Skip to main content
  • Introduction

  • Design & Usability

  • Features & Performance

  • Conclusion

  • Introduction

  • Cleaning Performance

  • Noise & Efficiency

  • Introduction
  • Design & Usability
  • Features & Performance
  • Conclusion
  • Introduction
  • Cleaning Performance
  • Noise & Efficiency

Introduction

Minus any glitz and glam, we were hoping that Sebo's bread-and-butter product—the pricey Automatic X4 upright (MSRP $679)—would clean efficiently and effectively. While it did do a good job, vacuums that cost 80 percent less clean just as well and don't suffer from some of the Sebo's aggravating design flaws.

Design & Usability

Our expectations didn't fall right away. In fact, unboxing this vacuum was a joy. Well-crafted parts clicked together with ease, and the whole package felt sturdy and solid. The cord required manual winding, but that's not uncommon on lightweight uprights. Sebo's bags click into place using a foolproof mechanism—the front of the vacuum won't close if the bag is installed incorrectly—and all hoses and attachments securely lock on the cleaner body. Even the release lever, which unlatches the vacuum from the upright position, impressed us: Bright orange plastic on a metal frame, it's a study in rugged simplicity.

{{photo_gallery "photos"}}

After plugging it in and turning it on, the Automatic X4 greeted us with a soft whirr. So far, so good. But a curious thing happened when we pushed it onto high-pile carpet: It stopped.

See, the X4 has an automatic, motorized height adjust that moves the cleaner head up and down depending on flooring type. Unfortunately, it can take a full ten seconds to adjust, and sometimes can't raise itself in time to keep from getting caught in the carpet. To keep from burning out the motor, the vacuum shuts itself off automatically. We went through this dance every time we switched between flooring types.

Another quirk: There's no way to turn off the powered brushroll. That high-speed spinner may damage wood or tile floors, and it'll definitely shoot debris into the far corners of a room. The omission of a brushroll on/off switch is regrettable on a $70 vacuum, but it's unforgivable on a machine that costs ten times as much.

Features & Performance

The Automatic X4 did very well when it came to picking up dirt and debris. On long carpet, which can sometimes trap up to 80 percent of dirt even after vacuuming, the Sebo rustled up more than half of the dust and sand we put down. Short carpet cleaning was OK, and—powered brushroll aside—wood floors ended up spotless.

The X4 had no issues cleaning up small pieces of debris, like noodles and rice. It did have some trouble with heavier items, like coins, which the brushroll shot across our lab before they could get sucked into the bag.

The issues with this Sebo all involved usability. The detachable hose could only reach about six feet from the cleaner itself, and three feet in the air, so cobweb cleaning is impossible if you've got tall ceilings. Pet hair pickup was subpar, and cleaning tools were nothing special. If you've got stairs, be prepared to lift the Automatic X4's entire 16.6 lb. heft.

Conclusion

The Sebo Automatic X4 is great at individual tasks, but terrible at multitasking. Case in point: Ask it to switch from low carpet to high carpet, and it'll invariably take ten seconds to adjust—or it'll stop cleaning altogether. But once it gets on that high carpet, it'll clean better than many of the other vacuums out there.

It brings to mind a highly-paid, yet inflexible employee, one who wouldn't dream of doing anything outside of his or her official job description. For a $679 MSRP, we're not willing to put up with that kind of crankiness.

Introduction

Some sites use a vacuum for a weekend and tell you how much they love or hate it. We're a bit different. We put vacuums through a rigorous, standardized, scientific test that simulates every kind of household use, from pet hair pickup to spilled cereal disasters.

Cleaning Performance

We ask every vacuum to pick up a 100g mix of dirt, made up of a standardized variety of sand, talc, and dust, and tracked into a carpet.

On short carpet, most vacuums have no trouble picking up more than 95 percent of what we put down. The Sebo Automatic X4 fell a bit behind here, leaving behind nearly 20 percent of our test dirt. It fared a little better on high-pile carpet, where most vacuums struggle to clean more than a third of the dirt we add. This Sebo got more than half.

On wood floors, the Sebo upright sucked up about 90 percent of dirt, which is a tad less than we like to see. It's likely because the powered brushroll can't be turned off, and it often scatters dirt across hard flooring surfaces.

The Sebo did best at cleaning small debris—stuff like cereal, rice, and crunched up leaves, the kinds of things the average person tracks around the house. It struggled with heavier things, however.

Noise & Efficiency

We measured the average noise output of the Sebo Automatic X4 at 77 dBa. That's louder than many other cleaners on the market, but the actual sounds this vacuum emitted didn't seem as harsh. It drew a little over 1200 watts, which means you shouldn't plug this machine into an outlet with any other running appliances unless you want to blow a fuse.

Meet the tester

Keith Barry

Keith Barry

Former Editor in Chief, Reviewed Home

@itskeithbarry

Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.

See all of Keith Barry's reviews

Checking our work.

Our team is here for one purpose: to help you buy the best stuff and love what you own. Our writers, editors, and lab technicians obsess over the products we cover to make sure you're confident and satisfied. Have a different opinion about something we recommend? Email us and we'll compare notes.

Shoot us an email

Up next