House

Dreame T30 vacuum cleaner: test / review

Published on: 31-05-2021 / Modified: 23-07-2021

I mainly test smartphones but I made some exceptions in 2020 to diversify a bit, I bought the Dreame T20 in crowdfunding on Indiegogo because I wanted to try this product and also because my wife wanted for a long time an upright hoover like the Dyson. The Dreame T20 turned out to be a good product, a good and cheaper alternative to Dyson vacuums. Since this purchase I have tested other vacuums and will now test the Dreame T30.

Launch offer

For the launch of the Dreame T30 on Aliexpress, you get a discounted price and the first 150 will also receive a rotating mop as a gift!
Link: Dreame T30 / launch offer

Price / purchase Dreame T30

Dreame T20 / Dreame T30?

I have compared the versions prior to the Dreame T20 on the Dreame T20 page, here I have focused on the difference between the Dreame T30 and T20.

Dreame T20

Battery life: 70 min
Charging time: 4 hours
Suction power: 150 AW / 25000A
Motor rotation: 125,000 rpm
Weight: 1.6 kg
Tank capacity: 0.6l

Dreame T30

Battery life: 90 min
Charging time: 4 hours
Suction power: 190 AW / 27000A
Motor rotation: 150,000 rpm
Weight: 1.6 kg
Tank capacity: 0.6l

The Dreame T30 offers a higher suction power and a better autonomy. In addition to these basic features, both Dreame models have a 5-layer filter system consisting of a Hepa filter, a high density foam filter, 12 cone filters, a cyclone filter and a high density filter. These filters capture 99.97% of the particles, it is impossible to verify this but it is clear that they designed the product to filter a maximum of dust.

Despite the high speed, I find the noise to be quite acceptable, the Dreame T30 makes a high pitched whistling sound that varies with the suction strength but even in turbo mode it makes less noise than my traditional hoover.

Unpacking

When I opened the box for the first time I felt like opening a treasure chest, the box was full of accessories, the Dreame T30 offers a wider range of accessories than the Dreame T20 and some of them will compensate for some of the weaknesses of the previous model.

The vacuum block

Main brush (powered, with rotation)

Secondary brush (powered, with rotation)

Unpowered brushes

Suction tubes

Adapter with power supply

This adapter is particularly useful as it allows you to get under furniture without being blocked by the size of the hoover, it can bend 90 degrees. The T20 did not have this accessory so the main tube could not fit under all furniture.

Adapter without power supply

This adaptor aims to offer flexibility to non-powered brushes, it is made of a soft tube that can be adapted to many situations.

The contents of the box:

First impressions

I used the Dreame T20 for a few months before testing the Dreame T30, so I have enough distance to compare them. The exterior is very similar, the colour makes them stand out apart from that it's hard to tell them apart. The first difference I noticed is the number of accessories that come with the box, the Dreame T30 offers more accessories including this powered elbow which was clearly a lack for the Dreame T20. This powered elbow allows you to run rotating brushes under furniture or the bed using the full length of the hoover where the T20 was quickly stuck because of the hoover.

Beyond the accessories, the display is also different, the T20's display is used to switch between modes where the T30 goes further by displaying information on the suction level. For example, it shows if it is in a dirtier area. For example, I had tested it on small breadcrumbs and didn't see any change on the display, but when I went to tackle larger breadcrumbs the suction level increased and the display indicated that the amount of dust had increased. This automatic adjustment was not present on the T20. It doesn't stop there as the T30 offers 4 suction modes (auto, eco, mid, turbo) where the T20 offers 3 (auto, eco, turbo).

The noise produced by the T30 is very similar to what the T20 produces, I didn't really notice any difference. The hoover produces a fairly light high pitched sound in eco mode and it makes considerably more noise in turbo mode. In eco mode, the hoover makes considerably less noise than a traditional hoover, whereas in turbo mode, the noise is equivalent but probably higher pitched.

The Dreame T30 offers 8% more suction than the T20 and this puts it on par with the Dyson V11 which costs between £500 and £600.

Dreame T30 vs Dyson v11

The Dreame products have adopted a similar positioning to Dyson and based on the features of both vacuums, they can easily be compared.

