Tom's Guide Verdict
The Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is a bagged cleaner that can tackle dirty carpet and hard flooring well. It is notably lighter to handle than other cordless vacs, making it easier to lift and carry around the home. It is rather basic however, with only 3 power settings, and lacks any fancy features. You also need to manually activate the rotating, motor brush. However, it has a long battery life and comes with various attachments (make sure you have enough storage). Plus, you don’t have to worry about emptying out a dirty dustbin after each use.
Pros
- +
Interchangeable batteries
- +
Powerful performance
- +
Long battery life
- +
HEPA standard filtration
- +
No dusty canister to empty out
Cons
- -
You’ll need to activate the rotating motor brush manually
- -
Will need to keep buying dust pouches
- -
Doesn’t have an LED display screen
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Model Number: Capsule X
Dimensions: 120 x 16 x 24.5cm
Capacity: 2L
Battery life: 60 minutes
Vacuum weight: 5.7 pounds
Color: Black/Blue
Accessories: Crevice tool, dusting brush, power brush, mini pet-hair brush, hard floor roller, stretch hose, storage clip, wall dock, spare battery
Warranty: 2 year
When it comes to investing in one of the best vacuums, there's been much debate about whether bagged or bagless vacuums are better.
And while the idea of fitting a dust pouch into a vacuum might sound archaic, it seems like the bagged cleaner might be back in fashion again. The Halo Capsule X cordless vacuum cleaner comes with biodegradable, dust pouches that will capture all the dust and dirt securely inside. A plus for those who suffer badly from allergies. Once it’s full, you simply dispose of the bag and replace it with a new one.
Besides being sustainable and more hygienic, this is ideal if you don’t want to keep emptying a dirty dust canister after each use. What’s more, the Halo Capsule X promises a new ‘supercharged’ performance with a 60-minute battery runtime, and is designed to be light as a feather. It also comes with plenty of useful attachments for every task imaginable.
With that in mind, I tested this Halo Capsule X cordless vacuum cleaner for a week to see if it could quickly tackle my carpet and hard floors. Here’s what you should know before you buy.
Halo Capsule X cordless vacuum review: Price and availability
The Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is available through the Halo website and can also be purchased on Amazon for $499.
This does sound a little expensive, considering that you could buy a self-emptying vac such as the Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty Vacuum for the same price. However, it does come with an abundance of accessories and a spare battery. Plus, if you’re more about sustainability (and a fuss-free, clean-up!), this is a good investment.
Halo Capsule X cordless vacuum review: Design
Unboxing the Halo Capsule X reminded me of opening a Christmas hamper — it was full of endless accessories, all individually wrapped. Attachments included a motor brush head, hard floor roller, mini power brush, crevice tool, a spare battery and many more. Perhaps the only addition (that you won’t often see in cordless cleaners), are the dust pouches rather than a dust canister/bin.
Generally, the Halo Capsule X is easy to assemble, with each part clicking into place. The only difference is that you need to remember to insert a dust pouch into the capsule before cleaning. Not only is this a more hygienic way of capturing the dust particles and dander, but you’ll never have to see unsightly dust build-up in your canister!
The main vacuum body itself has a capsule-like design, with a huge 2.0 Liter Capacity and HEPA filter system. The battery sits at the top of the capsule, and has an LED indicator to show you how many power bars it has. Unlike the Dyson cordless vac, it doesn’t have a trigger operation, so you’ll need to press the power button on the vacuum handle. Underneath that is a horizontal button that activates the rotating motor brush, and the last button is for three power settings — to allow you to press between the Eco, Auto and Boost.
With its simple black and blue color scheme, it may not have the 'sleekness' of other cordless vacs, however, it’s surprisingly sturdy and durable. My only issue is where to store all the many attachments that come with it.
Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner: Ease of use
The Halo Capsule X is as simple as it gets — it doesn’t have a fancy LCD screen, automated features or even names by the buttons (you just have to figure it out!). Once you charge up the battery, it’s literally ready to use at the press of a power button.
Despite its huge, 2.0 liter capacity, it’s surprisingly lightweight and can be lifted and carried around the home with ease. The only caveat is that since the battery is located at the top of the handle, I felt that it got in the way at times, and made the vacuum feel top-heavy. Nevertheless, it was still lighter than my Dyson V15 Detect Submarine, which I often struggled to carry up and down my stairs with.
