We tried the Proscenic I10 Cordless vacuum - it's a great money-saving option for quick tidying up jobs

We all know by now how eye-wateringly expensive top-of-the-range cordless vacuums can be. And while Proscenic isn’t one of the better known brands, it does make some affordable models. So it’s worth looking at the Proscenic I10 if you’d rather prioritise your spare cash for something other than the flashiest vacuum money can buy.

In the world of the best cordless vacuum cleaners, this model is comparatively cheap, with an RRP of £159. But when you take into account that it’s frequently discounted much lower, it appears on the face of it to be a bit of a bargain. So I was surprised to see that it includes some premium features such as an LED touch display and HEPA filtration.

It’s always worth investing in the best vacuum cleaner you can afford. But with the cost of living crisis still biting hard, I wanted to know if this budget vacuum can deliver sufficient performance for day-to-day cleaning in an average home. Read on for my honest opinion.

Proscenic I10 Cordless Vacuum product specs

• Max. run time: up to 50 minutes 
• Bin volume: 0.65 litres
• Weight: 4kg
• Dimensions: H126 x W26 x D22cm
• Modes: auto, eco, max
• RRP: £159

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

Apart from some plastic bags, the bulk of the packaging is cardboard, which was a good start. There’s no initial assembly required, other than clicking together the accessories you’d like to use first.

Since I only had the vacuum for a short time on loan, I didn’t install the wall mounted charging dock. Instead, I plugged the charger cable directly into the battery to get it charged up and ready to use. I should point out though, that this isn’t possible without fully removing the battery from the vacuum.

In addition to the main floorhead, it comes with a pared back selection of tools, there’s just a dusting brush and a crevice tool. For some households this won’t be enough. But others will rejoice in the lack of unwanted accessories that just end up as clutter. Be aware though, there’s no storage for the small tools in the charging dock so you will have to find space for them somewhere.

All the tools click on to either the end of the wand, or directly onto the main handheld unit. And unlike some of the more budget vacuums I’ve reviewed, there’s no danger of the smaller tools falling off in use, because they click into position and then you have to press a button to remove them. 

There’s a trigger on the handle, but don’t panic, you don’t have to keep your finger on it while vacuuming. A quick press of the trigger acts as the start and the stop button. It starts automatically on auto mode, but a simple press of the word ‘mode’ on the LCD screen cycles it through the three suction levels.

What is it like to use?

Floors

My immediate first impression once it was all set up, was that it feels lightweight to push around. And the floorhead manoeuvres easily around furniture. In my pet-free and child-free home, the suction power was good enough to tackle daily dirt and dust. And this was evidenced by how quickly the dust bin filled with fluff and dirt.

To check its ability to clean right to the edges of the skirting boards, I purposely spilled some flour and crumbs at the edge of the room. Interestingly, on hard floors it left a 1cm line of debris along the skirting board. 

So while this illustrates that the suction on auto mode doesn’t collect dirt from the very edge of the room. When I pushed the front of the floorhead up to the debris, it did remove it. So, just be aware that you’ll get a better result if you push it forwards at the skirting board, as opposed to walking along the skirting board with the side of the floorhead.

Debris spilt on carpet, whether at the edges or in the middle of the floor, definitely took several passes to completely remove. And it needed to be on maximum suction for the most effective clean. If you have the odd carpeted bedroom, it’ll be fine for general cleaning. But if you have carpet in high-traffic rooms, I don’t think this vacuum will provide a deep enough clean.

I have some wooden stairs as well as some carpeted stairs in my home and the floorhead is small enough to make cleaning the steps quick and easy. So I didn’t miss having a smaller motorised stair cleaning tool.

Small tools

It feels heavier when using the smaller tools. Nevertheless, the crevice nozzle is nice and long and was really useful for getting into nooks and crannies like my radiators and the corner of the stair treads. In the car it was useful for reaching down the sides of seats. 

