AEG VX82-1 ÖKO Review

For some time now, AEG has launched a new vacuum cleaner, the AEG ÖKO vacuum cleaner line. These are vacuum cleaners that are largely made from recycled plastic. The AEG VX82-1-ÖKO is a canister vacuum cleaner in this series that caught my attention: AEG promises a noise level below 60 decibels.

I have decided to buy this vacuum cleaner and test it extensively. In this AEG VX82-1-ÖKO review I discuss my experiences with this (super quiet) canister vacuum.

Accessories: what do you get with the AEG VX82-1-ÖKO?

The AEG VX82-1-ÖKO is one of the few environmentally friendly vacuum cleaners at the moment. It is not only made from recycled material: the packaging itself largely consists of recycled material. Let's see what I find while unboxing the AEG VX82-1-ÖKO!

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1. AEG VX82-1-ÖKO: an environmentally friendly vacuum cleaner with a bag. The vacuum cleaner itself comes with a bag*
2. Combi brush: a combi brush for soft and hard floors. Also with a smart mode with floor recognition
3. Parquet brush: a parquet brush with soft bristles to protect wooden floors
4. 3-in-1 accessory: a fold-out nozzle, equipped with a dusting brush, turbo brush and crevice tool
5. Accessory clip: a clip to clip the 3-in-1 accessory onto the vacuum cleaner rod
6. Vacuum cleaner hose: a flexible black vacuum cleaner hose. I don't see them very often in black
7. Vacuum cleaner rod: a telescopically adjustable vacuum cleaner rod with an ergonomic handle

* I almost threw the packaging away, after which I discovered another extra vacuum cleaner bag. So you get a total of two!

Suction performance: how well does the AEG VX82-1-ÖKO vacuum on different floor types?

A vacuum cleaner can have many different suction brushes, it remains to be seen ‘how well' it vacuums on various floor types. With the help of various measuring instruments and my own floor trays, I try to answer that in every review. I am researching the suction power on the following floor types:

• Hardwood floors: hard and vulnerable floor type
• Carpet: high-pile and low-pile rug

I also investigate how well this vacuum cleaner is suitable for pet hair.

Suction performance on wooden floors, carpet and pet hair

The AEG VX82-1-ÖKO scores very well on wooden floors. Both small and larger dirt are no problem for this vacuum cleaner. It comes with an extra parquet brush: unfortunately this does not have openings at the bristles, so that dirt is pushed forward. However, this does not happen with the combi brush.

If we look at soft floor types, the vacuum cleaner has a little more trouble with that. The dirt is pushed forward, so I have to lift the vacuum cleaner brush slightly to suck the dirt away. However, after I do that, the vacuum cleaner has no trouble sucking up the dirt.

The vacuum cleaner comes with a 3-in-1 accessory. If I unfold it, I can use it to remove pet hair. This works fine, but unfortunately it is not a motorized turbo brush.

• Hardwood floors: 8/10
• Carpet: 7.5/10
• Pet hair: 7/10

Suction vs Airflow

To compare the suction power of vacuum cleaners, I use a suction power meter and an air speed meter (anemometer). I measure the suction power in Kilopascals (kPa). At the air speed (the Airflow) I measure in meters per second (m/s). With the suction power measurement, I arrive at 20 kPa, which is very high compared to other vacuum cleaners with a bag.

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When I measure the airspeed I arrive at 40.7 meters per second. This is a bit lower than other vacuum cleaners I've tested. For example, if I look at the Philips PowerPro Expert FC9745/09 review, I measured 44.6 m/s there.

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User-friendliness: how easy is it to vacuum?

An important part of my vacuum cleaner reviews is the user-friendliness. How easy it is to vacuum: the weight, the noise level and the cord length are one of the factors that give a better picture of this. When making a vacuum cleaner user-friendly, I always check the following points:

• Maneuverability: how easily does the vacuum cleaner roll after me?
• The operation: think of the power, the on/off button and the plug reel
• Ergonomics: is the handle comfortable to hold and is it suitable for tall people?
• Weight: how heavy is a vacuum cleaner? And is it easy to lift with a handle?
• Noise level: below 60 decibels, I speak of a quiet vacuum cleaner
• Cord length: I also look at the total vacuum cleaner action radius (working range)

All these features are equally important to me.

Maneuverability, handling and ergonomics

The AEG VX82-1-ÖKO is a manoeuvrable vacuum cleaner: it has large wheels, which means it can easily handle tight turns. The wheels have a thick rubber edge, which protects parquet floors well. Another plus of such a rubber edge is that the vacuum cleaner makes less noise when you drive it over a hard floor. The vacuum cleaner has large buttons and a handle on the top. This handle also serves as a button to automatically rewind the cord.

The handle of the vacuum cleaner is special: there is a protruding handle, on top of the rod. This allows you to easily vacuum with curves, without your wrist being bothered. The vacuum cleaner comes with a vacuum cleaner rod that is adjustable in length.

Noise level, weight and range

I already gave it away a bit at the beginning of my review: it is the quietest vacuum cleaner I've ever tested. In my noise measurement I only measure 54.9 decibels. This is well below my personal noise limit of 60 decibels! It's good to know that I always do my noise investigations with the vacuum cleaner on the highest power and the decibel meter near my ears.

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The weight of the vacuum cleaner is 7.8 kilograms; this is a bit more than is stated at many web shops (7.3 kilograms)*. It is not a lightweight vacuum cleaner: it feels very heavy when it is lifted. However, it does have a large handle, with which you can lift it in balance. The AEG VX82-1-ÖKO has a 9 meter cord; the action radius (the distance from the plug to the suction brush) amounts to a respectable 12 meters. A nice element is that the cord is green. This is perhaps a nod to the environmentally conscious choice.

* The difference is often due to the following: in many cases the weight of the vacuum cleaner is stated excluding the suction brush and vacuum cleaner rod. I believe that the weight, including the vacuum cleaner rod and suction brush, is interesting, as these are necessary when vacuuming.

Maintenance of the AEG VX82-1-ÖKO

We are dealing with a canister vacuum cleaner with a bag: you will therefore have to take care of a new dust bag every now and then. The VX82-1-ÖKO has a dust capacity of 3.5 litres, which is an excellent volume size for a dust bag. The dust bag is easy to change. At the back of the vacuum cleaner I discover a HEPA 13 filter: this type of filter provides a filtering of 99.95%.

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In my article ‘bagless vs bagged vacuum cleaner‘ it became clear that you have to wash the filters less often with a vacuum cleaner with a dust bag. Cleaning a HEPA filter is necessary to keep dust emissions low.