Hard floor cleaner in the test and comparison
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| test winner | |||
| model | Hoover FL 700 | Kärcher FC5 Premium  | Aqua Laser Floor Wizard  |
| power | 700 W | 460 W | DC 22V / 10 W suction power at nozzle |
| size (Unwrapped) | about 350 x 300 x 1100 mm | about 320 x 270 x 1220 mm | about 255 x 265 x 1145 mm |
| mass (unpacked, without cleaning liquids) | 7.3 kg | 5 kg | 2.9 kg |
| power supply | network | network | Battery operation for wireless cleaning |
| cable length | 8 m | 7 m | 0 m |
| function (Wiping, sucking, drying) | 3-in-1 | 2-in-1 | 2-in-1 |
| Self-cleaning function | No | Yes | No |
| Separate water tanks (Fresh and dirty water) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fresh water tank | 0.95 l | 0.4 l | 550 ml |
| Recovery tank | 2.5 liters of dry dirt or 0.95 liters of dirty water | 0.2 l | 500 ml |
| Folding handle | Yes | Yes (with a screwdriver) | Yes (with a screwdriver) |
| to brush | rotating microfiber rollers | rotating soft-touch brushes | brush rollers |
| Price on Amazon | 159,90 ? | 197.93? (including 2 additional rolls and 30 ml detergent) | 149.95? (including 1 battery charger) |
| advantages | · Owns dry function (accelerates the drying of the soil) · looks high quality, robust and stable · No interruption of the work process by constant power supply · Its folding handle makes it a little space-saving and compact · Thoroughly clean the floor without stains left behind | · Very agile and nimble · the housing of the mop and its other parts are processed in a solid way · No interruption of the work process by constant power supply · The microfiber rollers are washable in the washing machine at up to 60 ° C · Cleaning results of the floor as well as the floor corners: clean, effortless and without lubrication · optimal floor drying through economical water consumption from the fresh water tank | · Cheaper than its other competitors · Lighter and thinner · More compact, if you release the handle with the help of a screwdriver · Very easy to turn left and right |
| disadvantage | · heavy · A mechanical cable rewind is missing · Has no swivel, so not agile enough · Slightly higher water consumption for cleaning | · Relatively heavy | · Defective processing, seems unstable · No satisfactory floor cleaning: The vacuum cleaner works badly and not properly · Detailed operating instructions with significant grammatical errors |
| cleaning quality | · In both rooms and in corners, all stains were defeated: Most stains were easily and quickly eliminated, the others took a few minutes. Result: clean and fresh surfaces in both rooms | · Even with this device, all stains in both rooms and in corners have disappeared on the spot: Most stains were easily and quickly eliminated, the others as well as the Hoover hard floor cleaner, took a little time. Result: clean performance without greasing | · The floor has become even dirtier due to the device. The only thing that the device managed: to absorb linseed. Result: very poor performance |
| Available at | Hoover FL 700 TO THE PRODUCT | Kärcher FC5 Premium TO THE PRODUCT | Aqua Laser Floor Wizard TO THE PRODUCT |
Content of the test report
- General information about hard floor cleaners
- What is a hard floor cleaner?
- For whom is a hard floor cleaner suitable?
- The advantages of a hard floor cleaner
- The disadvantages of a hard floor cleaner
- Three hard floor cleaners in the comparison test
- Kärcher Hard Floor Cleaner FC5 Premium
- Hoover FL 700 hard floor cleaner
- Aqua Laser Floor Wizard hard floor cleaner
- Our test result
General information about hard floor cleaners
What is a hard floor cleaner?
A hard floor cleaner is a very helpful home appliance that can facilitate the cleaning of your hard floors. The hard floor cleaner is a vacuum cleaner that also has a wet wipe function. Some hard floor cleaners even have a drying function! A wet vacuum cleaner that sucks, wipes and sometimes dries removes faster and more effective dry and wet dirt in your home or apartment. Even stubborn dirt can be removed from the hard bottom by its powerful brushes, microfiber rollers and tap water from its water tank.
A hard floor cleaner is suitable for hard floors made of wood, plastic or stone with a waterproof coating. The cleaning of carpets is not possible!
For whom is a hard floor cleaner suitable?
A hard floor cleaner is a cleaning aid for those who want to avoid the strenuous work with bucket and hand brush. Also for those who do not want to constantly wipe again after vacuuming. Almost every house or apartment has larger hard floor surfaces that can be quickly and effectively cleaned with a hard floor cleaner. Especially for people who do not have carpets in their own four walls, a hard floor cleaner is an optimal and suitable alternative. Even owners of a business or a restaurant who often have to clean huge hard-floor surfaces can benefit from this device and perform the cleaning relatively quickly.
