Jumat, 27 April 2012

Vacuum cleaners test-driven by mother-of-three. Is this the best vacuum ever? It's cordless, bagless, light as a feather and recharges like your mobile phone.

Vacuum cleaners test-driven by mother-of-three. Is this the best vacuum ever? It's cordless, bagless, light as a feather and recharges like your mobile phone.

By Amanda Cable

PUBLISHED: 18:20 EST, 27 April 2012 | UPDATED: 20:09 EST, 27 April 2012

A new cordless vacuum cleaner was launched this week with the promise that it would revolutionise housework. But how does the Gtech AirRam compare to the other cleaners on the market? We asked mother-of-three (and owner of two long-haired dogs) AMANDA CABLE to put ten of the biggest sellers to the test...

Amanda Cable (pictured), mother of three, test drives the market's latest vacuum cleaners

Amanda Cable (pictured), mother of three, test drives the market's latest vacuum cleaners

Gtech AirRam Cordless Vacuum Cleaner

Price: £229.95 exclusive to  John Lewis

The sell: Slimline, lightweight (just 3.5kg) and cordless with no big dust-collection bag, it charges like a mobile phone and then lasts for four hours of vacuuming (heaven forbid!).

It claims to save up to £252 in electricity bills over five years, and even plugs into your computer to tell you how many calories you’ve burnt using it.

The verdict: The futuristic AirRam turns up looking like a prop from Doctor Who.

It’s small and weighs practically nothing so it’s easy to run up and down the stairs â€" particularly as you don’t have to worry about the power lead or plugging it in.

It has huge suction power, and compacts the dust into a solid brick, so you don’t get a face full of ash when you empty the cylinder in the bin.

It’s louder th an other vacuums but the best feature is a pack at the back that detaches and plugs into my computer.

I type in my age, weight and height and a dedicated online service tells me cheerfully that I’ve burned 95 calories over the past 20 minutes.

It adds â€" helpfully â€" that I’ll burn a total of 192 calories if I carry on vacuuming for 40 minutes, but I choose to ignore this.

Better still, I work out this Gtech will save me £19.45 in electricity compared to my current vacuum over the next year, if I clean for two hours a week. This really is the future of vacuums â€" Doctor Who would love it!

Score: 10/10

The iRobot Roomba looks like something from Tomorrow's World

The iRobot Roomba looks like something from Tomorrow's World although it quickly becomes apparent that I need a degree in advanced physics to decipher the instructions

iRobot Roomba 555 Vacuum Cleaner

Price: £299.99 from  John Lewis

The sell: As the name suggests, this robotic vacuum does the work for you so you don’t even have to push it around.

The verdict: The iRobot Roomba looks like something from Tomorrow’s World although it quickly becomes apparent that I need a degree in advanced physics to decipher the instructions.

Eventually I work out that you place a tennis ball sized infra-red marker in your room which beams a message to your robot, telling him not to stray out of the door.

Then you set the timer on your iRobot, say to ten minutes. It then switches on and busily powers itself around the room, scurrying under furniture to clean.

If the battery runs out, or when it has finished, it scuttles back to its holder â€" although it cleans four rooms on a single charge.
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The suction power is good and I’m impressed that its little robot eye senses objects and therefore stops it bumping into my furniture.

But when it disappears under my teenager’s bed and has to be rescued, I decide to stick to more conventional models.

Score: 7/10


This one might look like a trendy hedge trimmer but claims to be able to save my electricity bill

Energy saver: This one might look like a trendy hedge trimmer but claims to be able to save my electricity bill

Dyson DC35 Cordless

Price: £219 from Dyson.co.uk

The sell: A lightweight handheld vacuum cleaner which runs on batteries and can be recharged at the mains.

It also has an attachment that clicks off and turns into a small vacuum for your car.

The verdict: This one might look like a trendy hedge trimmer but claims to be able to save my electricity bill.

No wonder â€" on economy mode, it goes for just 15 minutes before needing a recharge.

Even worse, on full power â€" for ‘tough’ spots â€" it lasts just six minutes. Which means I would have to complete my vacuuming with the speed of Linford Christie and the dexterity of Wonder Woman.

Similar to the new GTech, but the lack of battery power really lets it down.

Score: 7/10



If I stretch the hose even a little, extending under a chair for example, my little Dyson trots patiently behind my heels

If I stretch the hose even a little, extending under a chair for example, my little Dyson trots patiently behind my heels

Dyson DC39 Animal Cylinder

Price: £339 from Dyson.co.uk

The sell: Rather than the usual castors, this runs on a ‘swivel ball’ system, inspired by Formula One racing cars, which means one tug of the hose and the entire cleaner follows you around effortlessly. It’s also good for animal hair and allergies.

The verdict: According to the blurb, this will follow me more obediently than my own dogs and to my surprise, it does.

If I stretch the hose even a little, extending under a chair for example, my little Dyson trots patiently behind my heels.

As well as effortlessly picking up fur from my dogs Dylan and Delilah, if this machine is as good at targeting bacteria and mould as it claims it is (it’s impossible to tell without scientific tests), then it will be great for my daughter Ruby’s asthma.

