Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra review

When we review vacuum cleaners, we do so across a range of scenarios and testing types. That includes rigorous and specific tests in the Saga Exceptional lab, before testing in real-world situations at home over a longer period.

Vacuums are tested across a range of flooring types to assess how performance varies in different situations, from hard and carpeted floors to stairs, cars and more.

Battery life is also an important testing point when it comes to cordless stick vacuums. Run times are measured across rooms, floors, entire properties, and how a single charge lasts and how long it takes to recharge.

Suction is an important metric. Vacuums are tested using coarse and fine materials, including sand, dust, hair and more. How it picks these up across various surfaces, from crevices, around edges, and coming from various angles, are all taken into testing consideration.

Bin capacity is another area we look at. In the case of stick vacuums, that means how much they can store in an onboard bin, but also how far that will get you in real-world use before you need to stop for an empty.

The Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra is a well designed vacuum that looks attractive whether docked or in use. This is thanks to a combination of its minimalist design, which means it fits in anywhere, and solid construction.

It’s worth noting that when this arrives, it comes in a 20kg box (just over 3 stone). While this is reassuringly weighty and a sign of quality, it does mean set-up may require more than one person initially.

This particular model comes in an attractive Midnight Blue colour, which looks sleek on the brushed metallic finish of the long slender vacuum. The vacuum comes with a rather unique spinning mop head, allowing you to clean more thoroughly than most vacuums permit.

You also get a host of other vacuum attachments included, with a dual brush, pet tool, combination and crevice tool, plus a flexible tool all in the box.

The vacuum itself is compact and lightweight, at 2.5kg (5.5lbs), making it easy to use and manoeuvre even for those who may otherwise struggle with cordless vacuums. The fact that it features a docking station with built-in bin, into which it self-empties after use, means you’ll only have to periodically empty those sealed bin bags.

The same is true of charging: this model can simply be docked and forgotten about, and it will be empty and charged ready for use when you come back to it.

While everything is designed beautifully to be compact, svelte and attractive, this can have a downside. The handle is a little on the smaller side and may be a bit snug for those with larger hands. It’s not the biggest gripe, but worth a mention so you can try it out in a shop before you buy if that’s likely to be an issue.

The charging station, which works as a dock and a self-emptying bin, is well designed: it’s easy to use, looks attractive and makes emptying and charging something you rarely think about. 

The fact you also get two batteries, which can be charged together using the accessory cradle, makes the longevity of this unit more than enough even for larger properties.

It’s also worth noting that the emptying station uses a bin bag so when you empty that, all allergens are kept contained.

The vacuum is super simple to put together and everything fits satisfyingly well. To get going, there’s an on/off button flanked by plus and minus signs with four power levels.

That means no need to use a trigger and you can control power in a way that’s ideal for deeper carpet, lighter rugs, using the crevice tool and more.

Weight is well balanced, leaving it light enough to use without wrist strain. That said, there is enough weight at the bottom end to help glide around without feeling too light and flighty, as some vacuums can. 

This model really comes into its own when it comes to emptying. That clean station features a 2 litre (3.5pt) disposable bag that can hold about four full loads from the handheld unit. You simply dock the vacuum, tap a button to activate the suction in the dock to empty it, then forget all about it.

When you come back to use it next time, the unit will be charged up and empty, ready for use.

And when you do empty that main bin bag from the clean station, it is sealed, meaning no dust, dander or allergens can escape back into the room – something even premium Dyson models don’t offer. Of course, it does mean paying for bags, but more on that in the value section below.

The accessory cradle is another feature that makes this setup easy to use. It can hold four attachments ready for you to easily swap out, but also a battery.

This is mains-powered, meaning you can be charging a spare battery. So if you want to do an extra long clean – perhaps vacuuming and mopping your entire property – it’s possible to do so without waiting to recharge as you can simply swap out batteries.

The spinning mop head attaches and cuts off the suction mode, instead using that force to spin the mop heads. This holds 150ml of water which you can spray using the plus button.

It’s fine for small spillages or fresh-on muck, but for any larger areas or dried in stains you may still need to reach for the mop and bucket – or be patient.

One feature that is lacking is a pet hair self-detangling head. Instead you will have to manually cut out hair regularly if you have pets, making this more effort to use than some of the Dyson and Shark competition.

That said, the Pet Tool uses a silicone style head which can resist tangle, but the pad along the edge collects hair nonetheless, requiring you to remove it by hand.

When it comes to cleaning performance, the Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra did a great job. It has plenty of suction power and enough varied heads to tackle nearly any task most users require. Hair and wool tangling were issues though.

In our lab tests, it was found that working around edges and using the crevice tool to suck up ground coffee, this vacuum performed near perfectly. On vinyl flooring it did initially push some debris forward.