In addition, I was impressed at how easy the Halo Capsule X was to transform into a handheld by attaching the necessary tools. I particularly liked the Mini Power brush for my sofa, and crevice tool to tackle those awkward spots. And since it was light enough to use with one hand, I didn’t have arm ache to contend with at the end!
Perhaps the only caveat is that you’ll need to manually activate the rotating motor brush. I hadn’t realized this, until I noticed the vacuum wasn’t picking anything up from my carpet. Plus, I’d been so conditioned to automatic rotating brushes over the years, I didn’t even realize this was a thing!
I particularly loved the fact that there was no dust canister to empty out or even clean after use, and I literally never had to get my hands dirty — which is always a bonus!
Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner: Performance
Admittedly, I’d assumed the lightweight design of the Halo Capsule X would lack adequate power to do a thorough clean. However, I was pleasantly surprised — this packs a mighty punch.
Since my home is mainly a combination of hardwood and tiled flooring in the kitchen and bathroom, these are often subjected to dust and debris on a daily basis. Using the hard floor roller attachment, the Halo Capsule X did a great job of picking up visible dirt — even on Eco mode. In fact, it even worked well when picking up the uncooked rice I had scattered over the kitchen floor (for testing purposes!). I also liked the handy, precision headlights so you can see all the hidden dirt as you clean. My only criticism is that it didn’t quite tackle dirt trapped in the crevices between the floorboards or tiles, but this can be resolved with the help of the crevice tool.
Next, I swapped out the attachment for the motor head brush to tackle my beige (or lackluster beige) carpet and stairs. Similarly, I was impressed by the adequate power it had to quickly lift up visible dirt and hair strands deeply ingrained in the fibers. And while it didn’t have that Dyson-pull/suction power, it did a good job at debris pick-up.
Additionally, the battery life was impressive, lasting up to 60 minutes. Although, if left on Boost mode, it inevitably drained quicker. I was able to get a few cleaning sessions in one week before the indicator went down to zero. Luckily, there is a spare battery to quickly swap it with, so that my continuous cleaning flow wasn’t interrupted. Just be sure that the spare battery is fully charged!
Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner: Comparison
Considering the price tag of the Halo Capsule X, there are other lightweight models you may wish to consider, such as the Ultenic U12 Vesla cordless vacuum. Despite being bagless, it’s light, user-friendly and performs well — all for a cheaper price. Plus, you won’t have to worry about buying additional dust pouches once you’ve run out.
Additionally, if you don’t want to handle a dust canister, you can always invest in the self-emptying, Shark Cordless PowerDetect Clean & Empty Vacuum for $499 on Amazon. This is the same price as the Halo Capsule X, but doesn’t come with all the extra accessories/tools. Or you could opt for the premium Samsung Bespoke Jet Cordless Stick Vacuum with Clean Station which is another self-emptying model retailing for $699.99 on Amazon that uses bags to collect debris inside the self-emptying base, making it quicker and cleaner to empty.
Halo Capsule X Cordless Vacuum Cleaner: Verdict
Despite the unpopularity of bagged vacuum cleaners, the Halo Capsule X cordless cleaner was (surprisingly), a good contender. It performed well on both hard floors and carpets, picking up dirt and debris in two sweeps. And while I was using the Auto mode for the majority, the Eco setting was adequate enough for a good clean.
Unlike other hefty cordless vacs, the Halo Capsule X is super light to lift and carry around the home with ease. Plus, it comes with a wide range of accessories to suit every task, a spare battery and wall dock. Better still, its capsule-style design means that you’ll never have to worry about seeing or emptying out a dirt canister after each use.
It does have a basic spec (just three buttons), and doesn’t have fancy features like an LED display, or any smart settings. Another downside is that you have to manually activate the motor roller brush each time you need it — which can be inconvenient when you’re in a hurry. You also need to factor in its expensive price tag, and the additional costs of buying dust pouches once you’ve finished the 10 that comes with it.
However, if it's decent power and good results that you’re simply after — while doing your bit for the environment — the Halo Capsule X could be a worthwhile investment.
