Samsung SC86H0

Samsung says it's giving itself three years to become the number one brand for home appliances! We've already seen just how effective Samsung's bulldozer strategy can be in the world of high-tech devices, and the brand now says it's ready to do exactly the same for each and every device we use around the home, starting with vacuum cleaners, which are one of Samsung's priority products. In passing, Samsung is already the number one manufacturer of microwave ovens.

To work its way to the top and dethrone some very long-established and respected brands, Samsung is using exactly the same technique it's used in other market sectors: use the latest technology, replicate the best ideas, include plenty of features and functions, and do it all at a low price. Unsurprisingly, then, the Ecostyle SC86H0 looks like it has it all—on paper at least—while also costing 30% less than rival vacuum cleaners with similar features. Samsung is marketing this model as an ultra-quiet, energy efficient (promising it 'uses 35% less power'), high performance vacuum cleaner offering maximum filtration. What more could you possibly ask for? So could it be time to kit out your entire home with Samsung?

Ease of use

Two features in particular caught our attention. First of all, the Ecostyle SC86H0 has a capacity of 2.5 litres, compared with just 2 litres for many competitors' models. Second, it has a huge radius of action that spans over 12 metres, so you shouldn't have to change plug sockets quite so often.

It does, however, have a slightly surprising design, looking like it can't quite make its mind up which style to settle on. It's not quite as striking as a Dyson, and lacks the classic design of more traditional brands. It's a mix of some modern features that clash with other flat, smooth and unoriginal sections. Anyway, didn't we all learn not to judge a book by its cover? One thing we did like a lot was the handy set of controls on the vacuum cleaner handle. They're both practical and comfortable to use!


Original too is Samsung's decision to make the buttons small, hard, short and almost flush to the appliance. That basically means you have to press them with your fingers, whereas we prefer those big fat buttons you can kick on or off with your foot.

These redesigned buttons mean that when you open the dust compartment, you'll hear a sharp click, instead of the duller thud noise made by some other models. What's more, the model we tested, although supposedly brand new, quickly started showing tell-tale signs of a product that'll age quickly. In fact, the air-tight seal around the dust compartment started coming off. After we opened and closed the compartment several times, we had to remove the seal completely and reposition it correctly on its little 'ridge'. This, however, was almost certainly a problem with our test model.

Suction

Although some manufacturers claim their models offer constant suction levels, this Samsung vacuum cleaner has a highly variable suction power.

Surface	Score
Lino
Floorboards
Carpet tile
Deep-pile carpet

The suction drops noticeably as the filter starts to clog up with dirt and dust. And that happens surprisingly quickly!

• Filter weight before test: 172 grams.
• Filter weight after tests: 200 grams.

That means there was 28 grams of cocoa powder stuck in the filter! That's huge! It's currently our worst result by a mile. We checked it, and double checked it by deep cleaning all the vacuum's parts and redoing our test ... only to get the same result. In comparison, the Rowenta held 10 grams, and the Dyson retained 0 grams! This is highly problematic, as, evidently, suction power is quickly lost (which makes us wonder what exactly is the point of that 2.5-litre dust tank?). Worse still, the cocoa powder got stuck in both filters, including the Hepa filter, and some even ended up in the vac's motor: it was the smell of burning chocolate wafting through the entire floor during the test that really gave it away. But does that mean that fine dirt and dust would also get into the motor? And just how long would the motor hold out at that rate?

Bearing in mind just how easily the filters clog up filters, don't forget that the scores this vac obtained on the different surfaces were achieved with the SC86H0 being cleaned between tests.

Under these conditions, the SC86H0 behaves like any typical vacuum cleaner: it does a great job on hard surfaces, but it's not as good on carpet. Plus, the brush tended to stick to carpet tiles a bit. It's therefore not possible to move the vacuum cleaner head around properly without pulling on the joint and reducing suction power (when the filters are clean).

The brush is pretty classic stuff.


There are two filters. On the left, the regular filter, located under the dust compartment, and on the right, the Hepa filter, which got full of dust and dirt much quicker than expected. On most other models, you'll probably never have to even touch the Hepa filter, whatever the product's lifespan, but with this vacuum cleaner you'll need to clean it regularly.


Noise

Despite being around 10 dB louder than a good bag-based model, the Ecostyle SC86H0 is still a considerably quiet bagless vacuum cleaner, especially when you compare it with Dyson and some other models' 80 dB sound output.

At a distance of 1 metre from the Ecostyle SC86H0, we recorded a noise output of 73 dB at maximum power. When the filters are dirty, suction is reduced, and power consumption is in turn reduced, making for a much quieter 60 dB.

Energy Consumption

Samsung has created a nice little logo promising this vacuum uses '35% less power'. But compared to what? You'll have to read the (very) small print to find out that it's actually 'compared to 2200 W'. The 35% is therefore based on a simple mathematical ratio between the two (2200/1400). Samsung also claims its vacuum cleaner boasts suction just as effective as its competitors' 2200 W models.


The power of the SC86H0 is advertised as 1400 Watts, but we recorded 1360 Watts with the vac switched on. It's nice to see that when faced with the massive 2100 Watts proffered by some manufacturers, a huge energy consumption isn't necessarily a prerequisite for effective suction.

Having said that, bear in mind that this vac's energy consumption is variable. It reduces gradually as the filter starts clog up, which in turn reduces suction power. We saw the energy consumption drop from 1400 to 1000 Watts in our cocoa powder test.

Emptying and Cleaning

Cleaning isn't too complicated. It just takes a little time, as you won't want to forget anything.


The dust container is made from plastic. The lid lifts off smoothly, and not too much dust comes out (apart from dust stuck on the lid, of course). There's a spongy filter, which gets clogged up far too quickly. You'd probably have to clean it each time you vacuum a large flat (100 m² / 1076 sq ft), or at least every other time. Then, there's also the somewhat unfortunate Hepa filter. This doesn't clog up quite as fast as the regular filter, but as we saw above, it too gets dirty just a little too quickly. If you want to keep the Hepa filter working at its best, you'll have to clean it regularly.