Which inexpensive cordless vacuum cleaner came out on top in our test?

We’ve already tested plenty of expensive cordless vacuum cleaners costing 500 - 800 euros. In the comments section, you always ask for a comparison test of cheap models. So, here it is. We’ve rated the products out of five in eight categories, giving an overall score. Are cheap stick vacuum cleaners a real alternative to pricier options?

Price: the Samsung costs the most

This category is self-explanatory: the cheaper the vacuum cleaner, the more stars it gets. To ensure a fair comparison, I recorded all the prices at the end of June. Bear in mind that prices can change at any time.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: 280 francs at the end of June. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dreame R10 Pro: 230 francs at the end of June. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Xiaomi G10 Plus: 230 francs at the end of June.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: 300 francs at the end of June. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Features: only one of them nails the charging issue

Some vacuums offer a dizzying array of nozzles and even more bells and whistles. Others are more purist. But the most important thing is how easy it is to charge them. What’s the point of a good vacuum cleaner if I need an electrical engineering degree to connect it to the power supply?

Electrolux Hygienic 700: With two floor nozzles and two brushes as well as the wall bracket, the Hygienic 700 doesn’t offer anything out of the ordinary. I’ve deducted a point because I can only charge the battery via the wall bracket.️ You can’t plug it in directly.️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dreame R10 Pro: Dreame provides an additional third nozzle for pet hair – perfect for vacuuming upholstered furniture, for example. I’ve deducted a point for the minimalist wall mount. I always have to plug the cable into the vacuum cleaner. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Xiaomi G10 Plus: Xiaomi doesn’t have a third nozzle, but it does come with an attachment that you can use to wet and clean the floor. It’s just dragging a textile cover over the floor without electrical assistance, but at least it works.️ The G10 Plus is also the only model that offers two charging options: connecting the vacuum cleaner directly or hanging it on the wall mount. Xiaomi wins this round. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: Samsung also uses three nozzles and a practical wall mount. However, once again, the battery can only be charged in the mount. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Use and comfort: easy to plug in, not always easy to empty

From removing the nozzle to get into a small corner to switching the attachment to clean the sofa and then disposing of all the dust and dirt, I’m constantly clicking accessories on and off, pressing buttons or pulling levers. If this isn’t easy to do, it quickly becomes annoying.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: The plug-in system’s simple but it seems sturdy. You use push buttons to release the tubes and brushes. The floor nozzles also have a built-in lever, which is a bit confusing at first. But it’s really clever because it means I can also release the floor nozzle with my foot. The dust container is also easy to remove and empty. However, I have to pull the filter out by hand; there’s no click mechanism. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dreame R10 Pro: The whole thing looks very high quality. The plug-in system with easily accessible push buttons is smooth and intuitive to understand. The dust container is permanently mounted. Pro: this means I can hold the vacuum cleaner directly over the waste bin, open the container with the push of a button and the dust falls out from below. Quick and easy. Con: I need a good aim, and it does create dust. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Xiaomi G10 Plus: The two models from the Chinese brands are twins in many respects. Xiaomi and Dreame have the same basic design: the plug-in system and dust container are absolutely identical. That’s why they have the same score. It’s up to you whether you prefer the Dreame’s black design or the Xiaomi’s white one.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: The Korean-built vacuum cleaner is the most solid and has the largest dust container. The plug-in system with small levers is smooth and stable, and the container can be completely removed and emptied cleanly. However, this requires one more action. And it creaks more than all the others. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Battery life: out of power shockingly quickly

All four models have shockingly poor battery life. The manufacturers have obviously cut corners here. If they’re intended for quick bursts of cleaning, that’s not so bad. But if you want to fully and thoroughly clean a large apartment, you’ll need to take charging breaks.

I measured the running time using the middle of the three available settings. Realistically, this is the one that most people use most often in everyday life. The Xiaomi and Dreame manage just over 30 minutes, while the Electrolux and Samsung last well under that. Since none of them excel in this category, the two much better models score three points each and the significantly worse ones only get one point each.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: ⭐

Dreame R10 Pro: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Xiaomi G10 Plus: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: ⭐

Volume: all noisy, one even louder

The results in this category are also disappointing. None of the four competitors register decibel levels below 70 dB, meaning that they make as much noise as a passing car or a washing machine.

For comparison, the top models from Dyson or Samsung generate 68 to 72 decibels on the medium setting, while our four test candidates register 73 to 78 decibels. A difference of three decibels is clearly audible, while ten decibels is seen as doubling in volume.

Three of the vacuum cleaners have very similar scores, so receive the same number of points. The Electrolux – which is noticeably louder – loses a point.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: ⭐️⭐

Dreame R10 Pro: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Xiaomi G10 Plus: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Suction: varied, especially on coarse dirt

I’m not necessarily interested in how much air a vacuum cleaner sucks in. What I’m interested in is how well it actually removes dirt. And with cordless vacuum cleaners, that’s always down to a combination of round brush and suction power.

To compare the four candidates, I tried out a test set-up in a very confined space and made it as identical as possible each time. I then measured each one several times and took an average value.

Let’s start with the big guns: cat litter. There are actually differences here. The almost identical Dreame and Xiaomi manage to suck up 80 or more grammes of cat litter after four movements back and forth. The Samsung and Electrolux don’t do as well. Of course, I could pick up the rest of the litter with them too, but it would take a few more movements.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: ⭐️⭐

Dreame R10 Pro: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Xiaomi G10 Plus: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next up is sugar. The challenge this time, though, is to clean up as much of the 50 grammes as possible in one go. The good news is that the differences are small. The Dreame, Xiaomi and Samsung vacuum up practically everything on the first movement. Only the Electrolux leaves a slightly larger pile behind.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Dreame R10 Pro: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Xiaomi G10 Plus: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Finally, it’s the turn of 50 grammes of flour. The surprise here is that all it takes is one movement of all four models on medium suction power for the fine material to disappear. There are no visible or measurable differences. That’s why they all get full marks this time.

Electrolux Hygienic 700: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Dreame R10 Pro: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Xiaomi G10 Plus: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Samsung Jet 75 Complete: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐

Verdict: two winners, one loser

Looking at the scores, Dreame and Xiaomi are joint top. The difference between these very similar models is that the Xiaomi comes with a small screen and is the only model with the option of wet and dry vacuuming. Samsung is beaten in terms of price and battery life, and Electrolux also loses ground when it comes to vacuuming up coarser material.

So, is cheap necessarily bad? Not at all. For everyday use, all of the test products are suitable for cleaning the house. They all do the basics, and there aren’t any big differences in suction power.

However, the four affordable devices all have the same weaknesses. The battery doesn’t last long and they’re pretty loud. If that bothers you, you’ll have to look at more expensive models.