The Dreame Z30 is intended to be a cheaper alternative to expensive cordless vacuum cleaners from market leaders. In practical tests, it proves to be a powerful cordless vacuum cleaner that hardly leaves anything behind. It also offers an exceptionally large number of accessories and is easy to handle.
“The best cordless vacuum cleaners can easily keep up with the best corded counterparts in terms of cleaning performance,” as Stiftung Warentest found in January. However, the test winner from Vorwerk costs more than 1300 euros and other good devices are usually very expensive. The Dreame Z30 is launched with a recommended retail price of just under 600 euros. In the practical test by ntv.de, it impressed with its strong suction power, many accessories and convenient handling.
Extensive equipment
The Dreame Z30 comes in a pleasantly compact package without too much unnecessary plastic. In addition to the base unit and its stand, the manufacturer has included a lot of accessories in the box. These include a multifunctional brush, a hard floor brush, a motorized mini brush for upholstery, etc., a simple and a rotating dust brush, an extension rod, a combination tool, a flexible adapter and an extension hose. As a special highlight, the manufacturer has also added a brush with which you can remove loose hair directly from pets. The workmanship is of high quality throughout.
It is easy to set up and all functions are explained clearly in a comprehensive manual. To get started, all you need to do is charge the battery and attach the extension tube and a brush.
Unfortunately, the stand can only hold a small part of the accessories.
(Photo: kwe)
The Dreame Z30 has a pistol grip that allows you to comfortably hold and guide the vacuum cleaner, which weighs around 2.5 kilograms depending on the attachment. The battery is located directly on the handle and can be easily removed for replacement. There are two buttons within thumb reach that turn the device on and off or select one of the three operating modes: eco, automatic or maximum power.
Clean and easy handling
Above the buttons is a display that shows the mode, battery charge, level of dirt and the size/type of particles sucked in. The latter is interesting, but how exactly the function works is difficult to check. More importantly, the vacuum cleaner has a HEPA 14 filter, which, according to the manufacturer, cleans the air by 99.9 percent before it is expelled.
The motor, which houses the dust container, is located under the display. It can be removed at the touch of a button, and another button opens a lid so that it can be emptied directly over the dustbin. You can also leave the container on the motor and open the lid with another button. Either way, you don't get your hands dirty and the dirt ends up safely in the bin.
The dust container and its interior can be easily removed and cleaned.
(Photo: kwe)
The dust container and its interior can be easily removed to wash with clean water. According to Dreame, the HEPA filter should be changed every four to six months; you can see when the time is right on the display. The filter is not yet available in Dreame's accessories shop; similar products cost around 10 euros.
Strong on smooth floors
The manufacturer specifies the suction power as 310 air watts (AW) at 150,000 revolutions per minute. AW is a value for the amount of air that a vacuum cleaner moves per minute. 310 is an impressive value; the Dyson V15 Detect, for example, only has 240. However, we don't know how much suction power the nozzle has, and there is no standard for AW.
The flexible adapter makes it easy to vacuum even under low furniture.
(Photo: kwe)
ntv.de tested whether the Dreame Z30 is actually a powerful vacuum cleaner on wooden floorboards, linoleum and short-pile carpets using the recommended brushes. On smooth floors, the vacuum cleaner left practically nothing behind, only pushed larger objects in front of it. An LED light shining inwards from the left side helps effectively to identify areas that have not yet been vacuumed. The automatic mode works very reliably here and there is no reason to select the maximum power. For normal dirt, the eco mode is often sufficient.
Not a long-distance runner, but removable battery
This has the advantage that you can clean larger areas or apartments in one go. The battery does not last quite the 90 minutes specified by the manufacturer, but it can last 70 to 80. At maximum power, it stops after 15 to 20 minutes; in automatic mode, the Z30 lasts about plus or minus 30 minutes, depending on the level of dirt.
It takes about four hours to charge a completely discharged battery. With an additional battery, you could double the range. However, Dreame does not yet offer a replacement battery for the Z30 in its accessories shop, and for the predecessor Z10, you have to shell out around 150 euros for one from various online retailers.
Good on carpets and under furniture
The Z30 can handle that.
(Photo: kwe)
The Dreame Z30 also performed well on short-pile carpets and removed almost all dirt. However, the automatic function did not always work reliably here, and occasionally the booster had to be activated briefly to completely remove fine coffee powder, for example.
The multifunctional brush used on carpets has two lights pointing forward to detect dirt. This allows you to see hair, among other things, which the rotating brush usually picks up well. Only rarely does something get tangled, but it is then easy to remove. Great: the small wheels can also be removed for this purpose. The brush rollers, like the filters, can be easily removed and washed.
With the flexible adapter you can also vacuum under furniture with little ground clearance, with the additional accessories you can reach almost every corner and vacuum upholstery in the home and car. The small dust nozzles are also needed on the skirting boards, because the roller brushes only reach about two centimeters.
ntv.de was unable to test the pet hair remover. However, since it basically works like a normal fur brush, it can be assumed that the only problem that could be a lack of consent from the pet is the main problem. This is likely to be due to the noise of the vacuum cleaner, although the Z30 works quite quietly as long as full power is not required.
Conclusion
The Dreame Z30 is a good cordless vacuum cleaner whose strengths are powerful suction power, lots of accessories and easy handling and maintenance. 600 euros is a fair price for this, and with a bit of luck you can get the device for less. What is not so good is that neither replacement batteries nor HEPA filters are available in the accessories shop at the start of sales. And there are even cheaper alternatives. Stiftung Warentest, for example, rated the Bosch BSS825CARP, which you can buy for just under 415 euros, one of the best cordless vacuum cleaners tested.
