Proscenic - a name that has certainly come up more than once while wandering around Banggood, Geekbuying or other e-shops. At first glance, it is a manufacturer that offers products with very attractive technical parameters and unusually low prices. Most often, such offers are good only on "paper", so, if possible, we decided to check it out in practice. This time on the mat - Proscenic P20 vacuum cleaner-broom. Let's find out what this vacuum cleaner is really capable of, and whether it is worth even a small investment.

Unpacking

I won't lie - when I took the box out of the parcel locker, my first thought was quite skeptical. How can a vacuum cleaner with all its accessories fit in such a small and lightweight package? Is this a sign that the device itself will be worthless?

However, when you open the box, it becomes clear that Proscenic simply thought out the packaging layout well. All components are neatly placed, nothing is thrown around, and the pump itself and accessories are really well protected. In the package, I find the pump body itself, a telescopic tube, the main floor nozzle with a brush, a separate mop module with a water tank, two additional nozzles, a charging adapter, and a wall mount. You can see the entire unpacking process in this video.

Build quality and ergonomics

As soon as you pick up the Proscenic P20, you can quickly feel where the savings were made. The plastic here is definitely not the highest class - it is light, in places it even resembles a hollow. However, this does not mean that the vacuum cleaner looks fragile or unreliable. All accessories, both the dust container and the nozzles, lock with a clear "click", and when assembled, nothing sticks or rattles.

The main floor nozzle is pretty standard. The rotating roller inside has silicone strips and bristles, and through the transparent cover you can easily see when it starts to get covered in hair. The nozzle itself is maneuverable, turning it sideways requires very small hand movements. One of the nicer accents is the integrated LED light that illuminates the floor. It helps you see dust and small dirt that are usually harder to see.

A floor mop module can also be attached to the nozzle. It is intended only for light, superficial cleaning. Looking at this attachment, I remember the Philips PowerPro Aqua I previously had with a very similar solution. The story is the same here, after a few tries, such an attachment ends up in the depths of the closet, because there is little real benefit from it. A regular mop is still a better solution.

The P20's power button is located (when holding the pump) near the index finger, and I think it's either poorly placed or poorly implemented. The button is separated by an additional plastic frame that doesn't allow you to comfortably move your finger to the others. As a result, the pump is practically held with four fingers all the time, which is not the most comfortable option for prolonged use.

The motor module with the display protrudes from the handle, so you can only hold the pump comfortably at a certain angle. If the P20's center of gravity were lower, this problem would be less noticeable, but now this model is more "carried" during vacuuming than naturally pushed along the floor. This is very tiring and is felt when vacuuming larger areas. 

Pumping

While the ergonomics weren't particularly impressive, suction is still the most important aspect here. So how does the Proscenic P20 handle everyday dirt? Let's start with the main floor nozzle.

Eco mode is suitable for light everyday cleaning. It picks up light dust and some hair from both hard floors and carpets. The operation itself is quiet, and the dirt that gets into the container knocks quite loudly inside, which gives the impression that the vacuum cleaner is working very efficiently. However, in reality, it is more of a „keep clean“ mode than a more serious cleaning mode.

The normal mode already leaves a better impression. It collects dirt hidden in the gaps or at the edges of the carpet better, as well as more hair. However, some of it still remains on the carpets - you can clearly feel it when you run your hand over it.

Turbo mode is the most powerful, but also the shortest-lasting. It is very loud, and the battery lasts about 10 minutes. It is in this mode that the P20 copes best with dirt, especially on hard floors, where the result is practically flawless. The situation is also better on carpets, but some of the dirt hidden deeper remains.

The vacuuming with the washing function, as you might expect, doesn't work wonders. The cleaning is superficial, more aimed at refreshing the floor than removing stains. When you try to scrub harder, the weight and balance of the vacuum cleaner start to get in the way, so this function is more of an "add-on for the sake of a checkmark" than a real alternative to washing the floor.

The lack of a furniture nozzle is also clearly felt. The brush nozzle included in the kit does not handle crumbs well - when vacuuming in normal mode, some of them are thrown away rather than sucked up.

Battery

Battery life is one area where the P20 pleasantly surprised us. In our testing, the pump lasted for 58 minutes and 1 second in eco mode, 31 minutes and 16 seconds in normal mode, and 10 minutes and 28 seconds in turbo mode. This is almost in line with the manufacturer's claimed time, and in the budget segment, this is certainly not a given.

This runtime is enough to vacuum a small to medium-sized home without much stress, especially if you mostly use eco or normal mode. However, a full battery charge from 0 to 100 percent takes about 4 hours, which is quite a long time.

What we didn't like?

One of the first things that starts to annoy me in everyday use is that every time I turn on the Proscenic P20 it automatically starts in eco mode. The pump doesn't remember the last mode used, so I have to switch to a more powerful mode every time. It's a small thing, but it gets annoying over time.

The design of the dust container is also not the most pleasant solution. Dust and hair tend to wrap around the filter, so it is not enough to simply open the container and shake it. In many cases, you have to pull out the tangled debris by hand, which is an unpleasant and not very hygienic process.

The situation is similar with the main floor nozzle. Hair quickly gets wrapped around the rotating roller, so after just a few vacuumings it has to be removed and cleaned. For homes with long-haired residents or pets, this will become a regular maintenance routine.

It is also worth mentioning the height of the main floor nozzle - it is about 6 cm. This makes it more difficult for the vacuum cleaner to reach spaces under lower furniture, beds or sofas. However, Proscenic partially compensates for this situation with a flexible tube in the middle - it can be bent, so it becomes a little easier to reach under furniture and you don't have to bend so much yourself. 

What did we like?

There are also nice little things that really pay off in everyday use. When the vacuum cleaner is turned off, it runs for a moment with more power, thus sucking up any remaining debris. As a result, nothing falls back when you lift the vacuum cleaner off the floor - a simple but very practical solution.

I also liked the green LED light that shines along the floor from the main nozzle. It allows you to vacuum even in the dark, and makes it much easier to spot dust and small dirt. It's one of those features that is quickly becoming a standard in everyday use.

Despite the inconvenience of cleaning, the dust container capacity is surprising. While other manufacturers' capacities are around 500 ml, the Proscenic P20 boasts a capacity that is 3 times larger - 1500 ml.

Verdict

The Proscenic P20 is a typical budget vacuum cleaner with some obvious flaws, but also some surprisingly good features. The ergonomics are not ideal, the plastic quality is mediocre, and some everyday solutions, such as cleaning the dust container or the "knock-down" mode, start to get annoying over time.

However, the P20 performs its main task quite well. Hard floors are vacuumed solidly, the battery lasts almost as long as promised, and the LED lighting and the suction of remaining debris when turned off are really useful solutions. This is a rational choice for those looking for an inexpensive cordless vacuum for everyday use, but not an option for demanding users or homes with a lot of carpets and pets.