Tineco Pure One Station 5 Cordless Vacuum Review

About the Tineco Pure One Station 5

• Dimensions: 74.17 x 38.02 x 32.44cm
• Weight: 16.5 lbs.
• Comes with docking station: Yes
• Battery life: 70 minutes
• Filter: Washable, Auto-Cleaning HEPA Filter
• User manual: Pure One Station 5 user manual

The Tineco Pure One Station 5 is an upright vacuum and dock with 175W suction power and a multi-surface ZeroTangle brush roller to handle all flooring types. The high-tech 120-degree, wide-angle headlight illuminates in front of the roller so you can more easily see dust particles.

Dock it after a clean and it will both recharge and self-clean, sucking dirt and debris into a larger 2.5L-capacity, maintenance-free dust bin that does not require bags.

The Dura Cyclone system uses multiple cyclones and an auto-cleaning HEPA filter that separates air and dust, while six-stage filtration ensures that only clean air is released, without any dust emissions.

Running for up to 70 minutes per charge, the 12-stage filtration system can capture 99.99% of dust and debris as small as 0.3 μm. In the box, find the main body, clean station, tube, ZeroTangle brush, and 2-in-1 crevice brush.

How we tested

We’ve tested a variety of Tineco vacuums and floor cleaners over the years, and several in the Pure One line, including the Pure One S11, the Pure One S15, and the Pure One S12. We tested the new Tineco Pure One Station 5 in a relatable home setting on various surfaces, including hardwood floor, tiling in both a kitchen and bathroom, and carpeting, including a thin living room carpet and various hallway carpet runners.

We tried all modes, including Eco, Auto, and Max. We used the crevice brush for testing on surfaces like baseboards and corners of walls and floors, as well as on furniture, like a fabric and leather couch.

We tested in a pet-free household, so to test the ZeroTangle feature and ability to tackle long hair, we pulled hair from a hairbrush, leaving some in clumps and others broken apart.

We used the vacuum for several weeks for regular maintenance, cleaning floors, stairs, and furniture. We also simulated different spills using items like breakfast cereal, flour, coffee grounds, and other small (and larger!) particles.

What we like

Tineco’s Pure One Station 5 is easy to set up and maneuver

The first thing we noticed when taking all the parts out of the box was that there weren’t any instructions beyond a few diagrams at the back of the manual. Fortunately, you don’t really need them.

The vacuum is simple to put together in just a few minutes. However, the base is large and heavy, so keep that in mind, as you’ll need a sizable spot to store it.

All the pieces neatly click into place. We did have some trouble figuring out how to remove the smaller dustbin when the self-cleaning function didn’t suck up some of the bigger particles from it. That led to a sizable pile of dust on the kitchen floor the first time. Thankfully, we were able to use the vacuum again to suck it all right back up.

It also glides effortlessly across most surfaces, including hardwood floors, tiles, and even yoga mats. It’s lightweight enough that a 13-year-old even enjoyed using it for weekly vacuum chores.

The laser light is helpful, not just cool

We have used vacuums with a laser light before, namely the Dyson Gen5 Detect. This isn’t just a useless feature for show. It illuminates what’s in front of you so you can see how dusty or dirty the floor is, and it can reach the corners of your kitchen tiles far under the cabinets.

It’s like a black light for your home, pinpointing dust bunnies you might not have otherwise seen. The light also highlights when you might want to take an extra pass over a certain area, for example, or to check areas you think are clean, only to realize they aren’t.

For households with kids who contribute to chores, they’ll love the feature, too. Psychology 101 says it’s much more satisfying to clean when you can see the dust being picked up, so you may get a more thorough job out of kids who enjoy the “cool” light.

It can capture larger pieces of debris

The Pure One vacuum did a wonderful job of picking up large debris. To test this, we used pieces of tissue ripped into varying sizes, as well as whole cereal pieces that measure about an inch each. It sucked up everything with ease, though I would recommend passing the vacuum over the area very slowly when picking up larger, thicker debris for the best result. Even an entire tissue flowed through with ease, then transferred to the larger dustbin once docked like magic.

I pulled out my older-model Dyson cordless stick vacuum to compare, and it just pushed the cereal pieces back and forth instead of sucking them up. Needless to say, this vacuum’s ability to pick up large pieces is impressive.

It efficiently sucks dust into the larger bin for easy maintenance

No one likes to vacuum, and it’s even more irritating when you need to clean out a dustbin after after you clean your house. This chore is minimized drastically with this vacuum. Everything is pulled into a regular-sized bin as you vacuum. Once you dock the vacuum for charging, it sucks up all the debris into the larger 2.5L bin. You’ll need to empty the larger bin manually, but not as frequently. Even after several weeks of vacuuming a lived-in home, the bin was only about a sixth full of its entire capacity. On average, for an average-sized home, you’ll probably only need to empty it every 30-45 days.

What’s also great about this feature is that it separates the dust from the air, which means the HEPA filter requires very little maintenance, though you should rinse it out and dry it monthly. Thanks to the Dura Cyclone system with multiple cyclones, the HEPA filter is auto-cleaned every time, ensuring that it lasts and always delivers proper suction. After weeks of use, we gave it a peek and it looked as good as new.

Emptying the larger dustbin, meanwhile, is a cinch. It pops off easily, then you simply hold it over a garbage can and pull up on the tab to release the bottom. We had to manually fish out a few rogue hairs, but otherwise, it was clean as a whistle and ready to pop back in place for another month or so until it would require emptying again.

