Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review

In a world full of robot vacuums and floor washers, Tineco is a key brand under the certified industry leader, the Ecovacs Group. Founded in 1998 in Suzhou, China, the company has established smart home brands, Ecovacs (hence the namesake), a well-known robot vacuum maker and Tineco, a wet-dry vacuum manufacturer.

While Tineco has branched out into cordless vacuums and carpet cleaners, it has made a name for itself with floor washers in particular – and it can feasibly be considered one of the best in its class, as you’ll see from our dozens of Tineco wet dry vacuum reviews. As someone whose home features predominantly hard flooring, which regularly becomes covered in muddy pawprints and kitty litter, I am no stranger to the brand. In fact, in late 2024, I ditched my manual mop and bucket for the Tineco S7 Steam, and I haven’t looked back since.

So when the opportunity came to review the latest in Tineco’s flagship models, the Floor One S9 Artist Pro, I jumped at the chance as it promised a new design and more powerful features not found on my S7 Steam. Could it tackle the tough stains and lasting dirt on my hardwood floors? I tested it for two months to find out.

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A wet and dry vacuum for hard floors.
• Who is it for? People with hard floors that get dirty, such as those who have pets or messy toddlers.
• What does it do well? The auto and max modes work really well in getting rid of stubborn stains
• What are its weaknesses? The app isn’t overtly necessary unless changing the voice assistant settings

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Specs

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Price & availability

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro is available in the U.S. for $849 at Tineco’s website and on Amazon. It is also available in Australia for AU$1,299 at Tineco, as well as other retailers like JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys. It was previously available in the U.K. on Amazon and Tineco; however, at the time of writing this review, the floor washer was unavailable on both websites.

As for pricing, the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro is indeed on the pricier end of the scale, tipping $849 / £699 / AU$1,299 at full RRP. As I write this, the AU version is down to AU$1,099 at the maker, and I’ve often found Tineco products, including the S9 Artist Pro, are discounted during major sales periods such as Black Friday and Boxing Day. If you’re particularly eager, I’d suggest holding off until one of these major sales periods, as you could save some serious change.

Having said that, if you’re not too fussed about having the latest flagship, there are cheaper alternatives you could consider, including older Tineco models, since they primarily perform the same function of floor washing. For example, the Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 retails at a marginally cheaper $599 / AU$899, but doesn’t feature the newer design found on the S9 range (more on which below).

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Design

The most alluring factor that drew me into Tineco’s latest flagship is its new, sleek, glass-like silver and grey design. The floor washer weighs just 12.12 pounds / 5.5 kg, so I found it light enough to move around my home and carry up stairs when needed. That said, when both water tanks are full (the dirty tank holds 25 fl oz / 750ml and the clean tank holds 33 fl oz / 1L), the weight inevitably increases.

Tineco’s new design eliminates the somewhat clunky, dirty water tank at the front of the device that can be found on older models, such as the Tineco Floor One S5 Extreme. Instead, the One S9 Artist Pro’s tanks are streamlined, with the clean tank taking up space atop the brush head and the dirty tank hidden at the back of the handle. The result is a much more premium look compared to Tineco’s previous floor washer models, and goes some way to helping justify its price tag. One difference I noticed between this model and my previous Tineco model is that the clean water tank of the S9 Artist Pro occasionally leaked out of the side opening. It was more noticeable when I needed to refill the tank, as water droplets would spill in transit once it was full, and it was not an issue for models with top-closing tanks.

There’s an LCD screen at the top of the device attached to the handle, which displays the battery life, cleaning modes and Wi-Fi connection status. There are also two accompanying buttons — the power switch and mode button — located above the LCD screen, alongside a self-cleaning button at the very top of the handle. You can cycle through the cleaning modes using the mode button. Combined with a voice assistant that you can turn on or off using the app, I always knew what mode I was using, how much battery was left and when I needed to clean the dirty water tank. The screen has an always-on setting, which displays the charging and battery life when stationed in the dock.

