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To be fair, vacuums don’t need to look cute to work well. Hidden away in closets and only called upon when nobody to impress is around, the humble appliance is typically all about functionality. But, as a design editor, I can’t help but be drawn to utilitarian products that take their looks seriously, too. So when our pandemic-era Dyson V8 began to falter—clogging issues, shutting down mid-suck, serious battery depletion—I knew I wanted the best of both worlds in my new cleaning companion.
My non-negotiables: It had to be cordless; work on rugs and hardwood; and handle picking up our beagle-corgi Elsa’s hair with ease. My search led me through the proliferation of options, but inevitably all arrows pointed back toward my O.G. appliance crush: Electrolux. Specifically, the Ultimate700 Complete Home Vacuum.
I’ve been a fan of Electrolux for nearly 15 years. One of my first roommates in New York had a canister vacuum from the 100-year-old Swedish brand, we regularly spot their washers and dryers in home tours, and I particularly appreciate its commitment to sustainability. While I loved that our Dyson charged up quickly, was easy to empty, and took up little storage space, the Electrolux Ultimate700 does all of that, and better. Let me lay it out for you.
Electrolux Ultimate700 Complete Home Vacuum
Cleaning Power and Tools
One major upgrade I noticed right away: The Ultimate700 swaps the trigger control that’s so ubiquitous on Dyson vacuums with a one-touch button. That alone made it attractive to me. It might seem like a small tweak, but not having to continuously hold something down with your pointer finger while you suck up a spill feels luxurious. The Ultimate700 also has four power modes (as opposed to the two that the V8 offers) and its max run time is 10 minutes longer, too.
The hardwood nozzle’s suction power is impressive, auto-adjusting from bare floors to low-pile rugs easily, and a five-step filtration system handles microscopic particles, filtering cleaner air back into our home. Since bringing it into our home more than six months ago, it has swiftly picked up pet hair, loose tea, shards of broken wine glasses, and all kinds of crumbs. The LED nozzle lights showed me just how dusty our home is (whether I like it or not) even in well-lit rooms, and there are several specialty tools, including a pet nozzle (I use it on Elsa’s bed all the time), crevice tool, dusting brushes, and an angled joint. Emptying the canister doesn’t spray dust and debris everywhere; you simply click it out and unscrew the filter over the garbage can to empty it. Plus, the charge time is a half hour faster than the V8, so I can cross off my chores more quickly. It’s the perfect size for our 700-square-foot apartment, so I can see it working well as the solo vacuum for a small house or for quick zip-arounds in a larger home.
Design
The walnut brown color of the Ultimate700 is one of the most sophisticated hues I’ve seen applied to a vacuum, especially at this pricepoint (more on that later). There’s something soothing about taking it out for a spin versus wielding something space-object purple, yellow, and red. It’s slim all around, even the dust canister, and the digital interface is easy to read. At an extremely lightweight 4.9 pounds with a full tilt design, the appliance is no problem to maneuver around without a lot of muscle, and it gets even lighter if you use one of the smaller configurations.
Storage and Maintenance
The Ultimate700’s charging stand is larger than the V8’s wall-mounted design, but it’s still petite enough to sit in a corner of our apartment’s entryway undetected. Our closet is too full, so we tucked it behind a Ferm Living cabinet next to the spot where everyone deposits their shoes, and nobody is the wiser. Grooves on the base allow for attachments to live upright together, but not all of them fit; we store the rest in a small tote in the aforementioned closet. As for maintenance, it’s on par with any other vacuum: Don’t forget to periodically clean out the dust trap by rinsing the filters in warm water and letting air dry overnight. There’s another filter to pull out from where the canister clicks into place—grab that one, too.
Price
Electrolux’s prices stand out as approachable—we’re talking up to hundreds of dollars less. The Ultimate700 Complete Home is $449, and the Standard version is just $389 (it comes with fewer attachments and is available in a grey or green hue). In comparison, the Dyson V8 is $470 and the V8 Absolute is $520; other equally well-designed vacuums from Samsung, Roborock, and Miele creep into the $700 territory.
So, no, I won’t be going back to my Dyson—and I’ll regularly admire my vacuum that cleans like a pro and keeps its cool, too.
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