I managed to freshen up the car foot wells and upholstery with the brush, but its small size made this a time consuming task. And I struggled to reach awkward areas around and under the pedals. All-in-all though, the combination of the small brush and the crevice tool wasn’t sufficient for a thorough deep clean of the whole car interior. 

The end of the dusting brush can be swivelled 360 degrees. I found this helpful for getting it at the correct angle to dust shelves, without holding my hand and arm at an awkward angle. But despite this, it’s a small brush and it wasn’t the most comfortable tool to use. It’s fine for a quick spruce up, but not for prolonged cleaning.

I’m a big fan of vacuuming upholstery but with no upholstery tool, the small brush was the next best thing. And although I was initially sceptical about using this instead of a dedicated upholstery tool it was fine for removing crumbs from the sofa. And it removed the dust from my velvet sofa. 

Battery

During vacuuming I monitored the battery life to see how long it lasts. I was able to vacuum for 12 minutes on the maximum suction mode. And while this is short, it’s comparable to even the most premium cordless vacuums on the highest suction level.

On auto mode, the suction will vary and as such, so will the length of time the battery lasts, but on the day I timed it, I got around 26 minutes before it needed a recharge. Which was enough time to quickly whip around my two bedroom house.

Helpfully, there’s a battery symbol on the LED display and it turns yellow, then red as the battery starts to run out, so at least you get a bit of warning. Although maybe too much warning, since it turned red a full 13 minutes before the battery actually ran out, when I was using it in auto mode.

Personally I like a removable battery that can be discreetly charged wherever suits. But if you have a good spot near a socket to install the wall bracket, then the battery will be charged while it’s stored on the bracket. A full charge is supposed to take around 2.5 hours, but it charged in around 1 hour 45 mins when I timed it. Helpfully, there’s a small red light on the battery that’ll turn green once it’s fully charged.

How does it compare to similar cordless vacuums?

At a similar price you really can’t beat the classic Henry. Yes it’s bulkier and you have to plug it in, but that means you get unlimited cleaning time with no worries about running out of battery. And in contrast to the Proscenic, it isn’t messy to empty because all the dust is contained in a bag. Plus, who can resist Henry’s cheeky smile?

The Vax Onepwr Blade 5 Dual Pet and Car is the current budget choice on our best vacuum cleaner guide. In comparison to the Proscenic, its RRP of £450 is steep. But it’s frequently available at a reduced rate and was £250 at the time of writing. If you can stretch your budget, this capable vacuum has a better battery run time and if you buy it directly from Vax the free tool kit makes it a highly versatile vacuum.

Maintenance

The dust bin can be emptied via a flip cover at the base. But the cover is closed with a plastic buckle, so it’s not a single button point-and-shoot design like you’ll get with a more premium model.

Annoyingly, I found that most of the dust and debris didn’t fall out via the open cover, it remained trapped higher up, near the filter. So in the end it was usually easiest to remove the whole bin from the vacuum and take that to my rubbish bin. Then, by removing the filter assembly, I could pull out the debris and tangled hair. It’s a messy business.

The manual also states that the filter assembly should be washed after 10 uses and replaced every 3-6 months. So you’ll need to factor in this ongoing expense to keep it operating at optimum cleaning performance.

Should you buy the Proscenic I10?

All things considered, if price is your priority, I think this vacuum offers a decent clean at a budget price point. On the plus side, the LED touch screen, three cleaning modes and HEPA filtration are all welcome features for the money.

In use, I found it surprisingly lightweight and easy to manoeuvre on floors. But it’s not without faults. Emptying is a faff and usually messy, and I’d have preferred a filter that didn’t need replacing quite so often. 

I’m not sure it will cope with the demands of a busy household with children and pets. And it’s definitely more efficient on hard floors than carpet. Plus the battery run times aren’t ideal for larger homes. That said, it’s capable of keeping on top of lighter cleaning duties in smaller homes with less traffic.