The Tefal Air Force 360 takes aim at Dyson's stick cleaners
The cyclonic vacuum cleaner from the French cookware and appliance company isn't as good as Dyson's stick cleaners. But it's pretty decent.
Tefal's Air Force 360 stick vacuum cleaner is the company's attempt to get into the market that's currently dominated by Dyson.
Tefal's not a name you'd normally associate with vacuum cleaners , but the French maker of cookware and small appliances wants into Dyson's world of cordless cyclones.
The Air Force 360 (TY9051) looks and feels similar to Dyson's range of stick vacuum cleaners, such as the V6 and V8. But it comes with its own little design tweaks to help it stand out.
One thing I particularly liked about the cleaner was that the trigger button only really needs to be pressed once. Pressing the button locks it in place, until you press it again to stop the suction. This is unlike any of the Dyson models, which require a constant finger on the trigger to keep the vacuum working.
Battery life is none too shabby either, with Tefal claiming about 20 minutes of normal mode and 12 minutes when Boost is turned on. That's quite similar to the Dyson V6 , but mind you, the V6's Max mode only lasts 6 minutes. The V8 goes up to 40 minutes, with the newest V10 up to an hour. Charging takes about 3 hours, which is about 20 to 30 minutes faster than the V6.
Quick specs:
- Motor type: Brushless
- Two power modes
- 20 minutes battery life, 12 minutes boost
- 3 hours charging time
That said, it does feel like the Air Force 360 doesn't feel like it's as powerful, with the V6 slightly edging it out. Tefal doesn't quite publish the motor's performance online, so there aren't any hard specs to refer to for comparison.
Tefal's stick vacuum doesn't need you to continuously hold down the trigger to keep it running, unlike Dyson's.
If there's one thing I didn't quite like about the Air Force 360 is that the 0.4L bin empties out towards you, so you may get to breath in some dust when you're emptying it. Other things that may be a con for you is that it's slightly heavier than the Dyson V6, about 6.2 lbs compared with the 4.9 lbs of the V6.
As a long time Dyson user, it's hard not to be impressed with other cordless vacuum cleaners, but Tefal's Air Force 360 manages to feel almost on the same level. It's not exactly on par though, and its S$599 price isn't any cheaper than the V6. (International pricing isn't available, but it converts to about $460, £325 or AU$600.) That said, it does come with a variety of accessories, such as a rod extension and main roller, a crevice attachment, two brushes and a wall mount to make up for it.
While it's not yet sold in the US, UK and Australia, Tefal does sell its other vacuums cleaners in those countries. The Air Force 360 is currently available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Europe.
The roller extension has built-in LED lights to help you clean up in dark spaces.