June 9, 2023
Coming clean with our take on the appliance.
Every homeowner in Singapore has heard of Hitachi, and for good reason. With home appliances that range from stylish 2-in-1 washer-dryers to top-of-the-line fridges, the reputable Japanese brand is a household name in more ways than one.
So, when we heard that Hitachi released the PV-XH850M – said to be the most powerful among Hitachi's cordless vacuum cleaners – we got curious.
Can it really vacuum for 60 minutes straight, as advertised? How does it automatically adjust its suction power when cleaning different floor types? And with a Qanvast-exclusive price of $368, could this be the cost-effective alternative to premium vacuums we’ve all been waiting for?
But what better way to find out than to try it out for ourselves? We got our writer, Farzana, to test it out at home and give us her verdict.
Farzana (F): I live in a 4-room resale HDB flat (about 90 sqm in size) together with my mother, brother, and two young cats.
All three of us work full-time jobs and are frequently out of the house. As such, we only have time to vacuum the house in the evenings after work, or during the weekends – which is a pain as we’d much rather rest and recuperate after a long week at work.
My mum and I have medium-length hair so it’s common to see hair strands on our white flooring tiles.
Our cats are also very active and frequently play-fight or make messes, so our furniture and floors are always covered with loose cat fur, stray bits of food, and cat litter. For this reason, we have to vacuum our home regularly to avoid accumulating dirt and hair.
F: Currently, I’m using a cordless vacuum cleaner that I got from an e-commerce platform. While it does the job, it’s definitely not as powerful as I’d like it to be, especially when I’m trying to clean cat fur from the sofa.
When I first got my hands on the Hitachi Cordless Vacuum Stick Cleaner, I was immediately impressed by its aesthetics. The vacuum body comes in an elegant champagne gold shade, with a sleek black dock station that can be mounted on a wall.
Unlike other vacuum cleaners, this one is definitely not an eyesore. In fact, I thought it looked great against the black-and-white theme of my home!
I also liked how intuitive the LCD screen is, as it clearly provides real-time updates such as current suction mode and remaining battery life
When I first held the vacuum, my initial thought was that it was a little heavy – more so than my regular vacuum cleaner, which got me wondering if this will be an issue while vacuuming.
F: To start things off, I took the vacuum cleaner on a general cleaning run to get a feel of using it.
Again, this particular cordless vacuum was heavy on the arms, but that all changed when I made use of the foldable tube. When bent, it took the weight off my arm and shoulder, and I could easily manouever it around while vacuuming the entire house.
In this position, it was way easier to vacuum while helping me reach obscure corners with ease.
Next thing I wanted to test was the suction power. In the first test run, the Hitachi vacuum could effortlessly pick up loose hair and fur on the ceramic tile flooring, but this time around, I was keen on testing its suction power on surfaces that are harder to clean.
These include my fabric sofa, their cat tower, and rugs, which is also where my cats tend to playfight on. With my regular vacuum, it normally takes a bit of effort to properly suck up all the stray fur on these surfaces, but the Hitachi vacuum’s suction power – even at its minimum – was enough to pick up most strands.
I then switched to turbo mode (i.e. their most powerful cleaning mode), and for good measure, attached the Mini Turbo Brush to tackle the stubborn pieces of fur.
And it was a total game changer – every strand, no matter how tightly wound they were into the fabric, submitted to the vacuum’s suction power of 210W. I only needed to go over the area once to get a proper clean.
I even tried swiping each surface with my finger afterwards, and I can say that there weren’t any lingering fine dust particles post-clean.
Another feature I really appreciated was the built-in Auto Floor Detection. When I’m vacuuming, I tend to zone out and not pay attention to the power level, so I often forget to switch to a higher suction power when I’m vacuuming the rugs.
This nifty feature helped me out a lot, as it automatically switched power levels depending on the type of flooring I’m vacuuming.
I also noted that it wasn’t noisy at all. While the vacuum on Turbo mode was definitely louder than it was on Basic mode, it wasn’t deafening to the point where it frightens my cats, or disrupts anyone taking a nap during the day.
F: With my regular vacuum, I normally take about 40 minutes to vacuum the entire house – and that’s because I need to go over the same areas numerous times to pick up every bit of dirt and hair. And usually, the battery is flat once I’m done.
In comparison, the PV-XH850M took me only 20 minutes on basic mode. And even after switching to the more powerful modes to clean the furniture and rugs, I realised I was still left with a 30 minute run time on basic mode – a testament to its impressive battery life.
Also, the dust bin was large enough that I didn’t need to empty it halfway through the cleaning process. As someone with a dust allergy, I appreciated how easy it was to empty it, as I could empty the contents straight into the bin without the flyaway dust.
I also really liked how the charging station was built in such a way that allowed us to organise the accessories in one place. Most cordless vacuums don’t have such stations, which forces us to dump the vacuuming accessories in a box in a disorganised manner.
However, Hitachi’s charging station is built with a nook that allows us to organise the vacuuming accessories neatly. It also looks really nice and sleek, which is a bonus!
F: All-in-all, Hitachi’s newest cordless vacuum cleaner is a powerful model that any homeowner looking to clean their floors with minimal effort should consider. Here are my recommendations:
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For Qanvast readers, the Hitachi PV-XH850M is going at an exclusive price of $368 (inclusive of GST and doorstep delivery). Personally, that sounds like an absolute steal, considering the premium features that are normally found in more expensive cordless vacuums.
To enjoy this sweet deal, all you need to do is to key in the promo code QANVAST850 at checkout! But note that this price is an online exclusive, and is only available from now to 31 July*. Get it now, or find out more by clicking the button below!
*While stocks last.
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