Ultenic AC1 cordless wet & dry vacuum review

Ultenic’s AC1 is a self-driven, cordless moist and dry vacuum with an extended battery life, giant separate clear and soiled water tanks, highly effective suction and edge-to-edge cleansing.

It additionally has some spectacular tech options: an LCD show, app compatibility and a voice assistant. As well as, once you dock it to cost, it’ll routinely clear and dry its curler brush.

However what’s it like to make use of? Learn on to seek out out.

Design and look

• Swappable battery
• 45 minute operating time
• Giant clear and soiled water tanks

The AC1 is formed like an upright vacuum, however with a compact, trendy look. It has a shiny white plastic physique with orange accents and smoked clear water tanks, a gray cleansing head and gray charging base. It feels sturdily constructed.       

Within the field, you’ll get the vacuum itself, the charging base which has an inbuilt UV gentle to scrub the curler, a separate battery charging slot, the detachable battery, a spare curler and washable HEPA filter, plus a cleansing brush (to scrub contained in the soiled water tank) and a bottle of cleansing fluid.

For those who assume you’ll use it for extra that 45 minutes at a time, you may think about investing in a second battery. It’s way more fairly priced than a spare battery for a cordless vacuum, and can set you again $59.99/£39.99 (Ultenic within the US; Amazon UK).  

Ultenic says you need to solely use the cleansing answer supplied, however when you’ve used up the 500ml bottle supplied, including a capful per full tank of water, I’m unsure what your choices are as I couldn’t discover it on the market wherever.

In any case, as I’ve a mixture of tile, vinyl and wooden flooring and I’m cautious about what merchandise I take advantage of on the wooden, I’ve been testing the AC1 utilizing solely water. The outcomes have been spectacular. 

As soon as of the perfect issues concerning the AC1 is that it’s an absolute doddle to make use of. For those who are likely to keep away from high-tech labour-saving units as a result of studying the best way to use them looks like an excessive amount of exhausting work, that is the product for you. There may be completely nothing to study – besides the distinction between the 4 cleansing modes, which is one thing we’ll return to.

Its ease of use begins as quickly as you’re taking it out of the field. To set it up, all you’ll must do is connect the deal with, curler and tanks and let it cost.

When it’s not in use, it wants to face within the compact charging base, so that you’ll want a devoted 30cm x 33cm spot to retailer it subsequent to a plug socket. It expenses totally in underneath 4 hours, so it gained’t must be plugged in on a regular basis – however you will have to plug in for its self-cleaning and drying programme to run after use.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

As soon as it’s charged, it’s prepared to be used. Fill its clear water tank and also you’re away. The water tanks unclip and reattach simply, and with a satisfying click on. The tanks are surprisingly giant as effectively, with a 1 litre capability every.

The soiled water tank additionally has a filter to separate particles and hair from soiled water, making emptying it rather less grim.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Efficiency

• 4 cleansing modes
• Voice assistant
• Self-propelling drive

As soon as the vacuum is charged, it’s prepared to make use of. The controls are simple. There’s an influence swap by your thumb and behind {that a} second button that permits you to cycle between the 4 cleansing modes. There’s additionally a swap to activate the self-cleaning cycle when it’s docked.

Sensible mode makes use of a sensor to detect dust after which chooses the suitable suction and water stage. Max mode will (because the title suggests) use the utmost quantity of water and essentially the most suction to deal with powerful spots and cussed dust. Then there’s the suction or water absorption mode, wherein the equipment sucks up extra water.

There’s additionally a ‘disinfection mode’, the place the AC1 asks you to attend a second for the disinfectant to be made. However as no disinfectant is ever added to the machine, that may’t actually be the case. Elsewhere, nonetheless, it’s translated as ‘deep clear mode’, and I believe it is a higher description. From what I can work out, this mode provides air bubbles into the tank to make the detergent simpler.

The instruction guide is primary and never very effectively translated, so it’s no assistance on this level.

As quickly as you raise the vacuum from the dock and swap it on, you’ll discover one thing else: the voice assistant. “Energy on”, it says and from then on, it’ll provide you with a helpful voice immediate at each flip. That is most helpful once you’re toggling between cleansing modes, because it’s not at all times obvious from the image on the display which mode you’re in.

Once more, once you re-dock, you’ll be prompted to begin the self-cleaning and drying mode. The cleansing a part of that is noisy, however it solely goes on for a minute.