The advantages of a hard floor cleaner:
- Diverse applications: Sucking and wet wiping in one step. On some models, you can use these 2 functions directly through a selection circuit. With some suction wipers, there is also a third function? the drying function. The drying function accelerates the drying time of the soil surface.
- Easy and comfortable handling
- Less time: Two to three cleanings - vacuuming, wet wiping and sometimes dry wiping - are done with a hard floor cleaner all at once.
- Hygienic cleaning result and better room climate: The device has separate water tanks for fresh and dirty water. Therefore, you do not distribute the dirty water directly back to the floor. The dirty water remains in the hard floor cleaner.
- Gentle cleaning: A wet vacuum cleaner leaves no scratches on your smooth floors.
The disadvantages of a hard floor cleaner:
- Often big and heavy devices with cable
- High initial cost for a purchased device
- Not every piece of equipment (such as the filter and the filler cap in general, brushes or rollers) can be easily cleaned
- More energy costs (you do not need electricity for a mop)
Three hard floor cleaners in the comparison test
In our test we cleaned 2 rooms: our office and the toilet room. In the office room is vinyl, in the toilet room are tiles. In the office, we have spread flaxseed and dried mayo and ketchup patches for cleaning. In the office corners we had fresh ketchup and Nutellaflecken placed in the bathroom drought tea, coffee and also Nutellaflecken. Before cleaning with one of the hard floor cleaners, we have cleared the rooms of coarse dirt. Smaller, even the finest dirt particles were mostly no problem for the devices. We have used identical cleaning agents for all vacuum cleaners.
Kärcher Hard Floor Cleaner FC5 Premium
The Karcher Hard floor cleaner FC5 Premium was kindly provided by Alfred Kärcher GmbH § Co. KG for testing!
Properties:
Price on Amazon: 219.99? (including 2 extra rolls and 30 ml of detergent); Recording power: 460 W; Weight (without cleaning fluids) 5 kg; Size: approx. 320 x 270 x 1220 mm; Cable length 7 m; power supply
Test procedure and positive features:
Our test device - the Kärcher FC5 Premium - we have received in a box with extra accessories. Apart from the hard floor cleaner, the following things were included in the box:
- 3 sets of microfiber rollers
- 1 large (1 L) bottle of Universal Cleaner and a small (30 ml) bottle of floor cleaner (Floor Cleaning Universal for thorough cleaning of all hard surfaces)
- 1 measuring cup
The hard floor cleaner FC 5 from Kärcher, a 2-in-1 unit, simultaneously makes it possible to dampen stone floors, parquet, appropriately treated tiles, linoleum, vinyl as well as laminate and vacuuming in a single cleaning process. The housing of the mop and its other parts are processed in a solid manner. Its operating instructions are very easy to use, multilingual and so extensive that the FC 5 Premium was ready to use in just a few steps: fill the fresh water tank with approx. 400 ml cold or lukewarm tap water up to the maximum mark, then add a cap to the floor cleaning (you give the cleaning liquid only afterwards to avoid too much foam), switch on and you can already start with the cleaning! Two exchangeable rollers were already attached to the device from the beginning and ready for initial operation. Before the first use, we moistened the microfibre rollers evenly with 50 ml of fresh water (the device was operated in the station with 50 ml-filled water for 5 seconds). With the moistened rollers, the hard floor cleaner absorbs the dissolved or dry dirt more quickly from the floor.
Compared to traditional cleaning with a bucket and a mop, the FC 5 from Kärcher always cleans the floor with clean and fresh water from the fresh water tank. The extracted, dirty water ends up in a separate wastewater tank. With its height of 1.22 m, the hard floor cleaner is equally usable by adults and children alike. With a cable length of about 7 m, we are also quite satisfied.With only one socket and the long cable, we were able to work on two test rooms without the squeegee having to be connected to the power network anywhere else. The cable of the device is unfortunately somewhat obstructive: you get tangled sometimes with your feet in it. But there is another advantage for this: the constant supply of electricity does not interrupt the work process. With a battery you must always make sure that this is charged. If the battery is empty, it takes a while until it is fully charged. In the unused state, you can easily rewind the cable upside down and fix it with a clamp so that it does not lie anywhere on the floor.
First, we have the office room with vinyl floor made. For the device you have to keep the on / off switch pressed for a few seconds, so that the button remains permanently activated. Then you can relax your thumb and do not have to press any more. The model does not have any further buttons. The handle is covered with rubber and feels very comfortable and handy. The rotating rollers enable the hard floor cleaner to move quickly. The swivel of the mop can also be turned freely by hand. All this gives the Kärcher a very agile impression. However, you should not hold it too loose in the hand: Since the device is relatively heavy and very nimble, it could quickly slip out of the hand.
