So-called vacuum wipers are becoming increasingly common in households. This is not really surprising. After all, these smart household helpers guarantee much more hygienic floor cleaning than a simple vacuum cleaner can. But these practical appliances also have a huge catch. When buying a vacuum mop, you generally have to reckon with a heavy burden on your wallet. Manufacturers like to charge prices of 400, 500 or even 600 euros. But you get a lot for that. But do you really need all this in practice? Dreame has obviously asked itself this question. The expert for household appliances based in China has taken the red pencil to its in-house vacuum cleaners to launch an extremely affordable model. In today’s Dreame H11 Core test, we take a closer look at the vacuum mop at a price of less than 200 euros. Can it hold its own in everyday use?
Scope of delivery
The fact that this is a “core version” is not apparent at first glance at the scope of delivery. Anyone who has ever unpacked a squeegee will hardly miss anything here. On the one hand, you get the core including the motor, water tanks and cleaning unit on the underside. On the other hand, there is the bar that you use to operate the appliance and maneuver it over your floors. Dreame also includes a cleaning tool to make cleaning the smart household helper easier. A matching base and power adapter for charging the mop are also included.
Last but not least, you will find the usual paperwork in the form of a user manual and warranty card. Unfortunately, there is no replacement filter or cleaning solution. These are actually now standard with vacuum sweepers, which is why I missed them a little here. As with all the small but significant differences to “normal” squeegees, which I will discuss later, the low price must be pointed out here. What you get here is a stripped-down version that aims to score points above all with its price tag.
Dreame H11 Core test: design and workmanship
Assembling the Dreame H11 Core is child’s play. First, insert the handle bar into the main unit of the squeegee. Then fill the fresh water tank and find a suitable place for the base. Connect it to the power supply using the power adapter and you’re ready to go! There are hardly any differences between the design of the squeegee and other Dreame models. The control bar is located at the top. This has three buttons. Two of them (mode change and start/stop) can be conveniently activated with your thumb during cleaning. The third button for self-cleaning is located on the back of the handle. The other position is explained by the fact that you activate the self-cleaning function when the smart household helper is in its base station.
The operating bar is connected to the main element of the squeegee. This is where the display, motor, battery and the two water tanks are located. While the fresh water tank has a volume of 900 ml, the dirty water tank has 500 ml. The cleaning unit is located on the underside of the Dreame H11 Core. The cleaning roller, which rolls across your floor, is located here under a cover. Even at first glance, it is noticeable that it is not rimless. To be more precise, Dreame relies on a side that is almost rimless and a suspension that comes with a thick edge. I will take a closer look at how this translates into cleaning practice in the cleaning test later on.
Of course, a rimless design, such as that offered by the Tineco Floor One S7 Pro(test), would have been nice. However, the flagship also costs around four times as much as the Dreame. I was particularly pleased with the good build quality that Dreame delivers with its H11 Core. The household appliance comes in a classy gray tone that I really like. You have to take a very close look to be able to guess the low price. One clue is certainly the lack of a strainer in the dirty water tank. In practice, this is supposed to separate solids from liquids to facilitate separate disposal. However, given the price, this is also complaining at a high level.
Dreame H11 Core test: Display and operation
Despite its low price, the Dreame H11 Core also offers an attractive circular display. This reminded me strongly of the design in its sibling model, the Dreame H12 Pro(test). Here you not only get the remaining battery status displayed in stylish digital numbers. The screen also provides information about the current cleaning mode. As already mentioned, you can change this via a corresponding button on the handle. You can choose between Eco and Max modes. The vacuum wiper also provides important status information via the display. One example is the full dirty water tank. If you do not react in time and forget to empty the tank, this is also not a problem.
After all, the squeegee simply stops working when the dirty water tank has reached its maximum capacity. This protects you and your floors from any damage and prevents the dirty water from escaping unhygienically. Otherwise, the vacuum mop is wonderfully elegant to operate. It can be maneuvered across the floor with just one finger in the handle. And this despite the fact that, at 4.65 kg, it is by no means a lightweight. The reason for this is the rotating cleaning roller. This gives you the necessary propulsion. The Dreame shares one problem with the majority of its colleagues. And that is the bulky design.
