Is the VAX HomePro Pet-Design Cordless Vacuum worth investing in? I tested it for three weeks to find out

VAX is known for its innovative home cleaning solutions so I was intrigued by the VAX HomePro Series and put the HomePro Pet-Design to the test for three weeks in my home to see if it could stand up to other vacuums I've tested.

I have tested some of the best cordless vacuums on the market, so I know a vacuum has to tick a lot of boxes including power, ease of use, good battery life, and ability to clean all areas of the home to be worth the investment. The HomePro Pet-Design promises similar features, and some, to the brand's popular Blade ONEPWR series. However, at a higher RRP of £319 (though it can often be found for less on sale) is it worth the extra £100 investment?

At a glance

The Vax HomePro Pet-Design cordless vacuum impressed me with it's strong pick up and manoeuvrability in testing. It doesn't have dedicated settings or attachments for hard and carpeted floors, but I found it still worked well on both. However, it did struggle picking up larger debris in our spilt cereal test.

The vacuum is suited to homes with pets, it comes with a number of pet specific tool tools including a pet hair remover and motorised pet tool. It also has impressive hair wrap resist technology that kept the vacuum cleaner head free of build up. It also has an impressive battery time of 45 minutes.

However, two key things let this vacuum cleaner down. The main one is that it is very noisy to use, a flaw noted by other reviewers. I also found the bin tricky to empty, often going everywhere but in the bin, which is not ideal for pet owners or allergy sufferers.

Specifications

• Max. run time: 45 minutes
• Bin volume: 0.7L
• Weight: 3.5kg
• Dimensions: H166 x L25 x W22 cm
• Modes: 2
• In the box: main vacuum unit, vacuum pole, floorhead, battery and charging case, crevice tool, stair tool, pet hair remover, motorised pet tool, wall mount
• RRP: £319.99

Unboxing, assembly, and first impressions

The VAX HomePro Cordless Pet-Design arrives in a slimline box that's really easy to carry around. Unboxing it is also a nice experience; all the components are packed neatly into the box, protected by a layer of cardboard. There's only one small piece of single-use plastic, but the rest of the packaging could go straight in with my household recycling.

My first impression once I've got everything out the box is that there's a lot of different components. I'm a little overwhelmed, but with the help of the instruction booklet, I quickly figure out that most of the parts are additional attachments and accessories. Because I'm testing the Pet-Design model, it comes with all the possible attachments, including the pet hair remover and motorised pet tool. I put all the add-ons to one side while I set up the vacuum itself.

Getting started with the vacuum is really easy. All I needed to do was attach the pole to the main vacuum unit, then connect the bottom of the pole to the floorhead. I popped the battery on charge and waited a few hours for this to show as full. The battery pack is removable, so you don't need to leave the device itself plugged in, which I appreciate as someone who doesn't like a space to feel cluttered. Plus, there's a charging case that the battery slots into, which indicates how much charge there is via a handy LED light display.

Once the vacuum was assembled, I could appreciate the sleek design. I'm a fan of the teal bodywork, and overall the device looks quite modern and futuristic.

What's it like to use?

Once the battery is slotted in to the vacuum (this slides into place with a satisfactory click), all that's left is to click the power button and the VAX HomePro kicks into gear. For context, I live in a flat with my partner, where all the rooms sit on a single floor. Our bedroom, home office, and living area are covered in short-pile carpet, where the bathroom and kitchen have vinyl flooring. So when I test vacuum cleaners, I need them to be able to perform well on both hard and soft flooring.

It has one head for hard and soft flooring (this could be a drawback for some if you want a dedicated clean from different attachments which the Halo Capsule X and the Dyson V12 Slim Detect Absolute offer). I started in the kitchen first, as this is the room that requires vacuuming the most frequently, and I could tell immediately that the VAX HomePro boasts an impressive pick-up. Crumbs and debris vanished within a single stroke, and I also found I could manoeuvre the vacuum easily.

I was intrigued to see how the HomePro would perform on carpet, as the bedroom, living room, and corridors in our flat almost always take longer to vacuum than the hard-floored rooms. At first, I was disappointed to realise that the HomePro doesn't have a separate mode for hard floors and carpets, but there is a turbo mode, which significantly amps up the vacuum's suction power. It's always nice to have the option of a more powerful mode when vacuuming carpets.

