TechRadar Verdict
An upgrade on the Blade 4, the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car is a comprehensive cordless vacuum cleaner that does a good job of picking up dirt and dust from hard floors and carpet. With its three-stage infiltration, it claims to remove up to 99.8% of particles such as fine dust and pet dander down to 0.3 microns in size. The new CleanControl digital display shows you how much run-time you have remaining while you vacuum, and a second battery provides back-up for a seamless clean. At 3.8kg, it isn’t the lightest cordless we’ve tried; however, its brush bar does ensure satisfying pick-up power.
Pros
- +
Two brush bars provide optimum pick-up
- +
Digital panel displays remaining battery life
- +
Second back-up battery included in the set
Cons
- -
Not the most streamlined cordless we’ve tried
- -
Can get quite noisy
- -
You need room to store all the parts
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One-minute review
Founded in 1977 by British entrepreneur Alan Brazier, Vax is now a household name. Its first “Air Cordless” vacuum was launched in 2014, with its cordless offering having gone from strength to strength since. Vax is also widely known for its excellent range of corded vacuums, carpet cleaners and hard floor cleaners.
The Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car cordless cleaner is a step up from the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 Dual Pet & Car cordless vacuum, which we’ve reviewed here. One of the most notable new features on the Blade 5 is the CleanControl digital display on its handle, which presents how much battery time is remaining while you clean. This will be welcome news for anyone used to working with cordless gadgets, who will know how frustrating it can be when you run out of juice mid-clean. Add to this that the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car Cordless Vacuum also comes with two removable and rechargeable batteries for an impressive 90 minutes of run-time.
Another innovative design feature is the dual brush bar in the vacuum head. This comprises a soft roller at the front that moves across hard floors with ease, and a bristled brush bar at the back that works deep into carpet fibres to lift tricky to clean dirt and pet hair. The control lets you simply switch between hard floor and carpet, so you can ensure you have the best cleaning control.
The main head of the vacuum claims to capture up to 99.8% of fine dust and pet dander. However, after a while it can feel a little too large for jobs such as vacuuming under low sofas and steering around awkward furniture. But that’s when the extra tools prove useful; and we were impressed by the range of accessories that come with the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car cleaner.
Included in the box, alongside a wall mount and two 4.0Ah batteries and charger, is a mini motorised pet tool, a 2-in-1 crevice tool and dusting brush, a tech tool, and a powered hose. The latter makes it easier to clean in the car, getting into awkward corners with the vacuum in handheld mode. This makes it one of the best cordless vacuum cleaners for those with pets and young children, who are experts at making a mess in the car. It’s also ideal for dusting around the house – particularly in awkward corners such as under sofa cushions – and vacuuming staircases with ease.
Price & availability
- £329.99 at Vax UK and other resellers
At the time of writing, the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is available to buy from the Vax UK website for £329.99, down from £449.99. For comparison, you can buy the Dyson Detect Animal V15 Cordless Vacuum Cleaner for around £500 online, while the Shark Anti Hair Wrap Cordless Upright Pet Vacuum ICZ160UKT costs £429.99.
The Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car Cordless Vacuum Cleaner comes with a free tool kit worth over £50. This includes a textile tool for dust and hair removal on upholstery, a tough dirt attachment, an extra stretch hose for awkward angles – in the car and behind the sofa, for example – and a flex crevice tool for hard-to-reach areas.
If you’re looking for a pet-specific cleaner with fewer attachments, you can opt for the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Pet. This model delivers a 45-minute run-time with the single 4.0Ah removable battery for £279.99, down from £379.
- Price & availability score: 4/5
Design
- Innovative CleanControl digital display
- Lots of useful attachments that can be easily fitted
- Attractive black and blue finish
At 3.85kg and measuring H104 x W27 x D26cm, we found the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car Cordless Vacuum Cleaner a well proportioned and easy to manoeuvre model. However, following 10 minutes of use, it did start to feel a little cumbersome in the hand, so we switched between attachments to lighten the load and reduce elbow grease during use.
With its stylish black and blue finish, it’s easy on the eye and can be stored using the wall mount included. Alongside the accompanying tools, you’ll also find a tote bag in which to store the extra attachments.
