05 Nov
Blog

Dreame H11 Max Wet and Dry Vacuum Review: Modern Convenience

Dreame H11 Max vacuum

Dreame H11 Max

RRP $ 500.00

"The Dreame H11 Max vacuum cleaner is powerful, slim and easy to use and is equipped for dealing with hard floors."

advantages

  • Strong suction power

  • Slim, attractive design

  • Adaptive suction

  • Simple interface

disadvantage

  • A bit expensive

  • Does not clean carpets

As someone who hates Swiffers and is way too lazy to mop regularly, I was downright happy to have this Dreame H11 Max wet and dry vacuum cleaner for a twist. This cordless vacuum cleaner impresses with 36 minutes of running time, a self-cleaning roller brush and a slim profile. As the name suggests, it is a 2-in-1 combination vacuum cleaner that can remove both wet and dry dirt. Is it enough to clear my admittedly low bar? Probably! Let's dig in.

Out of the box

The Dreame H11 Max is very easy to assemble. All you really need to do is put the handle on and it clicks into place. It is equipped with buttons for switching on, switching modes and initiating self-cleaning. The orientation of the handle was a bit strange as it loops from the shaft outwards towards the front of the vacuum cleaner, more towards the rear towards the user. The secret of this design decision eludes me to this day.

Dreame H11 Max Vacuum in a corner.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

Otherwise, the H11 Max looks pretty good overall. It has smooth and sharp lines that set it apart from many vacuum cleaners. I could leave this open as opposed to my current vacuum which remains shamefully hidden.

When the charging station is plugged in and you insert the vacuum cleaner for the first five-hour warm-up period, you will be greeted by an acoustic prompt confirming that the charging process has started. The sound can be annoying, but luckily there is a button on the back to completely ban the audio prompts. The stand has space for the supplied spare roll and cleaning brush, but there is no space for the supplied additional filter. Damned.

From here, it's a simple matter of topping up the 0.23 gallon fresh water tank. Once the vacuum is activated, the water runs through the brush, then the filter, before ending up in the 0.13 gallon dirty water tank.

power

What Swiffer pads have in terms of comfort, they lose in terms of cleaning power. Throwing out the mop is a huge effort. After examining my laminate kitchen floor with the Dreame H11 Max, I was pleasantly surprised at how little water it uses compared to conventional mopping and at the same time it picks up a significant amount of dirt. The 200W brushless motor did its job and provided enough traction that I took away a lot of the manual drudgery that comes with wiping. Dreame says it has its proprietary detergent in the box. Even if mine didn't, the H11 Max was still good at cleaning. In the long run, I can't resist the temptation to use another party's more readily available laundry detergent.

Close-up of the vacuum attachment of the Dreame H11 Max Vacuum.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

Some wet vacuums work on carpets, but this one doesn't. My hopes of creating some storage space by breaking free of a much larger vacuum were not only dashed, but completely reversed. I would have to make room for two monstrous devices in my life to maintain all of the floors in my apartment. This is a strike.

With all its power, I didn't find the H11 Max that loud.

At 10.1 pounds, the H11 Max may not have the maneuverability or light weight of a Dyson OmniGlide, but it has good performance and run time. However, my cleaning program is slack to the point of horror, so using the Dreame H11 Max's six 4,000 mAh batteries for 36 minutes is largely wasted. Dreame claims there's enough water to clean 2,152 square feet, but only in my haziest fever dreams will I ever own that much hardwood floor, let alone the change to clean it all at once. A lighter model may actually be better for something you only spill occasionally, rather than cleaning the entire house that some crazy people seem to be doing. With all its power, I didn't find the H11 Max that loud.

LED display of the Dreame H11 Max Vacuum.Simon Sage / Digital Trends

The LED surface keeps users informed about everything. Aside from the power levels, there is very little to consider. You can switch between Auto and Slurpy mode, which soaks up spills. Various error indicators light up when something goes wrong. The outer colored ring serves as a real-time contamination indicator that can help you find particularly problematic areas. This vacuum cleaner adjusts the suction power to remove new debris in a snap, and you can hear it in problem areas to scrub extra hard.

price

The $ 500 H11 Max is in the right range for new wet and dry vacuums, albeit in the slightly higher range. You can certainly find cheaper ones that are closer to the $ 200 mark, but they tend to be wired.

