Dirt Devil Handheld Vacuum Review

The Dyson Scorpion Quick Flip is a corded, handheld vacuum built to tackle smaller, more localized messes.

The vacuum includes a built-in crevice tool, in addition to a hose attachment and upholstery tool. Between these three tools, will this Dirt Devil handheld be able to make a name for itself?

Continue reading below to discover if the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip is the best handheld vacuum for you.

Pros

• Strong suction on all indoor surfaces, capable of surprising power considering the size
• Good variety of tools, including quick flip nose, extension hose, and dusting brush

Cons

• Corded unit, so you’re attached to the wall (16′ cord)
• On the louder side for handheld vacuums at 84 decibels

Table of Contents

• Design
• Cleaning Tests
• Usability
• Value
• Specifications
• Who Should Buy

Design

The Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip handheld vacuum has an extremely simple design, with a bright red aesthetic and large handle at the rear, giving it its scorpion shape and name.

The Scorpion has a simple gray On / Off switch on top of the vacuum as well as a flip-out extendable wand for hard-to-reach cracks and crevices.

This handheld vacuum has a 7 Amp motor and a 16′ power cord.

Features

1. Handle
2. Power switch
3. Dust bin
4. Quick Flip tool

How It Cleans

This Dirt Devil handheld has no roller brushes or agitators and solely uses suction power.

There are two modes of suction power you can use, depending on the type of area you’re cleaning.

• Basic – The basic way to use the Scorpion is as a regular handheld. Simply turn on this vacuum and an opening at the front of the vacuum will begin sucking up debris into the dust bin.
• Quick Flip – The second way to use this handheld is using the “quick flip” extendable wand.

Quick Flip

Use as a standard handheld with the Quick Flip tool or use one of the other attachments.

Size & Dimensions

At only 3.75 pounds, the Dirt Devil Scorpion is very light, even for a handheld vacuum.

The body of this vacuum is 13.7″ x 6.4″ x 8.5″ high.

Accessories & Parts

Handheld vacuums make nice additions to a home for many reasons, but one important factor is the ability to quickly clean a variety of environments. Frankly, they’re convenient.

One feature that allows a handheld to excel in this area is the inclusion of a variety of accessories. I think the Dirt Devil Scorpion does a nice job of including additional accessories with their handheld.

• Quick Flip crevice tool
• Hose
• Upholstery brush
• Shoulder strap

As mentioned above, the Quick Flip crevice tool is built into the body of the vacuum for a quick clean of hard-to-reach places.

During the testing, this accessory was easy to flip out from the body. There is a locking mechanism on this tool so it stays out of the way when it’s not in use.

MORE HELP – Need a vacuum for heavy duty cleaning? Check out our Best Shark vacuums guide & reviews here.

The included hose extends your reach by 2.5′ and attachments can easily attach to the end of the hose.

The upholstery brush has a wide base and soft bristles which is nice for upholstery or light dusting.

Parts & Accessories

1. Hose
2. Brush
3. Shoulder strap
4. Quick Flip attachment

Cleaning Tests

The following vacuum cleaner tests are designed to show how the Dirt Devil Scorpion handheld performs on different surfaces, picking up a variety of debris types.

We test on three different floor types, including hardwood floors, low pile carpet, and high pile carpet. For each floor type we test the vacuum cleaner against:

• Rice – 3 ounces
• Dry Cereal – 1 ounce
• Kitty Litter – 3 ounces
• Sugar – 3 ounces

Each of the aforementioned debris types was spread across our testing lane. The base surface of our testing lane is an engineered hardwood floor. For our carpet tests, we slide in a low pile and high pile carpet insert on top of the hardwood floor.

Our vacuum cleaning process strives to be as consistent, fair, and true to real world use as possible. Our tests utilize the following procedure:

1. Measure the weight of the testing debris and the weight of the empty vacuum debris container.
2. Spread the respective debris type evenly across the central portion of the testing lane.
3. Run the vacuum cleaner over the testing lane.
4. Measure the weight of the now filled container and take notes on the cleaning performance.

Hardwood Floor

The hardwood floor tests proved to be no match for the Scorpion Quick Flip. Each of the four debris types tested against the vacuum were cleaned up at a level of 99% or higher. This level of cleaning is among the best we have seen to date.

Low Pile Carpet

Similar to the hardwood floor tests, the low pile carpet tests were a success for the Dirt Devil Scorpion. Out of the four debris types, 95% was the least amount of debris cleaned up, which was sugar. This Dirt Devil handheld vacuum did  an excellent job of removing the debris from the low pile carpet.

Additionally, the upholstery tool was able to pick up and remove the remaining particles of debris lying within the carpet. After attaching this tool and running the vacuum cleaner over the debris field, there was no more than 1% of each debris type remaining in the carpet.

