Karcher of Stuttgart, Germany is a world chief when it comes to steam cleaners, excessive strain washers, vacuum cleaners for sucking up rocks and liquids {and professional} grade tools for conserving factories, workplaces and streets clear. What it isn’t been a lot identified for, earlier to at the moment, is cordless vacuum cleaners, of the Dyson-esque selection. Nonetheless, armed with no fewer than 4 new vacs and a batch of reasonably quirky press photos, Karcher is now transferring out of its numerous niches and into the mainstream with the VC4 Cordless, VC4 Cordless Premium, VC6 Cordless and – sure – VC6 Cordless Premium. All of the fashions are bagless in addition to cordless.
Maybe correctly, Karcher is providing the choice of plain, white variations of every of these. Nonetheless all 4 are additionally proudly resplendent within the model’s trademark yellow, as seen within the following, preposterously skewed picture. Karcher could also be German, however they aren’t afraid of utilizing some Dutch angles, seemingly…
That is really the least boring photograph of a cordless vac I’ve ever been despatched
(Picture credit score: Kärcher)
It’s going to be extraordinarily onerous to stand out within the greatest cordless vacuum market. In addition to the long-time market chief Dyson, there are positive merchandise obtainable from Shark, Vax, Samsung, Miele, Hoover and a host of challenger manufacturers from the UK, China and elsewhere. Nonetheless, Karcher has a deserved popularity for delivering high quality cleansing at affordable costs, and it is actually going for it with the promotional photos right here.
Fairly than attempting to innovate/reinvent the wheel, they’ve gone down the basic Dyson cordless stick vac route. So a battery-powered motor unit can have both a smaller cleansing head connected, so it really works as handheld vacuum cleaner, or an extension tube with a bigger head on the tip, so it really works as, effectively, a vacuum cleaner.
The VC vary is described by Karcher as ‘highly effective, sturdy, and light-weight,’ which is once more not a novel thought on this specific market. However then if a design thought is not broke, why repair it? Having scoured the press launch and spec sheets I am unable to discover something that jumps out as a killer function that no different vac else has obtained, nevertheless it’s all very stable on paper and I am fairly assured the merchandise shall be greater than stable on flooring.
(Picture credit score: Kärcher)
There are adjustable energy settings, together with the enhance mode that, let’s face it, most individuals use on a regular basis with this stuff. The posher VC6 and VC6 Premium even have headlights, so you’ll be able to see precisely how gross your flooring are as you clear them. As with all this fashion of cordless stick vac, the VC vary can simply get into confined areas and underneath sofas, beds, tables and so on. They’ll then be saved on a wall mount, which doubles as a charger.
Talking of charging, battery life is ‘up to 30 minutes’ on the VC4 fashions and ‘up to 50 minutes’ on the VC6, though the VC6 Premium comes with a second battery, so you’ll be able to double that. As ever your run time within the extra highly effective cleansing modes shall be lower than the utmost determine. Little question you will have the choice to buy a back-up battery for the opposite fashions sooner or later as effectively.
Karcher has intentionally restricted the quantity of attachments the VC vary comes with, which could come as a reduction to anybody who’s used some of the extra high-end Dysons, which come with about 58 cleansing heads and equipment. The primary cleansing head can go from onerous flooring to carpet with out complaints, and there is additionally a dusting brush and crevice software for handheld use and… that is your lot.
The primary variations between the fashions appear to be a steel tube and HEPA filter on the VC6, as opposed to a plastic tube and no HEPA filter on the VC4 fashions. The Premium variations of the vacs function a two-part filter as opposed to a single-part filter on the air consumption.
Presumably probably the most potent weapon in Karcher’s VC arsenal is that the pricing may be very eager certainly – specifically, £299 for the VC6 Premium, a cordless vac with 2 batteries, is very enticing in these cash-strapped instances. It is onerous to consider how effectively these vacs will clear, however in my expertise, Karcher does not make many clunkers, and these will in all probability end up to be very proficient vacuum cleaners. Whether or not that’s sufficient to assist them stand out in what’s a very over-subscribed half of the homewares store stays to be seen.
Karcher VC cordless vacuum vary: worth and availability
From left-right: VC4, VC4 Premium, VC6, VC6 Premium
(Picture credit score: Kärcher)
The vacs can be found now, direct from Karcher and value from £199 for the essential VC4 to £299 for the range-topping VC6 Premium. Within the USA, the marginally totally different Karcher VC4s is accessible for $320. In Australia, there are seemingly NO cordless vacs from Karcher at current. Sorry, Australia.