I have two small kids. This means while at home I'm never far from the vacuum cleaner! Our trusty old plug-in vac has seen plenty of action down the years but I must admit it's not the most convenient thing as I have to lug it up and down the stairs for what feels like every five minutes.
This meant I was very curious about the Proscenic P12 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner that I got the chance to try out. Could it cope with the daily whirlwind served up by two under-6s?
It's a smart-looking cordless vacuum new to the UK market that proves to be a flexible beast while offering up a few unique features for a very competitive £189. The device is pretty straightforward out of the box, with the handle incorporating the LED controls and dustbin. There aren't a huge number fo attachments but to be honest this just means there is a lot less to lose!
The first thing you'll notice when you start vacuuming is the anti-tangle, roller brush shines out an eerie green light. This is Proscenic's version of Dyson 'Detect' laser for illuminating small particles that are invisible to the naked eye. I'm a little bit torn by this as I'm not sure if I wanted to be aware of just how filthy our carpets are!
The anti-tangle roller brush has V-shaped guiding bristles that work with an internal comb to reduce hair tangling,. This means the vac can deliver powerful performance without much of the maintenance needed by some other models.
Alongside this, the 33 kPa strong suction of the 400W brushless motor provides the motorized roller brush power to efficiently pick up dirt and debris on the floor. The vacuum also has four suction modes available so there will be an option for the user's various cleaning needs.
You can select the power mode by simply pressing the LED controls but you'll find the default level of the second one is up for most tasks. Proscenic says you can get about an hour's use from the rechargeable battery at the lowest setting and 13 minutes from the highest. However, I found the highest setting absolutely blitzed the battery in an alarming fashion so use that one sparingly.
The battery itself is detachable and can be charged in a couple of hours using a plug adapter. The P12 also comes with a crevice tool, a brush tool and a 2-in-1 combination tool. The vacuum tube itself is retractable which is mega-useful and means can adjust the height for comfort.
You can also ditch the tube altogether and use the P12 as a hand-held vac, although it's weighty enough to mean it will only be for short bursts. However, I found it again very hand (no pun intended).
Other things to note is the vacuum has a five-stage sealed filtration system that captures 99.99% of dust and emits non-allergenic purified air. The cyclone separates large particles, avoiding clogging and suction loss. You also can two HEPA filters to prevent particles larger than 0.3-micron from emission.
It certainly was successful in tackling the rich variety of mess that my household offers. and the dustbin is big enough so you're not having to empty it every half-hour. So all in all I found the P12 to be a very solid machine for the price. Currently, you can pick one up for £189 which, considering all the strings to its bow, is a very decent offer.