It’s also tough enough to take a lot of punishment: it’s made from the same kind of plastic the police use for riot shields.

Inventor James Dyson, I’m told, attacks his devices with hammers. After paying this much, I doubt I’ll be doing the same, especially as it made my cream carpet so clean, I wanted to weep with gratitude.

Score: 9/10

Bissell: It's not quite as good as the others - you do get what you pay for

Bissell: It's not quite as good as the others - you do get what you pay for



Bissell Powerforce

Price: £59.96  Asda stores and  asda.com

The sell: Dyson-style ideas on a much tighter budget.

The verdict: This budget vacuum has attracted rave reviews. Customers claim it does the job of vacuums more than four times the price. So is the Bissell the poor man’s Dyson?

Well, if you want a cheap option, this does a fair job and didn’t pull up my wool carpet.

But it’s not quite as good as the others â€" you do get what you pay for. This earns extra points for being height adjustable.

Score: 6/10

 









Patriotic: I'm tempted to empty crumbs onto the carpet just so I can bring it out to show it off

Patriotic: I'm tempted to empty crumbs onto the carpet just so I can bring it out to show it off


Sebo Felix Royale

Price: £249.95 from Sebo.co.uk

The sell: A retro design to celebrate the Jubilee and the Olympics. A filtration system makes it suitable for allergy sufferers.

The verdict: This boasts a Union Flag design that wouldn’t look out of place at Buckingham Palace.

In fact it’s so good looking, when guests come over for a cup of tea, I’m tempted to empty crumbs onto the carpet just so I can bring it out to show it off.

What’s more, it folds flat so I can easily clean under beds with it, while the middle clicks off with the flick of a button to turn it from an upright to a cylinder, making it easy to carry upstairs.

Score: 9/10

 







I resist the overwhelming temptation to throw myself down beside this decadent vacuum and stroke it

I resist the overwhelming temptation to throw myself down beside this decadent vacuum and stroke it


Miele Premium Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, Red Velvet Finish

Price: £399.99 from  miele.co.uk

The sell: The ultimate style statement â€" a red velvet vacuum cleaner.

The review: I resist the overwhelming temptation to throw myself down beside this decadent vacuum and stroke it.

Dylan the dog shows no such reservations â€" and attempts to mount it. I don’t blame him but I don’t think that’s what the team at Miele had in mind when they said it was suitable for cats and dogs.

This was lighter than other Miele models, but the suction was not quite as powerful as I’d like.

Score: 8/10




This is the perfect answer for the housewife who can't decide what she needs

This is the perfect answer for the housewife who can't decide what she needs


Morphy Richards Lift Away Bagless Upright

Price: £199.99 from Morphyrichards.co.uk

The sell: An upright vacuum with a removable barrel to turn it into a cylinder machine.

The verdict: If this was a car, it would be a convertible.

This is the perfect answer for the housewife who can’t decide what she needs.

Just click the barrel off the upright device and you have a cylinder vacuum to carry up the stairs.

Final proof that women really can have it all! Powerful and makes vacuuming almost enjoyable.

Score: 9/10






Nostalgic: I'm glad its more powerful rivals have been invented

While there's something wonderfully nostalgic about this blast from the past, I'm glad its more powerful rivals have been invented


Supra Sweeper

Price: £23 from John Lewis

The sell: None really â€" just a good, old-fashioned sweeper.

The verdict: My nan seemed to be using her beloved sweeper all the time back in the Seventies. At the time, I thought it was her hobby.

Now, trying one for myself some 40 years later, I realise it was probably because the sweeper didn’t actually pick up that much fluff and dirt, so you have to keep going over the same spots.

While there’s something wonderfully nostalgic about this blast from the past, and it’s great to be able to quickly pull out for small spills, I’m glad its more powerful rivals have been invented.

Score: 4/10

 






An eco-friendly revamp of the faithful Henry which is 20 per cent quieter with 30 per cent better air flow

An eco-friendly revamp of the faithful Henry which is 20 per cent quieter with 30 per cent better air flow

Numatic Henry HVR200A AutoSave Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner

Price: £95.99 from John Lewis and electrical retailers

The sell: An eco-friendly revamp of the faithful Henry which is 20 per cent quieter with 30 per cent better air flow.

The verdict: I’ve used my beloved Henry for five years. But now, he’s back with a wider smile than ever before.

He automatically starts on an economy mode, but it’s easy to flick onto Hi mode for tougher patches.

This new version is quieter â€"although he feels dated compared to some of the hi-tech vacuums.

Henry is made in Somerset â€" making him one of the UK’s few home-grown machines.

Score: 7/10.


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I've yet to used a battery that lasts 5 years. So what do replacement batteries cost? I'd guess - a small fortune.

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Just another advert.

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IT SOUNDS A BRILLIANT CLEANER,I AM A PENSIONER,AND I AM FOREVER TRIPPING OVER THE CABLE, AND IT IS HEAVY.CLEANERS SHOULD HAVE A THING WHERE YOU CAN JUST PULL THE CABLE YOU NEED.

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"This is the perfect answer for the housewife" "Final proof that women really can have it all!" Do men not vacuum?

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