Realme Techlife Handheld Vacuum Cleaner review: Tidying up the house is less taxing, more fun

Vacuum cleaners are so not an Indian thing. We dearly love our house helps and the good ol’ jhaadoo (broom). In any situation, we would be hard pressed to let them go. But that doesn’t mean vacuum cleaners aren’t making a case for themselves today. I got to test out the Realme Techlife Handheld Vacuum Cleaner recently, and I have to say, I am impressed. What was once a back-breaking chore was made quite enjoyable. Priced at Rs 7,999, this vacuum cleaner is affordable, compact and a low-risk investment with high returns. [caption id=“attachment_10176021” align=“alignnone” width=“1920”]  The Realme Techlife Handheld Vacuum Cleaner is priced at Rs 7,999. Image: Tech2/Abigail Banerji[/caption] Over the weeks that I used it, there were multiple home renovations, furniture being moved and even a building that was pulled down in the vicinity. The presence of dust was constant, and this gadget couldn’t have come at a better time. Easy to assemble and super intuitive, I spent more time charging it than reading the user manual, and it still tends to run out of steam at the most ill-opportune time. But we’ll get to that later.

The construction

The vacuum cleaner is made up of several moving and detachable parts. Initially, I was quite intimidated by it and occasionally even reached for my trusty broom while I got used to working with this machine. The entire thing is made of five parts excluding the cleaning brush, charger and a wall mount. The main vacuum houses the dust box and the battery. It comes with an extendable arm that can be added to each of the three heads to make those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies more accessible. [caption id=“attachment_10176101” align=“alignnone” width=“1920”]  The vacuum cleaner comes with a total of five detachable parts. Image: Tech2/Abigail Banerji[/caption] The two brush heads and the auto-rotating floor brush sucked in gunk and dirt like magic. The best part about using a vacuum cleaner is not having to deal with those lines of dirt that refuse to get into the dustpan.

The good

The main selling point of this vacuum cleaner is the price. It is affordable and aimed at the working millennial who cannot work around a house help’s schedule. The sleek, all-white design makes it a modern-looking gadget that I loved having at home. It is also small and thin enough to be tucked away behind a door or between a cupboard and a wall. [caption id=“attachment_10176131” align=“alignnone” width=“1920”]  The vacuum cleaner weighs in at 1.3 kg. Image: Tech2/Abigail Banerji[/caption] Dust is collected in an adequately large bin at the end of the main body. The bin can be emptied with a push of a button and even completely removed from the vacuum for an easier clean up. It has a HEPA filter which can be removed, gently washed and reused. A high efficiency particulate air filter can remove around 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns (µm).

The bad

Realme claims its vacuum is ‘calmer and quieter’, but I disagree. This thing is loud. While it may not wake up your neighbours, it is quite noisy. Don’t even think of taking a phone call if you are anywhere in the house while the vacuum is switched on. There will only be a lot of Hellos and I-can’t-hear-yous to go with the cacophony. It also blows a lot of hot air when switched on. This leads to an uncomfortable user experience and makes the handle, quite literally, too hot to handle. On several occasions, I had to give the vacuum a break to cool down even though I had only just picked it up. [caption id=“attachment_10176121” align=“alignnone” width=“3476”]  Using the vacuum for extended durations can get uncomfortable. Image: Tech2/Abigail Banerji[/caption] Another issue was the short battery life. After its first five-hour charging session, the battery would take around 2-2.5 hours to be completely charged. The handy blue flickering lights let you know when it is fully charged. The 1.3 kg vacuum is a lot heavier than a broom. It can get quite cumbersome to lug it around your house. While cleaning my two-BHK apartment, there were several instances when I would have to either stop or switch hands due to a cramp.

Verdict

Even with the bad, I quite liked the Realme Techlife Vacuum Cleaner. There were a few shortcomings, but they’re not deal-breakers. A handheld vacuum cleaner has always been something we have mostly seen in those kitschy Hollywood movies. While a little late, the Indian market is primed and ready for it. The pains posed by the COVID-19-induced lockdowns make a vacuum a super handy gadget to have today. There are already several vacuum cleaners of different types on sale, catering to different budgets. However, the Realme Handheld Vacuum Cleaner can be a good starting point for new users. It is affordable and gets the job done without a lot of fuss. Easy to use, the vacuum makes cleaning the house less of a chore and a little more fun than it is otherwise. Pros Affordable Compact User-friendly Cons Takes forever to charge Runs out of charge quickly Loud