Is this Chinese-made wet and dry vacuum a Dyson killer?

China is seeking to not only conquer your driveway but your entire home, and Western companies should be worried.

Tineco has Dyson in its sights with its new wet and dry vacuums.

On my last trip to London I was picked up from my hotel in a Lotus Electre – a vehicle marketed as an “electric hyper-SUV with race car DNA”.

On our way to the Science Museum in South Kensington, we passed the Lotus dealership in Piccadilly and saw an Esprit S1 on display – the model used in the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me that could become a submarine at a press of a button, showcasing British ingenuity, or complete naffness.

I peppered the driver with questions, like how much did the Electre cost – “its sufficient” was his reply – and where was it made? His response surprised me.

“China,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because that’s where all the battery technology is.”

It also reveals how China is attempting to not only conquer your driveway but your entire home.

The Lotus Electre, marketed as an “electric hyper-SUV with race car DNA”.

China’s rise

China’s Geely Motors assumed control of Lotus in 2017, acquiring a 51 per cent stake. Two decades earlier it was a little known Chinese motorcycle company. In 1996 it produced the Geely No.1 – a Mercedes knock-off – and in the past decade has also acquired Volvo, Polestar and now Lotus in its quest to become a global automaker.

China’s car industry has caught more established makers off guard. Honda and Nissan last month announced they planned to merge after China surpassed Japan as the world’s leading exporter of vehicles by volume, underscoring how rattled carmakers have become.

China has been encroaching on areas that Japan once dominated – both cars and components such as batteries – and now consumer electronics.

Last month a package arrived on my doorstep from Tineco – the cordless stick vacuum arm of Chinese brand Ecovacs, which has British tech and home appliance titan Dyson in its sights.

While Beijing has sold itself as the factory of the world for decades, its own brands are now emerging globally and are shamelessly taking on its Western competitors.

A Dyson killer?

Tineco’s One S6 Pro Extreme hard floor cleaner was priced at $899 – initially about $100 less than Dyson’s new WashG1 stickvac mop (Dyson now has it on sale for $797).

The Dyson WashG1 in action.

The WashG1 is a fantastic mop, designed to remove wet spills, stains and dry dirt on hard floors simultaneously. It uses more than two dozen pulse water jets backed by two counter directional rollers. But the real technology lies in the separation of dirty water from clean water in the cleaning head, with the used water immediately being directed into a removable tank.

Tineco has taken a different approach; it uses steam to sanitise floors. But it shares similar principles to Dyson – you need to fill a tank with clean water, it sucks up dirt and spills which are separated into a waste water tank.

There is a bit more gadgetry on board. There is a larger screen that has an illuminated blue dial that turns to red when dirt is detected, with sensors adjusting the flow of water and suction power depending on the filth.

But is it a Dyson killer?

The Tineco is impressive and is superior to Dyson in several areas, notably in cleaning the device. Both have self-cleaning functions but still need to be disassembled for thorough cleaning. The Tineco is easier to pull apart than the Dyson – the Achilles heel of which is the dust tray, which can fill quickly. The Dyson can sometimes put too much water on the floor even when the dust tray is empty and it’s at its minimum setting, leaving streaks.

The Tineco also has a light at the front, which makes it easier to find and clean dust.

The not so good

But the Tineco is not without its quirks. The freshwater tank overheated during use once and the plastic began to melt (this has only happened once, and it has a warning that its surface can become hot during use).

The back of Tineco's melted a bit when it became overheated during use.

It stopped working for me the other night, and a Google search directed me to a Tineco TikTok video to troubleshoot and fix. But even then, after wiping down the sensors and using the supplied brush to complete a thorough clean, it still would not turn on. Its screen told me the wastewater tank needed emptying.

The Dyson started up, no problems. Even though it hadn’t been on the charger for about a week as it sat dormant while I used the Tineco, it was still fully charged. I was able to finish cleaning my house, which is the perfect testing ground for vacuums and mops, thanks to the presence of two dachshunds and a toddler.

The Tineco’s dirt detection system can also get confused sometimes – like with my bathroom’s terrazzo flooring where stones in the concrete showed up as filth, increasing the suction and water flow of the vacuum.

The Dyson has wider rollers, making cleaning faster. It can also fold down more horizontally to clean more easily under beds, chairs and tables than the Tineco. The Tineco’s handle can detach as well at times when carrying it, meaning you have to cradle it from the tank when walking up stairs. This is not a problem with the Dyson.

Verdict

But Tineco has still produced an impressive piece of kit, which makes cleaning a breeze. With China’s steely determination, it would be foolish of Dyson to dismiss the threat it presents.