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Buyer's Guide: The Best Monitors 
Samsung VCC 4341
| Caractéristiques | |||
| Bag? | no | ||
| Weight without accessories | 4.2 kg | ||
| Noise level | 80 dB | ||
| Filter type | Hepa 11 | ||
| Suction | 24 kPa | ||
 Show all specifications
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| Airflow | 36 dm3/s |
| Electricity consumption | 1800 W |
| N.A. | |
| Bin capacity | 1.3 L |
| Range | 9.2 m |
| Guarantee | N.C. |
 Hide specifications | |
Vincent Alzieu
Test date: May 25, 2010
Test date: May 25, 2010
Running Costs
With a power consumption of 1880 W, as measured in our test, you'll spend £1 for every 4 hours' use, compared with 5½ hours for a more economical 1400 W model.
In other words, using the SC4340 guzzles as much electricity as watching 19 x 40-inch TVs all at once.
In real terms, vacuuming twice a week for 20 minutes with the VCC 4341 will cost you around £10 a year in electricity, compared with £6.50 for a 1400 W model.
Samsung's VCC 4341 looks very similar to the SC86H0. The names mean nothing at all and give no indication of the quality of the models or their spec. Both vacs have a very similar design too, except that the VCC 4341 has a nice big on/off button on the front that can be easily pressed with your foot. Nice!
Unlike the SC86HO, however, there are no on-handle controls and there are a few slight differences in spec too.
Through the roof: 1880 W & 80 dB
Power consumption is one key difference between the SC86HO and the VCC 4341. Although there's no real difference in their efficiency, the VCC 4341 guzzles 1880 W (which is slightly more than the 1800 W quoted on the spec sheet) whereas the SC86HO consumes a more moderate 1400 W. Plus, as with most vacs, this Samsung is effective on lino and floorboards but doesn't do quite so well on carpet tiles and deep-pile carpet.
It's also much noisier than the SC86HO, and matches the Dyson with 80 dB recorded one metre away!
The rest of the VCC4341 is exactly the same as the SC86HO, with exactly the same dust container and filters that clog up too quickly. In fact, you'll have to clean them carefully each time you use the vac if you don't want to lose suction power.
Even after tapping clean the filter, there's still bits of escaped dust all over the joints.
Even the Hepa filter needs to be regularly tapped to remove all the built-up dust! That's certainly surprising, and it won't do Samsung any favours given that competitor's models have much tighter seals to prevent dust escaping and clogging up the filters.
In many competitors' models, the Hepa filter (here, it's the Hepa 11) lasts pretty much for ever. In fact, you might never need to take it out and clean it. In the VCC 4341, you'll have to keep tapping the dust out!
PS: it's also my own personal vac that I brought in from home (cue laughter).
Pluses
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Large radius of action
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2.5-litre capacity
Minuses
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Filters get clogged up too quickly and require frequent cleaning
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Suction power not constant: it drops as the filters clog up
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Not as effective on carpet
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Very noisy: 80 dB
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Huge power consumption: 1880 W
The VCC 4341 isn't a bad vacuum cleaner, and it does its main job well enough i.e. it sucks up dirt and dust. It does, however, consume a lot of electricity, it's very noisy and you'll have to clean it regularly if you want to keep it working at its best.
