The Ultenic FS1 is intended to be innovative and relatively inexpensive. Its automatic emptying station simplifies maintenance and daily use, while optional accessories such as the second battery or the pet grooming kit make it a complete product. However, can it do as well as a Dyson, the undisputed market leader? After several weeks of testing, here is our verdict!
In a market dominated by Dyson, Ultenic innovates with its FS1 stick vacuum cleaner, which has the particularity of emptying into a dust bag housed in the charging station, ensuring better hygiene and more comfort on a daily basis. To better compete with the leader in stick vacuums, the FS1 also offers an optional pet grooming accessory kit, all for a significantly lower price.
We tested the Ultenic FS1, and here is our opinion.
A minimalist design
At first glance, the FS1 appears bulkier than a typical stick vacuum cleaner. Looking closer, we notice that it is especially its base which takes up slightly more space than normal, since it incorporates a dust bag which is used for automatic emptying of the vacuum cleaner. It also differs from those common on the market, since it is on foot and cannot be hung on the wall. However, it remains discreet enough to fit into a cupboard or laundry room without taking up too much space.
The lower part is used to accommodate the stick vacuum cleaner, without having to separate it from the flat brush, which is housed at the base of the station. In the center of the base, an imposing hatch covers the dust bag and the upper part receives the dust container of the vacuum cleaner. It is this part that docks to the station and holds the vacuum cleaner in place when emptying and recharging, without the need to rely on the telescopic rod and brush. The integrated mechanism also allows the dust bin flap to be automatically unlocked and opened, making it easier to empty the dust bin.
Finally, on the top of the base there is a location for recharging a second battery, sold separately, very useful for long cleaning sessions, to avoid having to stop cleaning while the accumulator fills up.
Now let’s move on to the vacuum cleaner itself, which maintains a fairly classic and compact appearance. The handle is easy to grip and connects the lower part where the battery fits, which does not need to be removed for recharging, and the upper part which is made up of five layers of filtration, including a filter HEPA pre-motor and a post-motor, as well as a sponge filter, another with a grid and finally a cyclone separator.
A few buttons allow you to open the covers and release the accessories, while a main button allows you to turn on the vacuum cleaner. Finally, a capacitive button located on the end of the handle is used to start emptying and to switch between the different suction modes.
The Ultenic FS1 comes standard with a motorized flat brush equipped with an LED, as well as two additional accessories, namely a small cleaning brush and a tool for vacuuming skirting boards. The brand also provides two dust bags and a replacement filter in the box. A pet grooming kit is also sold separately, which includes various accessories for trimming pet hair as well as a brush, making it easier to vacuum up hair and dirt.
Unfortunately, whether it is the accessories supplied as standard or the grooming kit, the base does not include any storage space. This means that you have to provide a place to store them near the vacuum cleaner, or leave them unsightly lying next to the base.
Finally, let’s finish with the quality of the finishes, which is actually average. The plastics seem of poor quality and fragile, which raises doubts about the durability of the product over time. Likewise, after several uses, we were able to observe squeaks, which does not tend to attest to the durability of the product.
Efficient suction and good maneuverability
On a daily basis, the FS1 is handy and easy to use. Its 450 W motor offers a suction power of 30,000 Pa, giving it excellent suction capacity. Auto mode automatically controls power, intelligently detecting carpet and dirt, while it remains possible to switch between standard and turbo modes using the capacitive button on the top of the handle.
The motorized brush is effective for cleaning hard floors and carpets, and can remove dirt without difficulty. Its integrated LED illuminates dust and better identifies it in order to vacuum your floors efficiently. The FS1 effectively vacuums dirt, dust and animal hair on all types of floors, most of the time without requiring a second pass.
However, the main brush tends not to run along the baseboards, which requires the use of the dedicated nozzle for complete cleaning.
On the other hand, the accessories are not very suitable for daily cleaning, since the small brush does not allow you to vacuum a sofa for example, thus limiting the usefulness of the FS1 beyond floors. The telescopic handle still allows you to reach high or narrow areas without difficulty, practical for vacuuming up cobwebs.
Regarding the accessories, it is unfortunate that it is not possible to attach them to the vacuum cleaner, since this means that they are lying around separately and have to be found when vacuuming.
The FS1 also doesn’t have a real parking position, which means it’s impossible to leave it standing to take a break or pull a piece of furniture. It is still possible to do this, but the vacuum cleaner is not stable and can easily fall, meaning you have to hold it or return it to its base while cleaning.
Concerning the noise level of the FS1, it does well with a noise of between 75 and 80 dB, depending on the suction power chosen. Emptying the dust bin emits around 80 dB, which is still noisy, although the process only takes a few seconds.
As for the pet grooming kit, this one is particularly complete and allows you to clip, thin and brush your pet. In addition to the tips, this includes a hose to simplify use and make grooming easier, although it is sometimes a little short.
However, the efficiency is there, in particular thanks to the suction of the hairs during shearing, but also of dirt and hairs stuck on the brush during brushing. The main criticism remains the absence of a storage box, which once again means leaving accessories lying around.
Let’s finish with the autonomy of the Ultenic FS1, which is relatively good, with an average of around 30 minutes in auto mode, going up to an hour using the most economical. Turbo mode should only be used on certain very dirty floors, since it greatly reduces the available suction time.
The FS1 also has the advantage of offering an optional second battery, with a dedicated charging slot on the base. This allows them to be swapped in an instant, ensuring you have sufficient autonomy to clean your entire home.
Simple maintenance, but not without defects
The main advantage of the Ultenic FS1 is its automatic emptying into a bag. The process is efficient and a long press is enough for the contents of the tank to be sucked into the dust bin on the base. Although this step is optional, and not recommended if you have just vacuumed up your pet’s hair, it greatly simplifies daily maintenance of the vacuum cleaner. Simply place it on the charging base and the tank flap opens automatically and press the drain button to start the process.
However, we regret that the bin remains open when you pick up the vacuum cleaner and I happened to start vacuuming without realizing that it had remained open. An automatic closing mechanism or even the inability to start vacuuming would have been wise.
This self-emptying mechanism does not, however, exempt you from properly maintaining the vacuum cleaner. Fortunately, Ultenic has made sure that all the parts are easily removable, whether it is the filters, the tank, or the brush. Hairs tend to get tangled easily, but the fact that it is easily removable greatly simplifies its maintenance. Likewise, during our tests, we managed to block the vacuum cleaner duct by sucking up fir thorns, which we were easily able to extract afterwards.
Reading these lines, it seems that Ultenic has the perfect solution to simplify the maintenance of a stick vacuum cleaner. However, things are not so obvious. Although maintenance is greatly simplified, you still have to manually clean the dust container. In addition, depending on what you vacuum, the dust bag tends to accumulate bad odors. In my case, my samoyed’s hair got the better of the FS1, which gives off a foul odor with each emptying. It’s a shame, especially since the bag is not full, but the smell makes it somewhat necessary to change it.
Finally, using single-use bags is not ideal from an environmental point of view, since they create additional waste compared to a tank to be emptied into the household waste bin.
Price and availability
The Ultenic FS1 was initially sold for 399 euros, a price too high for a vacuum cleaner, certainly innovative, but not revolutionary either. The brand became aware of this by lowering its price to around 350 euros during the summer of 2023, before making a further price reduction to 250 euros. This latter price is much more acceptable in view of the services offered and the accessories provided.
The grooming kit is sold for around fifty euros, and the additional battery for 55 euros.