Tineco’s latest series of cordless smart vacuums are their most sophisticated yet. The S15 series includes the Pure One S15 Essentials, Pure One S15 Pet and Pure One S15 Pro. We had the opportunity to use and test the Pure One S15 Pet and here is what we found.
The Tineco Pure One S15 Pet comes with all of the accessories and components that you would expect to find with a cordless vacuum including the anti-tangle main brush as well as two other brush heads and a crevice tool for those hard to reach places. You will also find an extra pre-filter supplied by Tineco to go along with the one that comes pre-installed in the vacuum when it arrives.
The charging station supplied by Tineco is ground based meaning that you won’t need to screw it to the wall like past models, which makes for a better design incase you want to change the vacuum’s storage location.
Tineco provides a single 2500 mAh battery for the S15 Pet. Unfortunately, the company has not provided an extra battery for any of the S15 series of vacuums and batteries are rather expensive for these vacuums.
The main handle
The main handle for the Pure One S15 Pet is the brain of the vacuum. The handle features a one-press power button – no more having to hold down the power button as you use the vacuum. Additionally, on the back end of the main handle is where the HEPA filter is housed which can filter out particles down to a size of 0.3 microns, capturing as much as 99.9% of air particles. The right side of the handle unit is where air is expelled by the vacuum unlike recent Dyson models where the air is expelled on both sides of the handle.
As with many other cordless vacuums, the S15 Pet’s dustbin is attached to the underside of the main handle unit. The dustbin, which has a 0.47L capacity, contains two additional filters including an outer mesh filter, designed to capture larger objects such as human hair and pet hair, as well as a second pre-filter which is able to capture smaller particles such as fine dust.
The extra filter allows you to simply switch out the used filter for the unused one so you can continue using the vacuum without interruption. We wish Tineco would have also provided a spare HEPA filter which can become the bottleneck when it comes time to use the S15 Pet for extended periods of time, since it too needs to be cleaned on occasion.
In theory, the dustbin is meant to be hands-free, but in practice we found otherwise. To empty the collected debris from the dustbin, you simply press a button on the front side of the handle and everything inside the bin is released. If however some debris fails to be ejected, Tineco has also added a lever which you can slide down that scrapes the remaining contents out of the dustbin. In our experience we found that these designs while innovative are not perfect in every instance and we often found debris being stuck in the dustbin which required us to use the cleaning brush that comes with the S15 Pet. While we do give Tineco an ‘A’ grade for innovation with respect to the dustbin, it will need just a bit more work in order to truly become a hands-free experience.
LCD screen
Perhaps the most striking and intriguing feature of the Pure One S15 Pet is the round LCD screen on the top side of the main handle unit.
The screen is a visual display that communicates several key indicators as you use the vacuum. For example, near the middle of the screen is the remaining battery charge, while around the edge is a red or blue circular border that indicates the level of debris detected by the vacuum’s iLoop sensor (which is what detects debris in real time). When coloured red, the vacuum’s iLoop sensor detects dust and debris but once you clean that area, the border light turns blue giving you a visual all clear to move on.
Also on the LCD screen are a series of icons and indicators related to the vacuum’s internet connection as well as the power mode the vacuum is operating under.
Auto mode vs Max mode
The vacuum has two modes of operation. Under Auto mode, the vacuum utilizes Tineco’s proprietary iLoop sensor technology to automatically detect debris. When debris is detected, the vacuum’s motor ramps up and so too does suction power up to and above 22 Kpa. Once the debris has been collected by the vacuum the motor slows down and returns to a more economical state to conserve the battery’s charge.
Tineco claims that under Auto mode the vacuum can run for as long as 40 minutes on a single charge.
The other mode of operation for the Pure One S15 Pet is referred to as Max mode. To enter Max mode, you simply press the button located behind the LCD screen on the handle. Under Max mode, the vacuum will transition to its highest level of power. Max mode is also triggered temporarily when the vacuum is in Auto mode and senses a large amount of debris.
The Max mode drains the battery much more quickly then Auto mode. Rather than reaching 40 minutes on a single charge, the company states that you only have up to 10 minutes of battery life. We decided to test the battery and its constraints.
