Proscenic P11 cordless vacuum cleaner review

Proscenic is a relatively new brand in the vacuum cleaner market, having launched in 2013 with a focus on smart home appliances. The Proscenic P11 cordless vacuum cleaner is their latest appliance which promises deep cleaning, a long runtime, and fast charging. 

Here at Top Ten Reviews, we aim to give unfiltered, honest reviews of all the devices we test. So we were excited to review the Proscenic P11, which boasts an attractive design, three power modes, and a variety of attachments to make cleaning easier around the home. It also has a dedicated app in which you can check your cleaning history, modes used, and get reminders on when to replace the HEPA filter.

The Proscenic P11 specifically mentions that it’s great for vacuuming pet hair. Good news, given we have a golden retriever dog and a long-haired cat in the house.

Our review takes a deeper dive on all the features and accessories the Proscenic P11 has to offer. Plus, we’ve tested battery life, performance, and maneuverability, to see if this affordably priced vacuum cleaner can rival some of the biggest names in vacuuming.

If the Proscenic P11 isn’t for you, take a look at other tried-and-tested models, including robot vacuum cleaners, cylinders, and more, in our best vacuum cleaners for home guide.

Proscenic P11: Design

The Proscenic P11 cordless vacuum cleaner certainly looks great. The unit is black and gray with shots of electric blue at the handle. Blue is also used to highlight operational buttons, such as the trigger, connecting ports for accessories, and release buttons.

An LED touchscreen is situated at the rear of the device, and displays battery life, cleaning mode, and a fan symbol that allows you to change down to Eco mode or up to Max mode for deeper cleaning. 

The stick is finished in brushed steel, giving it a luxurious, expensive look and feel, while the attachments are black with blue or red highlights in the motorized brushes.

However, the first thing we noticed about the Proscenic P11 is how heavy it feels in the hand. The unit without any attachments is 3.7lbs. Compared to the lighter Dyson V12 or Aspiron Cordless vacuum cleaners (which both weigh in at 3.3lbs), this feels quite a bit more unwieldy and heavy. After around 20 minutes of vacuuming, we were suffering from wrist strain, which suggests the balance is off somewhat in terms of ergonomics. 

The unit comes with a range of standard accessories, brush heads, and a wall-mounted charging dock. The charging dock is one of the smallest and flimsiest we’ve seen. Given that the base unit is heavier than most cordless vacuum cleaner units, it would make sense to have a sturdier charging dock.

Proscenic P11: Features and accessories

The Proscenic P11 comes with a range of standard accessories:

• Electric floor brush with LED lights, for all floor types. 
• Mini-motorized tool brush, for upholstery and mattresses. 
• Round brush, for dusting. 
• Crevice tool, for gaps and hard-to-reach areas. 
• Wall-mounted charging port and power adaptor. 
• Cleaning tool, for removing hairs and other tangles from brushes. 

Having tested several other cordless vacuum cleaners recently, we found ourselves disappointed by the design of some attachments. While the main vacuum brush head was perfectly acceptable, and had useful LED lights for cleaning under low furniture, it’s not designed for edge-to-edge cleaning. It also lacks the maneuverability of similarly priced models, such as the Levoit VortexIQ 40 Flex.

We found the dusting brush to be rather hopeless too. Its odd design means that it rotates while you’re using it, changing the angle constantly, This means you have to keep stopping to adjust it. The bristles are fairly thick and scratchy, too, so we’re not sure that we’d be dusting any precious items or family photographs with it. 

Having previously used mini-motorized brushes on carpeted stairs, we tested this out on our first try. Unfortunately, this attachment was hard to move forward and back, as the plastic upholstery casing at the front seemed to have an annoying tendency to restrict fluid motion, making the job much harder and more frustrating than it should be. We ended up ditching it in favor of the mini motorized brush tool on our Dyson V12. 

