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Acum Cordless Vacuum Review [DC-901]

Derek Hales

Written By: Derek Hales

Updated on:

A Budget Cordless Alternative to Dyson

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Acum Stick Vac

The Acum stick vacuum is a cordless 2-in-1 vacuum that is good for whole-home cleaning or smaller jobs from the handheld vacuum. It has a soft roller cleaning head and a variety of attachments for specific cleaning jobs. The Acum performed well in our cleaning tests, removing an average of 90% of all debris (however, it did require max mode on high carpet to perform well). A good budget-friendly vacuum, especially if you have mostly hard surface flooring.Check Price

Pros

  • Includes a large number of accessories
  • Good cleaning performance on hard surface flooring where it scored a 99%
  • Easy to maneuver and very lightweight

Cons

  • Relatively short run time (especially on Boost mode)
  • Had issues cleaning carpet on standard power mode
  • Does not include a traditional agitating brushroll

Acum Design

The Acum stick vacuum (model: DC-901) is a lightweight stick vacuum that seems to take some design cues from the looks of the Dyson V-Series.

Make no mistake, there is more than looks like makes up the power of a Dyson stick vacuum, but let’s see how this budget alternative compares.

Design of the Acum stick vacuum cleaner

The Acum has an in-hand canister with a long rigid wand and wide floor cleaning head. The cleaning head is made of a spiral of soft bristles.

The Cleaning Head

This style of cleaning head (which mimics the look of the Dyson Fluffy cleaning head) is designed to best capture small or large debris from hard surface flooring.

Soft roller cleaning head for the Acum stick vacuum
Soft roller cleaning head for the Acum vacuum

With the Acum vacuum, this is the only cleaning head that comes with the vacuum, so that may be something to keep in mind if you are tackling a lot of high pile carpet cleaning.

This cleaning head would not perform as well on that kind of flooring. Especially for deep cleaning.

How It Cleans

The Acum vacuum captures debris from the soft roller cleaning head and sucks it up into the dust bin canister located in-hand.

Acum uses a 2000 mAh lithium-ion battery to help create a strong suction.

2-in-1

There are two basic cleaning styles with the Acum vacuum, with a lot of variation between the two.

  1. Upright mode
  2. Handheld mode

Both modes are compatible with all of the cleaning tools which provides a lot of options for on-the-go cleaning or reaching high spaces, like molding, fans or tall furniture.

Power Modes

This stick vacuum can run on two different power / suction modes depending on the type of floor you’re cleaning.

  • Low Speed: standard speed; offers up to 30 minutes of cleaning time
  • High Speed: boost speed; offers more suction, but also a limited 10 minute run time

Size & Dimensions

This stick vacuum is comparable in size to other cordless stick vacuums on the market. It is lighter than a traditional upright, and taller than a traditional handheld vacuum.

Exact dimensions for the Acum DC-901 cordless vacuum are:

  • Widht: 9.8″
  • Depth: 8.7″
  • Height: 45.7″
  • Weight: 3.52 lbs
Size of the Acum stick vacuum cleaner

Parts & Accessories

If you like versatility from a variety of parts and accessories, the Acum certainly checks those boxes. This stick vacuum comes with 6 different accessories, as well as basic parts you’d need for standard upright vacuuming.

Parts and accessories on the Acum stick vacuum

What’s in the box?

  • Acum stick vacuum (main body)
  • Electric floor brush
  • T brush
  • Crevice nozzle
  • Mini pet brush
  • 2-in-1 square brush
  • Charging deck
  • Tccessory adapter
  • Charger
  • Aluminum tube

The upholstery tool is used mainly for sofas, chairs, curtains, and other fabric surfaces.

Acum stick vacuum - upholstery tool
Upholstery tool

The Power brush is a type of electric floor brush; is designed for cleaning mattresses, but could also be used for other bedding and fabric surfaces.

Acum stick vacuum - power brush tool
Power brush tool

The Mini Pet brush tool is a small attachment with a spiral bristle roller that is designed to capture pet debris, from pet hair to dog food.

Acum stick vacuum - pet brush tool
Pet brush tool

There are two small brushes designed for cleaning tighter space. This includes the 2-in-1 square brush tool (for car interiors) and a short crevice tool (for narrow cleanups).

Acum stick vacuum - crevice tools
Crevice tools

Cleaning Tests

The following tests show how the Acum cordless vacuum performs in real-life cleaning settings. These tests are performed in my home vacuum lab and test against a number of different common types of debris (in various sizes).

Acum vacuum in handheld mode
Acum vacuum in handheld mode

We test on three different floor types…

  • Hardwood
  • Low Pile Carpet
  • High Pile Carpet

And against four different types of debris:

  • Rice
  • Kitty Litter
  • Cereal
  • Sugar

Here’s how the Acum performs under these circumstances:

Overall

90%

Hardwood

99%

Low Carpet

77%

High Carpet

95%

The cleaning performance was great in some areas and majorly lacking elsewhere. It did do well on hardwood floor, capturing over 99% of debris — a nearly perfect run.

On carpets it was a mixed bag, with solid performance on max mode, and poor performance on standard mode.

Cleaning Hardwood Floors

NOTE: All hardwood performance tests were run on “Standard” power mode.

