Hand on heart: how much do you like to vacuum and mop your own home? If you’re anything like me, then this is probably not one of your favorite hobbies. But as unpleasant as these tasks may be, they are ultimately important. After all, who wants to live in a dirty home? If you want to make your life easier, a combination appliance is the perfect solution. The best example is a vacuum wiper. This combines a vacuum cleaner and a mop and completes two tasks in one go. This should not only save nerves, but also time. However, as helpful as these smart household helpers may be, they do have a small Achilles heel. They are generally more suitable for mopping than for vacuuming. In today’s Dreame H12 Dual test, we take a closer look at a gadget that focuses on mopping and vacuuming.
The concept is in the name
Dreame H12 Dual earns its name through its innovative and promising concept. Dual means that there are two devices involved. Strictly speaking, all vacuum wipers promise this. But the reality is usually different. Especially when there is a lot of dust and dirt on your floor, a squeegee is often overwhelmed. For the best possible results, you would actually have to vacuum the floor first.
The hard floor can then be skillfully swept with the vacuum wiper. Speaking of hard floors. This brings us straight to the next problem. Vacuum wipers are virtually useless for carpets. This is not only due to the use of water, but also to the design of the cleaning roller. A separate vacuum cleaner is worth its weight in gold. Accordingly, Dreame has a large potential customer base with its H12 Dual. Let’s take a look at whether these promises are also fulfilled in practice.
Scope of delivery
First of all, let’s take a look at the scope of delivery. This is of course more extensive than a pure vacuum cleaner such as a Dreame H12 Pro(test). This is not surprising. After all, strictly speaking, you get two household appliances here. The heart of the scope of delivery is the H12 itself. This comes with a base station and matching support bar. As is typical for the industry, there is also a cleaning agent that you can add to the water.
There is also an additional mop roller and a replacement filter for the vacuum wiper. There are also various items that are used when using the cordless vacuum cleaner. In addition to the suction pipe, brush head and dust container, there are also matching attachments such as a crevice nozzle and a motor brush. To ensure that everything can be neatly draped, the cordless vacuum cleaner also comes with a storage solution in the form of a tray with matching slots for the attachments.
Dreame H12 Dual test: Design and workmanship
If you take a look at the Dreame H12 Dual, you inevitably have to refer to the H12 Pro. After all, both vacuum cleaners speak the same visual language. The main body with dirt and fresh water tank resembles a long tube and is anything but delicate. In practice, this is likely to lead to a typical problem that also affects Tineco models such as the Floor One S7 Pro(test). Due to the thick body, such vacuum sweepers often cannot be maneuvered under flat furniture. The slim models from Osotek such as the H200 Lite(test) or the Horizon H200(test) are an exception here.
However, whether this bothers you ultimately depends on whether you own a lot of flat furniture. Regardless of the fact that the H12 Dual is quite bulky, it certainly looks very chic. This is also due to the color mix. You get a chic combination of black and gray. A few transparent sections, such as the water tank, lighten things up. Dreame uses high-quality plastic that feels really good. The display, which is located on the top of the body, will also look familiar to connoisseurs.
To ensure that it is not upside down while the squeegee is in the base station, it is automatically rotated when you place the smart household helper there. A practical carrying handle is located directly under the display. However, this is not designed for transporting the squeegee. Rather, you use it when you have converted the H12 Dual into a cordless vacuum cleaner. The build quality is of a very high standard. As we have come to expect from Dreame, this applies not only to the household appliance itself, but also to the accessories such as the attachments.
Dreame H12 Dual test: Transformation into a cordless vacuum cleaner
A unique selling point of the H12 Dual is, of course, its ability to be converted into a cordless vacuum cleaner. First of all, it must be positively emphasized that the transformation to a cordless vacuum cleaner is uncomplicated and, above all, lightning fast. After all, both appliances share the core in the form of the motor unit.
This means that the display and battery are used in both the squeegee and the cordless vacuum cleaner. Once you have removed the centerpiece, connect it to the suction tube, the main brush and the dust container. The cordless vacuum cleaner is ready. In practice, this is wonderfully straightforward. Very good Dreame!
Dreame H12 Dual Test: Performance as a vacuum wiper
Time for a little practical test. First of all, I took a close look at its performance as a vacuum wiper. The first time I used it, I noticed the stylish display again. I already liked the clean look of the H12 Pro without all the bells and whistles. You can read the screen very easily thanks to the high resolution. Not only can you see the battery status. You can also see the current cleaning mode. If an error occurs, you will also be notified here.
If you have never used a vacuum wiper before, you will first have to get used to the handling of the H12 Dual. Due to its rather high weight, it is by no means as maneuverable as a lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, you should not take any sharp turns, but rather drive around the room in tracks. You’ll quickly forget the high weight. After all, the motorized brush ensures that you are pulled along by the vacuum cleaner.
