I’m a big fan of vacuum cleaners! I have two dogs, so my floors are practically always dirty and cleaning is one of the most annoying tasks in everyday life.
Here, vacuum cleaners, i.e. vacuum cleaners that vacuum and clean wet at the same time, are an absolute blessing! The best-known models come from Tineco, but there are also some exciting alternative models, especially if you are interested in particularly good price/performance.
The Ultenic AC1 Elite is such an exciting model.
It has a very high cleaning performance, large water tanks and features such as a display on the back. This shows you live information about the cleaning process.
Such features usually come with a very high price. Not like that here! Because you can get the Ultenic AC1 Elite for under €300. Exciting!
Let’s take a look at how good the Ultenic AC1 Elite is in the test.
At this point, many thanks to Ultenic for providing the AC1 Elite for this test.
Ultenic AC1 Elite Test
In terms of construction, the Ultenic AC1 Elite is a fairly classic vacuum cleaner. So this one relies on the handle design.
All components, including the water tanks, are housed in the handle of the vacuum cleaner. This stands on a fairly large floor brush. This means that you don’t notice much of the weight of the vacuum cleaner, as this primarily rests on the floor brush.
On the tank side we have a separate fresh water and dirty water tank. The fresh water tank is located on the back of the AC1 Elite and holds 650 ml.
The dirty water tank is on the front and has a filter for coarse dirt, hair, etc. This tank is 500 ml. This means that the AC1 Elite generally has quite large tanks.
This is controlled via three buttons on the handle. Here we have a button for switching on, a button for selecting modes and a button for self-cleaning.
The current mode is shown to you on a large LCD display on the top.
How does the Ultenic AC1 Elite work?
But how exactly does a vacuum cleaner like the AC1 Elite work? The vacuum cleaner has a large roller made of microfiber material. This rotates constantly and is sprayed with water from the separate fresh water tank. This happens completely automatically.
Excess water, just like dirt that has been picked up, is removed by the rotation and the suction motor. Both then end up in the dirty water tank.
Only a light film of moisture remains on the floors, but this dries out completely after a few seconds or minutes.
Cleaning and suction power
How well does the Ultenic AC1 Elite clean and vacuum? The answer is very good! Basically, the vacuum cleaner coped with everything I put in front of it.
No matter whether it’s hair, dust or liquids like cola or even “semi-liquid” objects like jam, cream cheese, etc., everything disappears easily in the Ultenic AC1 Elite.
Basically, the Ultenic AC1 Elite is suitable for the following things:
House dust Smaller crumbs Hair Spilled liquids (including sugary ones) Jelly (jam) Spreads Muddy footprints etc.
Like most vacuum cleaners, the Ultenic AC1 Elite is of course primarily optimized for wet mopping. But it can also handle normal dust and hair.
These are simply picked up by the large roller, bound in the water and sucked in.
It is precisely because of this “bound in water” that a vacuum cleaner like the AC1 Elite is also interesting for pollen allergy sufferers.
If you don’t want to vacuum/clean with water, the AC1 Elite also offers a pure suction mode. However, this is only rarely useful, on the one hand because it reduces the cleaning performance somewhat, and on the other hand, the roller will usually still be a little damp after the last wet cleaning. This is only completely dry a few hours after the last cleaning process.
However, despite all the praise, the Ultenic AC1 Elite cannot always fully replace a normal vacuum cleaner.
It can handle a few hairs well, but if you have a lot of hair due to multiple dogs, cats, etc., then the AC1 Elite and almost all other vacuum cleaners on the market can be a bit “overwhelmed”. Too much hair can simply stick together, requiring you to clean it manually.
A few hairs are no problem at all, in an emergency a few more are fine, but for the long-term vacuuming of tons of hair I would prefer a normal vacuum cleaner.
In return, the Ultenic AC1 Elite can clean wet and also absorb liquids! Do you tip a bottle? No problem, even if it’s smaller substances like cola or beer, go over it once or twice and the floor is clean.
The same applies to stains such as jam, Nutella or similar. It’s really impressive what modern vacuum cleaners like the AC1 Elite can do.
What is particularly impressive is how streak-free this is. This means there is no sticky film left on the floor.
But of course there are things for which the Ultenic AC1 Elite is not suitable:
Very large particles such as leaves. Very large amounts of hair. Very large amounts of fat
Larger objects such as sheets of paper or receipts can quickly clog the AC 1 Elite or stick together inside. So this isn’t an “everything sucker.”
Even very large amounts of fat, mayonnaise, or the like are a problem for all vacuum cleaners. Too much grease simply sticks together the microfiber roller, which then cannot be rinsed properly. This then has to be cleaned or replaced manually.
So if your frying eye tips over, don’t try to suck up the fat with the Ultenic AC1 Elite.
Small splashes of sauce or drops of mayonnaise are OK.
Dried stains from sauces or other thicker substances can also be somewhat problematic.
Finally, I would describe the cleaning performance as good to very good. The cleaning performance is top, there is not much room for improvement here. I have only seen slightly better performance from a vacuum cleaner when dealing with a lot of hair.
Cleaning right to the edge
The brush of the AC1 Elite is positioned slightly “offset”. This allows it to clean much closer to the wall or furniture on one side than would be the case with a normally centered brush.
Video
Sometimes a video says more than 1000. Words:
With self-cleaning
The Ultenic AC1 Elite has a self-cleaning function. To do this, you have to place the vacuum cleaner on its charging station (in the best case with an empty dirty water tank and a full fresh water tank) and press the button on the handle.
The AC1 Elite then automatically rinses its roller at full power for a few minutes to remove residual dirt, etc.
This also works very well in practice and massively minimizes the effort involved in cleaning.
From time to time you will also need to clean manually, but this usually only needs to be done every X weeks.
Also for carpets?
If you want to clean/wash carpets intensively, you will have to buy a separate vacuum cleaner for this purpose. The same applies if you want to remove deep-seated dirt and hair; for this you usually need a normal vacuum cleaner.
However, if you have, for example, spilled liquid on a flat carpet or want to wipe it down with a damp cloth, then you can definitely use the AC1 Elite for this!
He definitely manages to freshen up carpets.
Conclusion
There’s nothing wrong with the Ultenic AC1 Elite! The vacuum cleaner does a very good job! Especially if you have small children and/or pets, a vacuum cleaner is simply a dream.
No more walking around the house with a rag and a bucket – it’s just nice! The AC1 Elite works impressively well. You can vacuum up normal dust, small to medium amounts of hair, as well as liquids, jam, etc. in one go without any problems.
Floors that are cleaned with a damp cloth simply have a different shine than if they are simply vacuumed.
Can the Ultenic AC1 Elite completely replace a vacuum cleaner? Probably not completely, especially if you have a lot of dirt and dust, but this will have to be used significantly less.
The same applies to the cleaning cloth. You can get rid of almost all dirt with the Ultenic AC1 Elite. Only very fatty and dried foods are problematic. Otherwise, the Ultenic AC1 Elite can be used universally.
Did you drop a bottle? No drama! Simply take the Ultenic AC1 Elite from its station, vacuum it up, then put the vacuum cleaner back on its station and you’re done.
The AC1 Elite definitely fights well above its price range! Mainly thanks to the good battery, the large tanks and the cool display on the top.
This for around €250-300 is impressive! The only thing that might speak against the Ultenic AC1 Elite compared to the Tineco and Dreame models is perhaps the long-term availability of accessories such as the roller etc.
Is that okay with you and are you looking for a vacuum cleaner with the best possible price/performance? Then the Ultenic AC1 Elite is a top choice!