This is likely due to the thinner roller on this model, which makes catching larger debris trickier first time. Larger rollers, as you’ll find on Dyson or Shark vacuums, do better at this job first time around. That said, it did perform well overall, with no debris left behind afterwards.

On Arran carpet, it managed to suck up 85% in standard mode and 95% in boost mode. Deep pile carpet results were more impressive, with 98% of debris sucked up in standard mode and 100% on boost.

When it comes to different materials, wool and hair were sucked up with no difficulty yet very little made it to the bin. Instead it wrapped itself around the roller brush, which then had to be removed manually later – a very poor result for a vacuum at this price point. That said, the hair and wool were easy to slide to one end and remove.

While the cordless stick bin is pretty standard at 0.5 litres (0.9pts), being able to empty into the docking station makes capacity almost something you don’t need to think about. That said, on a larger property you may find you need to stop halfway around to empty it, to ensure you’re getting maximum suction performance throughout.

As mentioned, the dual spinning mop heads were rather specific in their abilities. For a spill, this is easily mopped up. And for removing a slight mess, such as tomato sauce, a spray of the water jet before mopping helped clean up well. But for larger areas or dried-in stains, especially when in a crevice between tiles, it struggled to get the job done properly.

So if you think it’s worth changing to the mop head for those jobs – rather than reaching for some wipes or a mop and bucket – then this may serve your needs.

For the purposes of this review, we are taking into account the fact you get two batteries with the vacuum. But for anyone considering a single battery option, it’s worth noting that while this vacuum claims to perform an impressive full hour on a charge, the reality may vary based on use – the more suction power and boost mode you employ, the lower that runtime will get. 

The hour-long claim for the battery was not found to be accurate in our lab testing. We tested it in mixed use, often with boost, but it yielded just 27 minutes on a charge.

That said, our real world home use test gave a battery life of more than 40 minutes. So with a two hours and 23 minutes charge time, our lab tests suggest it really pays to have a spare.

On a single battery you can expect to have enough runtime using mostly standard power to get around a two-floor, three-bedroom home, across hard and carpet surfaces.

If you want to use boost mode more, and want enough life to use the mop for bathrooms and kitchen floors, then that second battery is worth the extra investment up front.

The Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra is one of the most expensive vacuums on the market right now. When you consider that it will offer more runtime than most of the competition, due to its two batteries, and that it doubles as a mop – plus you get that self-emptying docking station – it all helps to justify that price.

The build quality and attractive design do feel worthy of the price they command and there is a solidity to this unit that offers peace of mind when in use. This is backed by that impressive five-year warranty, which includes both parts and labour.

You will need to factor in ongoing running costs with this model. Those docking station bags need to be thrown away, which is great for keeping allergens sealed in but does mean replacements will cost you.

The mop heads also require replacing. In both cases, plastics are used so you may also want to take into consideration the ongoing environmental impact running this vacuum will have versus the bagless competition.

From Samsung, five bags cost £19, which is £3.80 per bag. Four reusable mop pads cost £14, meaning £7 every time you replace a pair. Or you can use disposable wet pads, which cost £9 for a pack of two.

The high cost of this vacuum pits it against premium competition from the likes of the Dyson V15 Detect and the Shark Stratos.

Another model that’s more affordable but also a stick cordless is the Henry Quick (which is red, and there’s Hettie Quick is you’d prefer a pink model), which, unusually for stick models, uses a bag and could be worth considering if you want an allergen-capturing, bag-based vacuum.

The Dyson V15 Detect offers a unique Soft Fluffy attachment that will highlight any dust or dirt on your carpet and then actively measure how it sucks that up, displaying it on a screen for you to see, so you know how well it has cleaned. Plus, of course, it offers some of the most powerful and adaptively dynamic suction you can hope for.

The Shark Stratos features impressive anti-wrap hair-detangling technology, which could mean less ongoing work if you have a pet. It even features anti-odour technology to make your vacuum and your home smell fresher – again, ideal for pet owners.

The Samsung Bespoke Jet Pro Extra is a fully featured vacuum cleaner complete with mop head and a helpful self-emptying docking station charger.

With attachments for all jobs, an adjustable telescopic suction tube, premium build quality, five-year warranty and ease of use, this does a lot to justify that high price.

This is possibly the best cordless vacuum cleaner if you want an all-in-one set-up for vacuuming, emptying and even mopping (up to a point) while still keeping allergens and dust at bay by using disposable bags.

The pet tool does get hair up but a lot sticks, meaning more head cleaning and making this a little less effective than some of the competition when it comes to pets.

If you don’t need the extra head, mop and battery then you could still get this impressive vacuum in a less kitted out version, like the Bespoke Jet standard model.