Dyson V11
Suction power: 185 AW (190 AW for Dreame T30)
Canister: 0.75l (0.6L for Dreame T30)
Rotations per minute: 125,000 (150,000 for Dreame T30)
Run time: +/- 60 min (+/- 90 min for Dreame T30)
The Dyson offers a better filtration but it is difficult to compare this kind of thing, you would need a laboratory to do the analysis. A priori, the performance/price ratio tips in favour of the Dreame T30.

Hard surfaces

The Dreame T30 offers very good manoeuvrability and allows you to slip in just about anywhere without having to drag a wheeled hoover behind you. The stick format and the fact that the hoover is cordless will give you a freedom that you can't get with a traditional hoover. I used to think that this kind of hoover could only be used as a back-up hoover but I changed my mind. I used to have a traditional hoover with a high suction power but I used to have to turn it down because on hard floors (tiles) the power was too high. The Dreame T30 is much less powerful but I have not encountered a situation where it was not powerful enough to suck up the dust. I have a child and a bird at home who don't care much about the dirt they generate, the Dreame T30 makes it possible to quickly intervene in a place and put the hoover away just as quickly after vacuuming the dirt.

I don't have any dogs or cats at home but in principle this type of hoover is also suitable for vacuuming up your pets' hair.

Rugs

I have very few carpets in my house and I think the amount of carpet to be vacuumed is probably likely to make you prefer a traditional hoover. Although the Dreame T30 is able to detect the change in surface to adapt, I find it much more at home on tiles than on carpet. The suction works on carpet but if I compare the effect with my traditional hoover, I find that the traditional hoover does better. As I don't have many carpets at home, I don't have any problems with this, but if you have large areas of carpet, I'm not sure that this type of hoover (Dreame or any other brand) is sufficient.

The Dreame T30 is equipped with a blocking system that will stop the suction if the rotating brush gets stuck in something like a carpet edge or a mop. This prevents objects from getting stuck in the rotating brush.

Review/Conclusion

Before I bought the Dreame T20 I didn't really see the point of this type of hoover. I saw this type of hoover as an extra hoover and for an extra hoover I thought it was rather expensive. I was tempted by the offer on Indiegogo only to realise that I was wrong. Between the time I bought the Dreame T20 and the time I started testing the Dreame T30, my traditional hoover broke down. Before rushing out to buy another one, I thought I'd give the Dreame a try...and it worked! Our cleaner, who used the traditional hoover before cleaning, had no complaints about the Dreame, and found it even more convenient than the traditional model, even though the suction was not as strong. Between cleaning sessions, I find that I use the Dreame T30 more than my traditional hoover but for shorter sessions. The light weight and long battery life of the Dreame T30 allows for targeted and occasional use where a hoover would require much more effort to achieve the same result.

The Dreame T30 has a few new features compared to its predecessor but the one that I found most useful was the inclusion of a powered elbow in the accessories. I had trouble vacuuming the underside of my bed with the T20 because the angle didn't allow me to go all the way in, but with the powered elbow, the tube can shave the floor and go all the way under the bed. The Dreame T30 is comparable to a Dyson V11 if you compare the datasheets but as I have never tested a Dyson hoover I can't comment on anything else. Based on the spec sheet, the Dreame T30 offers a good alternative to the Dyson while being significantly cheaper.

In addition to a higher suction power, the Dreame T30 also dynamically adapts to the surfaces it encounters or the amount of dirt it sucks up. This is not something that would have made me buy the T30 over a T20 but I imagine this feature will prove very useful for heavy cleaning.

Overall I'm quite happy with the Dreame T30, I didn't encounter any problems during the test and in fact I continue to use it. I would say that it probably has a weakness on carpets compared to a traditional hoover. If you have a lot of carpets, it may not be the ideal hoover. I also find that the suction system is more efficient at the front because when going back and forth in a dirty area, the rear part tends to push the dirt back rather than sucking it up like the front part.

The portability and manoeuvrability of the T30 is an advantage because for example when I had to vacuum the carpets in my car with my old hoover, I had to park my car close to my house, use an extension cord and bend around to reach all the areas of my car. The size of the T30 and the different types of brushes make this kind of work much easier.

Highlights

Handling
No cord
Battery life
Suction on tiles
Low noise in eco mode

Less efficient on carpet
Tank size
Less efficient rear suction