Tineco Go Station is a really good first-time smart cordless vacuum

I have a love-hate relationship with vacuuming.

On the one hand, I’m inherently a bit lazy when it comes to cleaning, especially whenever I’m in a particularly busy travel period like now. But on the other hand, there’s an undeniable satisfaction in getting things to a spotless and tidy state. Thankfully, I’ve been having the latter brought out in me over the past several weeks thanks to the Tineco Go Station cordless stick vacuum. While not without some shortcomings, I’ve really enjoyed using the vacuum for several reasons.

For one, it’s simply the first-ever cordless stick vacuum I’ve used. (Yes, I know I’m late to the party.) I figured these sorts of things would be heavy, but at 6.66lbs/3kg, it’s not bad at all. It also turns and glides easily, which is helpful since I live in a four-story townhouse with all kinds of surfaces. Most of the house has hardwood and tile flooring, and the vacuum glides over these quite smoothly. That said, the Tineco has trouble with some carpets, locking up and blinking a red error light.

Living in a four-story townhouse, I also deal with lots of stairs and high ceilings, so the ability to be untethered from an outlet has likewise been extremely handy. Until now, I would have to stop halfway up the stairs to run down, unplug the cord and then go back up two floors to plug in at a higher outlet. That’s a hassle I no longer have to deal with.

And with respect to the stick form factor, I appreciate just how long the Tineco can extend. There are several corners that are generally too tricky to reach, but now, I can make it, thanks to the Tineco. It’s also worth noting that my mum is an arachnophobe, so it’s especially handy to suck up any spider webs that are in these corners before she sees them. And on the subject of my mother, the Tineco’s ZeroTangle Brush Head does a great job of removing hair — which she leaves all over — from humans and dogs.

I also found the vacuum both literally and figuratively illuminating when it came to identifying particularly dirty spots in the home. This starts with the high-contrast LED green beam that offers a clear look at concentrations of dirt. And on top of that, Tineco’s “smart” 3D Sense tech adjusts suction power, detects walls to boost edge cleaning and senses debris to optimize suction. It’s useful to learn of places that you might not expect to find much dirt, and a good reminder of why to regularly vacuum everywhere. And with the auto-emptying functionality with the base, you don’t have to worry about frequent dumping yourself.

I do have a few gripes, though. When we first plugged it in to charge, it eventually made a loud engine-like roar as it came to life, which scared the living hell out of us. It’s only a one-time thing, of course, but we just weren’t expecting anything like it. What’s more annoying is the lack of other features that I came to really like with Tineco’s Floor One S5 mop-vacuum combo. That appliance has a little display that tells you the exact battery life, which is handy when you’re trying to go through the whole house. The Go Station, while having a spot on the canister that would be prime for such a display, simply doesn’t provide this info. (It also isn’t supported by the handy Tineco Life app, which could have been another way, in theory, to tell you battery life.)

This means that you can only go off the general promise of an average of 70 minutes of battery life and a little light on the stick vacuum itself which will go from green to red to show a dwindling charge. But even knowing the 70-minute window isn’t all that helpful in a townhouse when you’re stopping several times between floors and flights of stairs. Only after several uses did I find that the vacuum tends to die right on the final set of stairs. Ideally, I’d like something that lasts just that little bit longer, but I also understand I have a more unique home structure.

Naturally, my mum also cleans a lot herself, and so I let her use the Tineco Go Station a few times to hear her thoughts. On the whole, she felt the same as me, noting the following pros:

• • Lightweight.
  • Maneuverability.
  • Easy-to-empty canister.
  • Good suction.
  • Bright green light shows dirt well and ensures it gets picked up.

And cons:

• The sudden loud start frightened her.
• Lack of specific battery indicator.
• The rise and fall of the sounds confused her (to be fair to the vacuum, I explained to her that this was due to the automatic “smart” adjustment of suction intensity depending on dirt concentration).
• The base is rather large and takes up a lot of space.

Ultimately, then, we both have really liked using Tineco Go Station, especially since the smart stick vacuum space is new to us. From its cordless lengthy reach and powerful suction power to the handy LED light and self-cleaning features, the Tineco Go Station is a great smart stick vacuum to pick up, especially as a first-time user.

The Tineco Go Station is available for $499 at retailers like Best Buy and Canadian Tire.