FLEXI ANTITANGLE VACUUM

THE DAYS OF CORDED VACUUM CLEANERS ARE LONG GONE, AND I FOR ONE COULD NOT BE MORE THRILLED TO SEE THE BACK OF THEM. I STILL SOMETIMES WAKE UP IN A COLD SWEAT, HAUNTED BY THE IMAGE OF A GREAT SMILING MONSTER BEING TRUNDLED OUT FROM THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS. THE BACKACHE MAY HAVE FADED, BUT THE MEMORIES NEVER SHALL.

The VL70 is, by comparison, utterly lightweight; almost elegant, if a vacuum could ever be described as such. The limitations of the old Henry Hoovers were never more on show than when vacuuming those difficult-to-reach areas: the corners of the ceiling, for example, or the tops of wardrobes. This isn’t a problem with the VL70, whose range is only limited by the length of the human arm. In fact, 75 centimetres of easy-tomanoeuvre lightweight piping should get any room spotless. No force of suction is sacrificed for this mobility – my dog-hairriddled carpet has never been cleaner, and it worked just as well in my hardwood living room.

A built-in chargeable battery negates the need for a tangly cord to trip over, but I will admit to a level of disappointment with the 40-minute runtime. I live in a shared house with two floors and a grand total of five tiny rooms, and I could barely finish cleaning before the VL70 required a recharge. In a bigger house, I imagine cleaning would end up taking much longer than other vacuums might allow for. I would then recommend the VL70 for odd jobs around the house, not for a deep clean – if your little ones decided to spill an entire packet of long-grain rice on the living room floor, for example, the VL70 will extract every grain.

At just under £120, you’ll be getting a strong, efficient, stylish vacuum for relatively affordable price compared to others on the market.

PROS:

- Effortlessly manoeuvrable

- Strong suction

- Excels in hair removal – pet owners or people with curly hair would benefit

CONS:

- Poor battery life – not recommended for large households.

- Smooth design, with very little aggravating noise for quiet households

- The highly-advertised antitangle measures do not make a massive difference.