Having the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum cleaner to review at home meant the house was dust-free in a way it hadn't quite been before.
This cordless vacuum model has more of an emphasis on allergen removal with a five-layer filtration system. When viewing the model on Amazon, it specifically says it "retains 99.99% of fine dust", which is especially appealing for anyone with pets and/or allergies.
As someone who lives with a couple of housemates, and my cat, having one of the best vacuum cleaners is important to keep dust, fur, and crumbs at bay. At a glance, the Ultenic FS1 is super modern, powerful with 450W/30KPa, and full of nifty features. I put it through its paces.
Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum review
What I thought of the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum
The Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum performed well on hard floors, carpets, upholstery, blinds, and more with the round brush tool, long crevice, and telescopic tube proving particularly useful on wicker furniture and hard-to-reach trim. The touchscreen digital interface — that displays the battery charge, cleaning modes, and any errors (should they arise) — gives it an edge. The auto-emptying dust bucket is a nice addition too.
Admittedly, at 15.4 lbs, it might feel like a heavy cordless vacuum to some, and I found it easier to use it as a vacuum with the floor brush attached, rather than as a handheld vacuum cleaner.
However, it does pack a punch of power, at 450W/30 KPa so comes in handy for dust-prone busy households with pets and/or messy housemates. With dual charging, and a decent battery life when in eco mode — which is sufficient enough to pick up light dust layers — I think it is a good addition to any cleaning-savvy household addition.
Ultenic FS1 cordless stick specifications
Unboxing and setting up the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum
On unboxing the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum, it was good to see there wasn't too much plastic, and most of the accessories were boxed in cardboard.
The contents include the rather dominating auto-empty charging station in navy blue, the vacuum itself, the telescopic tube attachment, additional tools (electric floor brush, long crevice, round brush, cleaning tool), dust bag (plus extras), HEPA and pre-motor filter, a battery pack, manual, and cable.
The illustrated guide is handy to get you started, and I found this quite clear to follow.
For example, how to install the battery, and click everything else into place — like the floor brush. The main manual has more intricate detail which is needed for error messages and so on.
When it comes to the duo charging, this means that you can either put the battery directly into the dedicated slot, or attach it to the main vac body and plug the entire vacuum directly into the charging station. I did the latter for half an hour or so until I got two bars for my first whip around the house.
Using the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum
To get a feel for this cordless vacuum, I tested the Ultenic FS1 to clean hardwood flooring, clean a carpet, and area rugs, as well as cleaning a couch, wicker furniture, and other high-traffic areas around our home.
There are four suction power levels to toggle through from the function switch button, as displayed lit up, below. Three of these are 'regular' power levels: low, auto (the default), and, high mode. The fourth mode is a 'hidden powerful (turbo) level' — as it explains in the manual — which you activate by pressing down the functional switch button for two seconds. The latter is an ideal one for bigger particles and the vac defaults to ECO-auto when turned on.
I toggled between all of them, using AUTO mode mostly to get more of a refreshed carpet feel. I also logged running times throughout to see how they matched up to the 60-minute running time (albeit in low-power mode). As you can see, the three-bar display compared to the U12, is quite basic and doesn't tell you specific minutes to help you gauge exactly how much battery you have left.
Generally, I preferred the higher power modes, but this brings the vacuuming time down a fair amount. After just a two-hour charge, toggling between auto, the highest mode, and one turbo shot (10 seconds), it jumped from three bars at 17:39 to two at 17:44 and one bar at 17:46.
More pleasingly, after a full charge (over two hours) it ran smoothly for 39 minutes. This was with approximately 30 minutes in low mode, five in Auto, and four in high. So just be aware of much lower the running time is when using the higher power modes.
Using the electric floor brush on hard floors
The Ultenic FS1 cordless does do well on carpet and hard floors alike. I used it all around the house to clean laminate flooring in the kitchen and laundry room, as well as the tile in our main bathroom and small downstairs toilet. Dust and debris came up fast and although I found it a little clunky it was easy to navigate through the house.
Especially in spaces where water is present, I made sure the floors were dry. I also used the lower setting and checked the roller was correctly in place so there was no risk of damaging the floors — a vacuum cleaner mistake we would all rather avoid.
The Ultenic FS1 did well with larger particles too, especially in higher power modes. There was a little spreading of the cereal because of the shape but it wasn't hard to pick everything up.
I next spilled sugar over the kitchen rug and laminate floors. Thankfully, the FS1 picked that up in a few swift movements.
The LED light on the 180° brush coming in handy here.
Using the round brush tool on upholstered furniture and more
The couch cradles many loafing moments that naturally involve snacks. There were crumbs to pick up and so it was calling for the round brush tool. The FS1 worked like a charm here and was easy to flex into tighter corners and seams.
Much like the brush tool on the recently reviewed Ultenic U12 cordless, this is a good one for cleaning baseboards and generally awkward places to reach too with the telescopic tube in place — like dusty curtain poles, wicker furniture, or trim under the headboard.
