This TikTok-Favorite Vacuum Works Just as Well as a Dyson — And It's So Much Cheaper

Photo credit: Tineco; Cat Bowen
Photo credit: Tineco; Cat Bowen

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There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder — do they really work? In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.

On Trial: The Tineco A11 Hero vacuum, a rechargeable and convertible vacuum with three levels of suction

The Tester: Cat Bowen, mother, pet owner, excessively tidy person in a very messy environment

The Brief: I can't stand dust, dirt, or pet hair. But unfortunately, those are all found in abundance in a home with two kids, two cats, and a dog. Living with a combination of hardwood, stone floors, and various vintage rugs, I spend a disproportionate amount of time vacuuming, sweeping, and lint rolling. I was growing tired of switching from the handheld vacuum to the regular vacuum to the broom and dustpan just to maintain a basic level of cleanliness.

So, when I finally fried our handheld vac, I went on a search for a replacement and came across the Tineco A11 Hero vacuum in the unlikeliest of all places.

Scrolling through TikTok one afternoon, I saw a series of reviews for this “miracle” vacuum — the Tineco A11. It's a stick vacuum that cleans carpet and hardwood, and it also converts into a handheld vacuum that's strong enough to suck candy wrappers out from the corners of a sofa. I watched TikTokers vacuuming the stairs with it, cleaning under high chairs, and picking up pet hair in one fell swoop.

It seemed amazing, but I was dubious at first. I thought, “Maybe this is a social media campaign, and it’s all crap. Lies, lies, lies.” I was skeptical, but I went for it anyway — and, boy, am I glad that I did.

Photo credit: Tineco
Photo credit: Tineco

The Tineco A11 Hero is lightweight, durable, and cordless, with three levels of suction, multiple attachments, and 40 minutes of running time per charge. It retails for $260 and it has a 450-watt motor for 120 watts of potential suction. It fully charges in about an hour on its charging dock, which can be hung on the wall for easy access.

Unlike other stick vacuums with sealed filtration, you don't need to wash this vacuum's filter. Instead, Tineco gives you a handy-dandy tool that allows you to simply brush the filter clean.

Let me tell you, reader, this vacuum is a dream. Often compared to Dyson's V10 model, the Tineco A11 Hero is way less expensive and every bit as good. Having had the opportunity to use both, I can tell you that I could not tell a difference between their power levels. What I could see was that Dyson's battery cannot be removed, and their filter needs to be hand-washed. I simply don't have the patience for that.

I put the A11 Hero through the paces: It’s cleaned up kitty litter, it’s cleaned up cat hair. I’ve used it to sweep up the remnants of a spider plant my cats destroyed, and I've used it to suck up a metric ton of those little rubber bands from my daughter's rainbow loom. (And no, nothing got stuck.)

Photo credit: Cat Bowen
Photo credit: Cat Bowen

But what I use it for every day, where it gets the most use? Freaking kinetic sand. I love kinetic sand, my daughter loves kinetic sand. It is therapeutic and wonderful to play with, but both my daughter and my cats seem to love knocking it off the table and onto the ground. And that stuff sticks to the hardwood. But the Tineco A11 is able to suck it all up, and it does it easily. One pass, and it's clean.

The reason the A11 Hero is so effective is that it has a unique four-level filtration system within the system that separates the larger from smaller particles before cycling through the HEPA filter. The Tineco A11 has fully sealed HEPA filtration, so the blowback that you would normally associate with a handheld vacuum just doesn't happen.

The switch between handheld and stick-vacuum mode could also not be easier. The A11 Hero has a quick-release button on top of the suction point, where you attach and detach the accessories. This can be done whether the vacuum is running or turned off. Taking the vacuum apart is super easy, too — with the click of a button, the entire bottom of the canister comes off, allowing you to get to the inside with ease. And that's not all that's removable. The lithium-ion battery is fully removable and replaceable if something were to go awry with the battery, as batteries are wont to do.

Closing Argument: The Tineco A11 Hero is one of those products that once you own, you know you'd pay double for it, and still think it's a heck of a value. It has become absolutely indispensable to my home, and if I manage to ever fry this one (as I have every vacuum before it), I won't be searching for something better. I'll be getting another just like it.


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