Our opinion

The Dreame H11 Max vacuum cleaner has proven to be powerful, slim and easy to use. A decent water tank and long battery life make it a viable option for larger homes. Unfortunately, without the support of carpet surfaces, the H11 Max is unlikely to be able to tackle every floor in every home. You need to assess whether you would like to have a second vacuum cleaner for carpets in the house.

Is there a better alternative?

Bissell has a number of upright cordless wet and dry vacuums that work on both hard and carpeted floors, and are also a little cheaper. I would consider that Bissell CrossWave before you take the plunge onto the Dreame H11 Max. I still give the H11 Max a notch for a more modern design. For dry soiling, the alternative solution is as cheap as a broom.

How long it will take?

Dreame offers a one year warranty so you are covered for at least that long. Since this vacuum cleaner is designed for larger households, it can be worn out more. However, the lithium-ion batteries are likely to lose primarily mechanical charge. Batteries last between three and five years, depending on usage.

Should you buy it?

Homeowners with a lot of flooring and a desire for cleanliness can use the large battery and the ample water supply of the Dreame H11 Max. It can be overkill for people who like to be content with the occasional broom sweeping to take care of their hard floors.

Editor's recommendations



05 Jul
Blog

Lockly Duo Smart Lock Review: Steep Price for Convenience

Lockly Duo Smart Lock

Duo ™ Smart Lock

RRP $ 450.00

"The Lockly Duo replaces both your door lock and your deadbolt, but the price is just too high."

advantages

  • Replaces both locks on your door

  • Open and lock both locks with one handle

  • Precise fingerprint sensor

  • Random number pad for security

disadvantage

  • Some design problems

  • App is just ok

One of the biggest problems I've encountered with smart home door locks is that they tend to replace the deadbolt or latch. The Lockly Duo replaces both. I have mixed feelings about this lock setup, but I think those mixed feelings come from dealing with the unknown rather than from Lockly's mistakes. I know that it was nice that both locks were intelligent and accessible by fingerprint, key or code for a change.

Lockly behaves in an unusual way. Both the door lock and the deadbolt are controlled by a single door handle. A push-down unlocks both locks, a pull-up locks both locks. It definitely takes getting used to, and despite its strangeness, I like this mechanism. It's just easier to have a single handle that releases both locks, even if it's unusual.

Installation and setup

Setting up the lock required a bit of work and some complex mechanisms. The lock is designed to cover a latch and door handle that are either 4 "or 5½" apart. My door is 5 ½ inches so it worked. Or at least if my latch handle had been drilled to the right size. To attach the cover plate to my door, I had to sand about a quarter of the door. It's not Lockly's fault. The cover plate itself is also significantly larger than the door lock on the outside, so it doesn't look that great.

With the Lockly Duo, there is a clear gap between the locking mechanism and the door handle.

On the inside there is an additional mechanism that mounts between the door lock and the door called the connecting plate. This plate connects the bolt and the door lock with the single handle. It's not a bad device, but it does add a complexity to the lock that I wasn't expecting. In addition, the connecting plate is not flush with the door handle. It's not particularly noticeable, but if I hold a flashlight to the end of the lock, I can see the light on the other side.

There is no shortage of smart locks on the market, but none of them control both the trap and the bolt.

The Lockly Duo also has an integrated wired door sensor for the Lockly security system. I didn't install this as I already have a Vivint security system installed. But the fact that it's wired to the door handle and I couldn't remove it was a bit annoying.

properties

Once installed, use the Lockly app to set up PINs and fingerprints for users. The fingerprint sensor is located on the side of the door lock and a screen above the door lock shows the buttons for the codes. Most of the time the screen is turned off. A single tap usually turns it on, although occasionally I had to tap it a second time to wake it up. The numbers displayed are randomized into four buttons with three digits per button. This ensures that repeated tapping of the same point for the same codes does not develop a wear pattern. After entering your code, you can press some sort of "Enter" key below the keys, but there is no indication that the key is an Enter key. At first glance it looks like a fingerprint, so I initially confused it with the statement: "Sure, you can enter a code, but don't forget the fingerprint sensor." The button needs a better design, or it just has to "Enter" say.

The Lockly Duo uses a fingerprint sensor or a code to allow access.

