When you have two cats that seem to shed the fur like it offends them, insist on kicking their cat litter around the house like they are redecorating for you, and a partner who doesn’t understand the point of using plates to catch crumbs when the floor works just as well - you will be reaching the vacuum cleaner more than any other appliance. We have a vacuum that I will refer to as a Harry hoover, which works very well but it is such a lump to get out of the cupboard, bangs off the walls as I drag it around and is such a health and safety nightmare on the stairs it becomes a chore me and my partner both dread. The Vax Blade Cordless 32V has been an absolute game changer, under half the weight of my regular vacuum the Blade weighs 3kg and is completely cordless, the lack of a mains supply doesn’t affect the power of the this vacuum thanks to the Vax DIRECT HELIX TECHNOLOGY and the 32volt rechargeable lithium battery can take on your entire house with a 45minute runtime on normal mode and about 20minutes on the boost setting. This might not sound a long time but on normal it was enough to do my entire house (3bedroom terrace) and on boost it was enough time to do a deep clean of one floor or the interior of my car.

The Blade came with a whole host of attachments, as well as the floor head and pole there is the flexible, extendable Flexi Crevice tool that allowed me to get under my fridge and into tight corners. The Dusting brush is super soft to protect your surfaces and the stretch hose which allows to pop the Vax on the floor and use the hose to getting into awkward spot, especially useful when cleaning the car. The other tools include a stiff Dust brush, wider Crevice tool, Textile Tool, Tough Dirt Tool Attachment, charger and storage bag to keep all your accessories together. There is also a handy wall mount for tidy storage when not in use. All the accessories attach quickly and effortlessly, but the down side was that small attachments spin a little too easily in the attachment unit which is handy for getting in at different angles, but can easily twist out of position if used a bit too vigorously. The main floor head moves smoothly across both hard and soft surfaces without the need of changing a thing, it easily bends left and right letting you get up against walls in narrow hallways, the Vax SMART CONTROL dial lets you select the power and active the brush head with a push of a button. The handle has been designed with two holding positions, vertical or horizontal, however the most ergonomic position would actually be a diagonal angled combination of the two – though it isn’t uncomfortable, just a bit awkward at times.

The Vax Blade 32V comes with a two-year guarantee, one-year battery guarantee, and it takes a long time to charge up which is 4hours but this is no longer than competitors in the same category. When it comes to emptying the Blade it’s bag free design means things can get a bit dirty, especially when cleaning the filters (which are rinseable by the way) and with only a 0.6l capacity you will be emptying it regularly. You can, with a bit of effort get to the brush head to remove hair and other yuk but it involves unscrewing the brush head and I would have much preferred to see a quick release. All in all, I have fallen in love a little with the Blade, it is surprisingly quiet for how powerful it is and for the first time ever my cats remain in the same room even when it is on boost and on the normal mode it is wonderfully discreet. The Vax Blade 32V is not perfect but its pretty damn close, it’s combination of power and versatility means there is no longer a safe place for the dirt to hide. RRP £179.99

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4.8 out of 5

Pros

Powerful

Works well on pet hair, hard and soft floor and upholstery

45/20min run time

Lightweight 3kg

Smart Control Dial

Lots of accessories

Quiet

Motorised floor head

Good manoeuvrability

Handy storage bag

Wall mount

Cons

Handle could me more ergonomic

Small attachments spin around

Difficult to clean brush head

Can get messy when emptying and cleaning filter