The cleaning of the floor was generally excellent: without greasing and with clean performance. Also, as far as the consumption of water is concerned, the device is very economical and does not need too much water for wiping. Most stains were easy to remove. The moistened rollers made it easier to detect and remove linseed in the office. In the beginning, the Kärcher has taken only half of the seeds and pushed the other part forward. After we had defeated all stains, we have collected the remaining flax seeds with the device. The mayo spots were also completely gone. Only with the ketchup spots we had to take a bit of time and wipe it over several times. The clean water from the tank initially softens such stains. Then you have to work the surface a few times, so that no residues remain.
The toilet room has been waiting for us to have dried tea, coffee and Nutella stains on the tiles. We got rid of the coffee and grocery bags easily and quickly. The tea stains were gone for the most part, only very weak circular lines are left over. The same thing happened with the other devices. None of the test equipment has been able to completely remove tea stains!
Even in corners, we succeeded in less than a minute to remove the fresh Nutella and Ketchupflecken. A few sideways maneuvers with the Kärcher and the spots were gone.
The device leaves no puddles on the ground. Thanks to its low residual moisture, the soil dries optimally, quickly and is immediately accessible again. At the end of the cleaning, the vinyl floor, the corners in the office and the tiles in the toilet room gleamed with cleanliness!
Cleaning:
Each squeegee should be cleaned thoroughly in any case with heavy pollution. Normally, with average use, the Kärcher can simply be rinsed with fresh water in its cleaning station. In our case, with many dried and hard to remove stains, you should do a thorough cleaning. A piece of advice for you: take enough time with the first device cleaning, about 25-30 minutes, because you have yet to get to know your new device and its parts to be cleaned!
The device should be cleaned as directly as possible after the cleaning process, so that no mold is created in the recovery tank. First, we have turned off the Kärcher and pulled the plug out of the socket. Then we put it in the cleaning station with 200 ml of water and a little Kärcher cleaning agent. Then we emptied the fresh water tank and used again. We also emptied the waste water tank and reinstalled it in the device. The squeegee was turned on again by us so we could let it run for 60 seconds in the cleaning station. And already the cleaning process runs by itself! Immediately thereafter, the device was finally turned off. The dirt tank we had to empty again and wash with a little detergent and a cloth. Alternatively, you can clean the waste water tank in your dishwasher. The filter in the lid we could also easily clean with a detergent. The rolls were washed separately in the washing machine at 60 degrees. We have also removed the ketchup, mayo and flaxseed residues from the device suction head with a damp cloth and a little cleaning fluid. All clean parts of the hard floor cleaner were first allowed to air dry and then back in place.
Criticism:
However, the FC 5 has like any other device also some shortcomings:
- As disturbing we feel that you have to put the model again and again in the cleaning station.Alternatively, you can lay the Kärcher horizontally on the ground, which is not practical during the work process. Here we would like to have an improvement: We would like to leave the device standing vertically on the spot, without having to take along its parking station every time!
- We also find it a pity that you always have to manually rewind the cable with this cleaner. A mechanical cable rewind, as with a vacuum cleaner, would be much more practical! The automatic cable rewind prevents too much cable lying around on the floor. As a result, the cable does not hinder the cleaning process so much.
- The FC 5 is not easy. The model is relatively heavy. The hard floor cleaner and cleaning fluids weigh over 5 kg. The device must be worn from time to time, e.g. if you have several floors or levels in your house or apartment.
- Also, the capacity for the dirty water could have been a little more extensive: the tank capacity encloses only 200 ml, which is relatively little compared to the Hoover FL 700.
Hoover FL 700 hard floor cleaner
The CANDY HOOVER GMBH gave us the Hoover Floormate FL 700 Hard Floor Cleaner kindly provided for this test for free!
Properties:
Price on Amazon: 249.83? (only the device, without accessories); Rated power consumption: 700 W; Weight (without cleaning fluids) 7.3 Kg; Size: approx. 350 x 300 x 1100 mm; Cable length 8 m; power supply
Test procedure and positive features:
Now we are in the 3-in-1 model? at Hoover Floormate - arrived. 3-in-1 system means that the FL 700 not only sucks and wipes, but also dries the floor surface. The third extra function of the device helps to reduce the drying time of the moist soil. Sure, this feature does not make the floor completely dry, but at least the surface can be walked on much faster.
