It's rare for a budget vacuum to live up to the expectations set by the brand's listed features, as more often than not, the performance doesn't quite match the description.
However, some brands break the mold. I'm fast becoming a big fan of Ultenic because the brand has produced cordless vacuums with impressive cleaning power for some time at a very low price. In fact, they're the only cordless vacuums I'd ever recommend below $200.
I'm Homes & Gardens' home tech editor, and along with our testing team, have reviewed 65 vacuums. Here, I thoroughly tested the Ultenic U16 Flex in our test center, a local pet shelter and in my own home to find out whether it's worth the spend.
Ultenic U16 Flex: Specifications
Ultenic U16 Flex: Setup
Ultenic managed to fit the U16 Flex and all of its parts into a package that's almost as small as a shoe box. We noticed this about Ultenic when reviewing the Ultenic U12 Vesla, an equally compact and lightweight package.
Each component however is wrapped in an abundance of non-recyclable plastic, a move that others like the best Dyson vacuums ditched a long time ago as an eco-conscious approach.
Included in the box: U16 Flex, crevice tool, cleaning brush, spare HEPA filter, manual charger and optional charging wall mount.
Ultenic U16 Flex: Design and features
The Ultenic U16 Flex is a budget vacuum cleaner made of cheaper, lighter materials than its expensive counterparts, but with features that are inspired the more premium brands.
Its aesthetic is strikingly similar to some of Dyson's cordless vacuums, such as the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, but in a different black and red color scheme, making it a great Dyson alternative.
Similar to Dyson's laser vacuums, the U16 Flex has a green light on the floorhead to illuminate hidden dust on your floors. Other vacuums have included LED headlights in an attempt to recreate this feature, but mostly to poor success.
I was pleasantly surprised to find Ultenic gets the closest I've ever seen to Dyson-level debris revelation, marking up clearly what the naked eye can't see with its green light.
This Ultenic cordless vacuum also has a bendable wand, allowing you to reach under furniture and into tight spaces with less strain on your back. It's a feature we absolutely love in the Shark Cordless PowerDetect, one of the best Shark vacuums we've ever tested, and it works just the same. Press one button and the wand bends down to a 90-degree angle, then snap it back into place once you're done.
You can also see the vacuum's remaining battery life, suction mode and the dust volume of your floors on a handy LED screen. The vacuum can run for up to 60 minutes on the lowest setting, but on its higher modes it'll last around 30-40 minutes.
It also has a coveted HEPA filter, which is surprising at this price point. This puts it ahead of other budget ones as one of the best vacuums for allergies. This is because A HEPA filter will capture at least 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns, which includes common household allergens like dust and dander, something non HEPA filtered vacuums struggle to get near.
What is the Ultenic U16 Flex like to use?
Being able to fold the vacuum is helpful, not just because of the lesser strain on your back but also because of the completely flat angle it achieves when reaching under furniture, which is one of the hardest cleaning tasks. It's also pretty satisfying as it snaps back into place easily.
Weighing just 3.75 lbs, this is one of the most lightweight vacuums we've ever used (cordless vacuums typically weight around 5-8 lbs). When unboxing it however, I noticed the parts certainly felt cheap and a lighter type of plastic than other vacuum models, but this makes it a great choice for anybody who prefers to not lug a hefty machine around when they clean If you're using adaptive pacing for cleaning because of grip, mobility, pain or fatigue issues, the lighter weight of the Ultenic U16 will certainly save your energy.
It's powered using a trigger but it also works as an on switch, which I see as the best of both worlds. A trigger is easy to use, but like in the Dyson V15 Detect, having to continually hold it down as you clean can become a bit tiring, particularly for those with limited mobility or grip strength. The U16 Flex solves that issue by having you press it once to power it on or off.
It's great that the U16 Flex has different suction modes, and being able to switch to turbo helps to deep clean carpets and all the stubborn dirt that attaches itself to the carpet fibers. Most new cordless vacuums can do this automatically, but the low price of the U16 Flex is a worthy trade-off for this privilege.
I like that Ultenic build the dusting brush into the vacuum itself, so you can save a little time swapping out the vacuum attachments when switching to handheld mode.
The 0.26 gallon dustbin is average =size for most cordless models and is emptied just the same. I never had to remove any trapped dust during testing and you can clean the vacuum filter by popping it out of the dustbin. Cleaning the vacuum is straightforward too as each non-electrical part can be taken apart and washed.
Ultenic U16 Flex: Flour and sugar test
I tested how well the Ultenic U16 Flex could vacuum a half cup of flour and sugar on carpet, linoleum and hardwood floors in our test center. Flour and sugar works as a great visual test, showing what's left behind and where fine particles get clogged in the machine, as well as being a proxy for dust and dead skin.
