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Reading Time: 5 minutesFor a limited time, use our exclusive Amazon promo code 7TINECOS12 to save an additional $30 on the already-discounted Tineco Pure One S12 cordless vacuum — a total savings of $100! (Sale price: $399.99 | Reg. price: $499.99)
If the flagship Pure One S12 is a bit out of your budget, the A10 Hero cordless vacuum has similar features but with less power, for a lower cost of $159.00.
Promotional pricing for both the Pure One S12 and A10 Hero should be available through the end of the month, or while supplies last. These items are Prime eligible and shipped/sold by Amazon.
Curious if the S12 is right for your home? Keep scrolling to read our in-house product review.
Tineco Pure One S12 Hands-on Review
In 2018, Tineco’s A10 Hero Cordless Vacuum served as a sort of budget-friendly Dyson alternative. This year, Tineco has upped the ante, with a premium-grade offering of its own that takes on Dyson’s flagship V11 vacuum head-on.
At $599, the Tineco Pure One S12 is certainly not a budget purchase. This is a high-end piece of cleaning gear that offers powerful cyclone suction, a large futuristic digital display and enough attachments and accessories to tackle any vacuuming job you can dream up.
Tineco Pure One S12 Technical Specifications
- 150W suction power
- Two removable 2500mAh li-ion batteries
- Up 100 minutes runtime (combined)
- Digital display
- HEPA filter
- Two pre-filters and filter cleaning accessory
- Auto-dirt detection and power adjustment
- Wall-mounted charging and storage dock
Designed to Complement the Modern Home
From the moment you open the Tineco Pure One S12’s almost labyrinthian box, it’s clear this is one serious piece of equipment. Intricately folded bits of cardboard open to reveal the main unit, alongside no fewer than seven attachment heads, two batteries and a beefy wall-mounted dock.
Gone is the budget-friendly look and feel of last year’s A10 Hero. Every piece of the Pure One S12 is composed of thick, hefty material with a rather pleasing matte white finish. The huge digital display, despite its rather utilitarian purpose, lends the whole unit a very high-end, contemporary look.
The S12 unit isn’t the lightest in class, but it’s still light enough to make for easy work, even during extended use. A handy trigger lock feature means you don’t have to hold your finger on the power button the entire time. And emptying the dust compartment is as quick and simple as you’d expect from a high-end vacuum today.
The dock has built-in charge connectors to keep not just the vacuum, but also the spare battery, charged at all times. It also provides all the storage spots you need for the many attachments that come in the box. The whole package is very nice indeed, arguably the best-looking vacuum for sale right now; you could mount it in plain sight without ruining the aesthetic of a clean modern home.
A Head for Every Job
Getting the S12 up and running is easy, and the 150W power is instantly noticeable. The suction is strong, impressively so on its max setting, but more than adequate for most cleaning jobs at 50% power. This is important to note, because while the Dyson V11 boasts greater peak power, I could imagine almost never a situation where I’d need it all.
This is bolstered by an excellent main direct-drive head, which works wonderfully on both hardwood and carpet surfaces. It does a remarkable job of lifting up fine and larger debris with very little effort. It’s also worth noting how little pet (and wife) hair gets caught in the roller — the vast majority of it makes its way up to the dust compartment.
The only issue I had came with trying to vacuum larger objects (like bits of candy or potato chips hastily discarded by the little one) on a hard surface. These required me to lift the head and pull backwards over the affected area for better pick-up. If you go for the slightly more expensive Pure One S12 Plus package ($649), you’ll also get a soft-roller power brush head, which has a larger frontal opening for just such occasions.
But with a mini power brush (perfect for furniture and spot-cleaning), two variations of dusting brushes, a long flexible crevice tool and more, you’re certainly not left wanting for cleaning options with the standard S12. And the pre-filter cleaning head is brilliant because it means you won’t have to spend time washing your dust filters between uses. You just insert the dirty filter, seal it closed and let the vacuum do all the work.
The Brains Behind the Brawn
The Pure One claims to be a “smart” vacuum cleaner, and it backs up that claim with a range of plucky features, some more realistically useful than others. The huge digital display is the obvious one, showing suction power levels, remaining battery life percentage and other critical information, such as maintenance and error stats on the fly.
A smartphone app lets you connect to the S12 to monitor cleaning cycles, maintenance, errors and even control some features of the unit. It’s all nice, but realistically I don’t see myself using these features too often.
Far more useful is the automatic power adjustment feature. Unlike its Dyson competitor, which automatically adjusts power based on the resistance of hard and soft surfaces, the Pure One S12 has dust and debris sensors that ramp up the power when it detects more challenging deposits.
This seems like a more effective system that more closely resembles how I manually manage power output. Auto power management also helps to extend battery life. While 50 minutes is the claimed max runtime, it’s more like 25 minutes under normal use. This isn’t class-leading, but what sets the Tineco appart is the removable battery compartment and the inclusion of two batteries, effectively doubling your cleaning time in a single session.
If you do prefer manual control, however, this is easily accomplished by sliding your finger along the capacitive touch panel right above the screen.
Should You Buy the Tineco Pure One S12?
Buyers of top-class cordless vacuums now have a new option to consider. The Pure One S12 packs the punch of a full-size vacuum in the light and slender chassis of a cordless. And it has enough premium accessories and features to take on the likes of Dyson directly.
The Dyson V11 has a slightly more powerful motor, but is also $100 more expensive. And as mentioned above, I found it almost never necessary to use the maximum power of the S12 as it is.
Features in favor of the S12 are notable, however. Two removable batteries means heaps more cleaning time; the auto mode targets dirt more intelligently; and that giant screen is beautiful to behold. If you’re ready to make a serious investment into your vacuum setup, you can’t do much better than the S12.
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Photos by Austin Nooe | Slickdeals
Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson has been writing for high-profile publications for 16 years, primarily in the video game industry, but also covering tech. Mike is an obsessed video game hoarder with hundreds of games spanning a 30-year collection. An entire room in his house is dedicated to Super Mario, and he thinks the Nintendo Switch is “the best invention in human history.” Counseling may be necessary.