Proscenic P12 review

The Proscenic P12 is a lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner designed with convenience in mind. Proscenic do a range of vacuums including robot vacuums as well as wet and dry and cordless, like the Proscenic P12. As well as vacuums they also do kitchen appliances such as air fryers, air purifiers and smart locks for doors.

Coming with a range of accessories and features including an LED smart panel touchscreen display, and Vertect Light which helps you to see dust particles, this cordless vacuum cleaner is suitable for use on hard floors as well as carpets.

With plenty of lightweight cordless options on the market now, the Proscenic P12 comes with a slightly lower price tag than some brands, at £189.

Testing the Proscenic P12

Firstly I was really impressed with the design of the Proscenic P12, it looks really smart and feels like good quality materials have been used. When connecting the vacuum nozzle the connection seemed nice and secure, not flimsy or cheap material like some other vacuums. I plugged the vacuum in as soon as it arrived but it was already fully charged, which was a nice surprise.

I like that you can detach the battery and leave that charging while you put the rest of the vacuum away. My previous cordless you had to leave out the whole thing, as where I store my vacuum under the stairs there isn't a plug, so that's a definite bonus.

The display is really clear and the touchscreen functionality is great, I quickly figured out how to use it without even having to check the instructions. You simply tap on the screen if you want to increase or decrease the suction power, the battery life is indicated by a really clear percentage on the centre of the screen, and there are additional warning lights for if the bin gets too full etc.

The Vertect™ Light for dust illumination was very effective, showing up hidden dust (mainly dog hair in my house!) and I was really impressed with the roller, which I haven't had to clear out once in the few months I've had it - it's the first anti-tangle roller that has actually worked in my experience.

It's very lightweight and easy to manoeuvre, even lifting it into the included wall stand is very easy. It also comes with lots of attachments making it easy to use as a handheld vacuum as well, great for doing the stairs or awkward to reach places. Another bonus is it's nice and quiet, it actually has a quiet setting as well. It's also easy to empty the bin, although I do find I have to take out the canister bit to unwrap hair from it - this is where it gets caught up.

However, despite these pros, unfortunately, I felt the performance of the Proscenic P12 didn't match up to its aesthetics and clever features. I was using the third level of suction power, the two lower ones didn't seem to do very much, and if you use the highest power level (four) then the vacuum dies in about 10 minutes. Even on this setting, I found myself going over areas a couple of times to get them dust-free, particularly on the carpet. It works better on hard floors than carpets - smooth floors at that, it wasn't great at getting dust up from between the kitchen tiles.

I also struggled with the runtime, on the third power level if I started cleaning at 100% I could just about get around the whole house, so the battery life could be better as well, although as the battery is detachable you could purchase extra batteries to give you a more extended running time.

It takes a few hours for the battery to recharge fully, which is about normal I suppose, but if your vacuum dies in the middle of cleaning the house it's not ideal. I also struggled with the location of the power button at first, as it's in the 'trigger' position it feels comfortable to have your finger resting near it when you're using the vacuum, but it was easy to knock it by mistake and turn it off!

Final thoughts

The Proscenic P12 looks great and I was really impressed with the features included for the price, but I didn't find the suction powerful enough, so wouldn’t have it as my main vacuum. Being lightweight and really easy to manoeuvre, the Proscenic P12 would be ideal for an older couple or someone living alone. I'd recommend purchasing an extra battery for the additional runtime, as 13 minutes on max power isn't long enough.