On linoleum and wooden floors, the vacuum performed strongly for the price. It pushed the flour and sugar back a little which caused it to get stuck in the wheels, but it managed to pick up almost all of the mess, except for in the cracks between the hardwood panels, which turbo mode did help to finish.
It took around 10 passes for the U16 Flex to clear the flour and sugar from carpet. Carpet is naturally a trickier surface to clean but most vacuums can achieve a similar clean in around 3-5 passes. So if you're looking for the best vacuum for carpets, the U16 Flex might not be the right one for you.
If you're willing to put in some extra passed to clear spills, and on a budget, this is perfect.
Ultenic U16 Flex: Pantry test
I tested a half cup of cereal and lentils on carpet, linoleum and hardwood floors in our test center. This test uncovers how the vacuum can handle debris of different sizes, some vacuums fling the pieces around while others are able to crush them down.
Because of the price I was not expecting the U16 Flex to be one of the best performers during this test, but it easily sucked up all the cereal and lentils in a single pass when on hard floors. Almost every other vacuum struggles to do this, and instead makes a mess of crushing them down, sends them flying across the room, or pings them out to the side, but the U16 Flex had no issues whatsoever, making it one of the best vacuums for hardwoord floors for this test.
It took a little longer on carpet, around two to three passes, but it was an effortless experience overall and very impressive for this price point.
Ultenic U16 Flex: Pet hair test
I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex in a local pet shelter, Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, to find out how well it can handle pet hair, as well as the messes found in a building with high foot traffic from humans and animals.
I've never found a vacuum's floorhead lights to be that useful on carpet but the U16 Flex actually revealed cat and dog hair that I couldn't see without it. It also, however, revealed how much the vacuum was incapable of picking up, as even after repeated passes back and forth, the U16 Flex struggled to properly vacuum pet hair from carpet.
It wasn't useless though. It still managed to vacuum a decent amount (pictured below), but if you're a pet owner who lives in a home with carpets, you might want to instead to our best vacuums for pet hair.
One of the trickiest tests in the pet shelter I use for testing is a stubborn entrance barrier mat that most vacuums struggle to completely clean. The Ultenic U16 floorhead kept getting stuck and it wasn't easy to glide along, but eventually it was able to clear most of the pet hair. Turbo mode was a huge help, and when vacuuming medium-pile carpet, helped to remove the last stubborn pet hairs.
It had no issue clearing pet hair from hard floors and left nothing tangled in the brushroll.
How does the Ultenic U16 Flex compare?
At $149.99 from Ultenic and $179.99 from Amazon, the U16 Flex is the cheapest non-handheld vacuum we've tested (apart from the now-unavailable Ultenic U12 Vesla which cost the same).
It shares its bendable wand feature with the Shark Cordless PowerDetect. The Shark cleans much more thoroughly and can handle pet hair, and it also has floor detection for automatic suction power, but it costs more than twice as much. I'd recommend spending that little bit extra for a more comprehensive and reliable vacuum, but if you're on a budget the Ultenic should do OK.
I've tested similarly-priced budget vacuums like the Vactidy V9 (Amazon) and the Proscenic P11 (Amazon), and neither of them were worthy of a recommendation. This is why the Ultenic U16 Flex is so impressive at this price.
If you're on a budget, I'd consider opting for a non-cordless model like the Shark POWERDETECT Upright. It costs $299.99 when on sale (which is fairly frequently) and it boasts some of the strongest cleaning performance we've ever seen on carpets, hard floors and pet hair.
Should you buy the Ultenic U16 Flex?
I absolutely recommend the Ultenic U16 Flex if you're on a tight budget. It's incredibly lightweight, easy to use, has a green laser similar to Dyson's, and has decent cleaning power at this price, especially on hard floors.
But I'm a strong believer that we should treat vacuum cleaners as the investment they are, and if you're able to spend a little extra, you should. The Ultenic U16 Flex is powerful enough to get by but will likely become frustrating after time, particularly if your home has a lot of carpets, pets or both. I also can't vouch for its longevity as its plastic materials feels light and cheap.
How I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex
Learn about our full methodology over at our dedicated page on how we test vacuums.
In brief, I tested the Ultenic U16 Flex using standardized substances on carpet, linoleum and hardwood floors in our test center. I also tested it at a local pet shelter, and used it intermittently in my own home over a number of weeks to see how it handled real-world conditions.
Next, browse our tried-and-tested guide of the best upright vacuums for more cleaning power.
