[Review] Dibea D18 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner

I've been gushing over Dyson stick vacuums for so long but I don't think I'll ever be in a state where I could indulge myself with a ₱40k vacuum cleaner. So I took it to the internet to look for good alternatives and chanced upon the brand Dibea. They offer a couple of stick vacuum models that looks almost the same with Dyson, but for a much lower price point.

I got myself a Dibea D18 Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner from Lazada for roughly ₱7,000. The basic kit retails for around ₱6,000 only but this particular package included a Dust Mites Suction Head attachment which is used for cleaning mattresses and sofas. Apart from its price point, it's also fueled with good reviews both on Lazada and Amazon. And for those reasons I went ahead with the purchase!

I'm not sure what the best format would be for this kind of review so I'll just try to explain things FAQ style.

How much does it cost and where did you buy it?

Again, Lazada Philippines for ₱7,000. The item came from China and it arrived in 7 days. Here's a link to the Lazada listing: https://www.lazada.com.ph/products/dibea-d18-lightweight-cordless-handheld-stick-vacuum-cleaner-with-motorized-brush-intl-i234515741-s316948496.html

Specs and important features?

Specs:
✦ Machine wattage: 120W
✦ Battery: 2200mAH built-in Li-ion battery
✦ Charging time: 4-5hours
✦ Dust tank capacity: 550ml
✦ Suction: 4000 Pa (low mode), 9000 Pa (high mode)
✦ Run time: 45 mins (low mode), 25 mins (high mode)
✦ Noise: 75dB

Features:
✔ Cordless
✔ Rechargeable
✔ Two-speed control (low mode and high mode)
✔ Motorized floor brush with LED lights
✔ Can be used on hard flooring and short hair carpet
✔ Washable filters
✔ Hanging rack included
✔ One-push dust disposal

So what's in the box?

The basic set consists of those in yellow labels. I just bought a dust mites suction brush head and an additional round mesh cotton filter (in pink). 

All the items were wrapped in plastic and are enclosed in protective styrofoam. None of the parts arrived damaged. Yehey! It's my first time ordering a household appliance online and from China pa so I was afraid I'd have to ship it back for broken parts or complain about missing components. Thank God the package arrived safe and sound! 

What I love so far

Fast delivery
I placed an order on August 6, 2019 and it arrived exactly seven days after, August 13. I thought I'd give it a few weeks before writing a review but I guess I'm close to forgetting about it so three months later is just about the right time to properly review it, right?

Hassle free cleaning

The first few weeks with the vacuum have been a delight. I was using it almost daily, amazed at how easy it made cleaning the floor for me. I just have to grab it from the wall and and start vacuuming!

The switch allows you to alternate between two suction speeds, low and high. Another press turns off the vacuum.

No need to set up the power cord and assemble everything, like I used to with my old vacuum. My Dibea sits idly when not in use, and I didn't need to dismantle it when I'm done. I just prop it against the wall. Love it!

One push dust disposal

Well, yeah. With one push the bottom of the dust bin opens up, allowing all the dust to fall off. But it doesn't empty completely. I find that there's still some dust left sticking on the side of the filter. But no worries because it can be easily removed by tapping the filter or reaching into it with something like a brush.

Washable filter components

The dust cup can be completely disassembled and you can wash the filter, filter case, and the round cotton mesh (encircled in red) with soap and water. 

Don't wash the electric machinery, of course, for obvious reasons hehe. 

And for the dust bin? I just wipe it with a wet cloth and let it dry. I'm careful to not soak it because the nose that attaches to the metal tube has some wiring in it.

Easy charging

Once connected to the charging port, it will blink to indicate that it's charging. 3 bars and it's fully charged, and it takes about 4-4.5 hours to complete charging. 

The attachments lock in place

No need to worry about the accessories becoming loose over time because Dibea employs joint locks (the red buttons on each joint) that uhm, locks the parts together with a click haha yeyy.

The electric dust mites suction brush head

Or the fine dust brush head... that's the shortest it can get haha. This was the first attachment I tried after unboxing because I wanted to see how much dust it can get while the dust bin is still empty.

And my, was I impressed! This is how the attachment looks.

It's meant to be used on sofa or bed cushions and it's supposed to lift off fine dust and even mites from the surface. I tried it on a sofa cushion and here's what I got.

Fine dust indeed!

What I don't like...

The LED lights on the motorized floor brush isn't that bright

But it's fine, considering it's just a bonus and it's not like I vacuum in complete darkness lol. And if I do get under the bed or the couch, I make sure to cover everything anyway.

Navigating it around takes some getting used to

Oh yes it does. With the motorized brush head, it's difficult to lift the vacuum and place it elsewhere, like I usually do with my corded vacuum. I had to learn to really push it to places and avoid lifting it haha. But at this point I can say it's not an issue anymore. It's just a phase maybe when you're transitioning from corded to cordless vacuum hahaha (may transition phase?!). Most cordless vacuums have motorized brush heads to compensate for the low suction power, and it does help get more dirt without relying on suction alone.

