I was recently sent the VAX Blade 2 MAX Cordless Cleaner to review. A powerful two in one cordless cleaner that in tests outperforms the UK’s top 20 cordless vacuums (including the new Dyson V10).

I was quite eager to give it a go. To give you an idea of my comparison base my current cleaner is the GTech AirRam MK2, I have been using both the upright and handheld GTech for a couple of years now and have been very happy. If it wasn’t for this review opportunity I wouldn’t have been looking at new cleaners.

When the new VAX Blade 2 MAX arrived I found it easy to unpack and put together, so far so good. It looks nice and comes with one of those little brush attachments and the pointy one for edges and gaps (I’m very technical, as you can tell). You also get the wall mount so you can store it easily.

I love that this is a two in one device, the motor and dustbin are at the top of the cleaner and this section easily detaches for use as a handheld. For me this means less to store and a quicker turnaround of cleaning as I can switch between the two effortlessly as I go round the house. This also means that all the weight is at the top of the device, so it feels heavier than I am used to, it’s not a big issue for me but I could see it being a potential issue if you had arthritis or something similar as you are supporting all the weight in your wrist.

I’m impressed with the battery life and have found it similar to that of the GTech. I can clean the whole house (main floors, edges and dust round the ceilings) with a single charge plus a couple of spot cleans as a handheld. Whilst it may seem that I can do that twice with my current set up, I am using two cleaners and therefore have two batteries, so I think in real life the battery life is incredibly similar.

The VAX Blade 2 MAX has three different power options, which means you aren’t wasting any unnecessary battery on jobs that don’t need it. Stage 1, power on and cleaning without the brush, perfect for hard floors. Stage 2, adds the brush rotation and a handy light, perfect for carpets and rugs. Stage 3, power boost, wow this a powerful setting, it is ideal for the coir matting I have at the front door, heavy soiling and any hard flooring that has large gaps. It is so powerful I cannot use that function in my sons room, he has new, very fluffy carpet and the vacuum is sucking so hard I struggle to move it! These options simply do not exist on my existing cleaner.

Now when it comes to size and build, to keep the weight down I personally feel that the VAX doesn’t feel as solid as I’m used to. The vacuum head is also smaller, a real plus for cleaning under things, I can get under the sofas, draws, beds etc with ease so I feel the house is getting a better clean. But as it has a smaller head, when I’m doing the large areas there’s more back and forth to get it done. Six of one, half a dozen of the other with that. I like the wall mounting option, we happen to have a lovely little corner for it and it sits discreetly in the corner. The dustbin is easy to empty and the filters are easy to clean, so no issues there.

Charging is quick and nice and easy to do as the wall mount has been design to hold the charging cable in the right position so it’s always ready to go. The GTech batteries are removable, so you would have the option of two batteries, one in use and one on charge ready to go, but for a normal sized house you would never need that as an option.

For the VAX Blade 2 MAX has won out, the fact it takes up less space as it is a two in one and has the power boost option. It handles the cat fur easily and my seemingly endless shedding of hair, I may be worse than the cat but I fear that is another story for another day. It handles my crafting mess well, the tiny bits of paper left over from card making, glitter and teeny tiny beads are not an issue. Mainly, it makes cleaning up after the child a breeze as I can switch between the upright and handheld modes with a simple click of a button.

Want more technical information and easy comparison charts? The pop over to the VAX website, I have tried to give you a rounded opinion on what is like to actually use, but I am aware that you will all want some facts and figures before buying and the best people to supply them are VAX.

Where to Buy? Available exclusively from www.vax.co.uk priced £249.00, in September 2018. Available also, in John Lewis, Currys and Argos from October 2018.

Disclosure – I was sent my VAX in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Images are a mix of mine and VAX’s (I’m sure you can tell the difference) I have also added the official VAX Video to give you a good overview of the product.