For their first attempt at developing a cordless stick vacuum in almost 50 years of building and designing vacuums for the home and office, SEBO has done a pretty bang-up job with the BALANCE A1.
Released late last year as a simple, lightweight, and feature-packed alternative to models from brands like Dyson, Miele, and Shark, the SEBO BALANCE A1 is a fresh take on the stick vacuum design, outperforming its competitors and righting many of the pain points that have long plagued similar models.
We’ve had hands-on experience with the BALANCE A1 for over a month, testing it in our homes and at Sylvane’s Headquarters in Atlanta, and we can confidently say that this model tracks with SEBO’s history of developing high-quality vacuums like the SEBO FELIX, SEBO AIRBELT, and SEBO DART. But that success is tempered with a few features that aren’t so great, which can absolutely be expected in any completely new platform.
But let’s start with the standout features that blew our socks off, before working our way through the swings and misses.
Design Quality
Our very first impression of this vacuum was its high level of quality.
From the layout of the main body of the vacuum itself, and how the tools work, to small convenience features, like how easily the vacuum connects to the charger, we were continuously impressed by how well designed the Balance A1 feels.
Basically, nothing about the vacuum’s design seems out of place or accidental, and operating it is intuitive, even for folks who are used to upright or canister vacuums.
Side Design Note: How the parts list diagram is laid out on an inside flap of the Balance A1’s box is super pleasing and intuitive; more companies should package products like this. In other words, “Chef's Kiss Emoji.”
Making Connections
Loose Tool, Tank, and Powerhead Connections are a Thing of the Past.
In the past, stick vacuums' greatest strength — their flexibility with swappable tools, tubes, and powerheads — has sometimes also been an unexpected weakness, sometimes introducing failure points where connections weaken over time.
We can safely say that isn’t the case with the A1; the vacuum connections are all rock-solid, and all of our most rigorous testing (shaking, flexing, dropping, etc.) wasn’t able to make any difference in how solid the vacuum felt.
Vacuum Performance
The Cyclone Suction Technology does exactly what it says, and the Powerhead is powerful, sometimes too powerful.
The 100,000 RPM motor is loud, even on lower power settings, but boy, does that motor provide some excellent suction, especially for dust, small debris, and other fine particles. We filled dozens of tanks with all manner of dust, crumbs, hair, and other types of debris, and never once noticed a drop in suction, even when we pushed it to the absolute maximum fill level.
Great Accessories
Simple traditional vacuum accessories with smart, battery-powered updates are a huge win for the BALANCE A1.
Vacuum brands have been putting headlights on powerheads for ages, but a recent trend we’ve noticed is lights being added to other tools, like the BALANCE A1’s crevice nozzle, and I’m here to tell you we love it.
It’s amazingly handy having lights on a tool that’s designed to reach into deep crevices and dark nooks, like between couch cushions, behind and under furniture, and in all the gaps your car uses to swallow coins, keys, and old french fries. Beyond the LED, we also really appreciated having the crevice tool be clear, which helps identify clogs in the tube, rather than having to detach it and look through the end like some sort of sailor, searching the domestic cleaning horizon with a makeshift telescope.
Floor-Mounted Docking Station
Hanging vacuum docking stations on the wall isn’t something we think we’ll miss. Let's hope that floor docking stations are here to stay.
At first, the BALANCE A1’s floor-mounted docking station feels like a bit of a step backwards from the clean look offered by hanging stations, but after a few months of use, we’ve come to believe it’s actually just better.
The reasons why? Simplicity and convenience. While using the A1, I never had trouble docking the body in the charger, I didn’t have to drill holes in my wall, and I found it really pleasing how the main powerhead docks in the convenient base, surrounded by all its tools and accessories (arranged helpfully with the most common tools above at the charger, and the more niche tools down at the base) instead of just hang in the air, stress testing my drywall.
It does take up a bit more space, and you can actually just hang the docking station as a wall-mounted option, but the presentation and convenience are worth the trade-off.
Display and Battery
Intuitively Placed Screen, Long-lasting Power
Running out of battery partway through vacuuming isn’t fun. Still, it’s a feeling we all know, because so often the only indication a battery is almost drained is a small, inconveniently placed LED.
The BALANCE A1 throws that out the window completely, with an LED display right on the back of the vacuum that’s impossible to miss. We found the display intuitive and well-placed, offering a constant view of the battery percentage and power level, with two simple buttons that adjust the power based on your needs.
Our testing confirms that the A1’s battery lasts in the range that the manufacturer describes, about 50 minutes on the lowest power level, and 20 minutes on the highest level. That may not seem like a lot, but we didn’t find ourselves hurting for battery capacity during testing until we really pushed it.
Where the BALANCE A1 Could Be Improved
We can’t go on and on about the BALANCE A1’s wins without also bringing up a few not-so-great points:
- Awkward Tank Detach: One of the first issues we noticed was that to empty the tank, something you’ll be doing multiple times throughout a cleaning, you first have to detach the tool adapter and whatever tool you’re using (main vacuum head, accessories, etc.), which makes the emptying process a bit awkward. This flaw, while annoying, isn’t a dealbreaker and seems just to be a design consequence of the vacuum’s body and how it attaches to tools.
- Tank Funnel System Jams: The A1’s collection system has a unique “non-return flap” in the channel that funnels dust and debris into the tank, which has a particularly high rate of jamming or sticking, particularly when vacuuming up larger debris. Larger debris has a tendency to get behind the flap, preventing it from opening fully and obstructing the air path in some cases.
- Struggles with Irregularly Shaped Objects: In our testing, the vacuum performed very well with small particles, like dust, sand, hair, etc., but struggled with any medium to large-sized (relatively speaking) pieces of debris, like popcorn, pebbles, and wood chips. In some cases, the power head was either too powerful to collect the pieces, batting them away by the brush speed, or the vacuum’s air duct (mentioned above) created a choke point where items collected and clogged the system.
Final Verdict: We Highly Recommend the BALANCE A1 for Most Customers
The Balance A1 is the well-designed, intuitive, and effective vacuuming solution that we expected from SEBO, offering multiple innovations to the stick vacuum style that other manufacturers should take note of.
We feel that the A1’s cleaning power will fit flawlessly into most homes and provide a much-needed vacuum upgrade over similar older models. Additionally, we consider its sub $600 price tag a great deal, considering other models with comparable features are regularly priced in the $1,000 range.
Even considering the few pain points we detected in the A1’s design, we can fully recommend it for most customers with small to medium-sized homes and offices that need daily cleaning.
Still not sure whether the SEBO Balance A1 is right for your home? Talk to Sylvane’s staff of product experts and get a personalized vacuum recommendation by calling 1-800-934-9194 or emailing [email protected].
