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Dreame H11 Max: test/review

Published on: 05-10-2021 / Modified: 07-10-2022

I've been testing a lot of vacuums over the past few months and up until now I've mainly focused on cordless (stick size) vacuums and robot vacuums with the occasional cleaning function. I thought I had seen just about everything on the hoover market until I came across the Dreame H11 Max. This hoover has the basics of a cordless upright hoover but with the power of a traditional hoover and a cleaning and water recovery function. I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when I received this hoover because I didn't know what I had in my hands, which is probably the case for you after reading this article if you have never seen a hoover of this type before.

The Dreame H11 Max is a massive looking hoover that weighs almost 5 years, however you will see in the course of the test that its appearance is deceptive as this hoover is very easy to handle, I even found it quite agile. Yet hoovers capable of cleaning at the same time are generally not good at both (vacuuming, cleaning), so I will try to see if Dreame has succeeded in the challenge of combining both functions without having to make sacrifices.

Dreame H11 / Pro

The Dreame H11 comes in two versions, there is the Dreame H11 and the Dreame H11 Pro. I have tested the Pro version but much of the content in this article will also apply to the Dreame H11.

What are the differences between the two versions?
The main difference is the power. The Dreame H11 has a suction power of 5500pa and this puts it above the rest of the robot hoovers.
The H11 Pro is available in black where the H11 is available in white, the H11 does not have a sensor to adapt the suction to the detected dirt.

Dreame H11 Max price

Unpacking

I'm always surprised by the complexity of vacuum packaging, I've come to note the position of items in the box so that I can put everything back in its original state when I've finished my test. You shouldn't need to put everything back in the box so this problem only serves to illustrate that these boxes are organised in a fairly complex way to allow everything to be packed carefully without the items touching.

The box contains the main body of the hoover which consists of two water tanks (one for clean water, one for dirty water), a large circular screen and a rotating brush that can be tilted to adapt the height of the hoover to your height. The water tanks help give it a very massive look but don't let that be your only impression as the grip is very natural.

A handle is available to allow you to handle the hoover with more ease but it also allows you to start the suction, change the suction mode and start the cleaning of the brush when the hoover is on its charging station. This handle looks flimsy compared to the hoover but I was surprised to find that it doesn't bend when handling the hoover, you can lift the hoover from this handle without any problem.

The rotating brush has two types of textures to better grip the dirt and bring it into the suction area. This brush is quite dense, it doesn't use wings like the Dreame T20/T30, so it is not designed to suck up large objects. So this hoover should be seen as a cleaning tool that uses suction power to collect dirty water.

The docking station allows you to place the vacuum cleaner in an upright position. Once housed in its cradle, the station will start charging the battery but you can also trigger a brush cleaning that will spin the brush quickly on its cradle to clean it up.

The water tanks are of different sizes. The clean water tank can hold 500ml, the dirty water tank can hold 900ml. The tanks are easily detached from the main trunk and the transparent wall allows you to see their filling status.

The box contains the vacuum cleaner, two tanks, two brushes, a replacement hepa filter (in addition to the one already installed), a vacuum cleaner cleaning brush and the stand. The whole set weighs about 5kg.

Functioning

The operation of the Dreame H11 Max is very simple. First you attach the handle to the vacuum cleaner, then you have the choice to start the vacuum cleaner in automatic mode or in water recovery mode. The automatic mode will detect the surface to be cleaned and the quantity of dirt to adapt its rhythm.

The screen is very imposing and indicates the battery level but will also light up differently if for example the brush gets stuck in a carpet. With such a screen Dreame could have probably used it a little better to display other information like on the T20/T30 range. The screen gives the impression of being tactile but it is not.

The main brush is motorized, this means that the suction is assisted by the rotation of the brush but it also means that the vacuum cleaner will move forward on its own as if you were holding a dog on a leash. Unlike a dog, you won't have trouble controlling the vacuum cleaner because despite the thrust generated by the brush, it is easy to go backwards (except maybe on carpets). The brush is covered with a material that allows you to really brush the dirt to gradually loosen it from the floor.

When you are done cleaning, you need to return the vacuum to the upright position and trigger the brush cleaning to prevent the dirt from drying on it. Simply press the cleaning button.

Cleaning/suction test

Dreame H11 Max has a suction force of 10000pa, the normal version has a suction force of 5000pa. Dreame's robot vacuums go up to 4000pa (at least the models I tested). The H11 Max has a considerable suction power compared to other vacuum cleaners of the same brand. The H11 Max is not only meant to suck up dust, it moistens the floor, loosens the dirt and brings everything back to the level of its dirty water tank. It should therefore be compared with a manual cleaner except that here you don't have to bend down or press down to hope to remove a stubborn stain, the Dreame H11 Max takes care of that for you.

Robotic vacuums/cleaners are autonomous and you don't have to do anything except empty their tank. With the H11 you will have to move around with the vacuum cleaner but you will benefit from a much higher suction power and you will be able to properly clean the corners of your rooms where a robot vacuum cleaner will always be limited to capture all the dirt.

You can use this vacuum to clean carpets, the combination of water and brush will quickly remove surface dirt but I find that the dirt in the bottom layer of the carpet seems to keep clinging to the carpet.

I also did a cleaning test with maple syrup by letting it dry on the floor for a bit, it's the kind of liquid that sticks pretty hard to the tile. The Dreame H11 was able to remove the syrup in two passes and the floor was not sticking at all after the second pass.

Autonomy

The robots I've tested so far offered a battery life that easily went beyond two hours, this is not the case with this vacuum cleaner. The suction power is twice as high as the Dreame Z10 Pro, so it's not surprising that the autonomy is therefore not as good. When you start the vacuum cleaner you will see the battery percentage drop very quickly to about 30 minutes. If you have to clean a large area, you may have to do the cleaning in several times (and wait for the vacuum to be charged again).

Operating noise

The Dreame H11 Max is noticeably louder than a robot vacuum, which is neither surprising nor abnormal for a vacuum of this type. I measured a noise level around 80db near the brush.

Maniability

The shape of the vacuum cleaner makes it look massive and rigid, the vacuum cleaner is actually quite agile I find because it can not only hinge up and down at the brush but it can also rotate thanks to the handle. This allows you to manipulate the vacuum in two axes and you can literally change the orientation of the brush without having to lift or move the vacuum.

Test/Final Review

The Dreame H11 Max is a bit of an exotic vacuum cleaner compared to what I've tested previously. It looks like an upright vacuum cleaner, but it has two water tanks so it can convert into a vacuum cleaner. The Dreame H11 Max was designed to help you clean your home by combining water supply, a motorized cleaning brush and a dirty water recovery system.

I was positively surprised by the cleaning capacity of this vacuum cleaner because its rotating brushes literally scrape your tiles to loosen the dirt and the suction force of the Dreame H11 allows to recover the dirty water. This type of vacuum cleaner is more work than a robot vacuum cleaner because you have to guide it, but it is more efficient than a robot and it can easily clean the corners where a robot will never be able to recover all the dirt. The Dreame H11 Max on the other hand does not go under furniture, it is way too big for that.

Strengths

- efficient cleaning (the best I've tested so far)
- greatly reduces the effort for cleaning
- easy to use / maintain
- manageability despite the size of the product
- large display with clear indications

Weaknesses

- too big to fit under furniture, only usable on the floor
- autonomy and long charging time
- significantly heavier than a traditional upright vacuum cleaner