Proscenic P11 Smart Vacuum review: a budget-friendly stick vacuum

We love our robotic vacuum cleaners. Not only do they free up time we'd typically use sweeping our floors, but they can also be run more consistently, which extends the time needed between deep cleanings.

However, they aren't the perfect tool for every job, either. Robot vacuums are notoriously bad at handling corners, and you can't use them to properly sweep stairs or clean furniture.

That's why we're checking out Prosenic's P11 Smart Stick Vacuum. It's a lightweight stick vacuum that can help cover the tasks that your regular robotic vacuum can't manage.

Design

Like many stick vacuums, the Proscenic P11 smart vacuum is designed to take care of many cleaning tasks. It does this by, first, running on battery power.

Not worrying about a cord means the vacuum maneuvers easily around furniture and through hallways, all without needing to find an outlet.

It also lets you swap out attachments, converting the vacuum from a standard floor vac to a handheld one. It ships with a brush tip, a crevice attachment, and a mini-motorized upholstery tool.

This allows you to use the vacuum to clean areas that you may not be able to with a standard vacuum, such as sweeping stairs or cleaning out your car. Anywhere a standard vacuum may have a more challenging time reaching.

This portability and the attachments enable you to sweep dust and crumbs off furniture, get into the nooks and crannies between your wall and your refrigerator, or even behind a toilet with no effort.

We will note that it isn't an exceptionally lightweight stick vacuum, which becomes readily apparent when using it in handheld mode. Instead, it weighs just around ten pounds. For reference, a gallon of milk weighs eight.

If you need to vacuum something above torso height, such as your blinds, curtain rods, or the top of your door jambs, you may find that this quickly becomes somewhat tiresome to hold. Still, it isn't the worst.

Power and performance

The Proscenic P11 smart vacuum may be a cordless vacuum cleaner, but it doesn't mean it's a pushover when it comes to cleaning power. The manufacturer claims that it can get up to 30,000 Pa of suction.

For reference, a standard upright, corded vacuum gets 20,000 Pa.

We thought the vacuum did well, exceeding our expectations when picking up dirt, hair, and crumbs. It worked well on carpets and exceptionally well on hardwood floors.

When used with the floor attachment, we especially appreciated the ball joint at the head of the sweeper. It allowed us to maneuver easily around table legs and under coffee tables.

It features three suction modes that you can switch between on the fly. By default, the vacuum starts in automatic mode.

This mode allows the Proscenic P11 to switch power levels as needed, increasing power on carpet and dirtier surfaces and decreasing it on linoleum and hardwood floors.

Eco mode is a lower power mode that is ideal for routine cleaning. It uses the least amount of power, allowing you to vacuum for longer. Even in Eco mode, we were impressed by how well the vacuum did.

Max mode is perfect for stubborn spots that need a little extra help. For instance, we loved this mode for sweeping in corners, around baseboards, and the under the lip of the cabinets in our kitchen.

When it inevitably comes time to empty your vacuum, all you'll need to do is push a single button and dispose of the dirt in the nearest trash receptacle.

Because it is a stick vacuum, you will likely need to empty it much more than a standard upright vacuum. Also, if you have pets or a family member has long hair, you will need to routinely remove the hair from the central column in the canister.

This wasn't ideal but par for the course as far as any canister-based vacuum is concerned.

Runtime

Being cordless, a battery-operated vacuum can have a somewhat short battery life. That's true of the Porscenic P11 Smart vacuum as well. You'll get about an hour of run time when in Eco mode.

This is our preferred mode for our Sunday afternoon cleaning routine. It allows us to vacuum all the rooms in our apartment without stopping to recharge and works great to pick up your standard level of dirt.

We already use a robotic vacuum that sweeps regularly, so Eco mode is perfect for picking up anything the robot may have missed.

Max mode runs for a shorter period of time — only about 10-15 minutes at the absolute most. However, it's unlikely that you'll need to use Max mode when sweeping your entire house.

Max mode is best reserved for those especially dirty jobs or areas you clean infrequently.

Of course, if you're like us and you clean a few high-traffic areas of your home a few times a week, automatic mode is an ideal way to make sure you're getting all the gunk out of your carpet and not wasting your battery life on your hard floors, too.

To recharge the vacuum, you place it on its recharging cradle. Like many others on the market, the cradle can be screwed into the wall, though if you rent your apartment, you can also attach the cradle to the vacuum in a less destructive way.

Recharging from empty took us about two and a half hours.

The app situation

Since this is a "smart" vacuum, there is an app to go with it. While not strictly necessary, the app has a few nice features included.

The first is that the app is a functional diagnostic tool. Because a vacuum is a machine with moving parts, you might probably run into issues.

Rather than taking an educated guess at what is wrong, the app provides feedback — maybe the filter is clogged, the battery isn't holding its charge, or there's a clog somewhere you can't see.

Additionally, there's a troubleshooting guide right inside the app, so you won't need to try to remember where you've put the manual.

The second is that it also monitors the "health" of certain accessories. For example, it can remind you when to clean or replace your filters and brushes.

If you asked us whether or not we thought the app was a reason to purchase this vacuum, we'd ultimately say, "No, probably not." But, since it is already there, we appreciate the easy access troubleshooting guide and filter-monitoring features.

Overall

If you're in the market for a cordless vacuum, there's a lot to like about the Proscenic P11. It's compact enough to store in a closet when not in use, and its attachments allow you to keep your home and car dirt free.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Where to buy

The Proscenic P11 Light costs $259, but if you act now, you can snag it for $179, as the manufacturer is offering a one-click coupon on the Amazon product page.

Pros

• Included attachments make for quick cleaning jobs
• Powerful suction
• Easy to maneuver in tight spaces

Cons

• App isn't entirely necessary, feels tacked on
• Can be heavy for certain tasks