Levoit VortexIQ 40 Review

The VortexIQ 40 is an impressive machine. Thanks to its intuitive and thoughtful design, we loved how simple it was to break down and clean each component, which is not exactly common among stick vacuums at this price point. The 4-stage HEPA filtration proved incredibly effective and easy to keep clean. While it doesn't contain impressive high-tech features, it's a solid vacuum that performs well.

Performance Comparison

Carpet Performance

For our carpet test, we weigh then spread 1.5 cups each of sand, rice, and Cheerios over 3' x 9' sections of both low pile and high pile carpet. Next, we try to collect as much of the debris as possible within a 24-second time limit, repeating the test multiple times for each vacuum we review. It's a very difficult stress test, and this model performed well on carpet.

Compared to our highest performing vacuums, which cost 2-4 times as much, this more affordable Levoit is, as our lead tester put it, “A little slayer! On low pile carpet, it nearly sucked up everything.” Very few rice grains and Cheerios remained after our 24-second test.

Low Pile

This vacuum is super competitive on low pile carpet, making it a great choice for those with conventional carpeting in their houses or flat area rugs over much of their hard floors.

One of the biggest surprises was the lack of plowing or back plowing with the VortexIQ, which means some won't have to make as many passes over their carpet as they might with the average stick vacuum we tested. Ultimately, it was able to suck up 92% averaged over three test runs. No other vacuum anywhere near its $230 MRSP came close to it, and those that surpassed it cost significantly more.

High Pile

On high pile carpet, this vacuum performed well but sometimes got clogged. For example, it gobbled up a mind-boggling 62% of sand, rice, and Cheerios in 24 seconds but then bit off a bit more than it could consume in another run, clogging halfway through, which limited it to 47%.

For those willing to go a bit slower for big messes, we think they'll be pleased with its shaggy carpet abilities. In fact, we were astounded at how well this relatively inexpensive Levoit consumed so much sand, rice, and Cheerios on the carpet. For those on a budget with carpet as their priority, this is a stick vac we can recommend.

Hardwood Performance

Highlighting another good performance, this model executed to our satisfaction on hardwood floors. Using the same 1.5 cups of debris, we assessed its ability over a 9' x 3' section of hardwood floor with a 24-second time limit.

Cleaning Performance

Overall, again, a very impressive performance. After the near-zero plowing or back plowing on the carpet, we were surprised to see the VortexIQ backplow rice and Cheerios on the hardwood. Our best explanation is that the rear of the cleaner head is low enough to hit rice and plow, but when you add in the friction of carpet, it slides over the debris but skids it along on hard floors.

Even if the rear of the cleaner head is a bit low for effective reverse strokes on hard floors, the forward passes more than makeup for it. While it's not as effortless as the Shark Stratos Cordless on hardwood, it costs less than half the price of the Shark.

Crevice

Interestingly, our difficult crevice test revealed one of the few points of struggle for this model. To test suction effectiveness over crevices, we spread sand between the slats of a bamboo mat and then attempted to vacuum it all up.

Its suction characteristics seemed to pick up the sand in waves, leaving some grains behind. With a few more passes, we believe many will be able to squeak out better performance by giving this vacuum more angles and time. Of course, the included crevice tool can be used to reach small spaces.

Edges

Many vacuums struggle with sucking up debris very close to walls, so we test this specifically with coffee grounds. To set up this test, we sprinkled coffee grounds along a wall, then try to capture as much of the coffee as possible by running the vacuum both head-on toward the wall and parallel to it.

Again, this vacuum kept delighting our editors with its solid performance. This test shows that its head design lets it suck beyond its borders fairly well, letting us clean small nooks and long hallways next to walls. For those with a mix of hard floors and low-pile carpet and rugs, it'll be hard to go wrong with this stick vacuum.

Pet Hair

The hardest test we have might be our pet hair test because pet hair is notoriously difficult for vacuums to suck up consistently.

To replicate a pet hair situation in a home, we measured 4 grams of pet hair and thoroughly teased it into the fibers of both high and low piles. Then, we added 1 gram of long hair extensions and smashed it all down into the carpet with a weighted roller.

