Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra 2 In 1 Stick Vacuum Review

Electrolux Ergorapido Overview

You may have been living under a rock or coming out of cryonics if you haven’t heard of Electrolux before. Next to Whirlpool, this Swedish company is the largest household and professional appliance maker in the world. Electrolux sells under a wide variety of brands, with a roster that includes names like Frigidaire, Beam and Eureka.

With a history of making vacuum cleaners spanning almost a century, today Electrolux continues to design and develop vacuum cleaner products with what they call a ‘focus on performance and affordability’ – a combination we certainly don’t mind. Today, our focus will be on the Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra 2 in 1 Stick Vacuum cleaner (EL 1022A). It’s certainly got the affordability check-box ticked off, let’s see if it can match the performance claim as well.

At BVC, we take pride in educating our readers on the facts before they make any purchases; that’s why we wanted to start this review with a caveat: The Electrolux Ergorapido is not your Sunday-afternoon power cleaner that can tackle the whole house in one go. Anyone that buys the vacuum with this expectation will be sorely disappointed. That being said, the EL 1022A fills a specific void present in most households extremely well. When used the way it’s intended, we believe users can gain a proper level of respect and appreciation for the appliance. Read on after the drop to find out if you should consider adding this vacuum cleaner to your cleaning arsenal.

Features

Our first impression of the Ergorapido was a positive one. In terms of design, it’s clear that Electrolux has dipped into its storied history and experience as an appliance manufacturer to create the EL 1022A, and that attention to detail shows. The vacuum cleaner is capped by a sturdy handle made of a softer-touch material that’s easy to grip. The broad, rounded tip of the handle allows the vacuum unit to lean against walls easily without falling over.

A row of LED lights located just above the suction head does an excellent job of illuminating cleaning paths, and made the job of cleaning under beds and other dark areas a breeze. The Electrolux Ergorapido is also pleasantly lightweight, coming in at just 5.3 lbs. Coupled with a bag-less design that includes a no-touch dust cup and a cordless design, it doesn’t take long to realize that the EL 1022A’s key focus is portability and minimal maintenance.

 

Battery Life

Speaking of cordless, you’re only doing yourself a disservice if you don’t give cordless vacuuming a try at least once in your lifetime. The feeling is positively liberating (yes, we need more hobbies), and this cordless EL 1022A is no exception to going the distance sans power outlet. The 12V battery in this model is a must – Electrolux also sells a 9.6V model, but the battery life of those units is dismal.

 In our tests, a full charge of the Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra 2 in 1 is good for approximately 20 minutes of running at normal power; which is enough time to meet the cleaning needs of the average consumer. After a full discharge, the stick vacuum had to be docked for an average of 17 hours for the battery to regain a full charge. The charging time isn’t the most convenient, but we cut that a bit of slack as compromise between battery size and a vacuum cleaner’s overall weight has to be struck to maintain portability.

2-in-1?

At this point, you’re probably wondering what the ‘Ultra 2 in 1′ part of the vacuum’s name refers to. In what is possibly our favourite feature of this model, the Electrolux stick vac converts to a handheld unit when you release the attachment out of its stick frame.

The suction power on the hand unit holds it’s own, and along with being able to clean stairwells with ease, we found ourselves quickly getting into the habit of reaching for the handheld to get at crumbs, plant debris, pet hair and all the minor spills one would normally not bother taking out a full-sized unit to tackle. Needless to say, the convenience factor was definitely pushing all the right buttons for us.

 

Performance

In terms of the stick vacuum’s performance, it uses a 2 position switch (High and Normal) to give better control over cleaning needs. We found that in normal-mode the Electrolux Ultra 2 in 1 delivered sufficient suction power; however tackling jobs on area rugs definitely required a switch to high power in order to be effective. This brings us to the biggest limitation holding the Electrolux Ergorapido back from having universal appeal: if your home is dominated by carpeted surfaces that you’re hoping to clean, then this is not the appliance for you.

Similar to the Miele S2121, the Ultra 2 in 1 does an exceptional job of tackling bare floors, but you can forget about getting those high pile carpeted surfaces to a satisfactory level of clean. Switching to high power will allow you to handle low-pile carpets and rugs, but the Electrolux is clearly in its element in areas such as the kitchen, bathroom tiling and hardwood. The 180 degree swivelling suction head positively glides on these surfaces.

Conclusion

Unless you live in a small apartment predominated with bare flooring, the Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra 2 in 1 Stick Vacuum does not make a strong case for being your primary vacuum cleaner. On top of its high performance being restricted to non-carpeted surfaces, a limited battery life means you will likely run out of juice if you intend to vacuum a whole house in one go. Where the Electrolux Ergorapido truly excels is in playing the ‘go-between’ role – something that lets you stay on top of things daily, in between those deep-cleaning sessions.

Whether it’s a quick once-over to deal with pet tracks on your kitchen floor, or cleaning a flight of stairs, a light-weight, portable vac can make all the difference, and the Ultra 2 in 1 delivers in spades. With a relatively inexpensive price point, you would be hard-pressed not to consider adding this stick vacuum to your cleaning collection. You just might be pleasantly surprised at how much use it ends up seeing.

The Good: Light-weight unit; cordless; LED lighting; built-in hand vac provides greater cleaning flexibility.

The Bad: Poor performance on high-pile carpeting; long re-charge times; battery drains rapidly when using High power mode.

VC Reviews Verdict: The Electrolux Ergorapido Ultra 2 in 1 isn’t an all-star that tackles everything you throw at it, but it doesn’t try to be. An ideal secondary vacuum for daily touch-ups, the EL 1022A is a great maintenance-mode vacuum.