I tried a VAX cordless pet vacuum to clean my sandy car & it's better than Shark

28 September 2023 , 16:00

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I tried a VAX cordless pet vacuum to clean my sandy car & it's better than Shark

The post-holiday car clean is always the most dreaded. Between two cars, we take six adults and four dogs, so you can imagine how quickly the boot and backseats become laden with hair, fur, sand and general dirt.

I don’t blame my brother one bit for hiring a mobile valet to clean his car for him - but we decided it was the perfect opportunity to put one of the UK’s leading vacuum brands through its paces instead.

I tested out the to see if it’s really as good as its 4.2 star rating suggests, and having tried out brands like Tower and I have to admit it’s the best I’ve used so far.

The VAX cleaner is usually £299.99, but it’s currently down to £199.99 on the and , making it cheaper than the £379.99 Shark Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner with single battery and the comparable Dyson V8 at £329.99.

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First and foremost, the cordless design of this is a game-changer as there’s no more fumbling with cords or running extension cables the length of the garden. The design of the device itself is sleek, modern and not at all clunky, but one downfall is that it doesn’t stand up on its own - it either needs to be placed in the wall mount or lay down. On this feature, the Shark is better because it folds into a neat compact shape that can be placed anywhere for storage, though this still won’t stand upright unaided.

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With the itself, you also get the aforementioned wall mount as well as a host of attachments including a flexible powered hose, soft bristle dusting brush, powered floorhead, charger and battery, crevice tool and caddy that attaches to the stick of the vacuum, as well as a mini motorised pet tool. The caddy is actually something I mentioned was missing from so it’s great to see it on the .

The VAX Blade 4 set up as a cordless stick vacuum

We gave the carpets a once over as a stick vacuum and the power of this tool was immediately evident. We’d vacuumed them only hours before and the amount of dirt it picked up was frankly disturbing, all things considered. In terms of suction, the couldn’t hold a candle to the VAX - as impressed as we had been with the device, I simply hadn’t expected the VAX to outshine it, but it did. Its strength did mean it was sometimes difficult to push and pull along the carpet, and it’s got a bit of weight to it too, so it may not be suitable for older users. By comparison, the and the Shark is 2.2kg, so there’s nearly a 1kg difference, which is quite a lot when you’re carrying it around the whole house.

Having converted the vacuum for the car, we added the bendy hose and pet floorhead and headed outside to see if it could take on the sand and embedded pet fur from our boot. For reference, I have two Staffy crosses - Phoebe and Frank - who travel in the boot, and as much as we try to protect the interior with blankets and the like, it still gets covered in fur, somehow.

Before and after using the VAX to clean sand out of our car

Together, the mini make light work of cleaning the car. The flexible hose means that you don’t have to manoeuvre the entire device around the car to clean it, as is the case with the Shark, but instead can leave it in one spot and reach high up onto the headrests and low down into the footwells or under seats.

The specialised motorised pet tool lifted pet hair from the upholstery with apparent ease, leaving the car seats looking spotless and dare I say, as though it had been for a valet. The crevice tool also came in handy for those tighter spaces and corners, sucking up sand and fur to leave the space sparkling.

While the Shark had a boost button for suction, the as standard, and the LED headlights were a nice touch, helping to spot missed areas in darker corners of the car.

I found the VAX to be simple and easy to empty as the removable bin pops off meaning you don't have to take the whole device to the bin. However, I did have some issues with the battery life.

The VAX Blade 4 pet and car device effortlessly transforms from stick to handheld

The is said to be ready to use in just three hours, but we found it actually took a little longer to charge to its full capacity. A full charge should get you ‘continuous cleaning performance for up to 45 minutes’, but we found it to be more like 35-40 minutes rather than the full three quarters of an hour. Because it only comes with one battery, this would mean you can’t finish a job you’ve started until you leave it to charge for another three hours - luckily, we still have our Shark so could complete the car with this.

That said, you can buy additional batteries from VAX at a cost of £79.99, and it’s definitely worth doing to save the frustration of it cutting out halfway through a cleaning session. But one positive thing about it was that even when the battery was low, the performance remained the same, with no lagging or loss of suction, which was great.

Pros of the

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• The suction power is unmatched compared to the Shark or Tower, making light work of cleaning even stubborn areas.

• The flexible hose means you can clean conveniently without the need to hold or push the main device as is the case with Shark.

• The motorised mini pet tool is great for picking up hair, while the main floorhead works well on both carpets and hard floors.

• The built-in LED headlights help identify hidden dirt in dark corners, ensuring a thorough clean.

• The on-sale price makes it an appealing option, coming in cheaper than shark and Dyson at £199 on Amazon.

• Really like the transparent container so you can see how much dirt it picks up.

• Cordless means you don’t have to worry about cables trailing along the garden and it can be transported anywhere for easy cleaning without being tethered to the wall.

• Converts to handheld so it can also be used for the car as well as the home.

Cons of the

• The battery life is limited to 45 minutes and the additional batteries are quite expensive to buy on their own, while the charging time is comparatively long and will need considerable foresight to charge.

• Weighing at 3.1kg, it’s slightly heavier than some of its competitors which may make it less suitable for users who require a lighter device.

• The device doesn’t stand on its own, it either needs a wall mount or to be laid down as leaning it against something runs the risk of it falling, which makes it difficult to pause tasks momentarily or move furniture to get under it.

Other shoppers have been as thrilled as me with the device, too, with one customer commenting: “So impressed & extremely happy! Tried them all! Dysons, Sharks, Hoover & G-Tecs! None compare to this model. Suction is the best and picks up everything including along the edges. One of the lightest cordless I've used, it's super versatile and the accessory tools are great for the car - gets in all the nooks.

“I find the battery life is no less than any other, it depends on how much you use the booster - I don't need to use it because it picks up fine without it. We have two dogs who cast hairs like there's no tomorrow but that's no problem for this hoover. Great value for the quality of the item and would gladly recommend to anyone. If I HAD to find a little niggle it would be to suggest a double battery charger instead of the single one provided.”

Another added: “This is the best hoover I have ever purchased. Our carpets, furnishings and floors have never been so clean . Light and easy to manoeuvre and yet incredibly powerful and efficient. Sucks up all the dog hair brilliantly, highly recommended.”

The impressed me more than I could have imagined. While both the VAX and the Shark have their strengths, I’d be inclined to say that the suction power, performance and lower price point

Bethan Shufflebotham