Rowenta Air Force: Dork Review

I have a long-term hatred for cleaning the house. As much as I envy those people with pristine, pet hair-free homes, I’d rather spend my Sunday afternoons on the sofa watching a boxset then fluttering around the place with Mr Sheen. Sadly, cleaning is a vital chore for those that don’t yearn to be a case study for How Clean Is Your House?

We’ve already looked at a few cleaning gadgets on Dork Adore (check out Katie’s reviews of the Dyson City Wool + Wood DC26 and the Black & Decker Flexi Hand Vac). So, um, here’s another one!

The Rowenta Air Force is a cordless, bagless vacuum cleaner with a pointed front to get into all those nooks and crannies. A cleaner I can potentially use without getting up from the sofa? Definitely worth a try.

Aesthetics

The Rowenta Air Force looks more like a sweeper than a vaccum cleaner, with its lightweight frame and handle. The fact that it comes in a number of colours appeals to my slightly OCD approach to co-ordinating products but, other than that, it’s nothing mindblowing. The triangle-shaped head does help it stand out, but I’m still dubious as to whether it’s a gimmick or a genuine improvement.

A clean start

Handheld cleaners have a (fair) reputation for lacking the suction of their plug-in alternatives. And whilst the Rowenta Air Force doesn’t dispel this reputation, it does exceed my expectations somewhat. Running it around the carpet picks up about 75% of the debris, and it’s surprisingly successful in those tricky corners. The flat head means it’s also great for whizzing around the kitchen floor before giving it a mop.

The removable bagless compartment is really easy to detach, without the usual dust cloud, although it wouldn’t hurt to have a larger section. Charging is fairly straight forward too — similar to charging a mobile phone — and each charge lasts around 40 minutes.

Wins points for

• Flexibility. The stick bends every way, meaning you can easily get under the sofa without any unnecessary effort.
• Triangle head. The suction goes all the way to the edges, which is great for those corners a more substantial hoover misses.
• Lightweight. Having a lightweight vacuum certainly makes cleaning less of a chore.
• Storage. It’s tall and slim, so it’s great for storing away in the broom cupboard or under the stairs.

Loses point for

• Suction. It’s good for a cordless option, but it can’t compare to the heavy duty corded options.
• Recharging. A little annoying to have to stop every 40 minutes to recharge. Saying that, I seem to get the hoovering done a lot quicker anyway, so I only need to recharge between sessions.

Conclusion

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed using this. Because it’s so lightweight, it’s easy to use as a top up each day, or for spot cleaning. If you’ve moved into a small flat, this is perfect for all surfaces (even the sofa!). For a home that requires a little more suction, or for anyone that owns a pet that malts, it’s worth sticking to something like the Dyson City Wool + Wood DC26.

You can buy the Rowenta Air Force from:

Amazon for £121.13

PixMania for £137.43

IdealWorld for £129.99 (with free steam brush)

Emma Cossey

Emma is our resident fashion and social media specialist, having worked as a blogger, editor and writer on a number of fashion and beauty websites. She writes regularly for The Bag Lady, and has previously written for The Times Online, Shoewawa and Jorg & Olif among others.

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