Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 Review
A well-designed handheld cordless vacuum cleaner.
Verdict
Neatly designed, the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 is simple to use and comes with a decent range of accessories that store neatly in the charging cradle. Its performance is slightly mixed: it does well on lighter dust, but struggled to pick up our spilt rice grains, which are heavier. For light use, this cleaner does a good job, but look elsewhere if you want a cleaner that can handle more.
Pros
- Good value
- Excellent tool selection
- Long battery life
Cons
- A little underpowered
- Fiddly to empty
Availability
- UKRRP: £74.10
Key Features
- TypeThis is a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner.
- Battery lifeThis vacuum cleaner will last up to 31m, in my tests, on its standard power setting.
Introduction
For smaller jobs, it’s far easier to have a quick grab-and-go handheld cleaner stashed closest to where you want to use it, such as in the kitchen. With its neat charging stand and selection of tools, the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 looks to be one of the most versatile options, but the performance was a little mixed in my tests.
Design and features
- Light and easy to hold
- Two power modes
- Good range of accessories
Stylistically, the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 looks quite similar to the Shark WV270UK. That’s not a bad thing, as it’s a neat design for a compact vacuum cleaner: a long wand that you point at dirt to suck it up. At just 620g, the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 is super light and easy to hold.
This model has a single integrated battery, unlike its Shark rival, which has a removable battery. Having a removable battery is useful for the future, as it’s a quick swap-out should the vacuum cleaner no longer hold its charge so well.
I’m a fan of the charging dock that Beldray provides in the box. As well as providing somewhere for the vacuum cleaner to sit, it also has two slots to take the accessories. There’s a crevice brush and dusting brush 2-in-1 tool, plus an upholstery brush.
Control of this vacuum cleaner is very easy. There’s a power button that turns the vacuum cleaner on and a boost button that pushes it to its higher level and that’s it. I would like some kind of battery status display, but that’s a minor omission.
There’s only a 0.1-litre bin in this vacuum cleaner. That’s might sound small but this vacuum cleaner is only ever going to be used to pick up small amounts of dirt; larger spills will require a bigger vacuum cleaner.
Emptying requires a bit of thought. Rather than having the bin swing open, the front of the vacuum cleaner has to be removed, and the dust tipped out. Trying to do this without spilling any dust is quite the trick.
The entire bin can be removed to get access to the filter at the back, which should be washed under cold water regularly to maintain the maximum suction power.
Performance
- Gentle suction on minimum power
- Decent battery life
- Struggled with heavier debris
I tested the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163’s raw power in AirWatts. On its standard setting, I recorded a result of just 19AW, which is extremely low. On the boost setting, the vacuum cleaner jumped to 36AW, which is more entry-level performance; the Shark WV270UK is more power on its basic setting.
AirWatts gives an idea of suction power, but it doesn’t say how a vacuum cleaner will perform. For that, I use my real world tests. First, I sprinkled a teaspoon of flour onto the carpet and used the standard power setting to run the vacuum cleaner through the middle. As you can see, there was a nice clean stripe through the middle.
I finished off the job using the upholstery tool, and managed to clean the carpet completely, although it did take quite a few swipes to do it.
Next, I combed cat hair into the carpet. The upholstery tool picked up the cat hair using friction, so left the carpet looking clean.
However, the hair didn’t make it into the bin. That’s typical for an air-only vacuum cleaner; for pet hair, you need a motorised tool to agitate and loosen the fur.
Next, I sprinkled a teaspoon of rice onto a counter and used the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 with its crevice tool. Although the rice was picked up, the grains didn’t make it into the bin, and the mess dropped back out onto the counter. This appeared to be because suction wasn’t at its highest, and the rubber flap inside the bin, which stops dirt from falling back out, wasn’t opening properly.
I cleaned out the filter and left it to dry, then re-ran the test. This time, suction was back to full, so the flap opened fully, and the rice was picked up properly on the standard setting, showing the importance of cleaning the filter. It did take a while to pick every grain up, and the more power Shark WV270UK makes much quicker work of this test.
I measured the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 at 68.2dB on standard, jumping to 74.2dB on its boost setting. Both are quieter than the main competition, but this is still quite a loud vacuum cleaner.
Battery life came in at 31m 29s on standard power, dropping to a reasonable 15m on high power. That’s pretty good compared to the competition, although the relatively low power means does limit how much you can clean on a full battery: this is a vacuum cleaner designed for smaller spills.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a cheap grab-and-go vacuum cleaner for lighter spills and crumbs, this will do the job.
If you want a handheld vacuum cleaner that can handle anything you throw at it, look for a more powerful model.
Final Thoughts
It’s nicely designed, particularly the charging dock, and simple to use, but the Beldray Revo Digital BEL01163 is better for lighter spills.
At this price, the Hoover H-Handy 700 is a better choice, as it’s more powerful and can clean faster. There’s also a pet version for dealing with hair. If your budget goes further, the Shark WV270UK is even better. Check out my guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners for even more choice.
How we test
We test every hard floor cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main hard floor cleaner for the review period
Tested with real-world dirt in real-world situations for fair comparisons with other steam cleaners
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FAQs
It has a crevice tool, dusting brush and an upholstery tool.
It lasts for just over 30 minutes on the standard power setting.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