Another key feature of the S9 Artist Pro is the LED lights on the body of the device, which indicate that the machine’s iLoop Sensor technology is working. The iLoop Sensor features on other Tineco models, with its function being to automatically detect how much debris is on the floor and if suction power needs to be adjusted in order to clean it up. When the LED lights are illuminated red, it means the surface needs more thorough cleaning and indeed, when the S9 Artist Pro detected a red-level area of my floor, the suction power increased. When the light is blue, it means the floor should be spotless – I was pleased to see predominantly blue lights for the bulk of my testing.

The S9 can lie totally flat, enabling it to easily fit under furniture such as bathroom vanity units or dining room tables. What I was also pleased with was the fact that it maintains good manoeuvrability, thanks to its durable wheels and range of motion in the connecting joint between the main body and the cleaning head. The Tineco One S9 Artist Pro can also reduce fatigue and assist with pushing it around your home, thanks to built-in self-propulsion technology. It’s similar to what you’ll find on an electric bike — it doesn’t drive itself, but it provides noticeable assistance. And when you add in the 90-degree swivel, the S9 can really get into all the nooks and crannies of the floor.

Inside the box, you’ll also find a spare brush roller that can be interchanged when needed, a cleaning brush, a cleaning solution to add to the water tank and a replacement filter for the dirty water tank. The docking station comes with a power adaptor and needs to be plugged into a power outlet to charge the machine and perform self-cleaning functions. The dock itself takes up a decent amount of floor space, so it’s definitely something to consider if you don’t have an appropriate corner (or cupboard) to store it in.

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Cleaning performance

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro really did exceed my expectations in terms of performance in my predominantly hardwood floors and tiled home. That said, if you’ve got a mostly carpeted space, you’ll need to look for a more traditional stick vacuum cleaner, as the S9 Artist Pro doesn’t work on carpets at all.

For the performance tests, I reviewed all three mode settings on my hardwood floors, the ease of use, battery life and the overall volume of the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro.

Hard floors — Auto Mode

The S9 Artist Pro’s Auto mode was my most effective and frequently used when cleaning my hardwood floors. With the use of the built-in iLoop Sensor technology, the device can adjust the suction and power settings based on the state of your floors, applying the required amount of water solution to help lift dirt and debris.

For the most part, I never needed to adjust the S9’s auto settings to remove tough stains. However, even with the iLoop Sensor causing the machine to turn things up a notch and increase suction power, I found I would have to do a couple of passes to totally eliminate particularly stubborn stains.

Hard floors — Max mode

The only instance where I found I needed to adjust the settings to Max mode was after a particularly rainy trip to the dog park, which left my entryway covered in hundreds of muddy footprints, courtesy of my two pups. Max mode applies maximum suction power and sprays water solution onto the floor to help remove embedded stains.

I found it much easier to scrub the stains and remove the gunk using Max mode, as it got rid of them almost instantly. I found myself only really opting for Max mode in these fleeting moments, though, as Auto was more than enough to sustain my everyday floor cleaning.

Hard floors — Suction mode

When it came to Suction mode, it was definitely my least utilized. Suction mode turbocharges the S9’s suction power to absorb any excess spills and debris on wet surfaces. It was only really required in certain situations — like when my husband dropped a litre of milk on the ground beneath our fridge, and the occasional potty training accident of our foster dog — and I didn’t find my everyday use case to include an excess of liquid that needed sucking up. That said, I’m beyond certain this mode would be regularly used by others — for instance, in homes with kids.

Having said that, Suction mode really came in handy in those moments, as I didn’t need to rummage through the kitchen to find paper towels to collect the excess liquid. Instead, I could vacuum it up and call it a day. And after the vacuuming was complete, there was little to no wet residue left behind, which was a big win in my book.

Ease of use

Using the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro was easy, especially for straightforward, no-frills cleaning or spills. It can be easily maneuvered around corners, can glide under furniture and has some decent self-propulsion, so it doesn’t need too much of a push to get going — and it doesn’t fight you when you pull it back for another pass. Plus, if you need to move something mid-clean, the device will automatically pause when you push and lock the handle into its default position, and resume cleaning once you’ve tilted it back into position.

