Electrolux Ergorapido Power review: Limited Electrolux stick vac lacks versatility
Although the $230 Electrolux Ergorapido Power offers better performance than the brand's $349 UltraPower Studio stick vacuum, its test results were still pretty hit-and-miss.
The $230 Ergorapido Power stick vacuum is the third Electrolux vacuum we've tested. The $300 Precision Brushroll Clean upright vacuum got an excellent review, whereas the $349 UltraPower Studio stick vacuum turned out to be quite disappointing. The Ergorapido sits somewhere in the middle. It performed better than the UltraPower in our stick vacuum tests, but it still didn't do as well as the $500 Dyson DC59 Animal or the $180 Hoover Linx . If you're set on an Electrolux model or plan to focus your cleaning efforts on smaller debris, the Ergorapido is a fine choice. But, if you want something with top all-around performance, look to the DC59 or the Linx.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Design and features
The Ergorapido Power is pretty similar to the UltraPower Studio in terms of design and features. The Ergorapido is metallic purple with orange accents, whereas the UltraPower is metallic dark blue with orange accents. Like the UltraPower, the Ergorapido offers cord-free vacuuming complete with charging dock, LED "headlights," a see-through nozzle, and flexible tubing that makes it extremely maneuverable.
The Ergorapido also offers Electrolux's signature "Brush Roll Clean" technology. If you recall from my UltraPower review, the Brush Roll Clean feature allows you to detangle hair or other particles without having to remove the brush and clean it manually. Just turn on the vacuum and press the lever located on the right side of the nozzle. That will release another lever inside the nozzle that "combs" through the brush to help with small particle buildup. While it probably won't be able to fix any large-debris tangles like a mishap with a set of earphones, it does a pretty good job with the small stuff.
From there, the Ergorapido's features start to diverge a bit. Unlike the UltraPower, the Ergorapido is a 2-in-1 model -- a stick and handheld vacuum are neatly packaged into one traditional-looking stick vacuum. Press the 2-in-1 button on the front of the vacuum and the handheld unit will release for use. A separate brush attachment for the handheld vacuum is even included with the purchase.
Additionally, the Ergorapido offers only two cleaning modes -- normal and high, whereas the UltraPower offers three: normal, booster, and silent. It also doesn't have an LED status bar that lets you know how much time is left on your charge. Unlike the UltraPower's 25.2-volt lithium ion battery, the Ergorapido's 14.4-volt battery is nickel-metal hydride -- common in handheld vacuums.
At 5.5 pounds, the Ergorapido is the lightest of the "traditional" stick vacs. The UltraPower weighs 6.3 pounds, the Linx weighs 7.3 pounds, and the $350 Gtech AirRam weighs 7.7 pounds. Due to their unconventional configurations, the Dyson DC59 and the $180 Shark Rocket weigh less -- 4.6 pounds for the DC59 and 4.2 pounds for the Rocket.
Usability
Stick vacuums tend to be easier to use than uprights. They weigh less, and they're typically cordless (all of the models we tested are cordless, except the Shark Rocket). There's much less lugging involved overall. The Electrolux Ergorapido is no exception.
Like the Electrolux UltraPower Studio stick vacuum I reviewed, the Ergorapido is incredibly easy to maneuver. I love the bendable tubing on the back that makes it so good at making turns (and where the UltraPower had trouble standing upright, the Ergorapido seems much better at snapping into place and staying put). Add in the fact that the Ergorapido weighs nearly a pound less than the UltraPower, and it's my vote for the most maneuverable traditional stick model we tested.
The addition of a handheld vac doesn't hurt either. That way, you can transition from floor to detail cleaning very easily. I would like to see labels for the normal and high cleaning modes. The cleaning mode button is a bit misleading. It has three bars -- but there are only two cleaning modes. I would also prefer a separate dock for the battery, rather than a whole-vacuum charging station. This vacuum has to sit out the whole time your battery is charging -- not ideal.
Performance
We spread 1 ounce each of fruity Cheerios, pet hair, and a sand-and-sawdust mixture on hardwood, mid-pile carpet, and low-pile carpet. That let us to see how the $230 Electrolux Ergorapido Power handles different surfaces and types of debris. We also tested the $500 Dyson DC59 Animal, the $349 Elextrolux UltraPower Studio, the $350 Gtech AirRam, the $180 Hoover Linx, and the $180 Shark Rocket so we could draw direct comparisons with other stick vacuums.
If you expect cereal or other large-particle messes to be a recurring problem in your home, I wouldn't recommend the Ergorapido. It came in second-to-last overall, picking up 57 percent of the Cheerios on hardwood, 73 percent on mid-pile carpet, and 77 percent on low-pile carpet. While the carpet scores aren't terrible, they aren't as good as the Hoover Linx, Gtech AirRam, Dyson DC59, and, on low-pile carpet, the Shark Rocket. Like the Electrolux UltraPower Studio, the Ergorapido had a tendency to alternate between pushing the Cheerios around the floor and rolling on top of them like an all-terrain vehicle. Neither was very effective on this test.
The Ergorapido came in fourth overall on the pet hair tests. While it picked up 100 percent of the pet hair on both carpeted surfaces, it struggled on hardwood, collecting only 25 percent of what we scattered. This result is very similar to the Electrolux UltraPower Studio model, which picked up all of the pet hair on the mid-and-low-pile carpets and none on the hardwood floor. If you want a stick vac that can collect pet hair on hardwood, consider the Shark Rocket or the Hoover Linx instead.