When it comes to stick vacuums, it’s hard to overlook Dyson, the industry behemoth, from a stronger when the competition pays him a strong tribute. This is the case of Proscenic with the P12, a vacuum cleaner in stick format, whose suction head is adorned with a green light (Vertec system) to better identify dust. What a strange resemblance to the V15 Detect (or the V12 Slim) and its Fluffy head! But it stops there. For example, the Proscenic P12 is content with simple cyclonic filtration when its inspirator has multicyclonic technology.
Exit also the piezo sensor to count the particles or the Point&Shoot emptying system. Due to a very contained introductory price – you can get it for 200 € – the P12 is much more classic, even if its one-liter dust container is one of the most voluminous on the market.
Proscenic promises 60 mins of runtime with its removable li-ion battery, but this measurement was taken at the lowest power level and with no electrobrush plugged in. The P12 also benefits from a comprehensive control screen, which allows you to select one of the four available power levels and monitor the remaining charge using a segment display.
Convenience of use
Without reaching the quality of finish of more prestigious manufacturers like Electrolux, the Proscenic P12 seems to have been assembled with care. The plastics seem of quality and the whole should not fall apart at the slightest shock. The weight of the P12 reaches 1.56 kg without tube (telescopic on this model, which is not so common) or suction head, as allowed by its stick architecture. It is therefore relatively easy to handle in all directions (even with said tube attached, moreover) to suck up dust in every nook and cranny.
The telescopic tube of the P12. Digital
In floor suction mode, equipped with the hose and the suction head, the Proscenic P12 weighs 2.67 kg. Again, it’s light enough not to interfere with handling and you shouldn’t suffer from arm pain, even after a long cleaning session. In addition, the stick vacuum cleaner is more manageable thanks to very flexible moving parts. We take the driest turns without any risk of skidding.
The typical architecture of a “stick”. Digital
Like those of many of its competitors, the suction head of the P12 houses a ramp of diodes on the front. The difference is in the color chosen by Proscenic, a beautiful emerald green which inevitably recalls the diode of the Fluffy Detect brush from Dyson. The Taiwanese, however, was content to change the tint of the light without modifying the orientation or the height of his lights, as the British did. As a result, the shadows are not really more visible than with a classic white LED ramp. Worse, we had the impression of spotting waste on dark ground less well with this green light than with a white one. We would gladly do without this “innovation” which is clearly not one.
The green ray… Digital
As is often the case with this type of product, the P12’s control panel is not difficult to master. The suction is started by pressing the trigger tail. This only stops after a second press. It is therefore a continuous suction, more comfortable for the wrist, but more energy-consuming, because you do not necessarily turn off the vacuum cleaner to move a piece of furniture or a knick-knack. Contrary to what many other devices offer, it is not possible to switch to fractional suction, with which the motor stops working as soon as the user releases the trigger tail. Damage…
In fact, the only other button on the control panel allows you to vary the suction power. And the least we can say is that Proscenic spares no effort since there are four of them on the P12. You can easily switch from one to the other by touching the dedicated button.
The control panel and its remaining battery life indicator. Digital
Good point, the manufacturer is not satisfied with a simple set of diodes to deliver an estimate of the remaining autonomy. The P12 is indeed equipped with a display with segments which indicates in percentage the state of charge. Certainly, Dyson does better by giving an estimate to the nearest second, but thanks to this information, we manage to plan a session serenely.
On the other hand, we regret a little that Proscenic is not more generous in accessories. The box contains the vacuum cleaner and its various basic components (tube and suction head), a charger, a long nozzle, a textile brush and a wall base – reduced to its simplest form.
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Aspiration
The Proscenic P12 surprised us with its excellent behavior on all surfaces.
On high-pile carpets, it sucks up 100% of the waste in 2 minutes, which is not a performance to be taken lightly. Admittedly, it is necessary to engage the maximum power, but the stick vacuum cleaners which obtain such a result are not so numerous. Note that even using normal power (two out of four), the P12 is doing very well with an efficiency rate of 99% in 2 min.
On fine carpet, the P12 picks up 98% of the waste in 30 s in normal mode, and 99% at its maximum power. In both cases, the floor becomes immaculate within a minute of use.
Finally, on hard ground, we can hope to suck up all the detritus in 30 seconds at normal or maximum power. Again, not all stick vacuums are as effective as the P12 on this surface.
Interview
The Proscenic P12 has a waste tray placed vertically. On its front, a button releases the hinged bottom to let the dust fall into the bin, without getting your hands dirty. The system point & shoot from Dyson seems even more hygienic to us, but we had no problem with the method used by Proscenic.
The P12 completely disassembled. Digital
The monocyclonic filtration system proves to be rather effective here. After swallowing 20 g of cocoa with the stick vacuum cleaner, we let it run for a few seconds in order to circulate the fine material well, then we weighed the different filters. The P12 hosts three, which is quite unusual. The first, a foam filter, weighed down by 0.026 g. The second, a HEPA filter, gained 0.024g; finally, the third filter (also HEPA) located at the back of the vacuum cleaner did not gain weight. It will be necessary to maintain the first two from time to time to prevent the pores from clogging, which would eventually reduce the suction capacities.
The famous third filter. Digital
Good point, dismantling the filtration system does not pose any particular problem. As often, the various elements are located in the waste bin, and can be accessed in a jiffy before running them under clear water to dust them off.
Brush maintenance is effortless. Digital
Finally, it is just as easy to release the rotating brush from the suction head since no tools are required. Just play a plastic latch to release the latter. After having removed the elements that could have become entangled in it, we put it back in its housing before blocking it with a sigh of bliss.
Noise
The sound level emitted by the P12 reaches 64 dB (A) at normal power and climbs to 70 dB (A) when the device is pushed to its limits. If these values are not impressive – many models are much noisier – the stick vacuum cleaner from Proscenic emits a rather annoying shrill hiss.
Autonomy
Autonomy remains the big Achilles heel of the P12. We can hope to vacuum for 33 min by switching on power 2, but when the maximum level is used, we see the percentage of remaining charge decrease at high speed. In this configuration, the Proscenic P12 runs out of steam in less than 6 min.
Recharging is very slow since you have to wait about 4 hours for the battery to go from 0 to 100%. Fortunately, the latter is removable and can be connected directly to the charger, which is not always the case elsewhere.
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Points forts
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Good suction performance on all types of floor.
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Filtration efficace.
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Reliable battery indicator.
Weak points
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Green light less effective than white.
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Autonomy very limited at maximum power.
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Shrill noise.
Conclusion
How does grading work?
The Proscenic P12 upright vacuum cleaner performs its mission efficiently, while containing the dust in its collector. It stands out as the best model of the manufacturer and a competitor of choice for the medal of the best price-performance ratio of our comparison, even if everything is not perfect. The Vertect light, a pale copy of an idea much better exploited by Dyson, leaves a more than mixed impression, as does the whistle emitted by the machine and its autonomy which is a little too short for our taste.