Assembly proved simple, and once we’d charged the battery, it was simply a matter of inserting the unit into the main body of the vacuum and choosing either upright or handheld mode to get started. The antibacterial treatment on the brush bar bristles of the main head help prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi, which is reassuring.
All of the vaccum’s attachments clicked in place smoothly, feeling premium and well thought out. The power hose for use in handheld mode proved particularly flexible, and ideal for cleaning the car. The bin, too, was easy to remove and empty.
Our most welcome feature, however, is the CleanControl digital display. This shows you exactly how much battery life you have left on a particular setting in real time. The panel is easy to view and navigate, and with a simple press of the hard floor, carpet or boost mode, we were able to achieve the appropriate level of suction for the type of floor we were vacuuming.
- Design score: 4/ 5
Performance
- Three settings including a hard floor, carpet and boost mode
- Versatile tools for awkward corners around the house and car
- Boost function for stubborn dust and debris
To see how well the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car performed, we conducted a series of tests. To test its ability to pick up fine dust, we sprinkled a mix of 10g crushed digestives and 10g flour on an area of hard floor and carpet measuring 1.2m x 1.2m.
On the hard floor setting, the vacuum performed well, creating a clean sweep through the area of mess. We stepped up the power to boost mode to take care of the remaining crumbs. Results were similar on carpet, too.
We carried out the test again with 30g of oats sprinkled evenly across the hard floor to see how the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car tackled larger debris. While it did eventually pick up all of the oats, initially they flew off in both directions and we had to circulate the wider area to catch all of the mess. The vacuum did perform effectively in this test in carpet mode, too, but we had to go over the area more than once to catch all the debris.
Next, following a trip to the beach, we shook out the towels onto the hard floor to test the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car, and were impressed by its performance. We also used the handheld mini motorised pet tool to pick up cat hair from the sofa. Although a slightly fiddlier task, the vacuum’s suction was powerful enough to remove all pet hair.
The 2-in-1 tool that combines a crevice and dusting brush is designed for tackling dust and cobwebs on the ceiling, but it can feel a little heavy to hold up high.
The Blade 5 is relatively easy on the ears, humming away at 71 decibels in hard floor mode and 73 decibels when on carpet. However, it did get noticeably louder in boost mode, registering 88 decibels at its loudest. Note that using the vacuum in boost mode uses up greater battery life, too, as highlighted on the digital display.
Testing the vacuum for cleaning the mess of a summer of pets and kids inside our car was the final challenge. We used the vacuum in handheld mode with the mini motorised pet tool attached. The Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car picked up a good amount of dirt and debris, but we did have to use elbow grease on messier areas, going over these places a few times to see the effects. The 2-in-1 tool was handy for getting into tight spaces under the car seats.
- Performance score: 4.5/5
Battery life
- Two 4.0Ah batteries included
- Up to 45 minutes of run-time on each
- Compact battery and charger included
There’s nothing more frustrating than running out of power mid-clean, which is the reason an extra battery is a welcome addition to the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car.
Switching between carpet and hard floor and boost settings, resulted in a noticeable difference in predicted battery remaining on the digital display. While each battery is set to deliver 45 minutes following a full three-hour charge, the battery lasted 15 minutes using the boost setting, with a predicted 40 minutes when we switched to the hard floor setting. A small indicator on the actual battery itself also tells you how much power is left.
- Battery life score: 5/5
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price & affordability | Not the cheapest cordless vacuum on the market, but a reasonably priced model with a lot of useful tools and ample battery life included in your purchase. | 4/5 |
| Design | All tools and design have a premium finish, and the digital display makes it easy to switch between settings. The main head can feel a little clunky after a while, proving difficult to get under low sofas and into tight corners. | 4/5 |
| Performance | With a digital display, simple controls and a dust vault that holds up to 99.8% of particles such as fine dust and pet dander of 0.3 microns in size in its bin, we were suitably impressed by the effectiveness of this cordless vacuum. | 4.5/5 |
| Battery | With two 45-minute batteries and a charger included, you need never run out of juice mid-clean. | 5/5 |
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