The Dreame R20 Cordless Stick Vacuum is what a vacuum should be. Cordless, for one thing, but also extremely capable when handling a messy home. It is let down by a high entry fee but overcomes failings experienced by bigger brands. If you can foot the bill and are kicking your old vacuum to the curb, you can't go wrong with the R20.
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Design
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Performance
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Battery
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Accessories
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Noise
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Value
We’d bet that when you think of ‘cordless vacuums’, Dyson immediately jumps to mind. Dyson is currently unchallenged when hoovering up cat hair without a cord getting in the way, but not for long. Dreame – operating under the Xiaomi brand – might have the power to slay the Dyson dragon for cheap.
“Cheap” might just be stretching the word to its metaphysical limits. We’ve spent time in the company of Dreame’s flagship R20 Cordless Stick Vacuum and came away wanting more, something you won’t often hear from gaming-obsessed, music-loving nerds working at Stuff. Compared to even Dyson’s mid-range efforts, the R20’s R10,000 price tag is rather… reasonable?
Pipe Dreame
As cordless vacuums go, Dreame’s doesn’t look all that bad. Not that it matters. If you’re doing it right, the R20 will spend its time in a cupboard or mounted onto the wall, collecting the thing it swore to destroy. That might explain Dreame’s choice of a silver/grey combo on the base and accessories.
Dreame includes everything you’d ever need from a vacuum. There’s the stick bit wrapped up in carbon fiber that extends your reach, a multi-surface brush to bear the brunt of your work, a soft-roller brush for harder floors, a mini brush for furniture and bedding, as well as smaller attachments to clean out curtains and keyboards.
Two adapters turn the R20 into an acrobat, enabling suction of hard-to-reach spots like under the couch or that disturbing bit between your fridge and the wall without too much hassle. No matter your add-on, it’s all mightily intuitive. Without glancing at the manual, we had the R20 hooked up and cleaning the floors in two minutes.
Our biggest issue? The R20 and its fairly large (0.6l) dust bin which only needs a rigorous wiping down, can be difficult to clean. Internally, that is. For the most part, it’s simple. Little more than a single button to release the vacuum’s bottom. Occasionally, dirt is trapped up near the filter, forcing us to go the long way around.
This thing sucks!
When using the thing (which should be manageable in under two minutes unless you never had one of these as a kid), you’ll find two modes – automatic and turbo – which can toggled between at the push of a button. We left it on automatic – though in a house with two hairy felines running around, the R20 used its dirt-detection abilities to stick itself in turbo mode for the majority of its stay.
The R20’s 190AW suction power did not disappoint when hoovering up dirt, hair, crumbs, or anything else we threw in its path. On the occasions it got a break from the carpeted floors for a quick stint on the kitchen’s tiled floors, it automatically turned down a notch, thankfully bringing the overall noise level with it.
The R20 proved itself to be a bit of a loud bugger at the best of times – though homes with hardwood floors and tile might not experience as much of an issue. A pair of noise-cancelling headphones is recommended for carpeted homes. If you’re in the market for the R20, that won’t be an issue.
While the R20’s dirt-fighting powers are superb, the best addition is easily the blue lasers coming out of the vacuum’s face – lighting up the scene in front of you to find the spots you’ve missed, while giving the vacuum itself a good idea of what’s coming and allowing it to alter its output when necessary.
Our biggest peeve came from the vacuum’s overall heft, not helped by the motor and battery that need to go everywhere your hand does. This is of course, not unique to Dreame’s vacuums. It manages to shave off some weight (1.76kg) when compared to something comparable like Dyson’s 2.2kg V12 Slim Absolut. But it does still factor into the equation, especially for newbies.
Stick to hardwood and tiled floors, and you’ll have no trouble getting the full ninety minutes Dreame has promised here. Give it a tougher opponent, and you’re far more likely to only secure 60-70 minutes of charge which, considering the competition, is fairly decent.
Where the R20 fails is when it comes time to charge, setting back your clean home by about four hours if you want it at its best. Again, that’s fine, seeing as it’ll only ever stop hogging the Eskom juice when it leaves the cupboard. Dreame does have a solution, with some listings containing three extra battery packs that can be hot-swapped out at a moment’s notice. Our review model… didn’t.
Dreame R20 Cordless Stick Vacuum verdict
So, is Dreame’s R20 Cordless Stick Vacuum worth the five-digit (four, technically) entry fee? That depends on a couple of things. If you’re still holding onto that old corded vacuum, hold onto it a bit longer. While the R20 performed exceptionally when in terms of suction and is the king of portability, it didn’t make a compelling enough argument to drop R10,000 for something entirely new. If, however, you’re in the market for a new vacuum and have the dough to spare? Forego the Dyson name, and stick with Dreame’s latest efforts.