Dusty hands a thing of the past with LG’s self-emptying vacuum
LG’s latest vacuum innovation solves the messiest part of cleaning — emptying the dustbin — but does its performance justify a $999 price tag?
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You know that puff of dust you get when emptying your vacuum, immediately dirtying an area you just cleaned? LG’s new stick vacuum aims to do away with that, but at a steep $1000, is it worth the price of admission?
The Korean tech giant’s CordZero Auto Emptying Handstick comes with a docking tower which, when the vacuum is docked, automatically empties the dustbin into an internal bag.
As tech companies attempt to make our homes smarter, the humble vacuum doesn’t rank high compared to smart fridges that generate recipes, or home robots. But, unlike those gadgets, a good vacuum is something most people genuinely need.
At 2.9kg, the A9X (the cheaper model) is pleasantly light, and the vacuum’s head guides your hand in a way which makes it feel even lighter than it actually is. It boasts 280 watts of suction power, more than a standard cordless stick, and features a head designed to vacuum all surfaces without needing to switch attachments.
In practice, it performs better on hard surfaces than carpet. Carpet may snag if you go along the grain or push too hard on particularly shaggy bits, but the lightweight design helps when you need to use more muscle.
It hoovers up everything you need it to, with its dust collection reminding this writer how often he should be vacuuming. Larger food items won’t shoot up the chute – unless you want to break them into smaller parts with your heel, maybe.
The tower is the vacuum’s standout feature, serving as an all-in-one hub to empty your dust bin, charge your vacuum and store a spare battery. The auto-emptying process is quick but loud – dock the vacuum, tap the top of the tower, and your dustbin empties within 30 seconds, accompanied by an almighty whooshing sound which might startle pets. It would be unwise to place the tower near a sleeping baby.
The tower houses the spare battery and additional attachments, including one for pet hair, a crevice tool for hard-to-reach places, and a two-in-one brush and nozzle.
Battery life is decent, with an LED display below the handle providing updates as you clean. On normal suction power, the battery lasts about 17 minutes – sufficient for a small apartment. When you need more cleaning time, the second battery waits fully charged in the tower.
Standing 1100mm tall, the tower can be easily hidden behind a door or displayed openly with its inoffensive design – an almost-brutalist slab with hard and soft edges that wouldn’t look out of place in a modern home.
A clever feature activates when the A9X is placed horizontally while still running – it senses it’s not in use and turns off, powering up again when you pick it back up. For tech enthusiasts, LG’s ThinQ app connects to the vacuum to provide diagnostics and cleaning history.
The new CordZero Auto Emptying Handstick – currently going for $999 on LG’s website, down from $1399 – is a hefty investment, but one worth making for a vacuum which does its main job pretty very well, and also makes the task of cleaning all the easier with its handy dustbin collection.
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Originally published as Dusty hands a thing of the past with LG’s self-emptying vacuum
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