With the list of stick and robot vacuums seemingly growing by the day, there’s no doubt that there are a multitude of ways to keep your floors clean at home. While the robot vacuum is always a solid option for the sake of convenience, there are some benefits to having a decent stick vacuum at home, too. Be it to clean in those corners or under certain pieces of furniture, or just to get that extra dust out of carpets and rugs.
For the longest time, I’ve always relied on very basic stick vacuums as a means to an end, but with the Dreame Z30 Station Stick Vacuum and Dock in my house for the past few weeks, that notion has been flipped on its head. Here, we have a stick vacuum that is powerful, easy to use and even easier to manage, thanks to its auto-emptying and charging dock.
Design
Complete with dock and various attachments, the Z30 Station is still one slim stick vacuum. In the box, you’ll find the main unit, along with the extension rod and Illuminating Omni-Brush, the Dust Removal Hub (with its own dust bag already installed), a motorised mini-brush for smaller areas like the car, a soft dusting brush for delicate areas and objects, a combination tool for finer areas like corners and gaps, and a flexible adapter, which can be added to any accessory to make reaching certain spots a little easier.
Out of the box, the package is practically ready to go; you only need to piece the vacuum together, plug the dock into a powerpoint and find a space for the accessories to sit on their own little included stand.
I was able to set up and start vacuuming within 15-minutes, and this even came with 80% charge out of the box. Even then, it’s really easy to align the vacuum with the dock, and while the vacuum needs to make contact with two charging pins within the dock, it aligns itself quite nicely.
The only thing I will say about the Z30 station is that the dock itself is quite tall, meaning you’ll have to raise the vacuum quite high to pop it in. I’m 6′ 1″, or 186 cm, and I found the handle of the vacuum sitting almost under my armpit before popping it in the dock.
In terms of design, the Z30 Station isn’t necessarily doing anything crazy, but I still commend it for its sleek look and black and grey colourway across the board, which is sure to blend into most homes and rooms.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Z30 Station brings the goods. Packing 310 air watts of suction in a 150,000 RPM motor, this thing can really suck. To put it into perspective, my Dyson V8 stick vacuum, which is admittedly a couple of years old now, gives me only 155 air watts of suction. While it’s great for most dust and debris, it’s also great for those who live with indoor pets that shed regularly.
I’m a bit of a clean freak, and vacuum rather regularly, if not using the robot vacuum every 1-2 days just to keep on top of things. I feel like I speak about my Labrador and Golden Retriever all the time in my reviews, but this took care of their hair across my floorboards, carpet and rugs like it was nothing.
Not to mention the fact that the Z30 Station uses HEPA 14 filtration to help pick up finer dust and particles for an even deeper clean. I’m also a fan of the flexible adapter, which will allow you to bend the vacuum to clean under harder-to-reach areas, without you having to bend over or wedge the vacuum underneath something from an awkward angle. My only gripe here is that it’s too big for the vacuum when on the dock, and I would have loved to have left this on permanently.
The inclusion of the Illumination Omni-Brush is great, and even though it has a plush roller within. It’s great for hardwood floors and carpets alike. The LED light within the head shows a decent way ahead, around 30cm, to help with more accurate cleaning as you go. I was shocked by the amount of hair still left on my floorboards each day, but it even goes as far as to pick up areas with heavy dust, which you may have missed over the last few cleans.
The head itself is also great for finer edge cleaning, and practically lines up to within a few millimetres of edges, skirting boards and corners for accurate cleaning. If you’re still missing the mark, the soft cleaning brush and combination tool are worth popping on.
The vacuum itself also comes with a small display, which helps you keep track of the amount of dust and particles collected, but I think it’s a little too much, cutting into the more important battery percentage and cleaning mode at the very bottom of the display.
Aside from the on-board power button, there’s a dedicated button which can switch the vacuum between Eco, Max and Auto modes. The automatic mode is generally the way to go, as it manages power based on the surface for more efficient battery life.
The auto-emptying dock will do just that, every time you put the vacuum back on, and while the dock might sound quite loud when emptying, it is done in around 5 or so seconds. I like the fact that the dock comes with a dust collection bag pre-installed, with a spare in the box. While it might seem annoying to have to change these dust bags, they usually last a few weeks, depending on how often you clean, and do a great job at keeping any smells contained inside.
The dock also charges the vacuum, which gives you a 90-minute maximum runtime, or so Dreame suggests. The truth feels further from that number, clocking it around 30-40 minutes on Auto mode, which was still more than enough for me to get every room in the house cleaned. The vacuum does take up to 4 hours to charge fully, but I found I was never running this flat enough to test.
Verdict & Value
Overall, the Dreame Z30 Station Stick Vacuum and Dock is an incredibly powerful and versatile vacuum for all floor types. The 310 air watts of suction will tackle dirt, debris and dog hair, while the HEPA 14 filtration will take care of dust and any smaller particles. The motorised brush head, combination tool and flexible adapter also make this great for cleaning finer areas, and in other specific situations like car seats and mats, for example.
While the dock is a little tall and the auto-emoting function a little loud, they rarely detract from the premium and powerful cleaning the Z30 Station is capable of providing daily.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Powerful suction; Plenty of additional tools for different areas; Easy to set up and use
Lowlights: Dock is a little tall when putting the vacuum away; The auto-emptying function is loud
Manufacturer: Dreame
Price: A$999
Available: Now at leading hardware retailers including JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys.
Review based on unit provided by Dreame.
Featured header image provided by Dreame.
