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FilterStream isn’t a brand I’d really ever heard of before, and I hadn’t heard of their DirtTamer line of vacuums, either. Normally if something’s not one of the bigger name brands I’m inclined to pass it by, but I’ve heard FilterStream’s DirtTamer Supreme V2400 Cordless Wet/Dry might be a hidden, indie kind of gem – let’s find out if it really is.
Power
You know a handheld vacuum is off to a good start when it has twelve volts for power. That’s because much larger cordless stick vacuums are considered satisfactory when they have that much power – for a handheld, it’s well above the call of duty.
Performance
It’s important that a vacuum designed to handle wet messes should have that much power – liquids are much heavier than the dust and crumbs most vacuums are designed to deal with. The flaw in some wet/dry vacuums is that they have the power, but still can’t pick up liquids – luckily for the Supreme, it can handle very heavy messes, wet or dry. This vacuum simply has great suction.
Ease of Use
It also has a startling amount of little design features that add up to great ease of use. A headlight helps with finding both the glint of liquid and the last of the crumbs in a mess, while a low battery indicator will warn you when you’re about to run out of juice. For larger messes, there’s a locking on/off switch and an ergonomic loop handle, and on top of all that, the design directs the exhaust out the back end below your hand, so you don’t accidentally scatter the mess even more.
Battery Life and Charging Time
When I worked out that the Supreme has an eight minute runtime and heard that its battery has no memory effect and can last twice as long as a NiCad, I naturally assumed it probably has a lithium-ion battery. But no! It uses a lead acid battery – this really is an indie sort of vacuum, this is the first and only vacuum to use that type of battery that I’ve ever encountered. It does take about 12-16 hours to charge, but that’s still half the time required for a NiCad.
Weight
Here’s the first down-note for this vacuum: it’s five pounds. I mean, that’s not heavy in the grand scheme of things, but for a handheld vacuum that you want to be able to flip around to effortlessly clean messes, you’ll probably start to notice the weight pretty quickly.
Filter
To swing the pendulum right back in the other direction, though, FilterStream gave the Supreme a top-of-the-line filter: a three-stage HEPA system. It really doesn’t get any better than that.
Dust Bin
Alas, here’s another pendulum swing – the Supreme’s capacity is only nine ounces. Considering how good its suction is, you’ll probably be emptying it pretty often, unless you only have very small messes (and you don’t want to stop in the middle of trying to prevent liquid from spreading even more than it already has).
Included Accessories
Ok, last wild swing, I promise: the Supreme comes with a fantastic set of accessories. A squeegee helps get those just-mentioned wet messes up much more completely, while an upholstery brush helps gently work out the dust from furniture. Finally, an incredibly long 13” extendable wand really blows most similar accessories away.
Reliability
I know FilterStream isn’t exactly as well known of a company as, say, Black and Decker or Dyson. In all of my experience with it and all of my research, though, the Supreme can really last for years, so FilterStream must be doing something right in their construction of it (it also helps that the lead acid battery is known for having a long lifespan in and of itself).
Warranty
It’s nice to hear that FilterStream is also up to industry standard with its warranties – the Supreme comes with a two-year limited warranty, just right for a handheld of this caliber.
Price
Considering all the features the Supreme can boast, it could easily sell for much more than it does. I guess that’s the benefit of going with a less well-known company – you can find a steal like this vacuum.
Pros
- powerful suction
- wet/dry capacity
- lead acid battery
- 3-stage HEPA filtration
- fantastic accessories
Cons
- somewhat heavy
- smaller dustbin
Conclusion
FilterStream’s DirtTamer Supreme came out of nowhere for me, in a good way. It does have a couple flaws, but you can tell that the many great features, from powerful performance to helpful accessories and an unusual but good kind of battery, are intended to well outweigh those slight negative marks. Don’t let the smaller company fool you – the Supreme is a great opportunity if you’re looking for a cordless vacuum.