Great cleaning power in a small package
I am a neat freak, and I’m proud to admit it. I own three robot vacuums that I have roaming around my house like an army of cleaning droids. Having them do the dirty work helps out a lot but sometimes I will still find something that needs a more hands-on approach. Between cleaning my office desk area and my car, I’ve found that having a small but strong portable vacuum that can handle big messes is a must-have. The Worx 20V Power Share Portable Vacuum fills this utility accessory void for me quite well.
DETAILS
The Worx 20V Vacuum Cleaner is part of the 20V Power Share lineup from Worx where several products use the same type of battery. It was designed to be compact for easy, portable cleaning. There are built-in accessory storage and simple controls for operation including a one-touch dust bin button that keeps hands clean while emptying. The vacuum has a rated voltage of 20V and a 6-ounce debris container. The included battery is only 2.0Ah and will run for approximately 20 minutes at low speed or 10 minutes on high speed. The battery takes around 1 hour to charge and the vacuum weighs approximately 4 pounds. Included in the box with the vacuum are the battery charger, the battery, crevice tool, brush accessory, and vacuum adapter.
USER EXPERIENCE
The Worx 20V Vacuum Cleaner came in a pretty standard retail box. There was lots of detailed information printed on the outside of it including pictures of the product in use. As far as packaging goes, it’s really one of the more interesting boxes I’ve seen. Upon opening the box, you will find the user guides for the battery charger and the vacuum itself. The vacuum comes with a crevice tool, brush accessory, and vacuum adapter. The battery is already attached to the vacuum but it is easily removed by pressing the lock button and sliding it off the back of the vacuum. The two hose attachments have places to store them on the vacuum, but the adapter does not have a designated storage spot on the vacuum for it.
Out of the box, I was very impressed with how compact the vacuum is. In comparison to other portable vacuums (like a Dustbuster), It’s a little heavier, but it’s much lighter and much more compact than stick vacuums are. The main vacuum tube wraps around the handle of the unit for storage and is easily lifted out of the assembly when it’s time to use it. It will extend up to 4-feet in length. The dust bin is not very large on this vacuum, but because it’s really meant for smaller cleaning jobs, it seems to be adequate. The dust bin door is released by a button on the top of the vacuum. The first time I pressed it, the button didn’t feel like it was unlocking anything, but the more I used it, the easier it worked.
The filter system looks very much like a Keurig self-use coffee pod. There is an inner filter and an outer mesh filter. The two pieces lock together, but can also be detached in order to clean them properly. The inner filter is a HEPA filter. According to the manual, both pieces can be rinsed in clean water and air-dried. I know from personal experience that you want to make sure the filter is 100% dry before trying to use it again — otherwise, it could get clogged. Aside from cleaning, it’s recommended that users change the HEPA filter every three months to maintain maximum suction capabilities of the vacuum.
At this point in testing the vacuum, I’m very impressed with it. It’s the size and easy access to parts that are really great features. The next step for me was to pull out the vacuum tube and see how well it cleaned. I was surprised to find that the battery had power out of the box, but it did. I was able to power on the vacuum and use it right away after removing the plastic packaging that was around the vacuum. Because the end of the vacuum tube has a rounded joint, it was a little awkward trying to extend the tube to get through awkward places. One of the first tests I did was to clean up my desk pad and keyboard. With the brush accessory attached, I sucked up random bits of debris and crumbs from the past few days and it worked beautifully. I would love to see another accessory developed for this vacuum that goes in between keys better though because the brush attachment worked, but it didn’t get everywhere.
The second place I cleaned with the vacuum was our iron front door. We have a wrought-iron exterior screen door that collects all kinds of dirt and dust. I’ve included a couple of before and after pictures below that show the door frame before I cleaned it and after I used the WORX vacuum on it. Again, I used the brush attachment and while it did make the door look much better than it did before, it still left a few small pockets of dust in the really small nooks and crannies around the metal rods in the frame. After completing this small job, the battery was depleted and I had to stop to charge it. I was pleasantly surprised by the progress I was able to make prior to the battery dying considering the fact that these two small jobs were done right after taking the vacuum out of the box. There is no power indicator on the battery so I’m not 100% sure how much power was on the battery out of the box, but it didn’t seem like I got 10-20 minutes of runtime with it. It did only take about an hour to charge the battery to full power again though.
The last test I did was on the floorboard of my fiancé’s car. She has been working from home for the past few weeks, but normally, she drives her car regularly through the week and as a result, she collected quite a bit of dirt and debris on the floor mat. I thought this would also be a good test run for the Worx vacuum so I took it out. One of of the nicest things about using the vacuum for this job is that there are no cords or extended hoses to worry about. It’s just the body and the tube. Again, the Worx vacuum did not disappoint. It did a great job picking up the remnants that were left behind by feet and other objects over the course of several weeks.
CONCLUSION
This little vacuum is a really great product to have on-hand. It works much better than other portable vacuums that I’ve tried out and while the battery life isn’t great, it runs long enough to get through most smaller jobs. I love that the battery is interchangeable with other Worx products and that it comes with its own battery charger. As far as cost goes, the vacuum is a little higher-priced then some portable battery powered vacuums, but its design and easy operation make it worth the investment.