You won’t be able to clean the floors under shallow furniture of any depth with this squeegee. You should keep that in mind. However, if this is important to you, you should take a look at the models from Osotek, such as the Osotek H200 Lite(test) or the H200 Horizon(test). You don’t get an app connection, as is standard with Tineco devices, for example. However, I didn’t really miss it in practice. After all, in my opinion, the smartphone connection of a squeegee is more of a gimmick than a really useful feature anyway. However, regular voice prompts from the squeegee do give you a little feeling of a smart home gadget.
Dreame H11 Core test: cleaning performance
Let’s move on to the supreme discipline of any vacuum wiper – cleaning performance. I used the smart household helper in various scenarios to put its cleaning qualities through their paces. But first, let me say a few words about the technical details. The cleaning roller at the lower end of the squeegee rotates at 540 revolutions per minute. This should be able to scrub away even dried-on stains. For solids such as dust and other dirt, a suction power of a good 6,000 pascals is available. In practice, I only used the Eco mode to clean my floors. And it performed brilliantly. Liquids disappeared in no time at all and ended up in the dirty water tank. Dried-on stains were also no problem. Sugary foods such as ketchup and jam could be removed easily even after a few hours of drying.
Solids such as rice and oatmeal were also no problem for the vacuum wiper. However, I had to drive over it three or four times to really get everything. A little more power would certainly not have been a bad thing here. However, if you want this, you can simply switch to max mode if necessary. But then, for better or worse, you will have to live with a significantly shorter battery life. In Eco mode, Dreame specifies a runtime of 22 minutes for its H11 Core. This means it lasts less than other vacuum cleaners. In comparison, the Dreame H12 Pro lasts 35 minutes in Eco mode. A comparison of the charging time also reveals a clear difference. While the H12 Pro needs just under 3 hours for a full charge, the H11 Core takes 4.5 hours. This is where the savings are most noticeable. However, the 22 minutes should still be sufficient for small homes.
Dreame H11 Core test: Not a rimless brush
As already mentioned, the H11 Core does not come with a rimless brush design. This is reflected in the fact that only one side has a narrow edge, while the other side has a thick edge. But even with the side with a small edge, you need to be aware that the area immediately next to the baseboard will remain uncleaned. In the test, I was able to measure an uncleaned area of 6 to 7 mm. You have to decide for yourself whether this bothers you.
If you’re fussy and don’t want to accept the edge, there’s no getting around the subsequent fine-tuning with a cloth or mop. Once your floors have been cleaned, the H11 Core takes care of its own cleaning. You can start the self-cleaning function conveniently at the touch of a button on the handle. However, the vacuum mop must be in the base station. During self-cleaning, the cleaning roller of the squeegee is vigorously rinsed again and rotates.
The squeegee then sucks up the dirty water and stores it in its own dirty water tank. Many vacuum wipers then start to dry the roller themselves. The roller is ventilated with hot air so that it dries. This is intended to prevent the formation of bacteria and thus also unpleasant odors. Unfortunately, the H11 Core does not have a drying function. If you want to prevent unpleasant odors, you should therefore remove the roller after cleaning and allow it to dry in the room air.
Conclusion
The Dreame H11 Core is a really exciting vacuum wiper that demonstrates great courage on the part of Dreame. After all, the company has rigorously cut corners here to create a household appliance that comes at an affordable price. And the plan certainly works. In my opinion, Dreame has made the right adjustments. You get an amazingly high-quality vacuum wiper that you can’t tell apart from its expensive competitors at first glance. You even get a large-format display with a view of the most important device information. The cleaning performance is also impressive. Of course, a little more power here and there would have been nice, but that would have shortened the already weak battery life even further.
In my opinion, the H11 Core’s lack of stamina is its biggest weakness. The competition sometimes offers 50% more battery life here. You should definitely keep this in mind if you own a large apartment or even a house. However, users with a two-room apartment may not be bothered by this at all. After all, a quarter of an hour is usually enough to reach all sections of the floor with the vacuum mop. Other disadvantages such as the lack of a rimless brush design and the lack of drying after self-cleaning are manageable and are clearly due to the low price. And this is the main argument for buying the squeegee. Because for a price of less than 200 euros, you get a real value-for-money winner here.
Dreame H11 Core
Workmanship & design
Cleaning performance
Usability
Value for money
88/100
Looking for a vacuum wiper on a budget? You've come to the right place with the Dreame H11 Core!
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