The Kärcher KB 5: A Game Changer for Quick Clean-Ups?

Hello everyone, thanks for checking out my review. I hope you find it helpful.

I didn't exactly plan on buying this electric sweeper. My husband just came home one day and said, 'I really want to get this.' We've got two little kids who still haven't learned to eat at the table without making a mess, and a cat who loves to scatter her litter box contents all over the place. Our current vacuum is a bit of a beast (Karcher WD 3 Premium), so it's not exactly ideal for keeping on the kitchen floor. I was looking for a way to simplify the cleaning process.

✍ Where and how much I bought it:

We got the more expensive model from Karcher, which costs about 400 rubles more than the cheaper one. We bought it from their official store, not online. We paid almost 6,000 rubles for it, which is the same price listed on the manufacturer's website.

✍ Key specs:

The Kärcher KB 5 is a wireless electric sweeper that's perfect for intermediate cleaning of hard floors and carpets. It's got a lithium-ion battery, is super compact, and features Kärcher's Adaptive Cleaning System, which delivers amazing results. It's lightweight, compact, and always ready to go, unlike our old vacuum. The universal brush is easy to maneuver between furniture, stairs, and edges. Plus, it's wireless, so you can use it anywhere without being tethered to a power outlet. The dustbin is easy to remove from the side, and the on/off button is on the handle.

It all sounds great, but there are some hidden downsides that I'll get into below.

Working width of the universal brush (mm)---------------------------------210

Container size (ml)----------------------------------------------------------370

Battery voltage (V)--------------------------------------------------------3.7

Battery runtime on hard floors (min)----------------------------------------34.5

Battery runtime on carpets (min)--------------------------------------------23

Battery type-----------------------------------------------lithium-ion battery

Power supply parameters (V/Hz)-----------------------------------------100 - 240 / 50 - 60

Weight (without accessories) (kg)---------------------------------------------1.2

Weight with battery (kg)----------------------------------------------------1.2

Weight (with packaging) (kg)----------------------------------------------------------1.4

Dimensions (W x D x H) (mm)-----------------------------------------215 x 230 x 1120

✍ Accessories:

Universal brush, detachableCharging dockSo, I don't have to store anything extra - just the charger.

✍ Pros:

Simple design;Lightweight device;Compact;Easy to clean;No need for replacement materials.✍ Cons:

I have to remember to charge the battery;Only picks up large debris;Doesn't clean near vertical surfaces.✍ My overall impressions of using it:

The design of this electric sweeper is super simple. I don't even need to read the instructions - it's all intuitive. You just tilt the handle, and it turns on.

And a green light on the body starts flashing:

The handle is super comfortable to hold. My hand fits perfectly into it: I clean the debris container about once a month, since the sweeper is only used for a pretty narrow range of tasks: picking up crumbs on the kitchen counter and scattered cat litter.

Inside the device, it's a bit of a pain to clean. You have to pull out the debris container, and then you're left with hair and fur stuck to the brush. You can see on the photo that even after removing the container, there's still dirt left inside the device: And then you have to use scissors to cut off the hair that's stuck to the brush. Not exactly the most pleasant experience: I just throw the debris into the trash, and then I rinse the container under the faucet and put it back without drying it.

I'm happy to report that I didn't experience any negative consequences from using the wet container.

What I did notice, though, is that the vacuum doesn't pick up dust and small debris. It's because it doesn't suck in air, but instead spins the brush, which can only pick up larger particles. The small stuff just gets left behind.

And the worst part is that there's this blind spot between the edge of the body and the brush that just stays dirty. I've marked it with a red line on the picture to show the length of the brush. As you can see, there's about an inch of the edge that's not covered by the brush. If there's dirt in that area, it's just going to stay on the floor.

Overall, the vacuum is a useful tool, but I think I'd prefer a wireless upright vacuum. It would be way more expensive, but it would actually pick up all the dirt, not just the big stuff and the stuff against the walls.

I do let my kids use it, even my youngest (4 years old) helps me with cleaning. He'll grab the vacuum and push it around the floor.

✍ Takeaways:

I don't think it's worth having a separate handheld vacuum like this as an addition to your main vacuum. It's better to save up and get a wireless upright vacuum that can do more tasks.