There are three modes to choose from on the Proscenic P11 - eco, auto, and max. The vacuum cleaner starts in auto mode, but you can easily use the touch panel to dial up or down in suction power. Auto mode identifies areas with more dirt and debris and powers up automatically without you having to change the mode yourself, which is helpful. 

Operating the vacuum cleaner in max mode gives you about 15 minutes of cleaning time, which is more than most cordless vacuum cleaners. Operating it in Eco mode gives you an hour of cleaning time, which beats quite a few cordless vacuum cleaners on the market. 

Proscenic P11: Setup and assembly

The Proscenic P11 arrives in a cardboard box, with everything inside encased in plastic, some of which is not recyclable. A manual is included along with a leaflet about the Smart connected app.

It’s pretty easy to set up the Proscenic P11. The unit comes already charged, so you can get started using it straight away, and all the attachments are easy to fit and remove.

Proscenic P11: Performance

Our first evaluation of the Proscenic P11 involved vacuuming our 210-square-foot living room with a thick carpet and rugs, and a 73-square-foot kitchen with a hardwood floor. 

We weren’t very impressed with the results. Compared to previous vacuum cleaners we tested, it didn’t look like the dust cup had picked up much pet hair. 

Having said that, the floors looked clean, and any visible dirt and debris appeared to be removed. But given that our dust cup is usually full after every vacuum, the lack of debris in the Proscenic P11 raised our suspicions that it wasn’t picking up as much as other cordless vacuums. 

Our next test was to check how well the Proscenic P11 could pick up fine particles, such as flour, and larger particles, such as oats and cookie crumbs. Scattering all three on a hardwood floor, and a thick carpet, we evaluated how well the vacuum cleaner could suck these up.

Overall, we were pretty pleased with the results. The Proscenic P11 seemed to cope well with all three on hard floors and carpets, efficiently sucking up every crumb and ridding the carpet of any dust and debris until there was no trace. Given how well it performed in our evaluation at picking up crumbs and fine particles, we suspect that our half-empty dust cup means the Proscenic P11 isn’t as great at picking up pet hair.

We also checked the noise level of the Proscenic P11 during operation. We recorded levels of between 71 and 77 decibels depending on what mode was used. 71 decibels is around standard for a vacuum cleaner, but 77 decibels is more like noisy traffic. However, it’s unlikely you’d have to use the Proscenic P11 in max mode for long periods of time.

As described already, we found the ergonomics of the Proscenic P11 to be lacking. It’s not the easiest or most maneuverable of vacuum cleaners, and the heaviness of the unit may mean it’s too unwieldy for some people to use regularly, or for long periods.

The app doesn’t seem to add much value either. It’s not clear why you’d want to know what mode you usually clean at, especially if you use the auto mode most. Unless you’re checking up on a family member’s claims of how often they vacuum, it’s not clear why the cleaning history is there either. However, the reminder to replace the filter is useful and there is also a trouble-shooting guide if you misplace your manual.

Battery life was probably where the Proscenic P11 excelled. Fully charged in just 2.5 hours, we found we could vacuum the whole house on a single charge, including dusting skirting boards and window sills. So if you value battery life over performance, and many do, this might be where the Proscenic P11 sways you.

Proscenic P11: Care and maintenance

The Proscenic P11 can be wall-mounted on the charging dock provided, or you can remove the battery and charge it up separately. 

The Proscenic app provides a handy bar to show when you need to change your HEPA filter, while replacement filters can be purchased via the Proscenic website. They also recommend that you clean the HEPA filter and sponge filter every 15 days in cold water. Make sure the filters are completely dry before putting them back in the unit.

Emptying the dust cup is simply a matter of opening the catch at the base. However, we did find that a lot of debris became stuck around the inner metal filter, which meant having to dig around it to release it into the garbage. So emptying is messier and more complicated than it ought to be. Replacing the dust cup on the unit is also more of a fiddly process at first than with other vacuum cleaners, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier.

