Is a Dyson upright too expensive for you?
Are you looking for something that isn’t as expensive but at least close performance wise?
I’ve already written about cheaper upright vacuums before like the Shark Navigator Lift Away and the Bissell PowerGlide both of which are very good options for the price.
Let me introduce to you another option, the Electrolux Precision Brushroll that cost just over $220 (in Amazon).
This mid-priced upright has some unique features that will make maintenance a lot easier.
It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll cleaning system that sucks debris stuck on the brush into the bin at a push of a lever.
It also comes with a “versatool” that doubles as a crevice tool and stair cleaner.
If you suffer from allergies, this vacuum is an ideal option because it comes with a sealed HEPA filtration system that blocks allergens from coming back out.
Let’s find out how this machine performs in the real world and what CNet says about this upright.
A quick look at the features
- Features a brush roll clean technology that sucks in dirt on the motorized brush
- Easy release wand
- Sealed HEPA filtration system
- Filters are capable of absorbing odor
- Filter is washable
- 5 year warranty
- 12 foot reach above the floor
- Comes with two attachments – (1) a brush tool and (2) 3-in-1 versatool
- Multi cyclonic system that never loses suction
Pros
- A mid-priced vacuum with high end features
- Very good performance on carpet and bare floor
- Great for pet hair
- Decent sized dirt capacity
- Brush-roll clean technology saves you time cleaning the brush manually
- Hose and wand make this capable to clean above the floor
Cons
- No swivel steering
- On the heavy side
- A bit bulky
- Noisy
- Some question marks about build quality
What to expect from the Electrolux Brushroll Clean
At first glance this machine is bulky but do not let appearances fool you.
It weighs just a little over 17 pounds.
Yes it is heavy but it still did not cross the 20 pound mark.
Maneuverability suffers though because it doesn’t have any type of swivel mechanism which would make turning this machine a little bit of a chore.
The feature I like the most is the brush-roll clean feature that cuts and sucks all the hair caught in the beater bar.
This is a common problem with beater bars and cutting off long strands of hair can be tedious. The brush roll clean feature does this for you and saves you time.
What you’ll get out of the box…
It also comes with a one touch easy to remove wand that is extendable wand that has a reach of up to 12 feet. Unless you have a ridiculously high ceiling, this machine will be able to clean cobwebs and dust bunnies on ceilings in most homes.
Ergonomic
When you look the handle, it looks and feels ergonomic.
On top of it you can adjust the level of suction so you won’t have any trouble cleaning small area rugs with this.
If you suffer any form of allergy, this machine is one of the better options because it comes with a sealed HEPA filtration system.
Dirt bin
The dirt canister easily comes off but unlike the Shark Navigator, this does not have any lift feature that converts it to a canister vacuum.
This is an upright with a detachable wand and hose allowing it to clean anything above the floor.
In terms of the tools included, when you buy it from Amazon, it comes with a brush and 3-in-1 versatool that can clean stairs, and act as a crevice tool.
The mouth of this attachment also pivots which allows you to use it on ceiling fans or on top of cabinets – places hard to reach.
Bare Floor Performance
This machine comes with a feature that serves it well on bare floor – the height adjustment feature. A foot control lever gives you 3 height options, low, medium and high. At the highest setting, it will allow you to pick up larger chunks of debris like cheerios or large bread crumbs.
This is reflective in the tests done by CNet. On hardwood it was able to pick up 93% of the one ounce cheerios on this surface. It also did well on sand and sawdust, picking up 97% of the 2.5 ounce scattered on hardwood.
Remember that when you turn this machine on the brush-roll automatically turns on so make sure that you press the lever to turn it off.
Carpet Performance
In terms of cleaning larger chunks of dirt it picked up less on medium and low pile carpet. Again the motorized brush inside this machine is stiff and it performed better than the DC50 but it wasn’t better than the Shark Navigator Lift Away on carpet.
In terms of picking up smaller debris like sawdust, it didn’t perform as well as it did on carpet but the results were still better than more expensive brands like the Dyson DC41 and DC50.
Upholstery Performance
On upholstery this it comes with two tools you can use to clean pet hair or loose dirt. First it comes with a dusting brush that has soft bristles that work great on wooden or laminated surfaces. It also comes with what you call a versatool.
