Budget-friendly cordless stick vacuum
Simplicity S65
The Simplicity S65 is a cordless vacuum with solid performance. It removed 90.5% of all debris on our cleaning tests, only really struggling with cereal on hardwood flooring. In addition, the S65 removed all of the long hair, but had some tangles. The vacuum handled pet hair well, has a runtime of 32:27 on low power, and makes 54 dB of noise on average. One of the biggest selling points is the easy to use design of the vacuum. It lacks many bleeding edge features, but it’s still a solid value at this price.
Pros
- Budget stick vacuum
- Solid cleaning performance, removed 90.5% of all debris in our tests
- Simple usability
Cons
- Long hair tangles easily
- Standard version has few accessories
Scoring
Simple effective stick vacuum
-
Design - 95%
95%
-
Performance - 95%
95%
-
Quality - 96%
96%
-
Usability - 95%
95%
-
Value - 98%
98%
Summary
Just like the namesake the Simplicity S65 is just that: simple. It comes with few accessories and is easy to set up, use, and maintain. Even though it has a simple design, it is still quite capable. In our cleaning tests it removed 90.5% of all debris. If you exclude the one case where it really struggled (cereal on hardwood flooring), it removed 98.7% of all debris. Its price makes it a solid option for a budget-friendly stick vacuum.
In This Review
Cleaning Test | Long Hair Test | Pet Hair Test | Runtime Test | Noise Test | Usability | Accessories | Size | Specs | Summary
Performance Tests
At Modern Castle, we test stick vacuums with 6 different tests to measure cleaning performance and usability.
These tests include:
- Cleaning test
- Hair test
- Pet hair test
- Runtime test
- Noise test
- Usability test
Cleaning Test
To test cleaning performance of the Simplicity S65, we use 4 different debris types (sugar, kitty litter, rice, and cereal) on 3 different floor types (hardwood, low pile carpet, and high pile carpet).
We then use the vacuum on the max suction power and clean up the debris. After which, we check how much of the debris was removed by weight.
Overall
90.5%
Hardwood
75.7%
Low Carpet
98.0%
High Carpet
98.0%
Cleaning performance for the Simplicity S65 was good, especially on carpet. However, specifically on hardwood flooring, the vacuum struggled with removing cereal, the largest debris type.
Hardwood Floor Cleaning
On hardwood flooring the Simplicity S65 handled all debris types with ease except cereal.
Sugar
100%
Kitty Litter
100%
Rice
100%
Cereal
2.60%
In the case of cereal, the S65 pushed the debris around rather than sucking it up. The cleaning head lays low to the ground therefore lacking space to pick up larger debris. This is a common issue among stick vacuums, but it is disappointing nonetheless.
If we remove cereal from the equation, hardwood cleaning performance would be 100%, making the overall cleaning score 98.7%.
Low Pile Carpet Cleaning
The Simplicity S65 didn’t struggle with cereal on low pile carpet like it did on hardwood flooring.
Sugar
94.8%
Kitty Litter
97.0%
Rice
100%
Cereal
100%
Instead, it had some minor issues picking up all of the sugar and kitty litter, but easily tackled rice and cereal.
The carpet texture creates more space for the vacuum to get on top of the larger debris and clean it up.
High Pile Carpet Cleaning
High pile carpet cleaning performance is similar to low pile carpet.
Sugar
93.8%
Kitty Litter
97.0%
Rice
100%
Cereal
100%
Some of the smaller debris types remained, while all of the larger debris types were completely removed.
Long Hair Test
Our long hair test checks how well the stick vacuum manages long hair and tangles. To test this, we place long hair on hardwood flooring and run the Simplicity S65 over it. After cleaning up the hair, we check to see if any remains on the floor or if any is tangled in the brushroll.
Removed?
100%
Tangled?
Moderate
While the Simplicity S65 was easily able to clean up all of the hair, it really struggled with tangles. After checking the brushroll, we noticed a moderate amount of hair remained, which needed to be cut away with scissors.
If you commonly clean up long hair from pets or people, you will need to diligently check the brushroll to remove tangles.
Pet Hair Test
In addition to a long hair test, we also check how well the stick vacuum can remove pet hair nestled in carpet. We rub pet hair into high pile carpet and run the Simplicity vacuum over it on the max suction power. After, we check the carpet to see how much hair remains.
Removed?
99%
Cleaning Passes?
One
The Simplicity S65 vacuum managed pet hair very well. It was able to remove the majority of the fur embedded within the carpet fibers.
That said, some of the hair more deeply embedded into the carpet remained.
Runtime Test
To check the runtime of the Simplicity S65, we fully charge the battery and run the vacuum on each mode with the motorized cleaning head attached. After the battery runs out, we stop and record the time.
Here are the results:
Low
32:27
High
8:32
Simplicity states you can expect up to 25 minutes per charge. On lower power, we found this to be much higher at 32:27. Furthermore, you can expect these times to vary based on the attached tools.
Noise Test
For our noise test, we run the Simplicity S65 on high pile carpet on each power mode. We simultaneously measure the level of noise generated with a sound meter from about 3’ away.
Low
54.5 dB
High
55.0 dB
The noise level was incredibly similar between each mode.
This level of noise is similar to the hum of a refrigerator and about average compared to other stick vacuums.
