Vorwerk Kobold VK200 Upright Vacuum Review

Brought to you by Godfrey’s

I find myself needing to vacuum the living areas in our home more than once a day sometimes. Of course, there are lots of feet to carry stuff around at our place. Plus we have a bird too. In the scheme of things, the bird is the easiest one to care for, but wow, does she make a mess — seeds everywhere!

I was in the market for a new vacuum when Godrey’s asked if I would like to try the Kobold VK200 Upright Vacuum Cleaner by Vorwerk – the makers of Thermomix. Um, that would be a – YES! I’ve been putting the Kobold VK200 through its paces and I’ve concluded this: the machine is a total cleaning system rather than a simple vacuum. I’ll break it down further below.

What’s in the box

One of the assets of the Kobold VK200 is its versatility. The machine comes with a variety of attachments for all kinds of jobs and surfaces. If you want to see a video of what’s in the box, check here.

All the parts simply click into the main vacuum body, and can be interchanged, depending on the task.

Using the Machine

There really isn’t any setup. Just clip the Automatic Electric Brush into the vacuum and it’s ready to go. The brush has automatic floor detection, so the machine can tell when you go from carpets to hard floors, rugs and tiles – so there’s no need to change the function or brush. This makes whizzing around the house a breeze.

What I noticed straight away was how easy it is to maneuverer the machine around and under furniture. I could lay the machine down flat and the head attachments swivel and pivot in different directions. I found the manoeuvrability particularly useful when cleaning under the birdcage. In the past, I had to move the cage — water and seeds splashing everywhere – before being able to vacuum underneath.

Another feature I liked was the ability to slide the handle up. You can see in the images below, my son has the handle down (it’s easy to use so the kids can vacuum too) and the next image is my husband using the handle extended. Everyone vacuums in this house.

Attachments

There are many attachment options; I feel like I have only scratched the surface of what they can all do. This is why the Kobold VK200 is an entire cleaning system, not just a vacuum. There are just so many ways you can use it. It pays to look through the manual so you can try out different pieces on different things. My favourite attachment (so far) is the Fexlo Nozzle – Top Part. It’s great for the sofa, and you can just flick it shut to get into the cracks.

There’s a handle on the front of the machine so you can carry it around when using the attachments. There is also a shoulder strap too, but I found that awkward, and the machine part is surprisingly light, so I found it easier to carry it with the front handle.

The machine comes with a variety of included accessories I have featured, and there are extras too.

Floor Accessories

• HD60 Hard Floor Head (Included)
• EB400 Automatic Electric Brush (Included)
• SP530 Hard Floor Mop (Optional)
• VF200 Carpet Freshener (Optional)

Above floor cleaning

• FD15 Flexo Nozzle (Included)
• SD15 Soft Nozzle (Included)
• VD15 Variable Nozzle (Included)
• PB440 Electric Upholstery Brush Kit (Optional)

You can find a video demonstrating more of the attachments below.

Storage

The Kobold VK200 is an upright machine. This means vacuuming is easy on your back, and when you’re done vacuuming, just click it upright (and it stays there). It’s extremely compact, and I often keep it in the corner of the kitchen area (ready to vacuum when needed), or in the laundry.

Specs

The chord is 9.4 metres long!
  

Approved by the National Asthma Council

The vacuum offers a deep clean and is approved by the National Asthma Council. This is another option to consider if you have children with sensitivities like I do. When my husband used it for the first time, he said to me, “Wow, it works on the carpets really, really well.”

Price

The Vorwerk Kobold VK200 Upright Vacuum is RRP $1999 and available at all Godfreys stores and online.

Replacement bags are $49,95 for 6, which is just over $8 per bag.

Considerations

I already mentioned that the strap to hold the machine is thin and not comfortable. The other considerations I noted may be due to my personality, however I found all the attachments (although useful) to be a bit frustrating. For example, when I need to suck something up (that I would usually just remove the head and use the hose for), you do need to add another (hose) attachment (which does work well, but you have to add the attachment to do it). The other thing I would note that in general, the vacuum sucks REALLY well on carpet (seems to get out grime and dust so carpet feels beautifully clean), however I find that larger items need to be sucked from a backwards motion because otherwise the machine just pushes it forward. The machine is very easy to push around and manoeuvre, however, it’s a bit clunky to lift up and put back down — so for example, when I move from a small step from our carpeted dining area to lounge area  (if that makes sense).

Get a Demo

When you’re investing in a cleaning machine for your home that will stay with you for decades, it’s a good idea to see demo first. I recommend heading to Godfrey’s for an in-store demonstration.