Dreame V11 Review (UK)

We noticed a few special features in the design of the Dreame V11 in our review. The appearance of the battery-powered vacuum cleaner is quite chic, but it’s nothing special.

Similar to the Chinese Roborock H6, Dreame’s design is obviously inspired by the model V8 of the market leader Dyson - it’s almost chanting “Never change a winning team”, right?

This means that e.g. the motor unit in the Dreame is also arranged in the same way as in the V8. The dirt container is aligned vertically and opens downwards.

However, the workmanship of the motor unit of the Dreame is very good. Especially the emptying function didn’t give us any trouble, and it looks very valuable.

The Dreame’s getting smarter

Dreame has included a practical color OLED display in its latest model.

The display shows the battery status and the suction mode, which is quite convenient for handling. It’s also a nice extra that you can choose between different languages.

Is it possible to lock the power button?

You’ve got to press a pistol-like trigger to activate the vacuum cleaner, and then the cordless vacuum starts vacuuming right away. You don't have to hold down the power button constantly to vacuum, because it can be locked easily. This is more comfortable for you when vacuuming.

The size and weight of the Dreame V11

The height of the unit is 122 cm (48 inches) and it can still be manoeuvred comfortably at a person’s height of 1,95 m (76.7 inches).

The weight is a more interesting criterion, as it contributes significantly to how well and, above all, how long you can use the cordless vacuum cleaner. You’ll barely notice the weight of 2,9 kg (64 lbs) when vacuuming, because it’s well distributed.

Even as a hand vacuum cleaner, the weight of 1,5 kg (3.3 lbs) won’t give you any troubles. It’s still easy to handle.

The Dreame V11 is therefore one of the lighter devices on the market.

The "Softroller" electric floor brush

It helps the cordless vacuum cleaner to pick up dirt with its own electric drive and transports it at high speed into the suction tube.

As described in our cleaning test, this only works well with the Dreame V11 on hard floors. The device didn’t shine so brightly on carpeted floors.

On hard floors, the brush worked better, but the "gliding performance" wasn’t perfect. The brush glides not only on the actual roller, but also on narrow fibre strips on the edge of the housing.

These got stuck a few times during our test, which comes down to a rather clumsy workmanship here.

Other manufacturers in the UK (take a look at the Dyson V10 review) also supply different brushes for different floor types or use combo brushes (compare Dyson V11 Absolute review) that are suitable for all floor types. That’s much more convenient.

How many suction modes does the Dreame V11 have?

The Dreame V11 comes with three different suction modes. Each mode has a different level of suction power and is suitable for different kinds of dirt:

Eco, Mid and Turbo.

The manufacturer states that the Dreame V11 brings up to 150 airwatts to the table in turbo mode. That is more than decent and puts the Dreame on a par with the Dyson V10, at least on paper. Our test showed, too, that you can achieve decent cleaning results with the Dreame's suction power.

It’s pretty difficult for us to verify the Airwatt number (read more...). In our practical test, however, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Eco mode of the Dreame V11 is insufficient when you try to vacuum some visible dirt. The suction power is just too weak. This also puts the top battery performance of 90 minutes in a different light.

The medium mode (Mid) is strong enough to work with it decently, and you have a solid battery life of about 45 minutes. But keep in mind that the runtime always depends on the attachment that is in use.

Generally speaking, the Dreame V11 is easy to use and the handling is mostly self-explanatory.

But let’s start from the beginning...

Setting up and unboxing the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11 comes with an instruction manual. To get to the manual, however, you first have to unpack the device. That didn't go smoothly, but that’s not really an obstacle.

In our opinion, the plastic packaging is not necessary, the carton alone would be sufficient. Then we would give it an environmental bonus.

Once the device is unboxed, everything else is a no-brainer: charge it for three and a half hours, assemble it as needed and off you go.

The manoeuvrability of the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11's manoeuvrability is limited mainly due to the imperfectly manufactured brush. Otherwise, the weight and the joint on the brush ensure good manoeuvrability and cornering ability.

Maintenance of the Dreame V11 includes only four tasks:

• Emptying and cleaning the dirt tank

• Cleaning or changing the filter

• Cleaning the brush

• Changing the Dreame V11 battery

Emptying and Cleaning the Dirt Container

Emptying the Dreame V11 dirt container

To empty the dust container, you’ve got to hold the machine over the trash and press the small button that’s located at the bottom of the container. The lid will pop open and the dirt will fall out.

The lid works very well and it also closes well. However, if something gets stuck, it has to be removed by hand.

For people with allergies, we recommend reading our the Dyson V11 review or the Vorwerk VB100 review. These two manufacturers came up with more efficient emptying processes that are more convenient for allergy sufferers.

Cleaning the dirt container

You have to clean the dirt container with a cloth or brush. It’s too bad that it’s not possible to remove the container easily. This is also the reason why you cannot wash it out. Proper cleaning is annoyingly complicated and difficult.

Cleaning and changing the filter of the Dreame V11

The Dreame V11 comes with a HEPA Filter (High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filter), which lasts a very long time and can be tapped out easily. The filter can be unscrewed from the motor unit.

The fact that Dreame uses a filter with a long service life saves money and also protects the environment.

If it does break down or become too dirty at some point, you can replace it at low cost.

Cleaning the Brush

Cleaning the brush is easy. You have to press the small button at the bottom of the brush and a small latch pops out. Now you can easily remove the soft roller. The advantage of the soft roller is that hairs rarely wrap themselves around the brush. If it does happen, you can simply remove the hair from the brush with a sharp knife.

Maintenance of the Battery

Unfortunately, the battery is permanently installed. This means that if there is a sharp drop in performance or the battery fails, you can only hope that it happens within the warranty period. Either way, you will have to send the device in to have the battery replaced, although no real information could be found on whether the manufacturer replaces the battery at all.

Anyone who pays attention to sustainability is therefore not advised to use this device.