Fortunately, I found the vacuum did a fine job of cleaning my carpets in the regular mode. It was able to pick up most, if not all, of any visible debris, and I was left with the satisfying carpet streaks at the end.

As part of how we test vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home, I threw some flour and cereal down on both my carpeted and hard floors, to gain a clear visual of how effectively it can pick debris up. The flour test confirmed what I already thought about the VAX HomePro, which is that it's able to effectively pick up debris within a single stroke. The vacuum wasn't able to pick up larger cereal, like Shreddies, but it did a fine job of picking up oats.

The caveat to the vacuum's impressive pick-up is the noise. It's loud (79.9 db according to the decibel meter app I used to test it), but I also find the sound itself somewhat jarring. It does make me feel assured that the device is working hard, but at the same time, I've tested powerful vacuums that pick up just as well, without the same kind of noise. If you're someone who is sensitive to sound, I'd bear this in mind, as I did find that I didn't want to leave the vacuum running for longer than absolutely necessary.

I did like how easily the vacuum can go under pieces of furniture, thanks to the Flexi-Clean pole. It enabled me to use the vacuum to clean my entire flat without feeling like I'd missed hard-to-reach places. I tested the stair tool on the stairs to get into my flat, which I found to be really effective. It picked up debris well and was nice to manoeuvre. It's quite a small attachment, so it takes some time to vacuum a full set of stairs, but this does mean that it would be suitable for tricky staircases that require a smaller floor head.

I did tested the pet hair remover and motorised pet hair tool on my carpet. Both attachments are really easy to slot into the vacuum, and I was particularly impressed with the smoothness of the motorised pet hair tool. The pet hair remover was more awkward to use, and I couldn't run it over my carpet in the same way. (We are still in the process of testing these features on pet hair).

Finally, while I did find the HomePro easy to manoeuvre, I would say the design feels a little top-heavy. The weight of the main vacuum unit feels heavy in proportion to the slimline stick it sits on, and I quickly learned not to leave the vacuum standing on its own (it came tumbling down with a crash when I did). So, you'll need to either use the wall mount when storing the vacuum cleaner or detach the stick from the main vacuum unit if keeping it on the floor.

Cleaning and maintanence

For me, emptying the VAX Home-Pro wasn't the smoothest experience. By clicking the button just underneath the dirt collector, the lid is supposed to swing open so that the contents can fall into a bin, hands-free. When I first tried this, I had to press the button multiple times to get it to open. Eventually it did, but as I was trying to figure out how to get the emptying function to work, the unit suddenly sprang open and emptied everywhere. Only half of the contents landed in my kitchen bin, which was frustrating.

The next couple of times was a similar story, though I'd learnt to always keep the unit held over my bin, no matter how many times I had to press the button for the lid to open. I headed to the VAX website and found a video guide on how to empty the HomePro, in which the demonstrator held the dirt release button down for a couple of seconds before it activated. If this was specified in the instruction booklet, I could have saved myself a lot of hassle.

Handily, you can remove any leftover debris by sliding the release cuffs back and forth. This usually gets all of the contents out of the dirt collector and into the bin.

It's also recommended to clean the separator regularly, which sits between the dirt collector and filter. To access the separator, you detach the dirt container and twist the separator until it comes off the vacuum unit. Again, detaching the separator was a bit awkward, but once I'd managed it, I wiped the dust off the metal shroud with a cloth.

For best cleaning results, VAX recommend tapping the filter (which sits behind the separator) over a bin to remove excess dust every 4-6 uses. If the filter gets blocked, the power button will start flashing, and you'll need to wash the pre-motor filter in warm water and leave to dry for at least 24 hours before re-inserting into the machine. I haven't had to do this yet because the filter on my vacuum hasn't been blocked, but the instructions do recommend to wash the filter every 3 months anyway, and replace it every 9-12 months.

The only other component that should be cleaned is the brush bar. I was a little disappointed to see that the vacuum didn't come with some sort of cleaning tool for this (which other cordless models, like the Gtech AirRAM 3 and the Hoover HF9 do), but when I came to give the brush bar a clean, there was little to do. It was pretty much free of dust and hair, and that's after using it daily for three weeks. As someone who sheds a lot of hair, I found this impressive, and felt reassured that the HomePro's Hair Wrap Resist technology does what it says on the tin.