I did try to use the round brush tool to suck up cat hair on a cotton upholstered pouffe but it wasn't that remarkable, unfortunately. I would suggest a lint roller first, then follow this by using the vacuum to pick up general debris and pet smells — as our guide to using a vacuum cleaner will kindly tell you.
Using the long crevice tool
The long crevice tool is ideal for awkward corners, window sills, and trim, just about anywhere.
This was a good opportunity to try it as a handheld vacuum cleaner which was useful on the staircase and in various nooks and crannies.
Switching to the brush tool made cleaning blinds easy too.
Cleaning and maintaining the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum
Cleaning your vacuum isn't a job we necessarly love, but the Ultenic FS1 does make it a bit cooler and more approachable. The auto-empty station is a perk and runs efficiently most of the time, but it depends on what you have in there and on how full it is. You slot the entire vacuum, floor brush and all, onto the base, lining up the charging pins. This automatically opens the dust bucket. Then you hold down the switch button and the auto cleaning function starts.
We tried vacuuming light loads of dust, cat hair, etc. and it emptied swiftly on the first go. But, given a heavier load of cereal, sugar, cat litter, and some leaf, on top of general household debris, it struggled a little more but with perseverance it did fully empty on the fourth round.
After testing a full dust bucket of general dust and fur, the majority emptied with perseverance, but after the ninth go, I resorted to removing the rest by hand.
Note, you do have to be a bit careful putting the vacuum on and off the stand since the dust bin opens automatically when you attach it. This means that if you go to readjust the vacuum and pull it off without being careful, you will have quite a flurry of dust to deal with. Again, a skill to be developed over time.
Naturally, some dust particles come away from the bin and filter if you decide to remove and clean it, and for that, Ultenic recommends wiping the device with a damp cloth being careful to not let any water penetrate the device for obvious reasons. So I got out a basic microfiber cloth (like these from Amazon).
You can rinse the HEPA filters. Then, my favorite gadget is the brush cleaning tool that lets you tease off hair and other gunk from the brush roller. This comes off when you click the push button underneath.
The dust bag that collects the debris automatically is quite big at 0.8 gal (3L) dust bag as Ultenic says. The capacity of the vacuum dust cup itself is 0.17 gal (660ml), so you shouldn't have to empty it very frequently at all. It also comes with two extras.
Is the Ultenic FS1 cordless stick vacuum right for you
If it is your first cordless vac, it might take some getting used to, as some of the functions and designs feel advanced. But, if this is not your first cordless rodeo you will likely love it.
Failing that, you might like these cordless stick vacuums:
Bagless?: Yes
Battery life: 1 hr/battery
Charge time: 4 hrs
Capacity: 0.9 L
Noise: 80 dB
Weight: 8.9 lbs
+ Great for pet hair pickup
+ Super easy to use
+ Emits a nice scent as you clean
+ Folds to store
+ Can buy additional batteries
+ Bends under furniture
+ Sustainable packaging
- Doesn't stand upright on its own
Rated 5 stars out of 5 in our Shark Stratos IZ862H review
Bagless?: Yes
Battery life: 50 mins
Charging time: 4.5 hrs
Capacity: 0.6 L
Noise: 72 dB
Weight: 5.7 lbs
+ Detects hidden dust and debris and auto-adjusts suction
+ Color ring tells you where to concentrate
+ Impressive suction
+ Lightest on our list
- Not the largest dust cup
Rated 5 stars out of 5 in our Tineco Pure One S12 review
Bagless?: Yes
Battery life: 40 mins
Charging time: 4–5 hrs
Capacity: 0.6 L
Noise: 70 dBA
Weight: 7.1 lbs
+ Affordable price
+ Flexible stick to reach under furniture
+ LED headlights
+ Full dust bin alert
+ Auto adjusts suction
- Long charge time
- Only comes with two attachments
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars in our Levoit VortexIQ40 Flex review
How we test vacuum cleaners
Ultenic sent me the vacuum and I tested it for a fortnight in my house before writing the review. I used the following criteria for the testing process, however, we do have a more comprehensive breakdown of how we test vacuum cleaners:
Unboxing: I considered the condition of the vacuum and the packaging when it arrived. I gave bonus points for packaging that didn’t include Styrofoam and considered how easily I was able to remove and then assemble it.
Performance: I tested the vacuum on multiple surfaces, and types of flooring, using the various settings. I looked for consistent performance, assessing the vacuum’s suction power, thoroughness, and battery life.
Ease of use: I considered my overall experience in using the vac, including factors like its weight, how easy it is to hold and operate, how well the automatic features worked and saved me time, and how well the vacuum performed during my various tests.
Ease of cleaning: I also evaluated the process of cleaning and maintaining the vacuum. I considered how many components needed to be cleaned, and how often, as well as how complicated and time-consuming cleaning this cleaning supply was.
