Review: The Dreame T20 handheld vacuum cleaner is a delightful dustbuster

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Do you ever wield your vacuum like it is a futuristic weapon from Fallout 4? I do, especially when I’m using the Dreame T20 vacuum cleaner, which looks like some sort of sniper rifle (if you have a wild imagination and a maturity level way below your years).

This is the perfect addition to my bulging army of robot vacuums, with which I am going to sweep the nation, aggressively cleaning the streets as I wave my T20 sniper rifle at anyone foolish enough to stare down the barrel.

OK, so obviously this is some sort of bizarre fantasy of my own which should have never been committed to print. But, in actual fact, the Dreame T20 handheld vac is quite the weapon, if you plan to wage war on dust, dirt, and debris. Wanna know why? BUY ONE THEN YOU TIGHT-ASS! Only messing, I’ll tell you what this powerful pulverizer of particles has to offer before you do that.

Bring out the big guns

So, what do you get in the box? Well, the Dreame T20 ships with the main vacuum body, an extension rod (in a rather nice metallic red finish), an all-surface brush, a battery, a 2-in-1 charging and storage mount, a 2-in-1 brush, a mite removal brush, an extension nozzle, and a crevice nozzle. You also receive a power cable and adaptor for charging the battery. The test sample I reviewed came without the all-surface brush and the charging/storage mount, so I am unable to test these functions. This is a shame as it means I can’t fully test other functions, either.

As mentioned, the T20 is a handheld vacuum, making it eminently portable and easy to use. No dragging this vac around the floor like some sort of Luddite. Oh no, you hold this one in your sweaty fist and press a trigger to start operating the vacuum. The device has a handle at the rear, underneath which sits the removable, rechargeable battery (removable, as you can buy spares to go with your vacuum, allowing you to potentially vacuum for the rest of eternity if you wish/can afford it).

At the back of the handle is a color LCD screen. This displays the battery percentage as well as the vacuuming mode (more on these modes later). A little further down the back of the handle is the charging port. Toward the front of the vacuum, we have the 0.6 L dust cup. This is about the same volume dustbin as many robot vacuum cleaners. Finally, you have the socket for the various tools to plug into.

Bust Some Dust

So, how good is it for cleaning? Well, as for vacuuming floors, I can’t really say in the absence of the main brush. However, it performs brilliantly where I was able to use it. Firstly, as you know, I have four cats. This can be somewhat of a nightmare in terms of cat hair on the sofa. The mite brush that comes with the vacuum is perfect for dealing with this and sucking up any creepy-crawlies that the cats have picked up in the garden.

Similarly, the 2-in-1 brush makes light work of any debris I have pre-swept into a pile. It is also great for picking off lone bits of dirt and cat litter trail that may have found their way to a carpet. The easy-to-use trigger system makes grabbing the odd crumb a simple process and it is more environmentally friendly than running a plug-in vacuum. Who can argue with that?

I find the different power settings useful, too. I can slurp up little bits of debris on the kitchen floor with just the eco mode in operation. Slapping the T20 into Max-power mode is ideal for tackling sofas and other upholstery. It’s just a shame I couldn’t see how that main brush performs when moving from linoleum to carpet. The Auto Clean mode is able to sense the kind of flooring you have and make alterations to suction power accordingly.

Likewise, the crevice nozzle is excellent for picking up bits of dust and dirt from small spaces or the tops of baseboards. Using the extension nozzle in conjunction with the extension rod makes cleaning high-up areas a breeze. In all, I am really impressed with the cleaning power of the T20, where I could test it.

Peak Performance

I’ll admit, I had kind of made up my mind that the T20 wasn’t going to be a world-dominating vacuum. However, now that I have finished eating my own delicious words, I can say I was wrong. Shark and Dyson better keep a close eye on the horizon, because Dreame and its T20 are currently tearing over it in your direction.

I remain resolutely impressed by the power that this vacuum is capable of producing. You have a suction force of 25,000 Pa and suction power of 150 AW in max-power mode. That is hella impressive when you consider a Dyson V11 Torque Drive costs four times as much, yet only delivers 35 AW more suction power. Plus, the T20 is incredibly quiet. To the point that I thought it wasn’t working properly when I first switched it on.

You gain a 70 minute clean per full battery charge. I found this to be true as I totaled ten minutes of vacuuming per day, for a week of testing, before the battery required charging. The vacuum takes around 2.5 hours to charge back up again from flat. In all, a great vacuum, performance-wise.

Should I buy one?

If you are looking to spend big on a Dyson or Shark handheld vacuum, I seriously recommend your save yourself a bunch of dollars and consider purchasing the Dreame T20. It is an excellent vacuum and, given its impressive suction power/force, coupled with its ease of use, I would say it is a bargain.

If you don’t fancy being so involved in the cleaning of your own home, why not consider getting yourself a cleaner? Not a human one, of course, but if manual cleaning is just too much like hard work for you, then you might like to check out a robot vacuum or two. If manual cleaning is all good, though, I highly recommend the Dreame T20, which is available through Indiegogo at the moment. Had I been able to test all of the features, I possibly would have been awarding the T20 a perfect score.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review: Bagotte BG800 Robot Vacuum Cleaner – for the price, you really can’t beat it
• Review: Anker Eufy Robovac G10 – a mop/vacuum hybrid
• Review: MECO wireless outdoor security camera
• Review: AddsFit Deep Tissue Massage Gun

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more. A sample unit was provided for the purpose of this review.