The cordless vacuum cleaners may provide convenience, but they just couldn’t clean as effectively as the conventional vacuum cleaner. Even better, Philips FC9350 PowerPro Compact Bagless Vacuum Cleaner 1800W takes cleaning to the next level. But be warned! It’s not as perfect as one may imagine!
The Quest for a Good Vacuum Cleaner
After using the Deermi cordless vacuum cleaner, Mr Salty decided that he really needed a real vacuum cleaner. While Mr Salty could easily pick up the cordless vacuum cleaner any time to do spot cleaning, it had its shortcomings.
The vacuum cleaner lacked the battery power for a decent, thorough cleaning session for a 4 room HDB flat. Moreover, the charging time of 5 hours meant that a typical cleaning session had to be split hours apart. It also has a weak suction power, meaning that Mr Salty had to slow down his swiping movement, which lengthened the vacuum time, which strained the battery power… You get the drift.
The final straw came when Mr Salty observed that the “new technology” of such vacuum cleaners – roller wiper that’s supposed to sweep up the hair and dirt from around the swiper – was creating a vortex that actually blew hair and dirt away from him as he vacuumed. In other words, every vacuum session was a wild goose chase around the room.
Philips FC9350 PowerPro to the Rescue
The Philips FC9350 PowerPro struck off all the pain points that Mr Salty had with the cordless vacuum cleaner, and more.
Wide Cleaning Radius – 9m
Moving the obvious out of the way, a “wired” vacuum cleaner didn’t have the issue of running out of battery. Mr Salty wouldn’t need to split his cleaning session 5 hours apart. To compensate for it being “chained” to the wall socket, the Philips FC9350 PowerPro had a working radius of 9m, the wire and extended vacuum hose and all. Mr Salty had only to switch power sockets once to clean the entire flat.
Strong Suction – 33,000 Pa
Next comes the power. Mr Salty loved the way it sucked so well. Hair in the immediate vicinity of the inlet got sucked in like pins to a magnet. Mr Salty no longer had to chase dirt around the house. The typical handheld vacuum cleaner boasted a top suction power of around 20,000 Pa. That is, if you turned it to the strongest mode. The default speed is usually lower, at around 10,000 Pa. That put the Philips FC9350 PowerPro’s suction 200% more powerful than the usual cordless vacuum cleaner.
Fast Cleaning – 30 min for 4rm HDB
Similarly, the strong suction power meant that it could keep up with his quick swiping actions. A 45 minute vacuum session with the old Deermi could now be completed in under 30 minutes!
Just how strong was the suction? There was once Mr Salty accidentally sucked up a stray screw on the floor. That strong.
Where the Philips FC9350 PowerPro Fell Short
That being said, Mr Salty do have his fair share of struggles with the Philips FC9350 PowerPro.
First, it was real noisy. It just drowned out every other sound in the house.
Secondly, the metal hose was heavy. After 10 minutes of usage, its weight started to show. Mr Salty always thought the 30 min of vacuuming was also a part of his full body workout regime. But apparently, women friends who used the machine told Mr Salty they were fine with it. Guess who was the weakling in town??
There were a few times when the machine overturned. But that was mostly Mr Salty’s fault, as he liked to yank the machine around while vacuuming.
The bagless feature was both boon and bane. Dirt was stored into a removable chamber. The lid of the chamber could be opened and the contents emptied just by using one hand.
Unfortunately, Mr Salty just couldn’t get around doing it right. The hair just clung onto the insides. The dust in the container gets stirred up easily. Therefore, clearing out the dirt tank was usually a messy disaster. As such, Mr Salty had to re-vacuum the floor each time after he cleared the dirt chamber.
Accessories
Honestly, Mr Salty had never used the accessories that came with vacuum cleaners. Like the usual Singaporeans, the most complicated maneuver came from removing the “head” to vacuum the edges of the wall.
Mr Salty bought the machine from Philips’ official store on Lazada, but it still came fitted with a European plug. However, Philips gave an adaptor for free. But oh well.. If it does the job, Mr Salty has no complaints.
Price
Mr Salty had bought the Philips FC9350 PowerPro during the Lazada 4.4 sale in 2021. After all the discounts, he paid a grand total of $138.60, which was $90 discount from retail price. Every now and then, it could still be purchased at around the same price, or lower. As at Apr 2022, the vacuum cleaner could be bought at $129 – $179, depending on whether you are buying it from the departmental store or online. (The former of which meant you may have to factor in delivery cost, if you do not intend to bring it home yourself).
Parting Words
All in all, whenever Mr Salty feel like he wanted his flat to be spick and span, Mr Salty could whip the Philips FC9350 PowerPro out of the store room and let it work its wonders. Its suction power is the wet dream of all OCD cleanliness freaks. The Philips FC9350 PowerPro could do better by replacing its heavy metal hose to a lightweight plastic. But at least Mr Salty know he could rely on it for self defense if a knife wielding madman barges into his home!
Remember, salty is life!