Like the Kärcher, the Hoover only serves to clean hard floor surfaces such as linoleum, vinyl, marble and other sealed wooden floors that resist the use of water. The vacuum cleaner destroys both wet and dried dirt. At the end of the cleaning process, with its dry function, it ensures that your feet do not wet ground. The device is suitable for private living rooms, as well as for public spaces with large smooth floor surfaces.
The Hoover Floormate looks very stable and robust. Its manual is also very detailed, written in many languages and has useful descriptive images for a better understanding of the device. With the help of the instructions, you will easily build your Hoover and get to know the device correctly. The FL 700 is as big in its full size as the Kärcher. But he has one advantage: his folding handle. Therefore, he seemed a little more space-saving and compact. In addition, you can set it quite well compared to the Kärcher FC 5! Also to be noted positive is that it has 6 rotating soft-touch brushes, with which you can thoroughly clean your floor. Although it is not as water-saving as the Kärcher, but it also ensures a thorough and gentle cleaning of your hard floors as his test competitor!
Another positive thing about the Hoover FL 700 is that it also has 2 separate tanks: one for the fresh water and the other for the dirty water. With clean water from the fresh water tank you clean the floor more effectively and leave no dirty stains, since the dirty water is absorbed by the dirt container. The dirty water tank is ready to receive either 2.5 liters of dry dirt, or 0.95 liters of dirty water. The device has no battery. As described above, this is partly an advantage as you can work without interruption without having to charge the battery. The cable on this model is a bit longer, 8m, which means you have an even wider range of action than the first tester. The cable can easily be wound in the middle of the cable hook and secured with a cable clip. At the back, next to the left wheel, is there an important part of the device that makes cleaning easier? a pedal. With the grip release pedal you can bring the device into a comfortable operating position and clean much more pleasant the floor surface!
We have reviewed all 3 features of the Hoover FL 700. First, we have the mode rotary-dial head on? Vacuum? turned and sucked up the whole flax seeds very quickly. The on / off switching you have to hold relatively long. Second, we filled the fresh water tank with some Universal Cleaner from Kärcher and this time selected the? Wash? Mode. When washing, we also had to press the liquid release button to let the cleaning fluid flow in as needed. The dried Majo blob has disappeared immediately after the first cleaning movements on the spot from the ground. For the ketchup stain we also needed about 2 minutes with this device, so that he finally disappeared.Also, the dried Nutella and the coffee in the toilet room we have quickly eliminated with the Hoover hard floor cleaner. Only the dry tea was not removed for a few minutes. A certain residue has remained. The fresh Nutella and the ketchup in the office room were quickly defeated with this hard floor cleaner.
We have dried the clean and moist surfaces in both rooms with the device. By switching to? Dry? you accelerate the drying of the soil and absorb at the same time the remaining dirt leftovers. Thanks to this function, floor surfaces were dry really fast. The floors in both rooms were clean and bright, so kids can play and crawl right back on it.
Cleaning:
Cleaning the Hoover Hard Floor Cleaner is also easy. You primarily switch off the device and pull the plug out of the socket. Then we emptied the waste water tank and rinsed with tap water and a little cleaning solution. The filter cover and the reusable filter, we simply rinsed with lukewarm water. Before rinsing, we slightly tapped the filter so that most flax seeds fell out of the filter. This and subsequent rinsing was enough to get both parts clean again. We also washed the floor nozzle and the brushes with water and a neutral detergent, on which the remains of ketchup, mayonnaise and nutella are left. Finally, we have cleaned the entire vacuum cleaner with a slightly damp cloth and let all its part dry before the next use.
Criticism:
The Hoover FL 700 also has its weak points:
- One of the points of criticism is the weight of the hard floor cleaner. The FL 700 is the heaviest vacuum cleaner of all 3 testers. He weighs 7.3 kilos, which is a bit much. You should take into account that climbing stairs with the device is very exhausting.
- Just like its test competitor, the FC 5, we would improve the cable rewind. It is more often the case that the cable was always across the area to be cleaned. That's why we would be here for an automatic cable rewind.
- Unfortunately, the pedal of the device also has its disturbing side. It's on the left side, which is not as practical for a right foot as for a left foot. Since we are both right-wingers, this factor disturbed us a bit.
- Compared to the other test colleagues, the Hoover Floormate has no swivel joint to be able to turn around better. He is therefore not very agile. Despite his lack of self, he does very good cleaning work. That's why we do not consider it too big a disadvantage.
- A small deficiency is also in its higher water consumption. On one side, the vacuum cleaner creates the right floor gloss with its cleaning technology, on the other hand, the water must be replenished frequently. After 2 test rooms, under which the toilet room is relatively small, the fresh water tank was already empty. But here we must not forget that the stains were heavily dried or greasy!
