At a look
Professional’s Ranking
Professionals
- Cordless
- Self-cleaning and drying
- Self-driven
- Efficient
Cons
- Heavy
- You’ll nonetheless want a second vacuum
- Unhelpful instruction guide
- Cleansing answer arduous to purchase
Our Verdict
The Ultenic AC1 is a superb mixed vacuum and mop that’s jam-packed with helpful options and nice worth. When you have a number of arduous flooring at residence, it’s properly well worth the funding.
Worth When Reviewed
$359
Greatest Costs Right now: Ultenic AC1
$379.00
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, while you dock it to cost, it’ll mechanically clear and dry its curler brush.
However what’s it like to make use of? Learn on to search out out.
Design and look
- Swappable battery
- 45 minute working time
- Massive clear and soiled water tanks
The AC1 is formed like an upright vacuum, however with a compact, fashionable 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 mild 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.
As soon as of the perfect issues in regards to the AC1 is that it’s an absolute doddle to make use of.
In case you suppose you’ll use it for extra that 45 minutes at a time, you might think about investing in a second battery. It’s way more moderately 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 it’s best 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 anyplace.
In any case, as I’ve a mixture of tile, vinyl and wooden flooring and I’m cautious about what merchandise I exploit on the wooden, I’ve been testing the AC1 utilizing solely water. The outcomes have been spectacular.
As soon as of the perfect issues in regards to the AC1 is that it’s an absolute doddle to make use of. In case you are likely to keep away from high-tech labour-saving gadgets as a result of studying how you can use them looks like an excessive amount of arduous work, that is the product for you. There’s completely nothing to be taught – 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 have to 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 have to be plugged in on a regular basis – however you will want 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 properly, 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 easy. There’s an influence change by your thumb and behind {that a} second button that permits you to cycle between the 4 cleansing modes. There’s additionally a change to activate the self-cleaning cycle when it’s docked.
Good mode makes use of a sensor to detect dust after which chooses the suitable suction and water degree. Max mode will (because the title suggests) use the utmost quantity of water and probably the most suction to deal with robust spots and cussed dust. Then there’s the suction or water absorption mode, through which 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, nevertheless, it’s translated as ‘deep clear mode’, and I believe this can be a higher description. From what I can work out, this mode provides air bubbles into the tank to make the detergent more practical.
The instruction guide is primary and never very properly translated, so it’s no assistance on this level.
As quickly as you elevate the vacuum from the dock and change it on, you’ll discover one thing else: the voice assistant. “Energy on”, it says and from then on, it’ll offer you a useful voice immediate at each flip. That is most helpful while 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, while you re-dock, you’ll be prompted to begin the self-cleaning and drying mode. The cleansing a part of that is noisy, nevertheless it solely goes on for a minute.
By the way, when you don’t just like the voice assistant, you may mute it.
Its working time compares favourably to top-of-the-line cordless vacuums from the likes of Dyson.
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. Nonetheless, if you wish to use it like a standard vacuum, the place you vacuum forwards and backwards, 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 advocate 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 useful however to interpret a few of the remainder of the symbols, you’ll in all probability have to return to the guide.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
In response to Ultenic, the AC1 runs for a most of 45 minutes in sensible mode and 25 minutes in most mode. My condominium simply isn’t giant sufficient to check that, however these numbers are in step with the battery life wanted to scrub my bijou pad.
Its working time compares favourably to top-of-the-line cordless vacuums from the likes of Dyson. Whereas it doesn’t fairly dwell 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 after 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 images exhibits it hoovering up a big, messy serving of spaghetti and whereas, sure, you might do this, you’ll nonetheless have to empty the soiled water tank and clear the vacuum afterwards. I don’t suppose it’s price it and I wouldn’t advocate it.
The opposite factor to concentrate on is that the AC1 gained’t exchange your abnormal vacuum. For a begin, it might probably’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 an important clear on arduous flooring, you may’t lie it utterly flat in use, which implies you’ll have the ability to clear underneath a espresso desk with it – however not underneath the couch, except you’re ready to shift it each time.
Throughout the testing interval, I discovered the Ultenic simple to maintain clear and preserve. 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 function works properly however doesn’t get the curler completely dry.
And, when you’re utilizing it to hoover up mounds of spaghetti, I’d guess that you just’ll have to put way more work into upkeep.
Linked options
The AC1’s related options are restricted however simple 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 related rapidly and simply however there was little or no level to it.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Within the app, you may see the standing of the clear and soiled water tanks, the curler brush and the battery degree – all info you’ll find on display. You’ll additionally have the ability to entry your weekly cleansing report, which exhibits you what number of minutes of your life you’ve spent cleansing your ground.
Worth and availability
Contemplating its function set, this can be a very well-priced moist and dry cleaner. It’s out there from Amazon for $379 (US)/ £329 (UK).
We predict 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 value 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 lots on your cash with the AC1.
Verdict
When you have lots of arduous flooring, whether or not it’s wooden, tile, vinyl, laminate or lino, the AC1 is properly well worth the funding. It’s efficient and straightforward to make use of. Nonetheless, you want to bear its limitations in thoughts. Because it’s heavy and full of water, you gained’t need to carry it up the steps to make use of in a grasp rest room, and it’s best 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.