We are big fans of a cordless vacuum cleaner, but our trusty 4 year old one has decided to give up the ghost, so we have been on the hunt for a new one.
Back in November we reviewed the Vax Platimum Power Max carpet cleaner and were very impressed with its performance. In fact its been keeping ours and the families carpets looking good ever since.
We were invited to review the Vax Blade 4 Cordless Pet Vacuum Cleaner, the winner of a Which Best Buy in 2020.
It comes boxed, needing some light assembly, but took less than 5 minutes.
In the box:
- 4.0Ah Battery
- Charging Dock
- Tool Caddy
- On board crevice tool
- Powered Floorhead with antimicrobial protection
- Motorised pet tool
Free Additional Tool Kit (when bought directly from Vax):
- Upholstery tool with stiff brush
- Extendible crevice tool
- Flexible extension hose
The battery requires charging from the box and took around 120 minutes to reach a full charge from empty.
The Blade 4 is a cordless, lightweight stick vacuum cleaner and unusually, the the 0.6l bin sits horizontally in the upper unit and is removed completely to empty it.
The bin is really easy to remove to empty. Simply push the blue button with the arrow on it and lift off.
Hold over the unit over the bin and release the bottom latch to empty.
The top of the bin also opens up, so you can remove and wash the filter.
On the handheld unit itself are three buttons; the main on/off power button, the circle button turns the motorised brush head on and off and the + button turns the power boost on/off. Below these controls there are three LED lights that display the current charge status of the vacuum cleaner.
I have a mix of hard floors and carpets in my house. I have found that there is no need to switch the brush on for the hard floors, but the vacuum works better with it switched on for the carpets. When the brush head is on, an LED light turns on to show you what you’re cleaning.
We were surprised by how powerful the vacuum is and the amount of dust that came out of our carpet was scary, despite being vacuumed the day before. The brush bar has been treated with an antimicrobial treatment which helps protect the bristles from bacteria and fungi by preventing their growth, for added peace of mind.
The vacuum performed well with a glitter spillage, both on the floor with the brush bar and on the table with the crevice tool.
For storage, Vax provides a wall mount into which the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 clips. Unlike our old vacuum cleaner, this does not need to be installed near a power unit, as the battery is removable and charges in a dock.
The dock has a small clip on the side, so you can attach the accessory bag which comes with the additional tool kit.
I would definitely recommend buying the unit from Vax to get the free accessory set, which makes vacuuming curtains and the stairs easier. I used the pet tool for the stairs as I found it easier to manoeuvre and it agitates and lifts stubborn dirt and pet hair with ease – great for a high traffic area.
The unit itself weighs just 3.1kg, making it lightweight enough to vacuum the stairs, for holding it high for getting rid of cobwebs or for the kids to vacuum their own bedrooms.
I was really impressed with the battery life. It lasts for approximately 45 minutes on normal use, plenty of time to vacuum our entire 3 bedroom house. If you have a larger house, you are able to purchase an additional battery for £79.99, meaning you can always be ready to clean or extend your run time for those tougher jobs, by using one battery and having another on charge.
The only downside to the vacuum is that it is not freestanding, so you have to prop it up securely, or lay it down when not attaching it to the wall clip.
All in all, it is a brilliant and versatile vacuum cleaner for the home and very reasonably priced.
The Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Vacuum Cleaner costs £259.99, plus you get the additional tool set worth £49.99 when bought directly from Vax.
Disclaimer: We were sent the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Vacuum Cleaner for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
I will have to look into this a bit further, I have used a cordless before and it was ok for general cleaning but I needed something a little more powerful and with a larger collecting compartment (having two dogs). I also hate having to stop and unplug and replug the cord.
Is it really bad that this blog post has genuinely got me excited?? I’d love a fancy hoover but my fiance is almost too attached to Henry!
I might have to put this on our wedding gift list!!
My Dyson stopped recharging and I find the normal vacuum cleaner we have (a Miele) a bit cumbersome now we live in a house and not a flat! Definitely going to look at bit more into this product after such a glowing review!
My other half keeps saying we need to get a new vaccume and he wants to go cordless so I will have to show him this and see if it sounds like what he is after.
This sounds like a great vacuum cleaner – we always tend to buy Vax as they are always such good quality and durable too.
We have a Shark hoover but lazily I’d love to have one upstairs too to save all the carrying. I’ll be looking into this as it looks so practical.
This sounds like a great vaccum cleaner. I love that the bin comes off easily. I do like cordless cleaners.
This sounds like a great vacuum! I have been looking for a cordless vacuum as we currently have a Hetty which is fab but I hate having to keep plugging it in, unplugging and winding up the cable every time I want to do stairs etc! Will definitely check this out.
I truly love the functionality of this hoover, its similar to my g-tech.
I love a good cordless and lightweight vacuum as I tend to use it almost a few times a day with kids in the house. I also like that the Vax vacuum packs away nicely as well
I don’t think we have ever tried a cordless cleaner but this looks like it would be ideal for our home. We have a mixture of floor surfaces too.
Sounds really useful. Love that is doesn’t take up much room to store it. Looking for a new hoover, so will have to look into this one
Really useful real world review and much appreciated and helpful
Bought less than 6 months ago but over the last few weeks had started to notice that the battery life was less than it should be
I have a one bedroom flat and the Vax was capable of doing the whole flat including stairwell before needing a recharge, but now the battery needs to be recharged after only doing the front room.
A full charge shows 4 bars but when going to use it it is only showing 3 bars or less,
Vax insist it is not a problem with the battery and are saying the whole machine needs to be returned for repair
God this is less than 6 months old snd already it has a fault.
I and my wife are both shielding due to our health and the governments lockdown and we do not have the original packaging to return the machine and cannot go out and get any packaging
As this is a battery problem why can they not send a replacement battery and collect the faulty one at the same time
I am sorry you are having issues, have you asked if they can send you an empty box to be able to arrange a repair. I have always found their customer service very helpful
These are some great tips! And you’ve got it right; it makes a massive difference. Choosing the right Vacuum For Stairs can be pretty tricky, but this guide made it a lot simpler! Thank you so much for writing; this was helpful!
Hi, thanks for sharing this wonderful information. I think having an air purifier at home is one of the easiest and the best solution for dealing with bad smells, smoke, and allergies in the air around us at home. I use H13 Medical-grade HEPA filter and activated carbon filter for killing germs, bacteria, and smoke. I felt a significant difference in air quality after I install the air purifier.
I purchased my vax blade4 over six months ago but got rid of packaging I have recently noticed suction is really bad the lights on front dont come on and the brush motor not turning very disappointed hoover is useless unfortunately cant locate receipt for this machine or would send it back thank you k wills
If you registered it when you purchased it, they will have a record of your purchase and should be able to help