This makes it easy to maneuver through your home. The cleaning results are at a good to very good level. The only thing that stands in the way of perfect cleaning results is the design of the cleaning roller. After all, it is not rimless, as is the case with the Tineco Floor One S7, for example. Due to the small edge, you have to live with the fact that there is an uncleaned strip right next to the baseboard, for example.
You have to take a closer look to find it, but you still have to mention this problem. However, it must also be emphasized that we are still in the mid-range here. And it does its job really well! It was even able to suck up a large collection of rice grains just as well as spilt milk. Even dried up things were no problem. It even removed a dried-up jam stain when it was run over several times.
The recipe for success is certainly the rapid distribution of the fresh water. The cleaning roller manages to spread an even film of water on the floor. This dries quickly, so you don’t have to worry about it even on real wood floors. What really bothered me in practice, however, was the bulky design. I couldn’t get it under the sideboard or under my closet.
Dreame H12 Dual test: self-cleaning
Once the H12 Dual has finished cleaning your floors, it’s time for self-cleaning. To do this, the vacuum mop must be in its base station. There, it rinses its cleaning roller thoroughly with water. The resulting dirty water also ends up in the dirty water tank.
A hot air blower is used after cleaning to prevent the formation of bacteria and thus also unpleasant odors. This dries the roll for a few minutes at a temperature of 55 °C. The subsequent drying is really reliable and not a matter of course in this price range.
Dreame H12 Dual test: Performance as a cordless vacuum cleaner
We have already established that the Dreame H12 Dual is a good to very good vacuum cleaner. But what about its performance as a cordless vacuum cleaner? As we have already described, switching from a squeegee to a cordless vacuum cleaner is done in a flash. Even non-experts will quickly become familiar with the process. Once you have plugged the vacuum cleaner together, it is almost indistinguishable from “pure” vacuum cleaners. This means that you are by no means being served a half-baked solution that requires you to cut corners.
The main brush contributes to the really good suction performance. Although this may initially seem a little more flexible than with stand-alone vacuum cleaners, this hardly bothers you after a short familiarization period. The performance on carpets must be emphasized positively. In view of the fact that this is precisely the weak point of vacuum cleaners such as the H12, the focus is excellent.
You will notice this at the latest when you run the vacuum cleaner over a long-pile carpet. Even here, the brush doesn’t stop. But don’t expect miracles. This is primarily due to the good, but not outstanding suction power of 16,000 pascals. So if you really want to vacuum your carpet down to the pores, you’ll have to look for another model. I also liked the included attachments. The crevice nozzle is ideal for places that are difficult to reach. The motorized brush, on the other hand, is tailor-made for upholstery.
Dreame H12 Dual test: Battery
Dreame offers good average battery life. The H12 Dual lasts up to 35 minutes if you use it purely as a vacuum mop. You get even more minutes if you use it as a vacuum cleaner with a full battery. Then you can vacuum for up to a full hour.
Once the battery is empty, you need to be patient. A full charge can take up to 5 hours. I would have liked a quick-charging solution here. However, it must also be pointed out here that we are in the mid-range.
Conclusion
Anyone who owns a squeegee and thinks they have finally replaced the vacuum cleaner and mop is very much mistaken. Nevertheless, a squeegee is a great thing. After all, you can clean your floors down to the pores and make them hygienically clean. But what about the carpet? And how do you get under flat furniture? With the Dreame H12 Dual, the former Xiaomi subsidiary has succeeded in launching a real all-rounder. With its combination of squeegee and cordless vacuum cleaner, it is the perfect solution for anyone who wants to clean both hard floors and carpets in their home. At just under 500 euros, the Dual doesn’t cost much more than other pure mid-range vacuum cleaners.
But there are a few small weak points. With its bulky design and the unfortunately not rimless cleaning roller, the vacuum wiper suffers from minor teething troubles that could become annoying over time. The cordless vacuum cleaner, on the other hand, has a little too little power to be able to remove really deep-seated dirt from long-pile carpets. It remains to be said that the Dreame H12 Dual scores above all with its impressive price-performance ratio and great all-round capabilities. You can get the H12 Dual for 499.00 euros on Amazon. If Dreame were to make a few fine adjustments here, this could be a groundbreaking combination appliance that eliminates one of the biggest weaknesses of vacuum sweepers.
Dreame H12 Dual
Workmanship & design
Cleaning performance
Usability
Value for money
90/100
Do you miss the powerful suction function of conventional squeegees? Then the Dreame H12 Dual is the perfect all-rounder for you.
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