The Eufy HomeVac is a cordless stick vac that’s lightweight and barebones. If you’ve heard of Eufy, you might be most familiar with their robot vacuums, which occasionally go on sale for $220. Considering prices for robovacs can climb to $900, it definitely makes the offering from Anker’s home brand appealing. That’s especially true if you accept the fact that robot vacuums likely won’t fully replace the upright variety. They’re more of a supplemental tool, which, interestingly enough, is how we see the HomeVac.
If you’re looking for a vacuum with no attachments, the HomeVac is single and ready to mingle.
Getting to know Eufy
As with many relationships, there is some assembly required with this Eufy model. The base, handle, and floor brush all come separated, so you have to screw in a bolt and snap the base into the brush head. There’s also a wall mount if you’re looking for something more permanent. The Eufy can stand on its own, but it does seem like a strong breeze or curious cat could knock it off balance.
The dust cup is 0.9 liters. Hit the release button to pop it out, carry it over to the garbage, and press a button to open the trap door. Be prepared to get a little dirty, as it’s not an entirely hands-free operation. Some debris tends to get caught up around the filter holder. The filter itself is fairly easy to remove. You can pull out the assembly, too, but it takes some coaxing.
The five-and-a-half-hour charge time is lengthy, even for 25 minutes of use.
The brush head can do a bit of swiveling and has lights to illuminate your path. These tend to die as the battery drains, leaving you in the dark as you attempt to clean up the detritus of your life. If you’re on a full-power whirl with the Eufy, you two can spin around for about 25 minutes. Put the vac in low-power to double your time together. Afterward, the HomeVac needs to recharge for about five-and-a-half hours, which is by no means a disco nap. That’s even longer than the Dyson V8, which lasts for 40 minutes after a five-hour charge.
The Eufy was pretty reliable when it came to hardwood floors, especially with larger debris. It made quick work of cereal, pet food, and rice, especially in high-power mode. It did zealously fling some rice out of its path, though. It also left the area around the cat food bowl spotless. We found the vacuum couldn’t pick up everything in power-saving mode and we had to amp it up to finish the job. We found smaller debris, on both hardwood and carpet, often required several passes to pick up.
Eufy and me and everyone we know
If you’ve ever dated someone who doesn’t seem to have any friends, you know what it’s like to own a vacuum without any attachments. At some point you wonder, “What’s wrong with you? Why doesn’t anyone want to hang out with you?” For the Eufy, it means your vacuum isn’t going to shine in every situation. For example, at 5.5 pounds, its light enough that we could lift it and suction some hair off various levels of the cat tree. But, there was no way it was going to fit inside the tree’s house. The HomeVac could make it about nine inches under a bookshelf before its dust bin got in the way.
If you’re going to make it exclusive with a stick vac, you’re probably going to want something that you can also use on the couch and drapes, or at the very least has a crevice tool for tight spaces. In that case, you might be better off with something like the Deik 2-in-1 ($99) or Electrolux Ergorapido ($118), which both have detachable handles for more versatility but a similar price to the $100 HomeVac. Eufy also makes its own 2-in-1 for $100. If you’re still looking for cordless but want even more attachments, there’s also the Dyson D7 ($300) or Shark IonFlex ($270).
With its small footprint, light weight, and a fair amount of cleaning power, the Eufy HomeVac makes a decent option for smaller cleaning jobs. Of course, its long charging time means you’ll want it to live near an outlet. It won’t last for a marathon cleaning session in full-power mode and some types of debris required more passes than others. You may not fall in love with this Eufy, but you probably won’t kick it out of the bedroom, either.