By the way, in case you don’t just like the voice assistant, you possibly can mute it.

The opposite factor you’ll discover as quickly as you turn it on is that the AC1 is self-driven. That implies that it propels itself ahead. In the principle, this makes it a lot simpler to make use of as at 5kg/11lbs, it’s fairly heavy. Nevertheless, if you wish to use it like a standard vacuum, the place you vacuum backwards and forwards, you’ll want to drag in opposition to its ahead momentum half the time.

It gained’t be an issue for most individuals, however I wouldn’t suggest shopping for it for an aged or infirm particular person within the hopes that it’ll make cleansing simpler for them.

The LCD display shows the remaining battery life share, cleansing mode, numerous different indicators and error messages. The battery life indicator is helpful however to interpret a number of the remainder of the symbols, you’ll in all probability must return to the guide.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

In accordance with Ultenic, the AC1 runs for a most of 45 minutes in good mode and 25 minutes in most mode. My residence simply isn’t giant sufficient to check that, however these numbers are consistent with the battery life wanted to scrub my bijou pad.

Its operating time compares favourably to top-of-the-line cordless vacuums from the likes of Dyson. Whereas it doesn’t fairly reside as much as the Dyson V15’s 60 minutes of run time on Eco mode, it thrashes its 10 minutes on Max.  

I cleaned wooden, vinyl and tile flooring with the AC1 and it’s not solely efficient however quick. It will get by way of day-to-day cleansing in a flash and it’s nice for spills. Nonetheless, I’ve to say that once I’ve spilled meals or one thing equally messy, I nonetheless decide up most of it earlier than getting out the vacuum.

Ultenic’s personal product pictures reveals it hoovering up a big, messy serving of spaghetti and whereas, sure, you may do this, you’ll nonetheless must empty the soiled water tank and clear the vacuum afterwards. I don’t assume it’s price it and I wouldn’t suggest it.

The opposite factor to pay attention to is that the AC1 gained’t exchange your unusual vacuum. For a begin, it could possibly’t be used on carpet, and it’ll be heavy to hold up the steps.

Nor are you able to apply it to upholstery. And whereas it does give a fantastic clear on exhausting flooring, you possibly can’t lie it fully flat in use, which implies you’ll have the ability to clear underneath a espresso desk with it – however not underneath the couch, until you’re ready to shift it each time.

Through the testing interval, I discovered the Ultenic straightforward to maintain clear and keep. Nonetheless, I did empty its soiled water tank after every use and repeatedly eliminated the curler (which is straightforward to do – it simply takes a few clicks) to rinse it and let it dry out correctly. The self-cleaning and drying characteristic works effectively however doesn’t get the curler completely dry.

And, in case you’re utilizing it to hoover up mounds of spaghetti, I’d guess that you simply’ll must put way more work into upkeep.

Related options

The AC1’s linked options are restricted however straightforward to make use of. Obtain the free to make use of Ultenic app for Apple or Android and join by way of Wi-Fi. In my case, it linked rapidly and simply however there was little or no level to it.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Within the app, you possibly can see the standing of the clear and soiled water tanks, the curler brush and the battery stage – all info you will discover on display. You’ll additionally have the ability to entry your weekly cleansing report, which reveals you what number of minutes of your life you’ve spent cleansing your ground.

Value and availability

Contemplating its characteristic set, it is a very well-priced moist and dry cleaner. It’s accessible from Amazon for $379 (US)/ £329 (UK).

We expect it’s higher worth than the additionally wonderful and equally featured Tineco Ground One S3, which is barely pricier however has a shorter battery life, smaller water tanks and no particles filter within the soiled water tank.

In the meantime, Dyson’s flagship V15 Detect is near twice the worth at $749.99/£629.99 and the Shark Stratos is $465/£349. Though they’re in a roundabout way comparable, it does illustrate the truth that you get loads in your cash with the AC1.

Verdict

When you have a number of exhausting flooring, whether or not it’s wooden, tile, vinyl, laminate or lino, the AC1 is effectively definitely worth the funding. It’s efficient and simple to make use of. Nonetheless, you have to bear its limitations in thoughts. Because it’s heavy and full of water, you gained’t wish to carry it up the steps to make use of in a grasp toilet, and you need to preserve it removed from carpets.

For different moist and dry vacuum cleaner shopping for choices, take a look at our evaluate of the budget-friendly Wessex moist and dry vacuum cleaner and the Tineco Ground One S3.