Samsung F500 CycloneForce Sensor review

A lot of engineering prowess and technology goes into making a vacuum cleaner, bit it’s usually found on the inside where you can’t see it. Not so with the Samsung F500 CycloneForce Sensor (VC21F50HDDDR). This compact cleaner has a dust sensor in the tube to let you know where to clean and to neutralise allergens in the process.

Each gadget takes AAA batteries, rather than running off of mains power, as you can remove them from the hose assembly if you don’t need them for a specific task. The dust sensor, at least, works well; it lights up with a red LED when it detects dust, changing to green once you’ve completely cleaned an area. You can turn the UV light on and off using the remote control switches on the hose, so you don’t need to bend down every time you want to turn it on, but unless you’re super-sensitive to dust microbes and bacteria, we aren’t sure it will be selling point for many.

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The F500 is packed full of tech to help you find and eliminate dust

The F500 is built for people with animals. Two oversized rear wheels and a single front castor wheel let you turn on the spot for excellent mobility. A 10.5m reach, thanks to the 7m cable, is fairly standard for an indoor vacuum. The F500 weighs 7.4kg when empty, which again is average for a cylinder cleaner.

The F500 is rated at 2,100w, although it actually drew slightly less power from the wall; we measured it at 2,082w with suction set to its maximum level. That power doesn’t translate into incredible suction, but the F500 still managed to come out above average in our tests; we measured it at 31.5kPa, 31kPa and 31kPa respectively when empty, half full and completely full.

It also makes quite a racket; Samsung rates it at 79dB(A). It’s certainly loud and not for people that want things quiet, but the sound it makes isn’t too annoying.

In practice, we were able to collect the full amount of sample dirt on both carpets and hard floors. The wide brush glided smoothly over every surface and didn’t kick debris across the room when encountering a small pile either, so spilt plant pots won’t be a problem.

Removing the bin can be done with one hand, thanks to a push button release, but you’ll need two hands to actually empty it. Its 2L capacity is rather low, particularly for a vacuum aimed at pet care, but the two-part design is at least easy to clean.

At £199, we think the F500 is much better value than the more expensive F600, which uses a bag. It’s powerful and the dust sensor is great if you want to make sure you’ve cleaned thoroughly. With a great low-price, the F500 wins a Best Buy award. Buy now from Amazon.