Battery performance
Evaluating performance of cordless vacuums can be confusing. Some reviewers will will point out the power of a vacuum’s motor, but this may not take into account efficiency; others will try to measure the Kpa level of a vacuum to compare suction capabilities between vacuums, however this can overlook design. We take a slightly different approach. While we recognize the importance in a motor’s wattage and the Kpa level of a vacuum, we ultimately evaluate performance based on “real world” testing and that’s exactly how we have evaluated the performance of Tineco’s Pure One S15 Pet vacuum.
First, we wanted to see whether or not the S15 Pet’s battery could last as long as 40 minutes on a single charge when used exclusively within the Auto mode and never triggering the iLoop sensor to ramp up the vacuum’s suction level. Under these conditions and over a series of trials with the main anti-tangle power brush attached, we found that the battery lasted just over 40 minutes. In fact the vacuum was able to function for an average of 40 minutes and 30 seconds before the battery was discharged completely.
Second, we ran the vacuum under its Max mode to see whether or not the battery would last 10 minutes as Tineco claims. We found that the vacuum was able to run under Max mode for nine minutes and thirty seconds, before reaching one percent charge remaining in the battery. Once it reached this point, the vacuum would power down to the Auto mode where it would continue to run for an additional minute before the battery would be completely discharged shutting down the vacuum.
Our tests therefore confirm the claims made by Tineco regarding the battery’s capabilities under Auto mode, however under the Max mode, the battery charge fell just short and furthermore, switched over from the Max mode to the Auto mode when there was a one percent charge in the battery.
We also tested charging time and found that the Pure One S15 Pet required nearly four hours to charge fully to 100% after being discharged to 0%. This is within the stated claims by Tineco although as the battery ages, one should expect that the charging time should increase to more than four hours.
Suction performance
According to Tineco the Pure One S15 Pet has a rating of more than 22 Kpa on Max mode making the vacuum among the more powerful performers on paper and within reach of Dyson’s top model but we find that trying to compare vacuums based on Kpa to be filled with inaccuracies and measurement issues. Additionally, often times vacuum manufacturers have their own tests and they are not uniform across the industry complicating matters even more.
We tried something a little different. In our testing we simulated potential debris that a household may encounter to determine the efficacy of the Pure One S15 Pet. We used a series of tests to test the suction and maneuverability performance of the vacuum and in all tests we had the anti-tangle brush head attached.
Our first test consisted of placing 10 pieces of Cheerios, yes the cereal, one inch apart on a tiled floor and wanted to see how much trouble or how effectively the vacuum could pick up the cereal over four separate trials.
Under the Auto mode, we found it took an average of four attempts before the S15 Pet was able to pick up all the Cheerios off of the tiled floor while under the Max mode, it took an average of only three swipes over the cereal before all were picked up by the vacuum.
Next, we poured one tablespoon of salt over one foot of crevice between the tiles and packed it down. We then attempted to pick up the packed down salt under both the Auto and Max modes. What we found was that under the Auto mode, it took an average of nine attempts going back and forth over the crevice before we could deem that virtually all of the salt had been picked up. Under Max mode, the vacuum showed much better performance picking up virtually all of the salt in just four swipes.
Lastly, no evaluation would be complete without testing how well the vacuum could pick up hair tangled in carpet, so we did just that. We used 50 two inch pieces of yellow thread which we spread over a 5×2 foot area of carpet and wanted to see how long it would take to pick up 40 pieces of the thread (or 80%). We used yellow thread to make it easier to count how much thread was remaining as we passed over the area of carpet.
Using the Auto mode it took us an average of two minutes over three trials to pick up at least 40 pieces of thread whereas under the Max mode we were able to pick up at least 80% of the thread in just under 30 seconds demonstrating that in certain conditions, the Max mode is significantly more reliable than the auto mode. We should point out that under the Auto mode it would consistently change over to the Max mode when the vacuum would sense the thread and so if we were able to completely isolate the Auto mode, the performance would have been worse.
Still, the results demonstrate the superior performance of the Max mode over the Auto mode especially when trying to pick up difficult or tangled debris or hair.
Maneuverability test
Cordless stick vacuums tend to have their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to maneuverability on different surfaces and the Pure One S15 Pet is no different. We used the vacuum on hardwood, tile and three kinds of carpets characterized by long short thread to long threaded carpets, and what we found is that the vacuum can at times have some difficulty with long threaded and short threaded carpets. Over several tests we found that in about 25% of cases using the main power brush, the brush head would stop spinning. This would then force us to turn off the vacuum entirely and turn it back on to get the brush head to being to spin again. On medium threaded carpets there were no issues at all.
