Vorwerk Kobold VK200 upright vacuum cleaner: Complete home system review

I received a Vorwerk Kobold VK200 vacuum cleaner, floor mop and attachments on loan for two weeks to trial and I was compensated for my time. This review is entirely honest and hopefully will be of use to you if you’re trying to decide whether to get one.

My name is Fran, and I am a vacuum cleaner-aholic, which might surprise you if you’ve ever seen the state of my floors but I can promise you it’s very true.

We’ve had an obscene number of vacuum cleaners over the past few years.

We had a cheapy upright bagless Hoover for our first rented home, and then as we bought our own house (and the carpets were therefore our own) upgraded to a Dyson Ball.

Sadly it didn’t last us too long, as a part broke and it was so expensive to replace it was almost cheaper to buy a brand new machine. We thought we’d move towards the trend for bagless, cordless vacuums with a very light cordless Vax.

I thought it was just about the best thing ever until I realise that it absolutely sucked (or, more accurately, didn’t) and I was spending hours cleaning out filters which did nothing, and so went back to a bagged, corded system with my Miele Cat & Dog hoover last year.

It has its faults; it’s not the easiest thing to lug around, my skirting boards are screwed, and it isn’t great for stairs, but the suction is great and I actually love the ease of chucking away a bag compared to trying to empty a bagless container into a bin without getting it everywhere and having to re-hoover it all up afterwards.

I was offered the chance to trial and review the Vorwerk Kobold VK200 upright vacuum cleaner: Complete home system with EB400 and SP600 attachments.

Vorwerk use a direct sales model to sell their products so it is not surprising that most people won’t have heard of them.

I had previously only heard of Vorwerk in relation to the Thermomix; an insanely expensive kitchen gadget that many women seemed to lust after; I must say I am not among them (but I’ve never tried one either).

It is a very fancy vacuum cleaner indeed. As well as looking the part, with a sleek white exterior, it is also a cleaner of many uses. So many in fact that you need a two hour slot with a Vorwerk salesperson in order to learn how to use it properly (although you’ll be left with a handy and easy to follow idiot’s guide, or you should be if your friend doesn’t accidentally take it home with her. Sigh.).

During this time you will learn all about the different attachments, as well as see some neat party tricks like how much dog fur can be got off your sofa.

The Vorwerk Kobold VK200 is not just a vacuum cleaner.

It is a powerful all-singing all-dancing cleaning machine. The EB400 (vacuum) attachment knows whether you’re on carpet or hard floor and adjusts automatically. The SB600 attachment can vacuum and mop in one go. It has an amazing assortment of smaller attachments which can be purchased alongside it with which you can clean everything from stairs and soft furnishings to mattresses, walls and delicate wall hangings.

It’s energy efficient (A+ rating) and is much quieter than my previous machines; giving off a mechanical purr a bit like an aeroplane.

The Vorwerk Kobold VK200 vacuum cleaner is simple to operate. The bags are easy to install, and the attachments come off and go back on without a fight.

There is an indicator on the front which shows you how full the bag is. The controls at the top are simple with soft, medium, hard and auto settings. The suction cuts out automatically when you stand it up.

The Dovina scent chip is a lovely idea. Hoovering the house gives off an amazing clean smell which makes it all feel worthwhile. Psychology in action.

What is the Vorwerk Kobold VK200 like at cleaning?

This is the important bit after all!

I used the Vorwerk Kobold VK200 for two weeks. The bag filled up alarmingly quickly. I do have a dog and two messy children but even so, I didn’t think we lived in that much filth; evidently we do or maybe our vacuum cleaner just isn’t up to the job. Either way, it shamed me into obsessively vacuuming and mopping every day for the time I had it.

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Even my husband noticed how much cleaner the house was and was disappointed we weren’t keeping it!

Specifically?

I love the fact that you can vacuum and mop at the same time using the SP600 attachment which moves from side to side as you clean. I have a steam mop but I can rarely be bothered after I’ve already hoovered, it seems like too much of a waste of a life when I know there will be mud and crumbs on it again in 0.4 seconds.

My kitchen floor is awful, black tile, and I hate it because it always looks messy. With a quick vacuum and mop – several times a day if necessary as it only takes seconds – it looks a hell of a lot better and this takes less than half the time that it did previously.

It also has a dry cleaning attachment; you fill the hopper with special Kobold dry cleaning crystals, Kobosan, and spread them, leave it overnight, and then hoover them up leaving behind a much nicer smell!

A bit like shake and vac, but apparently nothing like shake and vac. You can also do mattresses.

You can even use it to clean windows – honestly! There’s a special window cleaning solution which you rub on with a mitt, vacuum off with the correct attachment and it leaves windows and shower cubicles sparkling and fingerprint resistant. It isn’t difficult to do.

I liked that the head rotates to get into corners and move around easily, and the handle adjusts so you can make it comfortable to use.

I particularly liked the stair attachment, which has suction on the pointed end to get right into the corners. Brilliant for doing sofa crevices and getting dog hair off of chairs, and of course stairs.

It’s all guaranteed for five years.

So, the Vorwerk Kobold VK200 is a great vacuum cleaner, but there have to be some negatives right?

Well, yes, a few. I’ve really got used to a retractable lead. This lead is an amazing 10m long which is great for doing the staircase; in fact I can pretty much get the whole house done from one socket, but it does tend to get in the way a bit. It feels like a bit of an oversight for such a luxury cleaner.

When using the attachments you need to operate the on/off switch from the base unit. A switch on the head itself would be fantastic.

It is big, and heavy, particularly if you’re used to bagless cordless wimpy hoovers. It takes up a lot of room if you have all the attachments, however I concede that it’s probably aimed at people with larger houses than I.

They are only sold via direct sales. I have no difficulty saying no but even very nice sales people still make me feel desperately uncomfortable and personally, I would never invite one into my home regardless of what they were selling. If you decide to, make sure you are aware of your rights to cancel in case you get carried away.

Lastly and perhaps most importantly, it is a very expensive system.

The Vorwerk Kobbold VK200 vacuum cleaner body on its own costs £449, with the Automatic Electric Brush (EB400) costing £300. The SP600 mop/vacuum costs a further £400. The stair attachment and mattress cleaning accessories cost £150 and the accessory pack including bag, hose and other useful bits and bobs is £150. The dry cleaning attachment is £150.

Currently you can buy the V200 and all attachments for a sale cost of £1499 with a free VC100 hand held cleaner thrown in worth £129.

Quite honestly, this cost to me is prohibitive. It’s actually more than my carpets cost and I just can’t begin to imagine spending that much on a vacuum cleaner and mop, even one that works very well indeed and will last decades.

However, I appreciate that I’m coming at this as a stay-at-home mum in a one-income household who probably isn’t in the target market for Vorwerk Kobold machines.

I presume however that if you’re reading this, and you’re considering buying one then the price isn’t a sticking point.

If you can afford it, then I have no doubt that it will last you many years and give a great clean.

If you’d like to buy one for me, I’d be very happy to accept as my house has never been cleaner. Both my husband and I feel sad going back to our old vacuum cleaner now.

If you’d like to see more of the Vorwerk Kobold V200 cleaning system, then you can take a look at their website. There is more information on the SP600 attachment here. They are also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can contact a sales person for a demonstration by filling in this form.

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