Levoit Aero Cordless Vacuum Review: Self-Emptying Base

Value When Reviewed

$499

Finest Costs As we speak: Levoit Aero

$499.99

You would possibly know Levoit for its air purifiers, humidifiers and followers however a couple of years in the past the corporate branched out into vacuums, the latest of which is the Aero. Whereas the vacuum itself bears a hanging resemblance to earlier fashions, such because the LVAC-200, there are notable variations.

These embrace self-emptying right into a tall base fitted with a bag that may accommodate as much as 60 days of dust, an extended runtime and a higher emphasis on selecting up hair, fur and dander with out wrapping across the ground head brush bar or changing into tangled inside.

Design and Construct

• As much as 70 minutes of battery life
• Swappable battery
• Vacuum auto-empties into stand

It’s the bottom that units the Aero vacuum other than rivals. Trying remarkably like a tower fan at first look, it’s dwelling to what makes this mannequin particular: a tall bag for the cordless vac to empty into. Its 3.5-litre bag is so capacious that its makers estimate you might solely should empty it each two months – an actual win for many who dislike coming into contact with mess.

One other plus for the bottom is its comparatively compact footprint (round 31cm diameter), that means that it could actually simply sit in a nook or under a staircase. It’s additionally freestanding, so there’s no must screw in a wall mounting.

The vacuum itself is much like Levoit’s earlier fashions in fundamental dimensions and magnificence: round 110cm tall (W25 x D19cm), it has a 3.5-litre dustbin, though the max fill degree is low. It’s somewhat weightier than some at 3.5kg. As a handheld it’s 1.95kg, making overhead cleansing a problem.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

The controls are pleasingly easy although: one button for on/off, and one to toggle via three energy ranges from min to max, plus a turbo choice when held down. There’s a countdown to point out how a lot cleansing time is left, which alters when the ability degree is modified, and its battery gives as much as 70 minutes in the event you stick with the min setting and a instrument.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

It’s price noting that the ground head gives solely 40 minutes on min whereas the floorhead with turbo will drain the battery in a skimpy six minutes. The truth that the battery might be eliminated is a giant plus, although, permitting you to have a spare for deep cleansing periods.

Efficiency and Options

• 180AW of suction
• Anti-tangle brush bar
• Noisy in use

One of many massive pluses of the Aero is its anti-tangle ground head brush, designed to forestall hair and fur wrapping round it and clumping. Quite than solely conventional brush fibres, it options two pairs of stiff however versatile plastic strips with fibres in between, very similar to a sandwich. These are complemented by onerous plastic ridges. The consequence was that, in testing, no human or pet hair wrapped across the bar.

However ought to one thing turn out to be caught, the comb bar twists out with the push of a button, making it simple to maintain the ground head clear.

There’s loads of suction energy right here too – 180AW – however that additionally means it’s noisy. In testing, med, max and turbo settings drowned out dialog, with solely min capable of be talked over. Annoyingly, the default setting when turning it on was med, fairly than min, that means that any early morning cleansing is bound to wake the family.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

On the plus facet, emptying the vacuum’s bin into the bottom doesn’t should be an computerized motion – it’s doable to set it to handbook, so it can save you the loud whooshing sound for later.

Emptying into the bottom does have a significant flaw: the motion opens the vacuum’s bin lid, however doesn’t shut it once more: this must be carried out manually when lifting the vacuum off the bottom subsequent time. Throughout testing, I discovered that if the bin didn’t empty absolutely into the bottom, vacuumed-up mud and mess was deposited on the ground once more earlier than the bin lid was closed.

I additionally famous that the vacuum’s bin has a low max fill degree, which is a few third of the particular capability: it’s simple to achieve this with deep cleansing, that means that you just’ll should return to the bottom to empty earlier than you’ll be able to keep it up.

General, cleansing was good: the ground head picked up pet hair effectively even on mid-pile carpet, with turbo being essentially the most environment friendly, however med being appropriate for on a regular basis cleansing. Nevertheless, the vacuum felt fairly heavy to push round on the upper energy ranges and the deal with wasn’t cozy for lengthy durations. We felt it labored higher for little and infrequently cleansing or for principally onerous flooring.

Manoeuvrability was good: the ground head fitted underneath the sides of most furnishings, its lights supplied additional visibility, and it swivelled simply round corners and curves.

We preferred the attachment clip that fitted onto the primary tube, because it permits your two most used instruments to be saved on the stick so that they’re handy as you vacuum. Nevertheless, there’s no storage for the opposite equipment, such because the flexible extension hose.

I examined the Aero vacuum on each onerous and mushy flooring, utilizing flour to symbolize high quality mud and oats as bigger particles. On the onerous ground, flour was simply picked up on min, whereas most oats have been additionally sucked up min.

Nonetheless, the ground head had a bent to push a couple of oats forward of it, and go away a couple of on the rear. A number of strokes have been wanted to choose all of them up, and I felt that med delivered a greater efficiency for each.

On the mushy ground, many of the flour was picked up on min, however there have been nonetheless patches deeper within the pile that it didn’t carry. Med was wanted to choose these up, though max delivered a visual clear and we didn’t really feel the necessity for turbo.

A lot of the oats have been picked up on min however a couple of have been pushed forward of the floorhead and med was required to choose the remainder of them up, without having to resort to max.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Throughout testing, the airway of the vacuum’s bin grew to become blocked with flour, because it had stuffed up previous the max fill line. As soon as cleared, we carried on cleansing, however once more, the airway grew to become blocked even when the bin was comparatively empty.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

We additionally examined pick-up for pet hair on a velvet couch utilizing the motorised instrument. med and max have been too sturdy for the free cowl materials, and tended to get caught. There’s no information to advised energy ranges for various instruments and surfaces: that is one thing that may be helpful.

Value and Availability

The Levoit Aero is now available for purchase within the US, from Amazon and Levoit. It’s priced at $499, which isn’t unreasonable for what it presents. Nevertheless, it has some stiff competitors amongst self-emptying fashions. The Samsung Bespoke Jet AI is among the greatest fashions you should buy (and its worth displays that), however Shark’s PowerDetect Clear & Empty presents a greater expertise than the Levoit mannequin on the identical or a greater worth.

The Aero is just not but accessible within the UK. However you’ll be able to see our prime vacuum cleaner suggestions in our round-up of one of the best vacuums we’ve examined.

Must you purchase the Levoit Aero?

There’s no denying that the Aero vacuum is a step in the correct route for Levoit: its bagged base station is a present for many who hate the mess concerned in emptying bagless vacs, and in testing, we didn’t expertise any hair clogs or tangles. Plus, the vary of instruments is sensible.

However there’s nonetheless some option to go for a cleaner at this worth level: bin lids want to shut with out intervention, high quality mud shouldn’t clog an airway – and there’s little level having a 0.45-litre bin that may solely partially be stuffed earlier than it must be emptied.