Aqua Laser Floor Wizard hard floor cleaner
Properties:
Price on Amazon: 149.95 instead of 189.95? (including 1 battery charger); Battery: Lithium 22V (charging time 3-4 hours); Weight (without cleaning fluids) 2.9 kg; Size: approx. 255 x 265 x 1145 mm; Battery operation for wireless cleaning
Test procedure and positive features:
With the next 2-in-1 hard floor cleaner, the Floor Wizard by Aqua LaserUnfortunately, we did not have any good experiences. Overall, the vacuum cleaner of the device is rather inferior, some positive aspects, he can still show! The Floor Wizard is cheaper than its two competitors. He is much lighter and thinner. You can also make it more compact by loosening the handle with a screwdriver. The device is very handy, you can turn it easily left and right. Like the Hoover Floormate, the Floor Wizard has a pedal on the left side that allows you to better and more conveniently adjust its position in the floor cleaning process. Unlike the other testers, this vacuum cleaner is battery-powered and accordingly wireless. On one side you avoid the annoying cable and do not have to change the power outlet every time to reach the other rooms, but on the other hand the device with fully charged battery is only 30 min operational, which is not always sufficient. He also needs 3-4 hours to be recharged.
The Floor Wizard may also be used only for sealed wood, PVC, marble, laminate and tiles. It has 2 important switches: the pump switch and the power switch. The device does not have to be assembled in a complicated way. Just insert the handle of the device into the main body. To be ready for use, the fresh water tank must be filled with water and a little cleaning solution from Kärcher (1:40 in relation to water). The clean water tank holds 550 ml, which is more than the Kärcher FC 5 and significantly less than the Hoover FL 700.Immediately after unpacking the hard floor cleaner was ready for its first test cleaning, we did not have to recharge it first. To start the Floor Wizard, you have to press the power button once. The machine is ready for a standard cleaning immediately. When pressed twice, the scrubber is able to fight for heavy soiling. When pressed three times you switch off the device. The pump switch is there to release water as you move forward with the wizard.
The flaxseed in the office, the Floor Wizard has pushed first before him. After a few gentle back and forth movements, he has absorbed all linseed. Unfortunately, that's the only task he has mastered. The other stains in the office room and in the toilet room, we have smeared with the vacuum cleaner only more. The floor has become even dirtier through the device. In addition, an unbearable smell has arisen. With the cleaning of the floor surfaces in both rooms we were absolutely dissatisfied and disappointed!
Cleaning:
The cleaning of the device was not so easy. After switching off the device we have emptied the container for clean water. We also emptied the waste water tank and washed it out with water and detergent. The hardest part for us was to clean the top of the dirty water tank. The spot with the filter was unreachable even with thin long fingers. In the filter part it was so tight that we could not get out some small particles. For the cleaning of the water head and the washing roller, we also mixed detergent with clear water to rinse the mixture of mayo, ketchup and nutella. The washed parts were allowed to dry. The remaining flax seeds from the filter we could not knock out even when dry, so they remained behind.
Criticism:
The last review unit has unfortunately received a lot of criticism from us:
- The main drawback: that it almost does not work as it should. The only thing he does is suck. A satisfactory floor cleaning is not possible with the Floor Wizard.
- His appearance says a lot about the Floor Wizard: the device looks somehow cheap and unstable. Right from the beginning, right at the assembly, the Wizard has lost confidence in us.
- Its operating instructions are in 4 languages, but they are too short, undetailed and have considerable grammatical errors. Also, there is no step-by-step instruction on how to operate or clean the device. Some technical terms from the overview were confused. That is why you can not rely on this manual when using the vacuum cleaner for the first time.
- Whether the Floor Wizard in water consumption is rather economical or wasteful, has not become clear to us due to a lack of display. But better would be one or more water tanks with a larger capacity.
- The last small minus we have forgiven, as before at the Hoover, for the impractical position of his pedal. Only as a left foot this is easy to use.
Our test result
In the end we have now agreed on a test winner. The Floor Wizard is knocked down in third place. He is not comparable to the other two devices, the Kärcher FC 5 and the Hoover FL 700, because of his poor performance. The FC 5 and the FL 700 are both great devices that we would recommend to anyone regarding their cleaning performance. Both got the floor surfaces clean, both worked without any problems. The processing of both is high quality! Both the Kärcher and the Hoover are made of robust materials. There are still some differences. The FC 5 can clean the floor with very little water. The FL 700 has a third dry function that the Kärcher does not have. With this function, it shortens the drying time immensely.
But there must be a winner. The Kärcher FC won 5 in our test. With his comparatively low price, he has outdone the Hoover FL 700.