Cereal

100%

Rice

100%

Kitty Liter

100%

Sugar

99%

Acum hardwood cleaning tests
Acum hardwood cleaning tests

Cleaning Low Pile Carpet

On low carpet, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the results. When cleaning the cereal, for instance, it got all clogged in the vacuum head and resulted in most of it coming back out and spewing out onto the floor.

Thinking it may have been a fluke, I ran the test again, and had the same result. In general, the carpet just didn’t look (or feel) very clean after a run with the Acum.

NOTE: All low pile carpet performance tests were run on “Standard” power mode.

Cereal

50%

Rice

100%

Kitty Liter

86%

Sugar

72%

Acum low pile carpet cleaning tests
Acum low pile carpet cleaning tests

Cleaning High Pile Carpet

On Boost mode, the Acum vacuum did perform better than it did for the low carpet test with the standard mode. It still wasn’t perfect for finer debris (like kitty litter and sugar), but it was better than the results for the low carpet.

NOTE: All high pile carpet performance tests were run on “Boost ” power mode.

Cereal

100%

Rice

100%

Kitty Liter

94%

Sugar

86%

Acum high pile carpet cleaning tests
Acum high pile carpet cleaning tests

Setup & Usability

Setting up the Acum involves a few short steps to get up and cleaning.

  1. Unbox the vacuum and remove all original packaging.
  2. Decide what cleaning mode you need — upright or handheld vac.
  3. Attach the relevant accessories.
Acum vacuum cleaning in handheld mode
Acum vacuum cleaning in handheld mode

As you begin cleaning, you’ll also need to select a power mode — standard or high (boost) mode.

Keep in mind that standard may work better for hard surface flooring and you can save boost mode for high traffic or high pile carpet zones.

Acum stick vacuum lay flat
Acum vacuum lay flat

The Acum DC-901 cordless vacuum can lay almost completely flat, which does make it easy to clean under furniture.

Maintenance

To keep the Acum vacuum running as good as it can, there are a few basic maintenance items to take care of.

  1. Regularly empty the dust bin (holds up to 0.6 L)
  2. Clean the filter as needed.
  3. Clean the brushroll as needed.
  4. Replace the battery as needed.

The exact frequency that you’ll need to address these issues may vary based on use and level of traffic.

The dustbin on the Acum handheld vacuum
The dustbin on the Acum handheld vacuum

The dust bin can hold up to 0.6 L. When it’s time to empty it out, simply release the bottom latch and allow the debris to fall out into a trash can below.

Is the Acum worth it?

So overall is the Acum stick vacuum worth it? I would say the value is decent — it’s not the best, but also not terrible.

What does it have going for it?

It comes with a lot of accessories which can make it attractive to people who want a tool for every job. It’s also incredibly lightweight and easy to use.

What are some disadvantages?

Honestly, the build quality on this vacuum just isn’t that impressive. It feels like it was designed to mimic the looks of a stick vacuum twice it’s price, but the quality just isn’t a match.

On top of quality, the suction power was lacking on carpeted floors. To perform well on carpets you would really have to always be using max power (which massively limits the run time).

I would have liked to have seen a dedicated spiral brushroll for cleaning carpets. I think that would have made a notably difference in the performance tests.

Where is it the best value?

It’s the best value if you have a home with only (or mostly) hard surfaces. The soft spiral brushroll does great at hard surface flooring, but leaves much to be desired on carpets.

Acum Stick Vac Specifications

SpecsAcum Stick Vac
TypeStick
ManufacturerAcum
ModelDC-901
Length46.7"
Width8.7"
Depth9.7"
Weight3.52 lbs.
Floor TypeAll (indoor)
Dustbin Capacity0.6 L
CordlessYes
BaglessYes
ReturnsVaries by retailer
WarrantyUnknown
PriceCheck Price

Who Should Buy the Acum Vacuum?

I would recommend the Acum if you’re looking for the following in a stick vacuum.

  • Lots of accessories: If you like swapping out lots of tools for a custom setup for each job, the Acum has you covered, as there is a wide variety of tools you can pick from.
  • Mainly want to clean hard surface floors: If hardwood floors, tile, and laminate are your main cleaning task, the Acum did really do a fantastic job of cleaning this type of floor. The soft roller head that comes standard with this vacuum excels at this floor type.
  • Low price point: If you love the look of a Dyson and don’t need an extremely powerful machine, the Acum comes in as a budget-alternative.

Want more information? Click here to check the price for the Acum stick vacuum.

Budget-Friendly, Okay Power
  • Design - 87%
    87%
  • Performance - 90%
    90%
  • Quality - 87%
    87%
  • Usability - 92%
    92%
  • Value - 90%
    90%
89%

Summary

The Acum DC-901 is a budget-friendly vacuum that is designed to mimic the look and features of the Dyson V-Series. From the in-hand dust bin configuration to the quick release attachments— this Acum stick vacuum is designed to be a “one vac fits all” kind of machine. With that in mind though, I will say that overall build quality and cleaning performance did not match that of the Dyson. But for such a low price, the Acum could check all the boxes for a consumer who didn’t need the extra bells-and-whistles. It comes with a soft roller cleaning head and 6 different handheld tools.

About Derek Hales

Derek HalesDerek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.