The Amazon Basics 2 in 1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a cordless stick vacuum from - you guessed it - Amazon’s Basics range. The Amazon Basics range is all about offering everyday essentials and necessities for low prices and, if you’re after something cheap and cheerful, you can’t go far wrong with this vacuum. It picks up surface level dust and is great if you’re after something lightweight and easy to use on a daily basis, but in our honest opinion, it does have some limitations. Read on to find out how it performed in our test:
What makes the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner different from its competitors?
The main selling point with this Amazon Basics vacuum is its price point. Retailing at £140 for a 340W motor machine, it’s cheaper than the cordless models available at leading vacuum brands such as Dyson, Shark and Gtech. For reference, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner – which we deemed to be the top performing Dyson cordless in our tried and tested review – usually retails for around £400, depending on seasonal sales and offers. Gtech cordless vacuums will retail for between £220 and £350 if buying brand new, and Shark for as much as £550.
Aside from its price point, the Amazon Basics vacuum doesn’t have many other unique features when looked at in comparison to its competitors. It does have a number of different cleaning attachments, which we’ll discuss in the section below, however, this model doesn’t boast any distinctive additional features.
Useful info about the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 vacuum
Delivery and sizing
The Amazon Basics vacuum is delivered to your door in a medium-sized box. Delivery is quick, however, you need to be in to sign for the parcel when it arrives.
The vacuum itself is small and streamlined, and it comes with an attachment which allows you to hang it on the wall. This makes it a great option if you’re short on space and don’t want to have it on display all the time – I live in a small 2 bed flat, and it fit nicely in our little storage cupboard.
Set up
The Amazon Basics 2 in 1 cordless vacuum was a breeze to set up, even for someone (like me) who isn’t typically great at following instructions. After you’ve unboxed all the pieces, you click in the suction tube before clicking in the motorised cleaning head, and you’re done. The vacuum already has a small amount of charge, so you can use it instantly, however, we recommend plugging it in to charge as soon as you can.
One thing to note about this vacuum is that it comes with the attachments for EU and UK plug sockets, so UK consumers will need to click on the UK plug adapter attachment before plugging it in to a socket.
How does the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 cordless vacuum perform?
Cleaning performance
We tested this vacuum on a carpet that was only a couple of weeks old. Since being installed, this carpet had been vacuumed two or three times with a heavy-duty corded Dyson, so we were quite surprised when we saw how much dust the Amazon Basics model picked up when it was on the highest setting.
The model couldn’t be easier to use. It’s really lightweight, so is great for vacuuming stairs, and its motorised head manoeuvres really easily in small spaces and around furniture. It performed well in corners and gets close to skirting boards. We liked that it fit snugly against the kitchen cabinets when we tested it on the lino in the kitchen.
As well as a traditional motorised cleaning head, this vacuum also comes with a thin nozzle attachment, plus one with bristles for added dusting power. These were simple to click on and off, and fantastic to use on hard-to-reach areas like the top of skirting boards. Having these attachments also means this vacuum can easily be used on upholstery and in cars, which is always a huge advantage.
We like the fact that this vacuum comes with three different suction settings, presumably to help you transition over different types of flooring easily. However, while we did test the three different settings on carpet, vinyl and bathroom floor tiles, our main takeaway was that we’d probably end up keeping the vacuum on the max setting at all times. While the max setting was great at picking up dust and dirt, the other two didn’t seem quite as useful.
In conclusion, in terms of cleaning performance, this vacuum was good for light cleaning, and would be a great choice if you’re looking for an easy-to-use vacuum that’ll help you complete light cleaning on a daily basis. Obviously, the fact that it’s cordless is a huge plus in lots of respects, but if you’re after something a bit more heavy duty, a traditional plug in vacuum would potentially be a better bet.
Our favourite features of the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 cordless vacuum
Click and release button
One of our favourite things about this vacuum is the fact that you click and release the button to start cleaning, and the machine will continue to clean until you click it off again. We preferred this to the system on some of the Dyson cordless vacuums, where you have to press and hold a button to clean. This can prove tricky for anyone with limited dexterity, so the Amazon model’s click and release system was a nice surprise.
Built-in light
We also really liked the fact that this Amazon Basics vacuum has a light built into its main motorised cleaning head, so it illuminates anything that’s on the surface directly in front of it. This was handy – if not somewhat unnerving – for allowing us to see any dust or debris that we might not have picked up normally.
How long does the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 Cordless Cleaner battery last?
Amazon claims that one fully charged vacuum battery will deliver 50 mins of runtime at normal speed. The vacuum performed best when at its max setting, we found that it had less continuous runtime when we used it day to day.
The battery life is one of the most criticised features of this vacuum when you read the Amazon reviews. It's worth taking into account that this vacuum is likely to need recharging if you use it on the max setting.
Is the Amazon Basics 2 in 1 Cordless Cleaner for me?
Overall, we conclude that this vacuum is a worthwhile purchase if you’re looking for something light and easy to use in between deep cleans.
It’s good for those who are on a budget, live in a small space or are unable to work with heavier models, however, it might not be the model for you if you’re after a heavy duty clean.
Below, we’ve detailed some alternative models which we’ve reviewed which you can use as a point of comparison:
Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner
Pros
- Lightweight
- Long run time
- Good for pets
Cons
- Charging time
- Doesn’t stand upright independently
- Expensive
- Holding the trigger makes your finger ache
What our team thought:
'This vacuum did a good job over both carpet and hard floors and had really strong suction. Its long run time and roomy bin capacity makes it ideal for big clean-ups and larger houses."