This £130 vacuum is identical to the luxury Dyson V15 - is it a secret steal?

I tested the Ultenic U12 Vesla nearly two years ago not because I was in the market for a budget vacuum, but because it looked so similar to the Dyson V15. I'm no stranger to budget copycats - my emails are full of them - but I'd heard rumblings that this lookalike was actually one of the good ones.

We're now 730 days on from the first day that I used the Ultenic U12 Vesla and it's - rather remarkably - still going strong. I use it for quick runarounds, especially when my dog is shedding fur faster than I can vacuum it and I have to say, it's one of the best vacuums that I've tested around the £100 price tag.

Is the Ultenic U12 Vesla actually as good as a Dyson V15 or V11, sadly not, but don't shut it down. If you have a small flat and light cleaning needs, you don't need to spend another £300 on a fancy model. I think the Ultenic will do just fine.

Ultenic U12 Vesla Specifications

Who would the Ultenic U12 Vesla suit?

If you're in the market for a budget vacuum cleaner, look no further than the Ultenic U12 Vesla. At full price, it's £130, but I've regularly seen the price drop over on Amazon, so if you're not in a hurry, you could bag a deal on a vacuum that I already think is a steal.

It's all well and good having a budget vacuum, but you need to make sure that you're buying one that actually suits your home. The Ultenic is great for small homes, lighter tasks, and hard floors. The shorter battery life and weak (compared to the likes of Shark and Dyson) suction doesn't do well with thick carpets and rugs. However, pet hairs on wooden floor? That's the stuff that the Ultenic U12 Vesla can tackle.

There are some nice extras that come with the Ultenic that make it feel better than a budget vacuum. The screen that counts down vacuuming time and shows you your speed feels premium. You've also got the Dyson-style laser that shows up crumbs and dirt that your eyes might miss. It's a treat, if you're in to your vacuums.

Unboxing the Ultenic U12 Vesla

I actually didn't believe that the Ultenic U12 Vesla had arrived when I saw the box. I'm not sure this picture does justice to just how tiny the box is. I put a Le Creuset pepper grinder next to it (you can see the picture in my how we test section) and it was taller than the box. I have definitely had ASOS deliveries bigger than the Ultenic and I'm almost convinced I could fit it the box a shopping bag, which is why I recommend this for smaller homes.

Of course, once the Ultenic U12 Vesla is assembled, it's a little bigger. The tall, slim frame is undeniably Dyson inspired and I think it makes for quite an attractive vacuum. You'll get a wall mount, crevice tool, and upholstery tool, which is a pretty good offering for a budget vacuum. Actually, it's pretty good by any vacuum's standard, so you're in luck.

What is the Ultenic U12 Vesla like to use?

All the parts that come in the box click neatly into place. Ultenic sends instructions, but you won't need them: slot the adjustable wand into the floorhead, click the duustbin on top, et voila,

I was lucky in that my Ultenic U12 Vesla arrived with some charge, but I would recommend unboxing and getting the battery charging as soon as you can. Whilst this did make it through my tests, it's a vacuum that I'd recommend regularly topping up with charge, because it doesn't last.

On the screen, you'll get a battery icon that tells you how long you have left as well as a dashboard-style speedometer that shows you what suction power you're working with. I've seen some reviewers call it gimmicky, but it's actually really useful. If you have a cordless vacuum that doesn't give you this kind of feedback, what are you supposed to do?

Test 1: flour

The first test that I put all vacuums through is vacuuming up flour. This is a great way to emulate smaller particles of dust that you might find around your home and it also meant that I got to test out the green light on the front of the floorhead. As expected, this did a wonderful job of showing up all the grains of flour and specks of dust on the floor and on my first pass (on hard floor) the Ultenic U12 Vesla picked up every particle. 

After running this over 500g of flour across different floor types, the Ultenic did begin to complain. Warning lights were flashing, the Ultenic was suggesting that it had a blocked airway, and it wasn't very happy. When I stopped and removed different parts, I discovered that the filter was clogged. 500g sounds like a lot of flour, but this hasn't caused any problems for Dyson or Shark, so that's one of the compromises that you make with the Ultenic. The filters are sensitive.

Since those tasks, on my day-to-day cleaning, I haven't had that filter problem regularly. Even on my carpets, the worst I get is the streak that you can see in the picture above, if I'm vacuuming up a thick layer of flour. Even then, another pass over the streak is enough to suck it up and away. What I'm trying to say here really is that this isn't a deal-breaker. It's a compromise.