Common noise levels:
- 20 dB – rustling leaves
- 30 dB – whisper
- 40 dB – quiet library, babbling brook
- 50 dB – refrigerator, moderate rainfall
- 60 dB – normal conversation, dishwashers
- 70 dB – traffic, showers
- 80 dB – alarm clock, telephone dial tone
Usability
Overall usability for the Simplicity S65 is good, but nothing all that unique. Setup is incredibly quick, controls are simple, and maintenance is straightforward.
It can lay low to the ground and can take tight corners, although it feels a little different than other stick vacuums we’ve tested. Due to the wheel placement on the cleaning head, the S65 rolls across the floor more like an upright vacuum.
When testing on low pile carpet, I noticed high suction created a seal which can be hard to push. If you find pushing the vacuum difficult, you can switch to the lower suction mode.
Setup
Setting up the Simplicity S65 took 5-10 minutes for a single person. Essentially, you plug in the power cord to the charging base, plug that into the wall, and charge the vacuum. After the vacuum is fully charged, you can attach the desired tools and get to cleaning.
Here is what comes with the Simplicity S65:
- S65 vacuum body
- Combination crevice tool / dusting brush
- Extension wand
- Multi-floor LED cleaning head
- Wall charger
- Wall mount
- Battery
- Power cord
- Mounting template and screws
The wall charger can be placed on the floor to charge the vacuum. However, all tools need to be removed to do so.
You can use the wall mount with the mounting template to attach the charger to the wall.
Controls
There are 2 buttons on the Simplicity S65 that control the vacuum. The first is a trigger that turns the vacuum on/off. This trigger doesn’t need to be held down, but rather pressed once to turn on and once again to turn off.
On top of the S65 is a single button that can toggle between the two power modes.
Maintenance
Just like the other aspects of usability, maintenance is simple. You will need to empty the dustbin as it fills, as well as replace the HEPA filter as needed.
Simplicity recommends replacing the filter every 1 year unless someone in the household has allergies. If you have allergies you should replace the filter every 6 months.
Accessories
With the standard Simplicity S65 vacuum there are only a few included accessories.
These include:
- Combination crevice / dusting tool
- Multi-floor LED cleaning head
The combination crevice and dusting tool is the standard attachment we see with many cordless stick vacuums, but it has a unique twist. Instead of two separate attachments, the dusting tool can attach to the crevice tool when needed.
For the majority of your cleaning you will use the multi-floor LED cleaning head. It uses LEDs to illuminate debris in the direct cleaning path and can be used on all indoor flooring.
Simplicity S65 Standard vs. Premium vs. Deluxe
If you need more accessories than the few included with the standard S65, there is a Deluxe and Premium version available as well. Both of these come with more accessories, but cost more as well. However, the base vacuum model remains the same between all three variants.
Below is a table comparing each model and their included accessories:
S65 Standard | S65 Premium | S65 Deluxe | |
---|---|---|---|
Digital motor | S65 | S65 | S65 |
Runtime | ~25 mins | ~25 mins | ~25 mins |
Dust Bin | 0.5 liters | 0.5 liters | 0.5 liters |
Weight | 6.0 lbs | 6.0 lbs | 6.0 lbs |
Batteries | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Combo Crevice / Dust tool | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Multi-floor LED cleaning head | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Upholstery tool | No | Yes | Yes |
Pet turbo tool | No | Yes | Yes |
Angle adapter | No | No | Yes |
Soft roller cleaning head | No | No | Yes |
Docking station | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Wall mount | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price | Check Price | Check Price | Check Price |
Notable inclusions with the Deluxe version are the upholstery tool and pet turbo tool. The upholstery tool can be used to clean car interiors, while the pet turbo tool is a motorized head designed to clean up pet hair.
Both of these tools are included with the Premium version. In addition, you get an extra battery, angle adapter, and a soft roller cleaning head. The soft roller brush roll is designed to clean hard surfaces. While we were not able to test with this cleaning head, I expect it would resolve the issues the vacuum had with cereal in our cleaning test.
Size & Dimensions
In terms of size and weight the Simplicity is very similar to other stick vacuums on the market.
Here are the exact dimensions:
- Width – 10.0″
- Length – 9.0”
- Height – 45.0”
- Weight – 6.0 lbs
Simplicity S65 Specifications
Specifications | |
---|---|
Type | Stick vacuum |
Manufacturer | Simplicity |
Model | S65 |
Height | 45.0″ |
Width | 10.0″ |
Length | 9.0″ |
Floor Type | All (indoor) |
Dust Bin Capacity | 0.5 L |
Cordless | Yes |
Bagless | Yes |
Returns | Varies by retailer |
Warranty | 1 year |
Price | Check Price |
Should you buy the Simplicity S65?
I would recommend the Simplicity S65 if you are looking for the following features:
- Budget-friendly stick vacuum: While the Simplicity S65 doesn’t come with smart or bleeding edge features, it offers solid performance at a budget-friendly price. Cordless stick vacuums can get pricey, so it is nice to have a cheaper alternative that still performs.
- Great cleaning performance: In our cleaning tests the Simplicity was able to remove the majority of debris in most cases. It did struggle with cereal on hardwood flooring, but if you exclude that, it removed 98.7% of the debris.
- Easy to use: The Simplicity S65 is simple to set up, use, and maintain. Excluding charging time, you can set up the device in 5 minutes. What’s more, the controls are basic by design and easy to understand.. Maintenance is straightforward, but does require you to keep an eye on the brushroll for tangles.
For more information or to buy the Simplicity S65, click here.