Review: LG CordZero vacuum has power and performance but isn’t fool proof

Think your partner isn’t pulling their weight with the housework? There’s no need to set up a camera; this nifty vacuum gives a moment-by-moment report on their effort.

LG CordZero auto emptying handstick + power mop vacuum

I probably owe the good people at LG and their publicity team a beer.

It’s not often the shoe’s on the other foot but on a recent cleaning spree I got a little in over my head and now I’m holding on to a smart vacuum which isn’t functioning as it should.

Don’t let that deter you from what has otherwise quickly become my new favourite vacuum; just don’t make the same stupid mistake as me.

The LG CordZero auto emptying handstick + power mop vacuum ($1599) is a pretty smart device. Not just in the sense that it has an app and a couple of modes but that after every clean you get a little analysis of your work, including a detailed breakdown of how you used it, from normal, power and turbo mode and even mop mode.

That information might not be useful for most but could be it good fodder for an argument.

Think your husband puts in less of an effort during chores? You can get a minute-by-minute breakdown of exactly how they did or didn’t vacuum for – not to mention when they used the mopping function.

LG’s CordZero auto emptying handstick + power mop vacuum.

Smart mops are all the rage right now and the attachable power drive hot mop, which can add steam to rotating cleaning pads, does leave a particular sparkle on tiles.

We’ve reviewed a couple of high-end vacuums over the past few years, including the Samsung Bespoke Jet and Dyson’s Gen5detect.

Was the CordZero any different?

Well, while the Gen5detect was great for picking up the finer things in the home, and by that we mean fine dust particles. It wasn’t great at bigger piles of dust or little pieces on the floor.

That’s where Samsung came in as the bigger, heavier operator which could pull some serious mud off your tiles.

LG is sitting somewhere in the middle, as a light and what seemed like a more flexible device.

One area where we think it is a winner is in the auto-emptying department. This happens without the need for a prompt when you store it on the all-in-one tower.

The all-in-one tower with the power mop vacuum on the side.

While the bespoke jet can empty at the press of a button, the real winning factor for LG here is that it can do so without leaving the dust compartment open.

There’s been one too many occasions with the bespoke jet when I’ve picked up the vacuum after using the empty function only to have some dirt drop out.

The all-in-one tower does a pretty good job at storing most of the accessories, the dust compartment for the auto-empty function and for charging the device with a battery connected as well as a separate battery.

Prior to the little incident, run time was a bit under one hour on normal mode, about 20 minutes on power mode and around five minutes on turbo.

Now, I should probably get to the fun part that you should not repeat if you pick one of these vacuums up for yourself

I was cleaning the house and began to vacuum around and under the carpets in our garage. As it turns out, there was quite a bit on those old musty rugs that sit under the cars and catch oil.

Before long the device was clogged. No biggie.

But thinking I know more than I do I decided to take it apart – which was surprisingly easy (take note, competitors) – and I thought to myself I should give the dust compartment a little rinse.

Well, as you now know, that’s a big no-no.

The verdict? Providing it lasts around four years or more, I think this is a pretty sound investment.