Hands up if you really dislike vacuuming and floor cleaning? It is definitely not a job I look forward to but it is also unavoidable with kids and pets. DRN editors have been raving on about there Tineco units so I figured it was about time as the grand poobah, I find out what all the fuss is about. So for this one, I put my hand up for a Tineco S6 FlashDry.
Warning, this review may contain disturbing imagery and description of filthy filthy results.
We have had a wet/dry vac in this house before. My other half asked for one and we have used it maybe twice? If I am being generous at counting. It was a solid unit from another brand, but it was heavy and loud. It annoyed the kids, it scared the pets and it was very quickly parked to one side to gather dust.
First Impressions
I thought the S6 FlashDry (referred to as the S6 in this review going forward) came in a box that was far too short to be real.
The reason was pretty apparent when the handle came out of the box in a separate piece. It just needs to be aligned to the notch and inserted into the main body. Takes all of seconds to do and once you hear the click, that’s it.
As for the main unit, it comes assembled. There is a waste water reservoir in the front. The back is the clean water reservoir. There is a bottle of Tineco cleaning solution included.
The whole thing would sit on a charging base and everything comes with a LOUD voice guide.
Getting Started
Getting started was pretty simple, although I did have to refer to the manual to orientate myself.
First you need to fill the clean water reservoir with water, up to a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius. This is located at the back of the unit, flushed with the body. The plastic is dark translucent grey and kind of camouflages itself as it does not stick out from the back of the unit.
You have to locate the clip and push it down. The reservoir will then pivot out and can be removed easily for refilling. There are printed instructions to remind you not to put in water above 60C, and pay attention to the maximum water level line.
The waste water return reservoir is in the front of the unit and quite prominent. It sticks right out from the body of the S6. Taking it out, you will see a filter element to trap debris. The upper part of the reservoir is removable so you can tip out that gunky waste water and rinse the unit. Essential to not let it fester and smell.
In Use
It took me only a few minutes to get things sorted. I did leave it on charge overnight before I do anything else. After all that, how well does it perform?
There are a couple of buttons on the handle. Hidden at the back is the wifi, mute and language switch button. All of these can be set via the app, but it is also handy to have a hard button for it. I did comment that the default volume level for the voice guide is loud, but once I started using the unit I get why. So if you find that you can’t hear the voice guide on what the unit is doing, just toggle the volume here on the fly.
The power button is actually the lowest position of the buttons on the front of the handle. Just press it and the voice guide will tell you it’s powering up. The LED display will also light up in it’s starting sequence. The process takes about 10 seconds.
One of the key criteria my partner wanted is a motorised head. These units are not the lightest things around and it can be hard work wrestling one around while you clean. For the record the whole thing comes in at 4.5kg.
I am delighted to say that the S6 drives itself. The motorised head is strong without feeling like I am being pulled on a leash by a runaway malamute. My joints are totally intact after using it.
Full disclosure. I used plain old tap water for my first few runs with the S6. Fresh out of the tap at room temperature. I ran the unit around my kitchen and dining area which is tiled and hardwood floor respectively. The S6 left a visible wet mark on the floor which serves as an indicator as to where I have been over already. This went away within minutes as I progressed away from the area.
It was interesting (and mildly horrifying) to see the grey waste water collect from what I thought was relatively clean floor. I mean, as much as one would expect with two cats and kids around.
I was impressed at the performance, and also the efficient use of water. I have ran around a few high traffic areas of the house and especially my laundry, the clean water tank still shows about one-fifth full.
The unit does run at some noise level, but it is not so loud that I would avoid using it when the kids are asleep. Notably though, it runs at a loud enough level that I struggle to hear the voice guide when it’s let to a medium level. Maybe I am just getting old.
Like other Tineco units, the LED display tells you what what it is doing. There is a ring of blue/red to indicate how dirty it thinks your floor is, with blue being clean and full red being well, filthy I guess.
Cleaning the area where my cats are fed, because they like to pull their food out of their bowls to chow on, the Tineco was working hard with the indicator on full red.
By pushing the S6 into the full upright position, the unit automatically switches off. For the record, the S6 does not actually lie flat going the other way, it gets to about 150 degrees.
The S6 cleaning process is to:
- rinse with clear water
- wash with a 450 rpm brush roller
- scrape off the waste
- take away the dirty water
The Tineco S6 uses a flat scraper to more effectively remove the used water and return it to the waste water tank. You can see the results on the floor where you have passed over an area, the wet streak is even across the surface. It also does an admirable job getting right up to the edges too.
After Use Care
The S6 when returned to the charging base will remind you to empty the waste water reservoir. This takes just a couple of minutes to empty, rinse and return to the unit.
The S6 also has a self cleaning function. All you need to do is to push the self cleaning button at the top of the handle and the unit takes care of the rest. Rather than having to pull things apart to clean manually, the S6 uses hot water to dissolve stains and to deep clean the brush. Finally it spins the head at high speed with hot air blowing to dry the brush and be ready for the next cleaning job you need it for.
The whole process takes about five minutes and does not require interaction from the user other than to ensure there is clean water for the process at the beginning. At the end you need to empty the dirty water. That’s it.
Gripes
If there is debris trapped at the business end of the S6, the self cleaning function may throw it back out. I found that out the hard way, but on the bright side, they came out pretty dry thanks to the heated cleaning process.
This is kind of petty and I get that it is hard to strike a balance. I would have like the water tank to be a little bigger, but that means the dirty water reservoir has to increase in size, and the unit weight goes up.
Same with battery life. It’s rated for 35 minutes which is not anywhere near enough to give everything a thorough clean. But by planning my standard clean a bit better, I can live with the unit the way it is. It’d be rare that I get the time to clean the whole place in one go anyway.
Conclusions
The Tineco S6 FlashDry made the chore of cleaning my floor almost as convenient as reaching for the stick vac. For the few weeks I have had this in the house, I have found myself reaching for it for a quick spot clean around the cat feeding area, or in the kitchen near the food prep area where inevitably food is dropped each day. Splashed some water on the floor? It was easier to reach for the S6 to clean up than paper towels.
Even the self cleaning process is made simple. There is really no reason to hit that self cleaning button at the end of a day and let the S6 keep itself in top condition for the next thrill and spill.
It is available from Tineco or Harvey Norman for AUD$899.
DRN would like to thank Tineco for providing the review unit.
Specifications
Battery Capacity: 4000 mAh
Running Time: 35min
Charging Time: 4H
Clean Water Tank Capacity: 0.8L
Dirty Water Tank Capacity: 0.72L
Noise: 78dB(A)
Weight: 4.5kg
iLoop Sensor: Yes
Fresh Water Clean: MHCBS
Screen: LED
Edge Cleaning: Dual-sided