What we don’t like

It doesn’t glide as nicely on carpeting

The Tineco Pure One Station 5 glides like a dream on hardwood floors and tiles, capturing dust, dirt, and debris from between floorboards, on surfaces, and around corners, even nicely navigating around things like chair legs and furniture. But it doesn’t move as nicely over carpeting—even a thinner carpet.

It's also worth noting that since the roller brush isn’t as compact as some other cordless stick vacuums, you might find it more challenging to navigate in tighter, smaller spaces. For these areas, you’ll need to move furniture out of the way or use the crevice brush to finish the job.

Long hair does, in fact, tangle around the rollerbrush, but …

As noted, we used human hair accumulated on a hairbrush instead of pet hair, dropping small and larger clumps on the kitchen floor and breaking up others into smaller pieces. The vacuum picked it all up with ease, sucking the strands up with immense power even before we got close enough to run it over the clump. However, when inspecting the rollerbrush afterwards, the longer hairs (at least six inches) did indeed wrap around the rollerbrush. After docking and running the self-clean cycle, the hairs were still there, requiring that I cut them away and manually remove them from the brush head.

Considering pets like dogs and cats usually don’t have hair as long, this may not be an issue for most people, but if someone in your household has long hair and sheds it, beware.

Regardless, given its ability to pick up hair so wonderfully and the HEPA filtration that releases only clean air back into the room, this vacuum is in the running to be named among the best vacuums for pet hair.

The dustbin has limitations when it comes to large debris—sometimes

This Tineco vacuum has no problem picking larger pieces of debris off the floor, which is fantastic.

However, when it comes to the dustbin sucking debris from the vacuum into its 2.5L holding tank on the dock, it occasionally runs into challenges. We noticed that the vacuum doesn’t always clear the vacuum’s dustbin. For example, at one point, smaller tissue pieces swirled together in one clump, but there wasn’t enough force to draw them through to the larger holding tank. On the other hand, this isn’t always the case: We docked the vacuum after it picked up a whole tissue and it swirled perfectly through to the larger dustbin.

Call it luck or positioning. It’s kind of like when you mix cake ingredients in a standmixer: sometimes the paddle doesn’t reach every side and you need to stop and manually scrape the unmixed batter down the sides. We also found that things like hair stick in the smaller dustbin, which means you’ll probably have to manually empty it periodically.

Warranty

The Tineco Pure One Station 5 comes with a two-year warranty from the date of purchase, which protects the purchase against original defects in the materials or workmanship. Note that this only includes vacuums purchased for private, in-home use, assuming that the vacuum is used based on instructions provided in the manual.

If you purchase motorized accessories or batteries separately, these come with a one-year warranty. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee on purchases, so you can try the vacuum out for yourself at home for a few weeks to determine if it’s the right fit for you and your home.

What owners are saying about Tineco Pure One Station 5

We are pulling user comments about the Tineco Pure One Station 5 from user reviews on the Tineco website and Amazon.

• Tineco store: At Tineco’s online store, the vacuum has overwhelmingly positive reviews, receiving 4.97 out of 5 stars. Most reviewers love how easy it is to operate without wires, and many note comparisons to Dyson models they have owned in the past that are far more expensive yet aren’t able to pick up larger pieces of debris like this one. Several reviewers indicate owning multiple dogs and find the vacuum effectively picks up all their pet hair. The only issue customers seem to have with this model is the price.
• Amazon: The consensus among Amazon shoppers who have purchased this vacuum is that it offers great suction, including for larger pieces of debris. They find the illuminating light useful, and they love how much dirt and debris the main dustbin can hold, making maintenance less of a hassle. The most common relevant complaints echo our own, including that it doesn’t handle lightweight rugs well and the top canister doesn’t always fully empty into the main one. Some buyers don’t like that it’s loud and sometimes takes several passes to pick up crumbs.

Should you buy the Tineco Pure One Station 5?

Yes, great vacuum for medium-to-large-sized homes, especially with pets

The Tineco Pure One Station 5 (available at Amazon) is a great vacuum for medium-to-large-sized homes, or smaller homes if you have a dedicated spot where you can set up the base station. Perfect for busy families and working professionals, you’ll appreciate not having to empty the bin every time, nor having to lug a long cord with you. Just keep in mind that depending on the dust and debris it picks up, you will need to occasionally empty the top bin manually. But you’ll want to do this anyway so you can wash the filter at least once a month.

The vacuum is easy to dock and undock. While it can vacuum several types of surfaces, it excels on hardwood and tiles. It can be used handheld by removing the stick and attaching the included crevice brush to clean furniture, mattresses, drapes, and blinds, and even the car.

It tackles hair fairly well, making it a good option for pet owners. Its ability to pick up larger pieces of debris is useful for parents with toddlers and kids who tend to have slippery fingers with their food. The HEPA filtration system keeps dust at bay and the air clean as it sucks up messes. This makes it a good choice for pet owners and those who suffer from allergies and asthma.

We don’t recommend buying if your home is covered in carpeting.

With so many 2-in-1 vacuum and mop combo machines on the market, you may find it tough to justify its price for an upright cordless vacuum. But, the Tineco Pure One Station 5 impresses, performing better than a higher-priced Dyson model in our at-home tests. We have no regrets.