If you’re curious, here’s how it looks like…
Basically it is a tool with two pivoting heads that coverts from a crevice tool to an upholstery or stair cleaner. You can also pivot it halfway to clean tops of tall cabinets or ceiling fans. This also works great on upholstery because it has a felt layer on it to agitate and pick up pet hair.
Pet Hair Removal
Cleaning pet hair is another strong suite. Out of the 0.2 ounces scattered on low and medium pile carpet, it was able to pick up all of it. But it did struggle a bit on hardwood – picking up only 75%.
It might have picked up more with the brush-roll turn on but there is a risk of scratching.
Long hair will wrap around the bristles so you’ll have to regularly check the brush roll to check and clean if needed.
Attachments and Accessories
Like I said earlier, if you buy this in Amazon, it comes with two tools – the brush and the 3-in-1 versatool that acts as a stair cleaner, crevice tool and upholstery cleaner.
Cord Length
Cord length is 25 feet but it does not have the cord rewind feature.
Filter Clean up
This model comes with 2 filters, the main filter located inside the dirt bin and a post motor HEPA filter located in front. Both are washable.
Here’s an illustration on how to clean both of these filters…
Warranty
Like the Dyson and Shark, this comes with a 5 year warranty.
Product Specifications
| Feature | |
| Attachments | 3-in-1 Versatool Brush tool |
| Cord Length | 25 feet |
| Auto Cord Rewind |  |
| Motorized brush |  |
| Brush on/off switch | |
| Swivel | |
| Headlight | |
| Filter clogged indicator | |
| Full bin indicator | There is a max fill line on the dirt bin |
| Bagless | |
| Multi-surface | |
| Self propelled | |
| Net weight | 17.2 pounds |
| Shipping weight | 21.4 pounds |
| Hose length | N/A |
| Cleaning Path | 12" |
| Dirt capacity | 1.2 liters |
| Filter type | Washable main filter and post-motor HEPA filter |
| Power | 12 amps |
| Voltage | 120 volts |
| Manufactured in | China |
| Warranty | 5 years |
See it in Action
Here’s a brief demonstration on the features and how it does on carpet…
How about a demo from QVC and tests on various surfaces like rugs, carpet and barefloor? You’ll also see the versatool in action…
Customer Reviews
If you look at the rating score in Amazon, it didn’t score as high as I’d thought considering it got a great review from CNet.
If you look closely at the reviews performance wasn’t really an issue, quality control was. There were numerous complaints about attachments falling off because of the poor quality of plastics used.
This is the video review from CNet just for your reference…
In terms of performance, this machine does perform on carpet or on bare floor. A majority of consumers says it does even better than a Dyson according to some.
The brush-roll clean technology does work and people have pointed out that it helped them keep the motorized brush free from hair.
Above the floor cleaning
Another great feature would be the long extension wand that has a little longer reach compared to other uprights.
The verstatool seems like a gimmick though, if you’ve watched the QVC demo, when you try to open the two pivoting ends, it does not seem to lock in place. The idea is there hopefully Electrolux will make a better version the next time out.
Great for pet hair
In terms of picking up pet hair on floors, does great. The bristles on the brush tool however is soft and you’ll have a hard time using it to remove pet hair on upholstery with it.
Consumers had mixed reviews on the height adjustment feature. Some were satisfied others feel that it needs more settings.
One consumer commented that if you have trouble pushing this on carpet, you may need to adjust this setting.
Despite the negative reviews about quality, folks say it performed quite well.
Remember that this comes with a 5 year warranty so if something goes wrong, you can always call or email Electrolux and they will take reply and take care of any issues.
Where can I buy this?
You can buy this in Amazon but it’ll be expensive at over $500 since they don’t see this direct.
To Wrap Up
This upright would be great for people looking for a cheaper version of the Dyson without sacrificing much cleaning performance.
It performed well in cleaning tests done by CNet, cleaning larger and finer types of dirt equally well.
The brush-roll cleaning feature does struggle with clearing up long human hair stuck on the brushes.
But it was still easy to pull out but no vacuum cleaner is perfect.
Remember that all cleaners with brush-rolls will have this same problem.
At just below $200 at Electrolux, this machine is a bargain. And it still comes with the same 5 year warranty that you’ll find in a Dyson but you’ll easily save a few hundred bucks.
It does not have any swivel feature. But if you don’t mind work a little harder to move this around, it is one of the best value for money vacuums out there.
