Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach Wet and Dry Vacuum review: a quicker way to clean your floors

Digital Trends

2 days ago

Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach Wet and Dry Vacuum review: a quicker way to clean your floors
MSRP
$550.00
Score Details 'The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach handles all kinds of messes with ease, though it doesn't feel quite as premium as some competitors.'
Pros Lie-flat design
Fantastic cleaning skills
No-tangle technology
Self-cleaning dock
Cons Missing a few premium features
Self-propulsion is a bit too aggressive
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The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach Wet and Dry Vacuum is a do-it-all sort of product. Packing in 18,000 Pa of suction, it's an excellent vacuum. A self-cleaning roller is constantly rinsed during operation, resulting in excellent mopping chops. A lie-flat design lets you slip under most furniture. And when you're done cleaning, the dock will handle just about all your maintenance chores — keeping your hands clean and eliminating the need to muck around with dirty water.
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But as great as the Dreame H12 Pro is, there are a few issues preventing it from being an easy recommendation. For one, its price of $550 is quite hefty, and the competition is quite robust. I also noticed a few tiny annoyances during testing that gave me pause, especially given its lofty price tag. The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach is a solid choice for cleaning your hard floors, but you'll have to live with a few quirks if you decide to add it to your home.
A versatile wet and dry vacuum
Before I get nit-picky, it's worth noting that the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach is fantastic at cleaning hard floors. Like all wet and dry vacuums, this is designed specifically for use on hard floors such as tile, wood, and laminate. It churns out up to 18,000 Pa of suction, which I've found to be more than enough for daily cleaning needs. Whether you're tackling a dried stain of unknown origins or a million grains of rice that spilled out of a torn bag, it'll handle whatever you throw its way. It also comes bundled with detergent, though you'll need to manually mix this in with your clean water reservoir, as the H12 doesn't offer an auto-dispensing feature.
One of my favorite features of the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach is Smart Mode. Four different modes of operation are available (Turbo, Suction, Quiet, Smart), though I often just left the gadget in Smart Mode. This allows the vacuum to automatically adjust its suction and water output based on its sensors, eliminating the guesswork from your chores. If that doesn't work, Turbo Mode usually gets the job done.
Most shoppers will also appreciate its 180-degree lie-flat design. You can essentially rest the vacuum completely flat on the ground, giving it a total height of just 14 cm — which is short enough to reach under all sorts of furniture. It's also equipped with a rollerball halfway up the vacuum, providing you with impressive maneuverability while flat on the ground.
Regardless of what you're cleaning, a large LED display lets you see the remaining battery life and the current operating mode. It gives the H12 a premium look, and it's certainly useful to help time your cleanings.
Once you're done, the included docking station will handle most of your maintenance tasks. This includes washing and drying the roller mop, and doing the same for the piping within the vacuum. All you have to do is empty the dirty water tank and refill the clean water tank. The dirty water tank is easy to empty, and it does an excellent job of separating solids and liquids — preventing any clogs and dirty hands.
Two drying modes are offered — Quiet Mode and Super-Speed Mode. The former runs a four-minute heated wash followed by a 30-minute drying cycle. The latter runs a longer seven-minute heated wash followed by a blistering five-minute flash drying cycle. The dock also charges your vacuum, and you can expect to get around 50 minutes of cleaning on a single charge.
Minor quirks keep it from greatness
While there's much to love about the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach, I noticed a few pinch points during my testing. For one, the self-propulsion system on the vacuum is a bit aggressive. The device will automatically push itself forward, negating the need for you to manually push it along your floors. However, it moves a bit too fast, and I often found myself fighting against it to stay put on difficult stains.
It also only propels itself forward. So if you decide you want to move the mop forward and backward like many people do with a traditional vacuum, you'll be battling against the H12 Pro. This is especially noticeable, having just tested the Roborock F25 ACE, which provided a smooth movement system whether you're pushing or pulling.
Something I didn't expect to have an issue with was the water reservoir. Detaching the reservoir requires quite a bit of force — and because there's no latch or lock to manually depress, I thought I broke the vacuum the first time I pulled the tank off. Some competitors use a simple lock mechanism, where you slide a latch up and pull out the tank. That's not the case here, and I found it to be quite clunky for a $550 product. Instead of a single smooth movement, it's more of an awkward pulling that takes a few different motions. It loosened up a bit as time went by, but it's certainly not something I expected to worry about in this price bracket.
You also won't find an auto-dispensing detergent system. These types of systems will automatically mix water and detergent, as they're contained in two separate reservoirs. With the H12 Pro FlexReach, you'll need to manually combine water and detergent when filling up its only clean water reservoir. It's not a big deal — but when you're spending $550, these little luxuries should be considered.
Verdict
On its own, the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach Wet and Dry Vacuum is a solid product. It cleans remarkably well, it looks quite nice, and its ability to lie flat to reach under furniture gives it excellent versatility. Its self-cleaning docking station is wonderful, too, allowing you to skip the worst parts of mopping. However, competition is fierce in this segment, and the H12 Pro FlexReach is lacking too many niceties to rise above the pack.
If you can find it on sale, then it's no doubt worth consideration. But when listed at its regular price of $550, you'll find other wet and dry vacuums to be more enticing. You might also consider shopping for the best robot vacuum and mop combos, as these are even more automated — and some are just a bit more expensive than the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach.