A Convenient but Imperfect Wet-Dry Vac

After spending a few weeks with the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach wet-dry vacuum, I can genuinely say that it’s a worthwhile tool that I’d like to keep in my cleaning arsenal. It’s not a replacement for a real upright vacuum or a real mop, but it’s excellent for spot cleaning, and it makes my weekly chores much more tolerable.

I’m going to refer to the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach as a “vacuum” throughout this review because that’s what the manufacturer calls it. But I want to specify that this product does not work on carpets, nor is it a true replacement for a vacuum. It’s really just a motorized mop that happens to be good at sucking things off the ground.

Weight

11lbs (Water tanks empty)

Collection Capacity

700ml

Wattage

400w

Suction Power

18,000Pa

The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach cleans hard floors through a combined mopping and vacuuming system. It’s an effective and convenient product, though it has some disappointing flaws and quirks.

Pros & Cons

• Convenient and modern-looking design
• Effective self-cleaning function
• Can lay flat to clean under furniture
• Detangler prevents hair from getting caught on the brush head

• Non-replaceable battery has a short runtime
• The cleaning solution is too expensive
• Excessive self-propulsion
• Small water tanks

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Price and Availability

The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach wet-dry vacuum is available at Amazon, Walmart, the Dreame web store, and other online retailers. It comes with a spare mop roller head, 16.9 fluid ounces of cleaning solution, a wire brush, and a replacement exhaust filter.

Despite the $550 suggested retail pricing, this wet-dry vacuum is perpetually on sale for anywhere between $320 and $450.

Build Quality and Design

Vacuum manufacturers like Dreame tend to be very generous to journalists and reviewers. So, I’ve seen my fair share of these wet-dry vacuums. They all kind of look the same, though Dreame and its ilk intentionally avoid the chunky, colorful plastic construction that Bissell, Shark, and other legacy brands have always embraced. I kind of prefer the tacky colorful plastic of these legacy manufacturers, but I still appreciate the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach’s sleek and premium design. I kind of wish that it were white because the black plastic is a magnet for dust and pet hair, but it looks nice and blends into a room.

The vacuum’s construction is pretty decent, too. All of the plastic components feel tight, the brush roller is perfectly secured, and although the handle can be removed, it doesn’t wobble or rattle during operation. I also appreciate that there’s a hair detangler behind the brush roller.

There are some neat details here too, including a small ball on the back of the vacuum that lets it lie flat and glide under dressers, couches, or other furniture without scratching up the floor. Plus, the vacuum leans slightly forward when placed on its charging stand to prevent you from removing the clean water tank during a self-clean cycle—a nice touch.

That said, some of the components feel cheap. I’m mostly concerned about the dirty water tank, which can be kind of difficult to disassemble, especially if you forget to dry off the rubber ring that connects the two pieces of the tank. I feel like the cheap plastic of the dirty water tank will crack if I’m too aggressive or clumsy when taking it all apart. Thicker, more robust plastic would’ve alleviated this concern.

I’m also wary of the battery life. This vacuum can run for about 30 minutes on a charge, which is just barely enough time to clean my whole home. Over time, the battery’s capacity will wane, and I won’t be able to clean my home on a single charge. I really wish that Dreame provided a consumer-friendly method for replacing this vacuum’s internal battery. An optional wired power mode would also be an acceptable solution.

Modes and Operation

The H12 Pro FlexReach offers four cleaning modes: the default Automatic mode, the powerful Ultra mode, a Suction-Only option, and a Quiet reduced-power mode. You can cycle through these modes by pressing a button on the vacuum’s handle, and your current mode is shown on the vacuum’s display alongside a large battery-life indicator.

I spent most of my time in Automatic mode, which keeps a steady pace but ramps up when you drag the vacuum across a big mess. Ultra mode chews through the battery, but it helps you cut through stains or grime more quickly, so I occasionally swapped over to it while cleaning the kitchen.

In my experience, the Suction-Only mode isn’t particularly useful. Maybe it’d be good for sucking up a big pile of dirt from a potted plant before washing the floors. I don’t know. Either way, the mop head gets wet when you cycle past the Automatic and Ultra modes, so you can’t get into Suction-Only mode with a totally dry mop roller.

The vacuum also makes loud announcements every time you change modes (or do anything, really), which is useful when you’re learning to use the vacuum. But once you’ve got everything down, the voice is just annoying, and it kind of defeats the purpose of the Quiet mode.

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A Costly Cleaning Solution

The vacuum also comes with a small 16.9 fluid ounce (500 ml) bottle of cleaning solution. This is a distilled solution, so you only need to put about 0.34 ounces (10 ml) in the vacuum’s clean water tank at a time (the bottle cap serves as a measuring cup).

But don’t go thinking that you’ll get 50 sessions from a single bottle of solution—I have to refill this vacuum’s water tank twice when cleaning my carpet-free home, and because the vacuum’s self-cleaning process uses a lot of water, I usually need to fill up the tank a third time after I’m done with my floors. At this rate, I’ll run out of detergent after cleaning my home 16 or 17 times. Someone who only has hard floors in their kitchen and bathrooms will get far more use from a single bottle of cleaning solution, of course.