As far being used on hardwood and tile floors, the Pure One S15 Pet had no issues whatsoever. Unlike some Dyson models, the Tineco utilizes rubber wheels on its main power brush rather than plastic ones used by Dyson which improves overall maneuverability.
What we like
Good suction in Max mode: The Tineco Pure One S15 Pet performed very well in our tests particularly in Max mode. The vacuum can therefore be used as a fulltime alternative to central based system if needed.
LED lights: The LED lights on the main power brush do an excellent job at illuminating the area directly infront of the vacuum. You may be surprised how much dust becomes visible thanks to the LED lights.
Hands free dustbin: The dustbin is adequately sized and gives you the opportunity to simply expel the debris picked up by the vacuum without having to use your hands to clear contents, although you will likely need to use the supplied brush to completely clean the bin.
Useful LCD panel: The round LCD panel displays useful information when you are cleaning including the amount of battery charge remaining as well as where the iLoop sensor technology detects debris helping you know when the vacuum has picked up the debris and cleaned the area. The simple red colour which indicates debris and blue which indicates that the area has been cleaned is easy to understand.
Easy maintenance: We really like the fact that the vacuum’s components are very easy to clean and maintain. For example, the pre-filters and HEPA filter and be cleaned and reused while the brushes that are inside the main power brush as well as the mini power brush extensions can be removed and cleaned.
Charging station: The charging station for the Pure One S15 Pet is well thought out and results in a very clean and organized presentation where all accessories can be placed along with the main unit as it charges. We like that this iteration of the Tineco S Series does not require any drilling of walls, allowing for maximum portability should you wish to change the vacuum charging station’s location. We also like the fact that once fully charged, the vacuum’s LCD screen will turn itself off, thus conserving energy.
Reliable, actionable app: The Tineco app is one of the more reliable and aesthetically pleasing apps. The app does an excellent job tracking usage of the Pure One S15 Pet as well as the keeping you informed of upcoming required maintenance. The app also provides you with the ability to schedule your next cleaning job and you can also reach out to Tineco through the app.
Respectable noise readings: While using the Pure One S15 Pet we took readings related to noise and found that in Auto mode. Using a distance of one foot from the handle unit, the noise levels measured were consistently between 74 to 76 decibels while in Max mode, we found that the decibel readings were slightly higher rising to between 78 to 81 decibels.
What we don’t like
Battery life: Although the battery life is largely inline with what Tineco publicly states, we just find it lacking. Since the vacuum performs so well on the Max mode, one may be more inclined to use this mode quite often and the fact that the battery can only remain charged for approximately 10 minutes, requires you to move at a brisk pace to clean your living space. The other alternative is to purchase a second battery and switch out the first after it is discharged – this however is not cheap, and why we would have liked to have seen an additional battery supplied by Tineco.
Inconsistent maneuverability on carpet: Although the Pure One S15 Pet performs well on some carpets, it does have trouble with others depending on the brush that you have attached. As a result, you maybe required to change the brush to more easily clean one or some of your carpets. This can be inconvenient.
Weight of main handle unit: You should not underestimate the weight of the vacuum. The main handle unit alone is 2kg and the main power brush is 1kg making the vacuum somewhat heavy compared to others.
Small grip area: The main handle unit has a grip area that is about 3 inches wide so for those with big hands, comfortably holding the vacuum may be a bit of a challenge.
Final thoughts
Tineco’s Pure One S15 Pet cordless vacuum is very well designed, innovative and reliable product.
The iLoop sensor technology is impressive. Not only does the iLoop technology optimize the battery’s charge on the fly, but you also can allow the vacuum to let you know when an area has been cleaned. Hearing and feeling the vacuum adjust its suction power on the fly is also a unique feeling. Still, we would hope that in future iterations, Tineco is able to extend the life of the battery even more.
We are impressed with the good performance of the vacuum in our tests, especially when using the Max mode setting.
Additionally, the vacuum has many intangibles worth noting such as a well designed and thought out charging station, an actionable app, as well as a sufficient group of accessories that can be used for various cleaning jobs.
As more and more cordless smart vacuums come to market, Tineco has certainly taken a large step forward with the Pure One S15 Pet.
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