Dreame made its debut in the Indian market in 2023 and has since then launched various products to help solidify its position in the country. The company's latest offering, Dreame H12 Dual promises to make home cleaning smarter and easier with its wet and dry cleaning functionality.
The H12 Dual is available for ₹29,999 during the Republic Day sale seems like a tempting offer but does it really simplify the process, or are there hidden trade-offs? Here's what I found after using it for two weeks
The Dreame H12 dual comes in a rectangular box with 18 separate elements that need to be set up before you can start vacuuming. An exhaustive list of all the individual parts is given below, but if this is your first time using a vacuum cleaner (as it was for me), let me simplify the process for you.
The main action here is powered by a cylindrical machine that is attached to a handle at the top (for carrying) and a roller brush at the bottom for cleaning. There is a 700ml waste water tank at the front and a 900ml fresh water tank at the back.
Once assembled, the main machine is placed on the charging dock, where it needs to be completely charged for its first use. The whole cleaning system has a minimalist design with tones of black and grey, so it won't stand out in your home.
The vacuum cleaner has a wet and dry cleaning function, which means you can detach the machine at the top and use the separate set of accessories (included in the box) to pick up the dry waste. (more on this later).
The H12 Dual comes with 6 x 4,000 mAh batteries and is claimed to deliver a run time of around 35 minutes in wet cleaning mode and around 60 minutes in dry cleaning mode. While I was unable to independently verify these claims, the figures seem largely accurate as the vacuum cleaner easily cleaned my 2BHK flat with around 60 per cent battery left in the tank.
To its credit, the H12 Dual is relatively easy to use, even for the less technically advanced people. To get started, you need to fill the fresh water tank and add a cup of the supplied Dreame detergent. From there, the process is fairly straightforward: you simply remove the machine from its charging base, press the power button and tilt it back a little to start cleaning.
The H12 Dual comes with automatic traction, which means that the machine will start moving on its own and you just need to guide it in the direction of the dirty floor. By default, the machine runs in 'Auto' mode, which adjusts the speed of the roller according to the amount of dirt on the floor, and there is also a 'Suction' mode for picking up liquids on the floor.
After cleaning, simply place the machine back on the charging dock and press the top button on the pole to start the self-cleaning process.
For dry cleaning, simply remove the cylindrical machine from the main unit and attach it with the dust cup and accessories to get started. There is a crevice nozzle for picking up small particles of dust and a motorised brush that can be attached with the supplied handle to clean floors. Dreame offers the option of operating the appliance in normal mode and in turbo mode (for more aggressive suction).
The H12 Dual definitely does a much better job of wet cleaning than a human could, and the water droplets don't take long to dry either. Meanwhile, the edge-to-edge technology used by Dreame on the roller means that the machine is able to get rid of dirt even in those small spaces between the floor and the wall.
However, there are a couple of obvious problems here too. Firstly, there is no such thing as a dedicated power mode, which could have been handy as the vacuum cleaner does not get rid of the more stubborn stains in automatic mode.
Secondly, while the H12 Dual's self-cleaning process is fairly smooth, it does make a lot of noise during the 30 minutes or so of cleaning, which is a little annoying to be honest.
Thirdly, the cost of replacing various parts is very high. For example, the wet cleaning roller is currently priced at ₹1,999 on Amazon, while the replacement filter is priced at ₹1,299. The good news is that Dreame includes an extra roller and HEPA filter with the cleaner.
The Dreame H12 Dual could be an ideal choice for those seeking a hassle-free cleaning solution with both wet and dry cleaning options. While not flawless, its ease of use and smooth performance make it worth considering—provided you're ready to handle the ongoing replacement costs and tolerate some noise during the self-cleaning process.
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