Proscenic P11 Smart Cordless Vacuum review: Powerful, but a tad uncomfortable

As the world of vacuum cleaners continues to grow, we’re treated to more and more options for exactly how we want to tackle the dust, dirt, and other particles in our homes.

While traditional upright vacuums are still popular, many households are switching over to robot vacuums for their cleaning needs — or at least as a supplementary cleaner for when lugging around the upright becomes too toilsome.

Fortunately, a lovely middle exists in the form of cordless upright vacuums. Available from many of today’s top vacuum brands, these units use rechargeable batteries to power the vacuum instead of power cords. Often lightweight but plenty powerful, these models come with a multitude of attachments, as well as the option to use the vac in the traditional upright manner or for handheld applications.

We tested a model from Proscenic, an innovative overseas company that produces vacuums and other home appliances, for a number of weeks. After plenty of hands-on time with the Proscenic P11 Smart Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, we can happily say we enjoyed most of our experience with the product.

Out of the box

Packaged in a simple white box, the Proscenic P11 comes with everything you need to get vacuuming right away. You’ll find the main vacuum body, a motorized brush attachment, a pet hair brush, a long crevice tool, a rounded brush head, a wall-mounting kit, and user manuals. We were also glad to see that our P11’s battery was fully powered straight out of the box.

Design and features

The Proscenic P11 design is similar to many of today’s cordless vacuums. The main vacuum body, motor, and dustbin are all one component, with the various attachments connecting to this core peripheral. In terms of shell color, our test unit was gray with blue attachments and trim, and it seems to be the only color option available at this time.

From an operational perspective, one thing that struck us as a tad uncomfortable was the placement of the power toggle beneath the P11’s handgrip. After turning the vacuum on, my hand naturally wanted to rest below the power button, but the spacing beneath the trigger is a bit cramped.

This design decision continued to be a slight irritation both in upright and handheld applications. While it’s not a complete detriment, it’s certainly something worth noting.

In terms of dirt capacity, the P11 has a 650-milliliter dustbin with four filtering layers built into the plastic chamber: HEPA, sponge, steel mesh, and a cyclone ionosphere stage. When the bin is full, simply hold the P11 over a trash bin and lift up on the plastic dustbin lock (located on the bottom of the bin).

While dirt and other debris will fall right out, you may have to get your hand in the dustbin to yank out some hair and dust bunnies.

As far as controls go, the P11 has a sleek touchscreen interface at the top of the vacuum body. When the vacuum is powered on, a battery power indicator is visible at the top of the display, with a fan icon located at the bottom. Selecting the fan will cycle you through the vacuum’s three power settings.

Unlike other cordless vacuums with simple plug-and-play charging, the P11’s charge port is located on the removable battery pack itself. So, you’ll need to undock the pack from the vacuum body whenever you need to juice it up for your next cleaning session.

Power and performance

Utilizing a 450-watt brushless motor system and capable of generating up to 25,000Pa of suction at maximum settings, the Proscenic P11 is certainly engineered to tackle any mess that you throw at it. As mentioned, there are also three distinct power modes to choose from: Eco, Auto, and Max. For the latter setting, the P11 automatically adjusts suction power based on the type of floor surface it encounters.

So, when push comes to shove, did the vacuum actually deliver? Yes, for the most part.

One major test we conducted was a full floor vacuuming of an entire 1,300-square-foot apartment with three floor styles: Carpeting, linoleum, and tile. With the battery at full power, we gave the P11 a spin using the Eco setting first. And frankly, we were surprised to see how much dirt, debris, and hair the vac gathered up from our plush carpeting.

We then decided to amp things up a bit by switching over to maximum power. Not only does the P11 receive a big increase in operating volume at this higher suction power, but we noticed that the battery takes quite a beating, too.

To compare, we were able to vacuum almost two-thirds of the apartment in Eco mode while still maintaining a full charge. After switching to Max power, we could barely get through one entire room before the battery dropped to half power, with one other room draining the P11 to one-third of its initial charge. This finding isn’t overly surprising though, as many cordless vacuums tend to lose steam at high output settings.

When using Auto mode, the P11 automatically adjusts suction power based on the type of floor it’s gliding over. With the brush head sitting over our kitchen linoleum, auto mode sounds like a medium setting — not as quiet as Eco mode but not nearly as loud as the Max setting.

Moving from linoleum onto our carpeting, the P11 pretty much remained at that middle-ground power level, with a few boosts in suction as we pushed the vacuum across the carpeting. As far as battery, Auto mode seemed to be closest to low power in terms of efficiency.

Our next big test was dumping cereal on the kitchen floor and carpeting to see how the P11 handled cleanup. Even at the lowest power setting, the vacuum had no struggles at all with quickly sweeping up the cereal into the dustbin. In fact, we found that choosing Max power tended to be too much in this scenario, with the P11 firing off  a few kernels throughout the room.

We conducted the same cereal test on our carpeting. And, yet again, the P11 performed admirably, even in Eco mode.

Moving from floors to furniture, we also dumped some cereal on the living room couch and went handheld with the P11, equipping the vacuum with its bristled pet hair attachment. Again, even at its lowest settings, the P11 did a nice job of sweeping up the cereal in a quick manner.

One thing we did notice though is when we powered down and lifted the vacuum away from the couch, a few cereal bits escaped from the dustbin. After giving the vacuum a shake, a few more fell out, too. While we were able to vacuum them back up with no issue, we do recommend holding the P11 upright when using it for handheld applications.

Battery life

The Proscenic P11 contains a 2,500mAh lithium-ion battery pack that is rated to last for up to an hour. The company claims that with its quick charge technology, the battery can be completely recharged in only 2.5 hours.

Based on our usage, the hour runtime is a bit of a stretch. We’re guessing that this specification was received by running the P11 exclusively in Eco mode, because auto and max power settings definitely drain the battery more quickly. In fact, using a combination of all three suction speeds, our runtime was closer to 35 minutes before we needed to recharge the battery.

To contend with any battery depletion issues, Proscenic encourages its customers to purchase a separate battery, which we were able to find on Amazon for $50.

Price and warranty

Currently, the Proscenic P11 Smart Cordless Vacuum Cleaner can be purchased through Amazon and Proscenic directly for $239, a markdown from its original $259 price. The P11 also includes a one-year limited warranty.

Our take

Based on our experience with the Proscenic P11, we’re glad to give the product a solid thumbs-up. While the removable battery pack and handgrip discomfort may be design elements you’ll need to get used to, we thought that the vacuum performed admirably.

Power settings were easy to cycle between, attachments were a breeze to connect and disconnect, and bonus features like the head-mounted LED lights on the main brush attachment were excellent additions.

How long will it last?

Based on the one-year warranty and the fact that you can purchase additional battery packs, we’re betting the Proscenic P11 will last for about three to five years when operated the way it was intended to be used. Keep in mind that even though the P11 can go handheld, you don’t want to use it to suck up liquids.

Is there a better alternative?

If you’d prefer to go with a corded upright vac with similar power and features to the P11, the Shark Apex Uplight is a great choice. While a bit more expensive, the Dyson V11 Animal is a stellar cordless option, complete with three power modes and top-notch filtration.

For those looking for a smaller cordless vacuum, the Eufy HomeVac H30 is a great choice for tinier messes.

Should you buy it?

Yes, indeed. The Proscenic P11 is well worth the investment, especially when it comes to overall suction power, design, and included attachments.