High Pile Carpet

While the high pile carpet test was not the Dirt Devil Scorpion’s best performance, it was nothing shy of impressive. The ability of this vacuum to lift debris from the high pile of the carpet is among some of the best we have seen thus far.

After all tests were completed on the high pile carpet, no more than 13% of any debris type remained in the carpet. Once again, the upholstery tool was also able to lift the majority of remaining debris, bringing the lowest score up to a 95%.

Usability

The Dirt Devil Scorpion handheld was easy to use throughout the cleaning tests we performed.

It’s simple, easy to setup, and easy to troubleshoot – in part, due to the simple nature of the design.

One design element on this vacuum that was a bit of a pain was the small cleaning path. The cleaning width of the Dirt Devil Scorpion is only 1.5″, which is pretty tight for most types of messes that are big enough to require a vacuum.

Similar sized vacuums on the market, like the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, feature a 2.5″ cleaning path, which means fewer passes to clean larger messes.

MORE:  Handheld vacuum reviews

That said, the suction power of this vacuum did allow the nozzle to suck up debris that was closer to 2″ wide. F

or example, while vacuuming up sugar during our hardwood floor test I noticed sugar outside of the width of the cleaning path was being sucked up. Therefore, fewer passes were required to fully eliminate the mess.

Using the Brush

Soft bristle brush helps to agitate and lift dirt. Softer feel prevents scratching walls and floors during cleaning.

Maneuverability

The maneuverability of the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip handheld vacuum is pretty nice concerning its size. The light weight of this handheld certainly increases maneuverability, making it less of a chore to carry.

One strike against maneuverability would be the cord of this vacuum. Although having a corded vacuum does help to keep the costs low, it also makes it a bit less convenient to carry around the house.

• Weight: 3.75 pounds
• Power: 16′ long cord
• Height: 8.5″
• Width: 1.5″ cleaning path

Maintenance

The following table indicates the frequency at which you will likely want to replace the various parts and components of the vacuum. The following replacement frequencies are what the manufacturer recommends. However, your individual experiences may vary.

Maintaining this Dirt Devil handheld vacuum is extremely simple. Replace the filter every 3-6 months, and you’re good to go. This vacuum cleaner does not have a battery, as it is a corded unit, and there is no rolling brush, just straight suction.

Since the only maintenance cost associated with the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip vacuum is the filter replacement, you should expect to pay around $10.50 a year to maintain the unit, depending on how often you change the filter.

Noise

All vacuum cleaner reviews on Modern Castle are put through our standard noise test. For this test, we use a sound meter to measure noise in terms of decibel level approximately 3′ away from the vacuum.

At 3′ away, the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip (handheld) emits 84 dB of sound.

Value

After comparing the performance of this vacuum to the price point, it’s hard to beat the value of this Dirt Devil handheld vacuum. Sold at a low price point, the degree at which this vacuum can clean is remarkable.

Also, two additional tools are included with the purchase of this vacuum, in addition to the crevice tool attached to the nose of the unit.

These extra accessories allow users to clean different surface types and reach even deeper corners and crevices than when using just the handheld vacuum.

Low maintenance costs also add to the value of this Dirt Devil vacuum. It doesn’t cost much to purchase from the get go and there are no expensive replacement parts needed to keep this vacuum running smoothly.

A 3-year limited warranty and 30-day return policy is also included with the purchase of this vacuum. Within its warranty, Dirt Devil states the following

If the vacuum cleaner should become defective within the warranty period, we will repair or replace any defective parts free of charge.

The 30-day return policy is offered through Amazon, whereas the warranty deals with Dirt Devil directly.

Specifications

Below is a complete list of important specifications and features included on the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip handheld vacuum.

Who Should Buy the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip handheld vacuum?

The Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip is an inexpensive, compact, and powerful handheld vacuum. The combination of tools included, performance, and low cost creates a well-rounded unit offering a very good value. As long as you’re okay with a smaller design and corded unit, this Dirt Devil handheld vacuum is worth consideration.

I would recommend the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip if you’re looking for the following features in a handheld vacuum.

• Compact size – This handheld is only 13.7″ long, 6.4″ wide and 8.5″ tall. It weighs less than 4 pounds which makes it easy for most users to comfortably carry for longer durations of time. For extended use, this vacuum also comes with a clip-on shoulder strap to help you carry it.
• Very affordable – Ranking in the low price tier, this handheld vacuum is affordable for most users and has the added benefit of low maintenance costs. For a quick and reliable compact vacuum for small messes, the Dirt Devil Scorpion may be the handheld vacuum for you.
• Built-in crevice tool – For compact handhelds, added accessories are typically extra items that come with the vacuum as a loose attachment. In the case of the Scorpion, the crevice tool actually flips out from within the body of the vacuum and locks into place.

For more information on the Dirt Devil Scorpion Quick Flip visit here.