The fingerprint sensor works very well, although I'm not convinced the placement is the best. When you have a door handle on the left side of the door, your natural instinct is to reach for the door with your left hand. But when you do, your fingers are pointing away from the sensor. The fingerprint sensor is a bit too cumbersome to use a thumbprint, so you end up reaching across your body to scan a finger on your right hand and then actually using your left hand to open the door.

software

The app also lets you lock and unlock the door, and is supposed to be able to pair it with the Google Assistant, but I couldn't get this to work. The app itself is pretty simple and easy to understand. You use it to set fingerprints and PIN codes. Setting up fingerprints works similarly to setting up a fingerprint on your phone. You press your finger on the sensor several times until the app tells you that you're done.

The app also allows you to activate "Welcome Mode" and this is one of my other main problems with the lock. Welcome mode means your door will stay unlocked on a schedule. That's nice, but in the summer when people come in and out all day it would be nice if there was a button or button that you can use to unlock the door. The only way to toggle the welcome mode on or off is currently through the app. That is not optimal.

Our opinion

Overall, this is a decent device with some oddities (and a price tag) to get used to. It's a great concept to be sure of. Using one door handle is much easier than locking and unlocking two locks individually. You still get the security of a dead bolt along with the convenience of a single door handle. There are some quirks here, like the inability to leave the door unlocked without using your phone and the oversized mounting plates for the lock. The handle also sticks out quite a bit which actually bothered my screen door. Many of these are minor issues that can certainly be fixed in a 2.0 product.

But at $ 450, you really don't want any compromises from a door lock. That's way more than double the average smart door lock on the market. That's a high price to pay for a little comfort. I usually leave my door lock unlocked because only my bolt was smart up to the Lockly. Having a door lock that works for both the deadbolt and the deadbolt is great, but I'm not convinced that $ 450 is great.

Is there a better alternative?

The Lockly's fingerprint reader and code field both work great. There's no shortage of smart locks on the market – check out our list of the most popular smart locks – but none of them control both the trap and the bolt. Is that the best in the world? It is certainly convenient. There were times when I would lock myself out of the house when I forgot to unlock the doorknob. With this lock, that's never a problem.

For roughly the same price, the ultimate Smart Lock is available in the Lockly Vision. It is the Swiss Army Knife among intelligent locks because it offers all modern conveniences, but also serves as a video doorbell. If you prefer something a little more discreet, the Level Touch looks like an ordinary deadbolt lock on any door and doesn't have the distracting keypads and bulky bolts normally associated with smart locks. And finally there is the August Wi-Fi Smart Lock, which is characterized by its moderate price, easy installation and incredible security features.

How long it will take?

I have no reason to believe this door lock won't hold. It is built from durable materials. The locks are backed by a five-year guarantee on mechanics and workmanship and a two-year electrical guarantee. The gap between the lock plate and the door handle makes me pause, but it's inside so it should be affected by rain. In general, I have no complaints about the durability.

Should you buy it?

No. There are certain reasons why you wouldn't want this lock from a functional standpoint. If your door has no awning or other weather protection, you will find that the fingerprint sensor and the code board are very sensitive to rain and practically no longer work. If you don't like the aesthetics of the door handles and prefer doorknobs, you should insist.

But the main concern I have is the pricing which is very high. Put simply, you can buy a smart door lock and bolt and still have money for a few battery packs before you hit that price threshold. Lockly needs to bring the price down before it is considered a solid buy.

Editor's recommendations



10 Oct
Blog

Level Touch Review: Tap-to-Go Convenience

Level touch the lock

Level touch review: convenience to take with you

"The best looking smart lock is enhanced by touch access and NFC key cards."

  • Minimalistic design

  • easy installation

  • Comfortable touch of touch

  • Programmable NFC key cards used as a backup

  • Expensive costs

  • Touch Unlock only works when you leave your home border

Without a doubt, Level has redefined our perception of what a smart lock should look like. Instead of a clunky keyboard that was visible to all, Level wanted something far more graceful – and one that didn't distract or detract from the existing look of a door. The Bolt Lock level was an engineering marvel, but now the company intends to take the next step.

The Level Touch is the continuation of the company's approach of integrating seamlessly into the smart home. With the same discreet design as before, combined with the power of the touch, it's supposed to be a complete all-in-one system that makes accessing your Smart Lock even more convenient.

A contemporary design that blends in

Similar to its previous Smart Lock, the Level Touch is not far away with its ingenious design that stows all components. So the end result is a smart lock that looks horribly like an ordinary lock. It is available in four finishes: satin nickel, satin chrome, polished brass and matt black, so it goes with almost any door finish.