Test 2: cereal

The next test that I put the Ultenic U12 Vesla through is vacuuming up cereal. This is a really good way to check that your vacuum will be able to handle larger pieces of debris, be it kibble or dried mud. 

I thought I'd start by vacuuming on the Eco setting, which is one of the Ultenic's more gentle modes and I was right to. This moved easily across my carpet, hard floor, and linoleum floors, sucking up every last crumb. I actually think my dog was a bit disappointed that she couldn't clean up after the Ultenic.

It didn't take long for the dustbin to fill up, but I'd expect that from a cheaper model. My tests are also pretty extreme. I think if you emptied a bowl of cereal onto the floor, you could scrape up a lot before you got the vacuum out, but I go straight in with the Ultenic.

Test 3: whole home and hair

The hair and long term test has been kind to the Ultenic U12 Vesla. Two years later, it still moves smoothly and with a surprising amount of dexterity. It's light to hold and so it's rare that my arms ache vacuuming with the U12. My most common issue is the battery running out before I've zoomed around all five floors of the house. That's why I recommend this for small to medium homes instead.

Back to the test. I have a dog at home. Granted, she's short haired, but she sheds. A lot. I have long hair and I dip in and out of wearing hair extensions, so you can imagine what the state of my floors are like. Day-to-day the Ultenic is great at picking up my hair on hard floors. The wooden floorboards are always spotless. On my thicker carpets, I can often see my hair clinging to the fabric rather than getting sucked up by the Ultenic, so I have to put the power onto full. It's not a problem, but it's also not very efficient for the battery life.

Cleaning the Ultenic U12 Vesla

In the first, formal test that I ran on the Ultenic U12 Vesla, I vacuumed up a whole pack of hair extensions and the image above as the result. It's not very pleasant. Nonetheless, with a pair of scissors and some skill, you can free up the rollers. 

I caveat a lot of these results by saying that our tests are extreme, because they are. Since using the U12 Vesla in my home, I haven't had any of the same horrors. Hair does get tangled around the rollers, which isn't  ideal, but if you keep on top of it, you won't end up with any jams or disasters.

As for emptying the bin, which you'll probably do often, this is easy. The bin pops open when you press a button ad all the dust falls out. It's just like a Dyson in that respect: tidy, bag-free emptying.

How does the Ultenic U12 Vesla compare?

It might seem unfair to compare the Ultenic U12 Vesla to a Dyson, but the fact that it's made in their image makes it too hard to resist a comparison. The Ultenic is about a quarter of the price of a Dyson and I think you can tell. For example, the laser and sensors on the V15 actually detect dirt and give you feedback. The Ultenic's light helps to show up dirt, but you don't get the same depth of feedback on what you're cleaning.

Whilst the Ultenic didn't struggle on hard floors, even with tricky tasks, unlike the Dyson, it does falter on carpets and more textured surfaces. And here's where you notice the price difference. On day-to-day, light tasks, the vacuums are very similar. However, when you need to crank things up and when the cleaning is a little more challenging, the Dyson can up its power, make use of its nimble angles, and dig deep. The Ultenic can try, but it will need lots of breaks and you might end up needing another vacuum to clean up after it. You could argue that the V15 has lots of extras that you simply don't need. In which case, I'd suggest taking a look at the Dyson V11, which is the best value Dyson on the market.

Which brings me on to other budget options. I always felt that the Ultenic was doing a good job of superficially vacuuming. However, when I introduced another vacuum, Tefal's X-Force Flex, into my flat for testing, it was filling the bin with dust and dander, which seems to prove that the Ultenic lacks the oompf to get a really good, deep clean. Tefal's vacuum is £100 more, but the fact that it picked up so much more is pretty telling.

Should you buy the Ultenic U12 Vesla?

The Ultenic U12 Vesla is great for light tasks, in small homes, with mostly hard floors. The fact that mine is still going after two years is proof that you don't need to splurge on a really expensive model. However, if you want deep cleaning and you know you'll have some tricky tasks lined-up, it's worth shopping around and saving up for a model with a little more power.

How we test

At woman&home, we put vacuums through thorough testing to find the best options for your home. I used the Ultenic U12 Vesla on a mix of surfaces, from hardwood floors to carpets, to see how well it tackled pet hair, crumbs, and everyday dust. I also assessed its maneuverability, ease of emptying, and overall usability and then compared it to bigger, better, and more expensive models. I like to think that this'll help you to feel like you've really shopped around for a good deal, but if you still have questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

If you want to find out more, you can visit our dedicated page for how we test vacuums.