After setting our expectations very high with its carpet and hardwood test results, our pet hair test disappointed our cat and canine-loving testers, who were hoping for a low-priced miracle vacuum. This Levoit left clumps of hair on both low and high pile carpet. The addition of long hair in this test led to instant hair wraps, some of which actually caught clumps of pet hair, tying the clumps to the brush roll. For households with humans who have short hair, users might be able to squeak out a little better improvement with shorter pet hair challenges in their own homes.

Filtration & Suction

Because some vacuums have high suction and performance but poor filtration, we check and measure both to help people identify how the performance characteristics relate to help make buying decisions.

Filtration

We tested the filter's effectiveness using two Dylos air quality monitors to count ambient particles in a controlled environment in our lab. After cleaning and stabilizing the air inside the room, we place 1/3 cup of flour on the floor and vacuum it up. Because flour is very fine, it works as a good proxy for tiny indoor dust and small particles that can invade homes and become embedded in the lungs of those who breathe them in.

Wow. Our testers were astounded at how well this relatively inexpensive cordless vacuum filtered fine particles. We consider any test result up to 75 particles to be excellent. For those sensitive to allergens, dust, or pet dander, this vacuum is unlikely to cause noticeable issues in air quality in most household environments.

Suction

Pure suction power came in below average for this model, but that's not the full story.

We measured the vacuum's suction at 622 Pascals, which is very good compared to budget vacs but technically underpowered compared to many vacuums that cost 3-5 times as much. For example, the Dyson Gen5detect measured at an eye-popping 2,388 pascals. Still, the lesser suction didn't hinder the VortexIQ 40 on low pile carpet, which vacuumed up just 3% less debris than the much more expensive Dyson in our 24-second test. Clearly, Levoit is doing something right.

Ease of Use

This model has 5 intensity modes, which are nice for tackling various messes. Additionally, it offers a variable auto mode that detects the level of intensity needed and adjusts accordingly. This lets users vacuum without needing to pay attention to power levels.

The handheld, measuring just over 4 pounds, is a bit heavy, but the cleaner head is easy to push, so we think most homeowners can handle this vacuum without much trouble.

Maneuverability

This vacuum glides smoothly onto and off of terrain changes, rolling onto rugs and mats with ease, but it lacks the sort of head swivel that delighted us with the Shark Vertex Pro Lightweight.

The head seemed to tilt more than actually turn, but it remained agile enough to maneuver around things like table legs or other small obstacles.

Maintenance

No one wants to deal with needlessly complicated general maintenance, and with this model, you won't have to. An included pictogram clearly outlines how to care for this vacuum, making maintenance incredibly intuitive. It's super simple to disassemble and clean, and there's a dedicated button to release the brush roll for scheduled cleaning.

We recommend cleaning components like the HEPA filter somewhat often to keep everything in working order, and that's also very easy to do. Overall, most people won't have any issues keeping this vacuum primed and ready to go at all times, lending to a higher chance of sustainability with this product.

Uphostery & Attachments

Levoit only includes two no-frills accessories: a crevice tool and a combination tool. They're basic but effective. We liked how we could attach them at the end of the tube for a long reach as well as at the base for agile hand-held vacuuming.

In one of our attachment tests, we spread coffee grounds on a throw pillow. We tested its combination tool attachment performance with one slow pass, and it left some smears of coffee grounds — which we could fully suck up with additional passes.

Battery

We test each cordless vacuum's battery life runtime on both its lowest and highest power settings. On the lowest setting, most people will only get about 30 minutes of runtime, lower than average, and 11 minutes on high, higher than average.

For those with a large home they want to tackle in one go, Levoit's battery life could become annoying. Requiring users to plan their cleaning sessions with recharging time in between. Which isn't quick since it takes 3.8 hours to recharge the battery fully.

Should You Buy the Levoit VortexIQ 40?

Somehow, this vacuum effortlessly crosses the intersection of price versus performance, and we believe it's one of the best you can buy, thanks to its overall performance and ease of cleaning. By choosing this model, you won't have to compromise much. Sure, it could have better battery life and more high-tech features, but it may not match the best in terms of pure performance. However, it remains a complete package worthy of any household.

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