Eufy Mach V1 Ultra review: A fantastic wet/dry stick vacuum

Best Prices Today: Eufy Mach V1 Ultra

After recently replacing the carpeting in my home’s downstairs level with hard flooring, I realized the value of an all-in-one vacuum and mop. These combo appliances are incredibly convenient and significantly reduce the time and effort needed to keep your floor sparkling. So when Anker’s Eufy brand announced the Mach V1 Ultra cordless vacuum and steam mop—the first product released under its Mach sub-brand of premium smart cleaning appliances—I was eager to try it out. Cutting to the chase, I wasn’t disappointed.

As its first product, the Mach V1 Ultra establishes the brand’s premium aesthetic with a clean, slim design; easily detachable components; and a color LCD on the handle that displays operations and alerts.

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of smart vacuum cleaners.

At a glance, the Mach V1 Ultra looks much a like a high-end cordless vacuum, but it has a pair of water tanks in front for storing clean and used water, while a compartment in the back holds and disperses the Mach’s proprietary cleaning solution, a bottle of which is included with the vacuum.

Does the Eufy Mach V1 Ultra have different cleaning modes?

You can use the V1 Ultra in one of three ways. Smart mode, which is the default cleaning mode, lets you vacuum and mop floors simultaneously. There’s also a pure suction mode for when you just want to vacuum that offers 16,800Pa of suction power.

Having used the V1 Ultra for a week or so, I can’t imagine I’ll ever go back to cleaning my hard floors the old way.

In Steam mode, the vacuum releases steam at 230 degrees Fahrenheit to dissolve stains and stuck-on gunk for easier removal. During this process, the vac uses something called Eco-Clean Ozone Disinfection, meaning it generates ozone internally and emits it through the steam for an extra layer of bacteria-killing sterilization. The same technology is used to sanitize the vacuum itself after each cleaning job.

Runtime depends entirely on which mode you use. With a fully charged battery, you can use the V1 Ultra for up to 82 minutes in suction-only mode or Smart mode. Steam mode uses much more power, dropping the runtime to about 15 minutes, but I found that to be plenty of time to steam clean my modest-sized living room.

How easy is the Mach V1 Ultra’s setup process?

The vacuum ships fully assembled, so all you have to do to install it is plug the charging dock into an outlet and set the vacuum on top of the dock. The first time you power the Mach V1 on, a boot animation launches on the LCD and guides you through basic operations. It also has you choose voice prompt language and offers a QR code for the Eufy Clean app.

To start cleaning with the V1 Ultra, you need to remove the clean water tank, open a rubber cover, fill it with tap water to the max water line, then lock it back into place on the vacuum. Similarly, you’ll need to remove, fill, and replace the cleaning fluid tank. During cleaning, the cleaning solution is proportioned and mixed with the water automatically for optimal results.

The V1 Ultra was a delight to use during my testing period. The vacuum, which only weighs about 12 and a half pounds, propels itself forward with a gentle nudge. If your only experience of cleaning floors is laboriously pushing and pulling a conventional vacuum and stick mop, the way the V1 Ultra effortlessly glides across the floor will likely be a mind-blowing experience.

You can toggle cleaning methods while you’re using the vacuum with a dedicated mode button on the handle. That makes it easy to toggle from Smart mode to Steam mode, for example, when you encounter a stain or some sticky substance, and then back to Smart mode.

One of my favorite innovations is an anti-slip feature that expels air to dry the floor as the V1 Ultra mops. Most of the smart mops I’ve used have left lingering moisture that results in streaks and footprints and–at worst–could cause someone to slip and fall. The V1 Ultra dried my floors so well that at first, I wasn’t sure it was actually mopping. No more drying the floor with a towel.

Does the Eufy Mach V1 Ultra have an LCD display?

Much of the information the vacuum’s LCD screen provides has to do with the working status of the vacuum. It displays the current cleaning mode and battery level and lets you know when features like the anti-slip function and ozone disinfection are activated.

Even better, the screen shows you the current cleanliness status of your floor via a colored light bar: red indicates the floor is dirty, blue that it’s clean, and a mix of both colors means it’s somewhere in the middle. You can see the light bar change colors as the cleaning progresses. The Eufy app can be used as an adjunct to view your cleaning history and monitor the life expectancy of accessories, including the rolling brush and filter.

Once you’ve finished cleaning and have re-docked the vacuum, you start the self-cleaning process by pressing a button on top of the handle. The vacuum first cleans then dries the rolling brush and prompts you to remove and empty the dirty water tank. This is the most involved part of using the V1 Ultra, as it requires you to separate several tank components, rinse them with tap water, and reassemble them. But after performing the self-cleaning drill several times, I can assure you it still beats hand-wringing a dirty mop head.

Is the Eufy Mach V1 Ultra worth the cash?

Having used the V1 Ultra for a week or so, I can’t imagine I’ll ever go back to cleaning my hard floors the old way. Although $700 is not a small investment, I believe the cleaning experience and results are worth every penny. However, you can save $100 by opting for the V1, a lower-tier version that Anker says includes all of the V1 Ultra’s features except the steam and anti-slip features.

Best Prices Today: Eufy Mach V1 Ultra