A new bottle of Dreame’s detergent will run you $17 at the time of writing (which works out to about $1 per cleaning session, in my case). You can probably substitute it for another all-purpose floor cleaner, but the manufacturer doesn’t suggest doing so, and I haven’t bothered trying. I should take this opportunity to note that Dreame’s detergent doesn’t have much of a smell and isn’t very soapy.

So, Is It Any Good?

I’m of the opinion that everyone should own a real vacuum, a real mop, and a real broom. Robovacs and other trendy products are great for spot-cleaning your home (and can be a serious asset for people with limited mobility), but there are no substitutions for real elbow grease.

The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach is not a replacement for an upright vacuum or a mop. That said, I live in a home without any carpeting, so I see the appeal—this product lets me clean my floors without breaking a sweat or putting strain on my back (mopping can be painful when you’re tall like me), so it’s great for doing a quick weekly clean.

In my long-term tests, the wet-dry vac did a good job taking mild stains off the floor without leaving behind any streaks, water stains, film, or muck. Its mop head constantly self-cleans during operation (to an extent), and the lie-flat design is great for sneaking under dressers, beds, or other raised furniture. Of course, the vacuum can’t clean baseboards, and I still need to get on my hands and knees to scrub the grout in my bathroom.

I’ve seen some other reviewers complain that the vacuum leaves streaks on the floor, but I suspect that this is due to hasty, overenthusiastic testing. If you dump a bunch of spaghetti or barbecue sauce on the ground and vacuum it up, as reviewers seem to enjoy doing, you should run the vacuum through a self-clean cycle and wipe down its wheels before hitting the rest of your home.

The H12 Pro FlexReach is good at sucking things up, too, and I’m genuinely surprised by its ability to deal with hair. I haven’t found any tangles around the mop roller, which isn’t what I expected. However, I strongly suggest that you sweep or vacuum your floors before using the H12 Pro FlexReach, especially if you have pets. The dirty water tank separates solids and liquids, but the solids still get wet, and pulling wads of wet hair out of a tank is not an enjoyable or appetizing experience. Plus, hair will sometimes get stuck in the shaft leading up to the dirty water tank (it’s easy to pick hair out of this shaft, but it’s gross).

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Excessive Self-Propulsion and Other Complaints

Unfortunately, I’m disappointed by the H12 Pro FlexReach’s overzealous self-propulsion. It lurches forward when you turn it on, and the constant tugging makes it difficult to maneuver around tight spaces. I think that these “wet-dry vacuums” have a lot of potential from an accessibility standpoint, as they require far less physical strength, balance, or mobility than a conventional mop, but some people may find that this unit is just a little too intense.

The dirty water tank is a bit small, too, so I have to empty it out about three times when cleaning the whole house. Interestingly, the clean water reservoir is slightly larger than the dirty water tank, but I still have to fill it three times when cleaning the whole house because the self-cleaning process takes a lot of water. If you place this vacuum on its charging base and start the self-cleaning process with an insufficient amount of water, self-cleaning will be interrupted by a booming robotic voice that yells “CLEAN WATER TANK EMPTY!” I kinda wish that the water tanks were larger, but the vacuum clocks in at about 13 pounds when it’s full of water, so I can see why Dreame kept the tanks small.

The self-cleaning function is both a blessing and a curse. You should absolutely use it every time you mop your floors with the H12 Pro FlexReach (I intentionally skipped self-clean one day to see what would happen—the vacuum’s exhaust stank like mildew the next time I used it), but self-clean is loud and takes about an hour to complete. You also have to dump out the dirty water tank after self-clean is complete, otherwise it’ll get stinky. You can double-click the button at the top of the vacuum for a faster self-cleaning process, though the full self-clean is probably better for maintaining the life of the mop roller, which costs about $20 to replace.

Should You Buy the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach?

The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach is effectively just a juiced-up version of a Swiffer or a Shark VACMOP. It’s good for tidying up the house before guests come over, and it makes weekly chore days a lot less laborious, but it’s not a full replacement for an upright vacuum or a mop.

If you don’t own a good upright vacuum with a hard floor mode, you should put your money towards one before considering something like the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach. I also suggest buying a spin mop if you don’t own one already. But once you’ve got these basic items, the Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach will be a great addition to your cleaning arsenal, and it obviously makes for a great gift.

Those who are interested in this product for accessibility reasons should do some window shopping before making a purchase. This vacuum’s self-propulsion is, again, kind of excessive.

Weight

11lbs (Water tanks empty)

Collection Capacity

700ml

Wattage

400w

Suction Power

18,000Pa

The Dreame H12 Pro FlexReach cleans hard floors through a combined mopping and vacuuming system. It’s an effective and convenient product, though it has some disappointing flaws and quirks.