It’s been about 1.5 years since I received the Dreame H12 Pro wet/dry vacuum, so I’m very much looking forward to the improvements that the new Dreame H14 will bring. Headline features of the Dreame H14 are its 180º Flat Reach, hot water wash and air dry sterilization, as well as support for the Dreamehome app. The Dreame H14 retails for S$959, but with vouchers on Lazada you can get it for S$869.
Unboxing
In the box, you’ll find the following items:
- Dreame H14 main body
- Handle
- Charging base
- Spare roller brush
- Replacement filter
- Cleaning brush
- Cleaning solution (model MFF3)
- User manual
Setup and App
It is easy to start using Dreame H14. Plug the charging dock to power, then insert the handle into the main body of vacuum until you hear a click sound. You should charge the Dreame H14 to full battery first before your first use. You can choose to pair the Dreame H14 on the Dreamehome app if you’d like to setup custom cleaning presets or perform auto-wash or auto-dry remotely. Otherwise, you can use the Dreame H14 without setting it up on the app.
Design and build quality
The design of the Dreame H14 features the similar type of shape as the H12 Pro – you get an overall clean and minimal design. The colour scheme this time leans towards a light grey tone with black contrast. But if you look closely, it actually has quite some differences vs the H12 Pro.
Apart from the colours, the general shape of the Dreame H14 vacuum feels more seamless especially at the joint between the handle and main body. The main display features an oval shape with a thicker handle that blends nicely with the main body. The Dreame H14 is more stocky with a thicker body and brush base as well.
The overall construction of the Dreame H14 is solid as well. The materials used on the vacuum feel high quality, and the buttons on the handle are nice and tactile too. Build quality does feel better than the H12 Pro.
The charging dock of the Dreame H14 is a welcomed upgrade vs the H12 Pro as it is now slightly raised and has rounded edges which looks more premium. It is also hefty, feels less plasticky, and has better grip on the floor so the base move around less when docking the vacuum.
Cleaning experience and new features
Using the Dreame H14 is rather straightforward. There are three buttons on the handle – (1) to power on the vacuum cleaner, (2) to switch between the cleaning modes, and (3) to kickstart self-cleaning. Once it is powered on, the forward rotation of the brush roller will help to pull the vacuum forward, making vacuuming easier. Making changes in directions is as easy as making slight turns of your wrist.
Edge-to-edge roller brush
Like the H12 Pro, Dreame H14 features the same edge-to-edge design that allows the roller brush to go as close to the skirting of your flooring, hence cleaning more effectively.
Do note that if the toe kicks of your cabinets are less than 9.8cm, you might not be able to make full use of the edge-to-edge functionality as the cleaning base will collide into the cabinet doors.
180º Flat Reach
The headline feature of the Dreame H14 is its ability to clean at a 180º angle so you can easily clean under hard to reach areas such as under the sofa or bed. The Dreame H14 will be able to fit into spaces as low as 14cm. And thanks to the little ball-like thing on the back of the vacuum (ie. omni wheel), I’m able to glide the vacuum easily. You can twist the vacuum left/right to angle the roller brush as well.
The ability to put the Dreame H14 flat made it possible for me to clean under my TV console which I could really reach to the ends with my older H12 Pro. Do be aware of volume in the dirty water tank as vacuuming in the flat mode allows you to hold lesser water. Just ensure you empty the dirty water tank after every vacuum and this shouldn’t be an issue.
Four cleaning modes with 18,000Pa Suction
Dreame H14 features an updated LED display which shows the battery percentage, cleaning mode, and the level of dirt being vacuumed based on the colour – represented by Green: Light dirt / Amber: Medium dirt / Red: Heavy dirt.
I like the new LED display – the UI is neater. There is now one more cleaning mode in the Dreame H14‘s arsenal called “Custom Mode” which you can setup on the Dreamehome app.
- Auto Mode
- Ultra Mode
- Suction Mode
- Custom Mode
In Auto Mode, the Dreame H14 will make use of its dirt detection technology to change the automatically suction power and water used. Suction mode can be used if you only want the suction mechanism without the mopping, which is useful for quickly cleaning away spilled liquids. Ultra mode now doesn’t need any prep time to be used, is well suited for deep cleaning.
I like that with Custom Mode, you are able to create cleaning setups that are not available on the default three modes. For example, you can do soft suction with mopping. Once you setup a custom mode, it will be the default mode when the Dreame H14 is powered on. Also, you can enable electrolyzed water which sterilizes the water for cleaning. To be honest, I can’t test the effectiveness of this but it’s good to have such an option.
Lastly, the Dreame H14 packs a suction power of 18,000Pa which is a 12.5% increase if you’re coming from a H12 Pro like me. It is rather surprising that Dreame decided the LED light feature that was on the recent H13 Pro. My guess is that it might appear on a future “H14 Pro” model.
880ml clean water & 650ml dirty water tank
The Dreame H14 actually has a slightly smaller capacity of clean and dirty water tank when compared to the H12 Pro, but it’s probably due to the redesign of the tanks implementation on the main body. The clean water tank is now at the front. The dirty water tank also features a new design that feels more sophisticated due to the inclusion of a solid waste filter basket as well as a separation motor.
Dreame supplied a different cleaning solution this time round (model HFF3), and it seems to be more concentrated as you are advised to dilute it 1:200 for regular cleaning. But fret not, the old model AWH5 cleaning solution can still be used at a dilution ratio of 1:70 (or just put 10ml).
Maintenance
Dreame has added thoughtful features so that the H14 can last a longer time while ensuring that the cleaning done is effective. The manual labour involved in the maintenance is largely emptying the dirty water tank, and cleaning the components (eg. dirty water tank) of the vacuum. I’m sure there’ll be a version of a vacuum some day where the dirty water gets automatically emptied out.
Hot Water Wash
What I like about the Dreame H14 is its ability to perform hot water wash of the roller brush. Once you return the dock the Dreame H14 backing to the charging base, you can choose in the app if you want it to automatically wash the roller brush with hot water which you can specify up to 60°C . Being able to wash the roller brush with warm/hot water is great because it can help to remove stubborn stains especially oil stains.
Hot Air Sterilisation (option for 5 Mins Flash Dry)
Dreame takes one step further to dry the washed roller brush with hot air. This is yet another great feature to have as it helps to remove any foul smell on the brush and help to extend the longevity as well. What’s new on the Dreame H14 this time round is the option to finish the drying a quick 5 minutes compared to the quiet 60 minutes.
Battery life
Dreame H14 is rated to be used for 35 minutes of cleaning on a full charge, which is the same as the H12 Pro. 35 minutes is actually sufficient time for me to clean my house, but your mileage will vary. Interestingly, the H13 Pro has a longer battery life of 45 minutes. It does seem quite likely that there will be a “H14 Pro” model with a longer battery life.
Conclusion
Having used a wet-dry vacuum for a while now, the improvements on the Dreame H14 are much welcomed. I think the ability to lie the vacuum flat and perform cleaning could make a big difference, as areas such as under the bed are typically not easy to reach with your traditional mop or vacuum. Hot water wash is also an appreciated feature that gives me a peace of mind.