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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.

Megan Wollerton Former Senior Writer/Editor
5 min read

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.

7.2

Electrolux Ergorapido Power

The Good

The $230 Electrolux Ergorapido Power stick vacuum has a removable handheld vacuum built into its design. It did very well on the sand-and-sawdust test.

The Bad

It struggled on the pet hair and Cheerios tests. The $180 Hoover Linx and the $500 Dyson DC59 are much better at adapting to different flooring surfaces and debris types.

The Bottom Line

If you're set on an Electrolux stick vacuum, I recommend the Ergorapido Power over the worse-performing UltraPower Studio, but the Hoover Linx offers superior value and performance.

Design can't save Electrolux's Ergorapido Power stick vac (pictures)

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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.

electroluxultrapowerrstill.jpg
The Ergorapido Power and UltraPower Studio side-by-side. Colin West McDonald/CNET

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.

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The handheld vacuum. Colin West McDonald/CNET

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.

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The Ergorapido's power button and cleaning modes button. Megan Wollerton/CNET

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.

Cheerios, 1 oz. (percentage picked up)

Hoover Linx 100 100 100Gtech AirRam 90 97 98Dyson DC59 68 78 97Shark Rocket 75 57 87Electrolux Ergorapido Power 57 73 77Electrolux UltraPower Studio 47 47 53
  • Hardwood
  • Mid-pile
  • Low-pile
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

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.

Pet hair, 1 oz. (percentage picked up)

Shark Rocket 100 100 100Hoover Linx 100 100 100Dyson DC59 67 92 100Electrolux Ergorapido Power 25 100 100Electrolux UltraPower Studio N/A 100 100Gtech AirRam N/A 75 67
  • Hardwood
  • Mid-pile
  • Low-pile
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

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.

Sand/Sawdust, 1 oz. (percentage picked up)

Dyson DC59 100 63 81Electrolux Ergorapido Power 99 62 64Hoover Linx 98 58 58Electrolux UltraPower Studio 96 66 72Shark Rocket 95 65 55Gtech AirRam 85 60 47
  • Hardwood
  • Mid-pile
  • Low-pile
Note: Longer bars indicate better performance

Sand and sawdust is very stubborn and vacuums with stronger suction generally outperform their less powerful competition. The Ergorapido did very well here, picking up 99 percent of the mixture on hardwood, 62 percent on mid-pile carpet, and 64 percent on low-pile carpet. If your stick vacuum cleaning efforts center around small bits of dust and dirt that sink into carpets, the Ergorapido isn't a bad choice.

Conclusion

The $230 Electrolux Ergorapido Power offers solid design and a bonus feature: a built-in, removable handheld vacuum. While it did very well on the sand-and-sawdust tests, it finished in the bottom tier of our fruity Cheerios and pet hair tests. So you can expect this model to impress when you're dealing with smaller particles, but fall short in other areas. If you're set on Electrolux, the Erogorapido Power did perform better than the brand's more expensive UltraPower Studio stick vacuum. I'd still recommend the $180 Hoover Linx, though. It's less expensive and performed much better overall.

7.2

Electrolux Ergorapido Power

Score Breakdown

Performance 7Features 7Design 7Usability 8