Level Touch the outer button housingJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Installation is still child's play and takes no more than 10 minutes. In contrast to the bolt, when you touch you have to replace your original lock with a new one. This is important because the bolt was set up as a system that could turn any lock into a smart one. However, this is not the same situation here as with the Level Touch. So you will have to use a new set of physical buttons after setting it up. I really prefer the other implementation, but I understand that this is supposed to be an all-in-one out of the box solution.

Even more ways to unlock

As the name suggests, the Level Touch can be operated with touch power – in addition to the usual method of using the Level app on a smartphone or via GPS proximity. Now you can set it up so that you can lock and unlock it by touching the outer key housing. Initially this was a tricky experience as the unlocking mechanism could not be initiated. Luckily it was short lived and after a few changes to the settings it started to work like a charm. You can rest assured that no one can simply touch and unlock the lock. That's because you still need your smartphone in close proximity for this to work.

In addition to being touched, Level introduces these NFC key cards, which serve as another way to access the lock – a useful option if you want to give access to a caregiver, family member, or other person. It comes with two NFC key cards that can be programmed via the app. It definitely reminds me of a hotel key as it works the same way by placing it flush with the keyhole and slightly above it. My only minor complaint is that it takes more than five seconds for the card to be recognized instead of being instantaneous.

You can set the app to automatically lock itself after a preset interval. This is useful when you're just rushing out the door to get somewhere. There is also the option to automatically unlock. This comes in handy when you are busy with food. This function is of course based on GPS and is only activated when you cross and enter your home limit for the first time. In my situation, the app shows the home border in such a way that it covers almost a block. So I would call it a radius of 150 feet. This is a bit alarming considering that this is still a considerable distance that could give someone plenty of time to get into your home before you get there. In reality, however, the Level Touch will automatically unlock when I'm about 3 meters from the lock. So there is nothing to be concerned about.

The only mistake

While I enjoy simply tapping the lock to operate the mechanism, there is one particular situation where it won't work – and it's an issue that I hope will fix. Unfortunately, the touch unlock feature won't start until you step outside the house and rent it again. So if you forget something at home after you have touched it, you won't be able to use Touch Unlock right away.

A smart lock that looks terrible like an ordinary lock

This is due to the fact that everything is monitored by GPS coordinates. You'll need to venture out of the zone and re-enter the area before it detects you've left and re-enables touch unlock. I was outside the door when I forgot something inside so I can't touch the lock to unlock it. Instead, I had to open the app and unlock it there.

Fortunately, there are several other methods to unlock it. As I mentioned earlier, you can always have an NFC key card on hand, but you can access the Level app and HomeKit controls by asking Siri to open the door or, as a last resort, the physical keys. While there is an Android app for using Level Touch, Apple users get more controls thanks to HomeKit support, so they can be linked to other automations via the Home app for iOS. However, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant are not yet supported.

Level Touch with the NFC key cardJohn Velasco / Digital Trends

Battery power comes in the form of a single CR2 battery that fits snugly into the screw. It is designed to provide more than a year of battery life with normal use, but that will of course vary.

Our opinion

The Level Touch costs $ 329, which is an increase of $ 100 over the Level Bolt. It's not cheap, but the high cost is the price to be paid for all of the technical challenges of such a minimalist-looking smart lock – as well as introducing some new lock / unlock methods.

How long it will take?

All components are carefully made from metal and have a robust build quality. I am therefore confident that they will hold up very well. In the event that a malfunction occurs due to a defect, there is a two-year guarantee that covers defects in material and workmanship.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes and no. There are few who can compete with the minimalist design, as many of them are bulky and imposing figures on doors. The Smart Lock from SimpliSafe corresponds exactly to Level's philosophy of not being a disruptive element on a door.

In terms of functions, the Lockly Vision continues to be the Swiss Army Knife for smart locks with a keyboard, fingerprint sensor and integrated video camera that effectively turns it into a doorbell camera too. If you're looking for something that doesn't cost a huge amount and is easy to install, consider the Wyze Lock and August Wi-Fi Smart Lock.

Should you buy it?

If you really want to keep the look of your door so that it stays that natural, the Level Touch is the logical choice. Not only does it look like a traditional lock, but I also appreciate the new ways to unlock it.

Editor's recommendations