No local supplier

Which means you have to purchase spare parts from China through Lazada or Shopee. The good thing is, for this particular model (the Dibea D18), spare parts abound online.

Non-removable battery

So in case you've used up the entire charging cycle of this thing, you'd have to purchase the whole hand grip attachment because the battery is inside.

Lower suction power

Which is totally expected. I still keep my old corded vacuum because it's way stronger and I might need it someday, but I haven't used it since I bought this soooo.

Anyway.

Not for big spaces

Obviously 'cos you can only clean so much in the ~20 minutes it's up (low mode). Luckily, we live in a small one bedroom unit and it doesn't even take me 5 minutes to sweep the floor with this one! :)


That's it! Overall I'm very happy with my purchase! 9/10 would recommend! What do you think of this vacuum?

Airbnb stay: Our Forbeswood Parklane BGC staycation

Before this gets buried too deep in my drafts, here's an account of our latest AirBnb stay! We spent 2 nights at this cozy one-bedroom unit in BGC Forbeswood Parklane in celebration of our second wedding anniversary, and I'm here about to spam ya'll with pictures. But first, here's the link to the property: CozyPad in ❤️ of BGC near St.Luke High Speed WiFi

Looking for a well-decorated BGC unit is easy, but when you factor in parking provision, you're not left with much. Luckily we spotted this unit that ticked off all our Airbnb checklist: Nice interiors, free parking, self check-in, and Superhost!

It's newly renovated, which probably explains the smell. It can be a bit stuffy, but nothing opening the windows can fix. My favorite space would be the living room because it's so spacious and I just love how natural light pours into the wide windows. I liked the open living and dining layout, and also the semi-enclosed kitchen.

The bedroom is just right, there's not much space to walk around but since there's a king sized bed in it, can't complain! Bathroom is small though!

I really admire how the place was decorated. The colors are warm and earthy, there's a lot of light, the decor is lovely, and they didn't scrimp on storage space.

So love the palette in this unit!

Thoughtful touches that we appreciated: Big bottles of water, umbrellas we can borrow if it's raining, and slippers!

The unit is centrally located and is walking distance to High Street, Mind Museum, and Forbes Town. There's also a 7-Eleven at the ground floor of the building. Not much in terms of view, unless you enjoy being surrounded by tall buildings, but it's definitely not gloomy, you still get a lot of sunshine coming in, and you can even watch the sunset being reflected by the tall glass building in front haha.

That's it! We definitely enjoyed our stay!

That's my husband looking dapper in the living ❤️

Today

I'm so freaking tired I would've loved to call in sick today but I can't afford to lose anymore sick leaves and I have something important to do at work that I really want to get over with as soon as possible.

Today I attended Activity Builder 1, a three-hour morning session I'm required to fulfill in order to complete my training requirements for Philam Life. Bit of a background, if you may. My parents are both financial advisers, with my dad holding a Unit Manager position. And right now they badly need additional recruits or else they'd be demoted, or something to that effect. Anyway, it's bad. So they convinced me to reinstate my underwriting license so that I could become part of their headcount. The only catch is that I have to attend two full days of training. So okay, two full days alright. They told me I could take the weekend sessions, so fine. I agreed. As a favor.

But now, as it turns, I'm not only required to fulfill two days of mandatory training, but frkn four!!!! PLUS, three more halfday trainings. And the worst part?! There are no weekend sessions (I was only lucky to score one Saturday session). The fck right?!

I wouldn't have cared so much if all I had to do was sit during classes and pretend to listen. But this frkn Activity Builder thingy forced us to really engage, and even make actual calls to prospective clients. Wth. Of course, while my classmates were busy scrolling through their contacts, I was calling all the people I know who are still asleep. So I'd get the excuse that they didn't pick up. Heh.

But you know, the trainings are actually good. They're valuable, and they make it a point to really equip you into making that sale. But it's me eh, my heart's not in it. I'm only in for the attendance. I just want to get over it. I'm not interested in making a sale at all. I'm just doing all this as a favor to my parents.

And earlier this morning I felt really ashamed of myself. Here I am surrounded with people who are passionate about turning underwriting into a sustainable source of income for their families, and I'm taking it all for granted.

But well, I may be half-assed about this whole thing but heck I did pick up some bits of wisdom and rhetoric, in random:

• I learned the importance of goal setting: If you don't know what you want, does it matter what you get?
• It often takes something painful to awaken us
• If you don't have to work for money, what would you really like to do?
• A person without a goal is like a bulb, its light scattered. On the other hand, a person with a goal is like a laser beam, its light focused.

Rrright.