable in use.

It has three energy settings, and through nearly all use, I caught to the center setting and by no means needed to resort to the Enhance mode. It’s exhausting to say precisely how a lot vacuuming time I obtained from a single battery cost, however I’d say it was round half an hour, whereas utilizing a motorised software.

It’s robust to get an on-paper measurement of a vacuum cleaner’s suction energy, which is one cause that real-life testing is helpful. Dyson makes use of AW (Air Watts) as a unit of measurement, a number of different manufacturers use Pa (Pascal, a unit of stress extra generally used with robotic vacuums), and most – just like the makers of Capsule – simply give the vacuum’s wattage.

It’s a 400W equipment, with a 70W ground software, however doesn’t inform us lots besides how a lot energy it makes use of.

To learn the way effectively it turns that energy into suction, it’s worthwhile to attempt it out. We examined the Capsule X over the course of some weeks on exhausting flooring, carpet, upholstery, cabinets and blinds, utilizing each cleansing attachment within the field. It proved to be a strong and efficient cleaner on each floor.

Whereas we’d advocate the unique Capsule vacuum for smaller properties with primarily exhausting flooring, the Capsule X can deal with something you throw at it. Connect the brand new motorised ground head and it might probably totally clear a deep-pile carpet, which is one thing that comparatively few cordless stick vacuums can convincingly do.

The principle ground head now has headlights to gentle up mud and hair in shadowy spots, which is one other nice-to-have function. And its curler might be simply eliminated for cleansing and eradicating tangled hair.

The extra cleansing instruments are one other improve from the unique Capsule’s pretty primary equipment. In our opinion, they’re well-designed and endlessly helpful – nicely value the additional outlay. The delicate curler made fast work of cleansing my hardwood flooring, with out scattering bigger particles. The upholstery software is very good at eradicating pet hair from sofas, though the pet hair then must be eliminated by hand from the software itself.

The one time I discovered the Capsule X lower than straightforward to make use of was when vacuuming blinds and holding the vacuum overhead for lengthy durations. Its weight distribution made this troublesome to do one-handed and I had to make use of my different hand to assist the wand.

Worth & Availability

At this stage, the Capsule X is just obtainable from the Capsule Clear web site within the UK. You possibly can’t purchase it within the US.

There are three pricing choices for bundles. The Worth Bundle prices £399.99, the Additional Equipment Bundle prices £499.99 and the Final Bundle with further battery prices £599.99.

Nonetheless, Halo Home equipment has common gross sales providing big reductions. On the time of writing, you should buy the Final Bundle for simply £300 and the Additional Equipment Bundle for £251.95, which is unbelievable worth.

Do you have to purchase the Halo Capsule X?

It is a one-of-a-kind vacuum providing one thing completely different from different cordless cleaners available on the market. Its big, bagged dustbin means you received’t must empty it often, come into contact with mud and dust – and even take a look at it. This, mixed with its HEPA filtration, makes it a sensible choice for individuals with hay fever or bronchial asthma. Because of its biodegradable baggage, it’s a sustainable choice as nicely.

Its cleansing energy, battery life and charging time are all wonderful and if a component fails or is broken, its modular construct and the supply of components imply that every thing is simple to switch, including additional to its sustainability credentials. Extremely beneficial.

Specs

• Weight: 2.6kg
• Dustbin capability: 2 litres
• Battery life: As much as 1 hour
• Charging time: 2 hours
• Wattage: 400W
• HEPA filter