Karen Barrigan, cleaning expert for Housetastic and business owner, has some great tips on cleaning out a dusty cup. “The most crucial task when using a vacuum without a bag is emptying and washing the dust container. If you don’t do this, the vacuum power will decrease if you wait too long and risk breaking your vacuum."

“To prevent this from happening, you should empty the container every time it is close to being full and wipe it down with a dry cloth. Using a wet cloth is okay, but dry the dust container afterward. Otherwise, the next time you use the dust container, all the dust particles will stick to it.”

Proscenic also provides a 1-year warranty on all its appliances, so there’s extra peace of mind if your vacuum cleaner has any problems in the first year after purchase. 

Servicing your vacuum cleaner every 12 months is also important to maintain it for longer. Barrigan recommends a yearly service to keep your vacuum cleaner in top condition and extend the life of the motor within it. 

Proscenic P11: Price and availability

• $199.99 / £139.99

At just under $200, and regularly on offer on Amazon with one-click coupons, the Proscenic P11 is pretty affordably priced. It’s around a third of the cost of much more expensive vacuum cleaners, such as the Dyson V12 Detect Slim. However, given some of the issues we saw in our testing, you may be better off forking out a little more for a vacuum cleaner that’s lighter, has better accessories, and doesn’t skimp on performance.

The similarly priced Levoit VortexIQ 40 Flex has lots of well-made, sturdy, accessories, an auto mode for clever cleaning, a clear LED display, and a flexible stick function for reaching under furniture. And it gets great reviews from happy customers. 

Proscenic P11: User reviews

The Proscenic P11 has an impressive 4.4 stars out of 5 on Amazon, with over 70% of purchasers giving it the full five stars. Happy customers praise the long battery life, the auto mode, and the LED lights, which make it easier to pick up dirt and debris in dark corners. 

Negative reviews cite faulty battery charging issues with individual appliances and poor suction power. Quite a few people mention how tricky it is to empty and clean the dust cup, with one user saying, “It’s just way too awkward to empty the canister and it’s so tiny that I’m doing it several times per room". Another user agrees: “There’s no just ‘dumping’ it when there’s pet hair. I have to take it completely apart to get all the hair out.”

Proscenic P11: What the experts say

Karen Barrigan suggests that the Proscenic P11 may be better for a home without pets, given how  many people have trouble emptying the dust cup of hair and fur. However, if you want a vacuum that can run for a longtime on a single charge, and does a good enough job of picking up larger particles, it could be the one for you. 

Should you buy the Proscenic P11?

We think you can find a vacuum cleaner that’s similarly priced, but lighter and easier to use, has a better track record at dealing with pet hair, and is easier to empty and clean. Sadly, while it performs relatively well, the Proscenic P11 just didn’t tick all our boxes. 

How does the Proscenic P11 compare to competitors?

Thoughtfully designed and well-made, the Levoit VortexIQ 40 is a serious contender to big name brands such as Dyson, and it’s just as affordable as the Proscenic P11.

If you value great suction power and a host of useful accessories, the stand-out Dyson V12 Detect Slim is worth shelling out on. It also has a laser-illuminated cleaner head, for detecting particles invisible to the naked eye.

The cheap and cheerful Aspiron Cordless is around $50 less than the Proscenic P11, but doesn't skimp on performance, as our at-home testing shows. Plus, it’s a great lightweight vacuum cleaner.  

How we tested the Proscenic P11

Here at Top Ten Reviews, we feel strongly about giving consumers the best buying advice. As such, we test every product thoroughly in order to give an accurate opinion of its quality. 

When we test vacuums, we make sure to take note of the packaging and unboxing, the assembly process and how difficult it is, as well as the product's design and features and how it compares to the competition. 

Our reviewers really put vacuums through their paces, testing them in controled conditions using crumbs, flour, and oats to measure how quickly and accurately the vacuum performs. They also make sure to test every accessory to assess its value and usefulness. 

Last but not least, we care about making your purchases last. We've spoken to experts across the cleaning and small appliances industry to get the best care and maintenance advice for your vacuums.