In terms of charging, it took 3 hours for the battery to go from flat to full, and as I've already mentioned, I do like the VAX HomePro's charging system. The battery slides into a charging case, and you can monitor the progress via an LED light display. When using the vacuum itself, there's an LED ring light on the main unit which fades in line with how much charge is left, which I thought was a nice touch. I'll also note that 45 minutes is an impressive run time for a cordless vacuum; some of our favourite models, such as the Dyson V8, have a shorter battery life than this.

How does it rate online?

Customers are overall impressed with the performance of the VAX HomePro Pet-Design Vacuum. Being a relatively new product, there are only 54 reviews of the vacuum on Amazon at the time of writing, but it has come out with an average star rating of 4.5 out of 5. Reviewers note being pleased with the HomePro's suction power and manoeuvrability, with one customer writing that it's by far the best cordless vacuum they've tried (out of a total of 4 models).

A lot of the criticisms are centred around the noise the vacuum makes, which as I also found to be a little jarring. Customers have also commented on the uneven weight distribution which makes the vacuum feel top-heavy, and noted that this can make the unit awkward to use in handheld mode. As most of the attachments (including the stair and motorised pet tools) require the vacuum to be used as a handheld, this is worth baring in mind if you think you'll use these add-ons frequently.

But as mentioned, online reviews are mainly positive, especially when it comes to the HomePro's vacuum performance and suction power.

How does it compare to similar models?

VAX's most popular cordless vacuum is the ONEPWR Blade series, renown for its powerful suction capabilities that rival Dyson (in fact, in our VAX vs Dyson review, we found VAX to be a great alternative to the high-tech cleaning brand, if you want a device that will get the job done at a more affordable price).

Side by side, the main difference between the VAX Blade 4 and the vax HomePro is in the bin design (HomePro has a vertical bin, the Blade 4 has a horizontal bin). The bin was redesigned on the HomePro to offer a more even weight distribution, creating a more lightweight design than the Blade 4. The HomePro also boasts the FlexiClean pole, HairWrap Resist brush bar, and hands-free emptying, all of which the Blade 4 lack.

Price wise, the Blade 4 is significantly cheaper than the HomePro (with an RRP of £159.99 compared to £319.99), so you'd be paying a big difference to experience the upgrade in features. As far as the weight distribution and the hands-free emptying go, I don't think the jump in price is justified. But, I was seriously impressed with the FlexiClean Pole and HairWrap Resist brush bar, both of which made using the vacuum easier. For these features alone, I'd be tempted to choose the HomePro over the Blade 4.

Should you buy the VAX HomePro Pet-Design Cordless Vacuum?

After testing the VAX HomePro Pet-Design Cordless Vacuum for over three weeks, I can confidently say that there's a lot to love about this vacuum. If you want to invest in a powerful cordless vacuum that is low-fuss and easy to use, then I doubt you would regret purchasing the HomePro. I have no complaints regarding its performance, and the range of attachments it comes with make it easy to use a handheld vacuum as well.

My main gripe with the device is the noise it makes. For some people, this won't be a dealbreaker (and indeed, you might not find it as unpleasant as I do), but it is something that puts me off using the vacuum for long periods of time. I've also tested models that feel more lightweight, and slightly easier to handle, though again, I'd consider this minor in relation to how the vacuum performs as a whole.

It's a great choice if you're looking for a steadfast cordless vacuum you can rely on.

About this review, and the reviewer

Katie Sims

Katie is a regular freelance contributor for Ideal Home, and has tested a variety of home appliances, including dehumidifiers, air purifiers, coffee machines, and of course, cordless vacuums.

You can find more information on how we review vacuum cleaners at Ideal Home on our testing page. For this review, the VAX HomePro Pet-Design was tested by Katie, a writer and reviewer who lives in a flat in Leeds with her partner.

During her three-week testing period, Katie has been using the VAX HomePro instead of her regular vacuum (Hoover HFX Cordless), to see how the model fares up in everyday life. She's tested all the accompanying attachments, and has been able to give an in-depth review on the vacuum's performance and ease of use.

VAX sent Katie the HomePro Pet-Design Cordless Vacuum for the purpose of this review, but this has not impacted the review's integrity. She has shared her own experience of using the vacuum, and given a verdict based off how the device might work in other homes as well.