The first time I saw a vacuum with headlights as a child, I was enthralled. I loved watching bits of dust and debris get sucked up into the big, scary vacuum cleaner—and with the lights, it was so easy to see each morsel as it disappeared. Headlights made vacuums somehow seem both more effective and less scary, and even though I’m no longer scared of the vacuum and in need of a booster seat, I still love them. If you’re on the hunt for a quiet, lightweight vacuum with LED headlights, then the eufy by Anker HomeVac S11 Reach cordless stick vacuum is a great place to start.
What’s in the box of the eufy HomeVac S11 Reach cordless stick vacuum?
In the box of the eufy HomeVac S11 Reach, you’ll find a eufy HomeVac S11 vacuum along with a charging cable, wall mount kit (including two screws and two drywall anchors), manual, and accessories. The S11 includes a motorized brush roll with front-facing LED headlights and a fixed-length blue handstick. As the S11 “Reach,” this vacuum also comes with a 2-in-1 crevice tool and a long crevice tool to help you clean hard-to-reach areas and items including upholstery, ceiling corners, and car seats.
What are the features of the eufy S11 Reach?
The S11 is a vacuum that comes apart into a lot of different pieces. The vacuum’s pre-filter, post-filter, dust collection canister, and battery pack are all removable, making them easy to clean, charge separately, or replace as needed. The S11’s dust collection compartment can be removed from the handle entirely, but it can also be emptied by popping its lid open while still attached to the handle.
Despite its single-button design, the eufy S11 offers three power modes that turn on when you pull the vacuum’s finger trigger. It starts on mid mode every time, but pushing the vacuum’s setting button while it’s turned on will cycle you through max and low modes as well. The S11 runs for up to 40 minutes on a single charge on low, 25 minutes on medium, or 8 minutes on max. Its battery recharges while attached or detached using the included AC charger, so if you want to double up on battery life, you can always purchase a separate battery to swap out. The eufy S11’s wall mount is designed to store and charge at the same time.
One final feature that I loved about the eufy HomeVac S11 Reach is this vacuum’s LED-lit brush head. With four front-facing circular LEDs at the front of this vacuum, it’s easy to see where you’ve missed dirt and debris, especially in darker rooms and corners. These LEDs are raised about an inch off the ground and are non-directional, so they’re not quite as effective as a laser light, but they’re very helpful nonetheless.
How powerful is the eufy S11 cordless stick vacuum?
The eufy S11 offers up to 120AW (Air Watts) of suction on max mode, which is on the low end for a vacuum. Particularly strong vacuum cleaners typically offer 250-350AW of suction power, but stick vacuums like this one tend to be weaker, offering 80-200AW of power. You’ll likely find that this vacuum lacks the power of an upright, canister, or central vacuum, but it makes up for it in how lightweight its design is.
I personally love a stick vacuum—even though I know they’re not usually a very powerful type of vacuum. As someone with physical limitations, the lighter design of stick vacuum means that I can use it to clean more effectively and more frequently. Plus, because I live in a home with hard flooring, I don’t need the same suction power that a family with kids living in a carpeted house would.
Stick vacuums like this one can be a great choice for individuals with disabilities, older adults living alone, and families with kids who are just starting to help out with the chores. They’re also an excellent addition to a household with another vacuum. Sometimes you don’t want to pull out a heavy-duty central vacuum just to clean up crumbs in the kitchen, and that’s where a cordless stick vacuum really shines! A rechargeable stick vacuum is a handy household add-on for everyday light cleaning in between weekly or bi-weekly deep cleans.
My experience with the eufy HomeVac S11 Reach cordless stick vacuum
Like the eufy by Anker RoboVac G30 Verge, I found this vacuum to be very quiet but less powerful than I’m used to. At 3 kg, this vacuum is significantly easier to move around than a canister or upright vacuum, and it’s excellent for reaching awkward places without straining your arms or back. The Reach’s weight rests mostly in its handle, with a concentration on the back end, where you’ll find its motor and battery pack.
The eufy HomeVac S11 Reach is an attractive vacuum with a flexible roller head and two attachments, but I find it to be best suited for hard floors, as it can struggle to entirely remove debris from textured surfaces. I regularly use my stick vacuum to clean cat hair off of my couch, sheets, and quilts using its brush roll or 2-in-1 tool, and the Reach manages to pull only about 85% of the hair from these surfaces at maximum power. This is something that I’ll do multiple times throughout the day after petting my cat, so having to re-brush these areas with a lint roller afterwards can be a hassle.
Where I love the eufy by Anker S11, however, is on hard floors. Its LED lights make it easy to find crumbs, dust, and debris, so the S11 helps guide you to exactly the areas that need vacuuming. It would be great to see an update of this vacuum in the future where the lights are lower to the bottom of the vacuum (as it is, they cast light about an inch forward from the edge of the brush roll, and that light is fairly diffuse), but it’s an extremely helpful feature to have nonetheless.
Who is the eufy S11 Reach a great vacuum for?
The eufy by Anker S11 Reach Cordless Stick Vacuum is a quiet stick vacuum with LED headlights and three power levels. It would fit in well in a storage area or pantry (somewhere where its built-in running lights would really help you see under shelves and into corners), and comes with two handy accessories and a wall mount kit for convenient charging.
I personally did not find that the S11 had enough power for my needs, but it could make a great secondary vacuum for everyday spills. Its fully removable dustbin and filters are incredibly convenient for thorough cleaning and maintenance, and its replaceable filters, battery pack, and charger make this a vacuum that you should be able to repair for years.
Shop the eufy by Anker S11 Reach Cordless Stick Vacuum online at Best Buy today.