Once you’ve found a place for it to live, the S9 Artist Pro is easy to store on the included docking station, which is used for charging and self-cleaning the machine. The self-cleaning option can be activated with the press of the button atop the handle.

The self-cleaning mode works a treat when you’ve placed the vacuum back into its dock, making it a totally hands-free experience in the physical cleaning of the machine. The only times you will need to get hands on are when emptying the dirty water tank and filter, and cleaning the pipe if and when required using the included bristle brush. The self-cleaning mode includes a five-minute 85-degree flash drying of the brush roller, cleaning the pipe and cleansing the machine, all of which can be narrated by the voice assistant if you wish. (Personally, I am quite fond of it.) I’ve completed 32 washes of my home over the past two months and the roller still looks like new.

That said, my least favorite thing to do is empty the dirty-water tank. If you’ve ever emptied or cleaned a robot mop or floor washer, you indeed know the alarming rate at which the machine can go from doing a great job to smelling like a dying rat. Akin to emptying dirty mop water, it’s always best to clean and rinse the dirty tank as soon after you use it, as odors will linger and make for a not-so-pleasant post-cleaning experience.

Volume

In terms of volume, the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro was a lot quieter than I had expected, operating at an average of 75-78 decibels when using the DecibelX app when standing close by and with the machine running on the Auto setting. This was spot on to the brand’s specifications, with the machine recording less than 78 decibels as per the product manual.

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: Battery life

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro has a claimed battery life of 75 minutes and a charging time of 3.5 hours, which is pretty standard for most floor washers and cordless vacuums. However, most Tineco models we’ve reviewed, like the Tineco Floor One S6, only last around 35-40 minutes.

I did find that the battery significantly drained after using Max mode for quite some time, only lasting around 52 minutes. Suction mode also drained the battery in my tests, lasting around 42 minutes.

Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro review: App compatibility

As with most Tineco products, you can sync the S9 Artist Pro with the brand’s Tineco Life app. However, I felt the app was somewhat superfluous, as it neither enhanced nor hindered overall performance.

At a high-level view, the app displays battery life, charging rate, sound settings and mode descriptions for the S9. It even records a cleaning log, including dirty/heavy stain ratios over the past 7 days of cleaning, and an indication of when to change your brush roller.

While it was handy to have extra information on the mode settings, you can view the same or similar information on the vacuum’s LCD display, and since I used this more often than not, I didn’t find myself reaching for the app to check the charging time or cleaning modes. I didn’t find the app’s use case necessary, as the device itself can, in theory, function entirely without it. Most notifications will illuminate on the LCD screen, such as a blocked pipe or water tank level, but you might miss them if you’re not looking at the screen while cleaning.

My advice? Download the app to configure the voice assistant settings, so that it’ll alert you out loud of a problem — like an empty water tank or clogged pipe — be it plugged into the dock or freestanding mid-clean.

Should I buy the Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro?

The Tineco Floor One S9 Artist Pro is a sleek, aesthetically pleasing wet-dry vacuum that exceeds all expectations. It’s obviously best suited to hard floors, like hardwood or tiles, as it will eliminate the need for a manual mop and bucket and help suck up any excess spills.

I appreciate the iLoop Sensor technology used to help the device automatically adjust to stains and debris by boosting its suction and power settings in the Auto Mode. I also enjoyed using Max mode for stubborn stains, and while Suction mode didn’t have as many use cases in my home, I am positive that it will be of good use to those who need it.

I only had a few qualms with the accompanying app, as I didn’t find it overly necessary, but it was still easy to use and set up the voice assistant. Complete with the self-cleaning charging dock and interchangeable extras, the Tineco S9 Artist Pro is well priced, but I’m still not sold on the price for its singular cleaning function. If you’re in the market for a wet-dry floor washer for your mostly hardwood or tiled home, the S9 is one to consider, although I’d recommend holding out for major discounts if you can.