Vax onepwr blade 4 cordless vacuum cleaner
Buy now £219.99, Vax.co.uk
- Run time (on full charge): Up to 45 minutes
- Charge time: 3 hours
- Bin volume: 600ml
- Dimensions: H114, W24, D18.5cm
- Suction power: 17 volts
- Cordless? Yes
The Vax isn’t the prettiest of cordless models on the market, but it has a sleek design that doesn’t take up too much space and a simple wall mount to keep it secure and upright. The black vacuum with blue trimmings is top heavy, and although the whole vacuum only weighs in at 3.1kg, a lot of it is in the handle, so be prepared to give your arm a workout.
The handle, dirt container and detachable battery combined are a third of the vacuum’s weight altogether and take some heavy lifting when moving around, compared to other brands. The flexible floorhead, complete with a motorised brush bar, is much lighter, making it a little hard to control as you vacuum – but as soon as you get used to the weight dynamics it’s a nifty model.
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The charging setup is a bit different for this model – the detachable battery has a separate dock that isn’t part of the wall bracket, so you simply charge it and click it into place when it’s time to clean. A full charge of the battery takes just under three hours. If you have a bigger house, or are worried about how long it’ll keep your vacuum going, there is an option to invest in a second battery – so you can switch one out and keep cleaning. That said, one charge lasts up to 45 minutes, though don’t expect it to last as long if you’re using the higher suction and motorised brush-head.
Like most cordless vacuums it also has a wall bracket, meaning you can store it out of the way. Once finished, it’s easy to empty – all it takes is a pinch to remove the container, which you can then release and empty over a bin – though if it’s quite full you may need to scoop some out manually as it often sticks to the sides. Some of the filters can also be washed out and air dried.
PerformanceThe Vax’s brushless motor, controlled by its innovative VAX core™ technology, works very efficiently, and means it’s not too noisy as you attack your floors. Most importantly, the Vax has powerful suction – it may not feel it as it glides easily along the floor in standard mode, but it won’t leave anything behind. For particularly dirty areas or carpets, the boosted suction and powered brush bar (activated with the tap of a button for each) picks up everything you need it to.
It worked at its best on hard floors and tiles, but with the brush bar turned on it was effective on rugs with a deeper pile, while smoother carpets and sofas were easy to clean without the need for the boost button. We also found the model’s LED headlights handy when hoovering in low light, and they allowed us to spot dust on surfaces we may not have seen otherwise.
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The model’s 2-in-1 design means you can click off the top section and it turns into a handheld, which is great for cleaning sofas, floor spills and getting into hard-to-reach corners. We found its attachments a little clunky, but attaching its sturdy crevice meant we could get underneath cushions on the sofa and was handy for those pesky cobwebs.
Like the attachments, it can be awkward to click back into place; there’s no satisfying sound with any of the connections, and some require a bit more muscle than other models might. The main motorised brush bar has a quick release function and we found it easy to remove and clean. However, it does collect hair and fluff around its brush bar, but we quickly got rid of it by running scissors along the cutting groove to release it.