It’s all too easy to discount cordless models when looking for a vacuum cleaner for car care. We’ve often championed the case for corded examples, citing the suction and lack of vacuum range anxiety, but cordless vacuums have been developing at a frighteningly quick pace. The Vax Blade 5 Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is one such example and we’ve been testing it.
An upgrade over the Blade 4, the Blade 5 makes use of a new digital display, a new adonised blue finish and features VersaClean technology which should effectively clean carpets easier. No matter your opinion on the inclusion of a screen on a vacuum, there’s no doubt the Vax is packed with the latest in vacuum technology.
Turning the Vax to a grubby car interior proved that serious cleaning was no longer just the domain of corded vacuum cleaners. It also proved more than adept at vacuuming around the home, stumbling only because of the heft of the motor and batteries.
Verdict: A cordless vacuum that’s worth considering for a car. Shame about the top-heavy design.
Score: 4/5
Pros
- Good run time
- Solid performance
- lots of attachments
Cons
- Top-heavy design
- No anti-wrap technology
| Run time | 90 minutes (x2 4.0aH batteries ) |
| Dustbin | 0.7-litre bagless |
| Weight | 3.85kg |
| Attachments | Power hose, 2-in-1 Cevise Tool & Dusting Brush, Pet Brush, Tech Tool, Stretch Flexible Hose, Textile Tool, Tough Brush, Flexi Extendable Crevice Tool |
What’s good?
The benefits of a portable vacuum are often negated by pathetic suction or a run time that lasts mere minutes, Vax is aiming to change this with the Blade 5. Two batteries are included in the box to give a total run time of up to 90 minutes, more than enough to clean the grubbiest of car interiors, especially if you charge one up while using the other.
The raft of attachments included is also very solid and will cover pretty much every surface and nook you can think of. Particularly useful for cleaning cars is the Tech Tool that’ll gently lift dust off infotainment screens and a Flexi Extendable Crevice Tool for reaching beneath seats and sucking up crumbs that would otherwise become permanent fixtures of an interior.
Other useful additions from the box include a Tough Brush that proved excellent at pulling embedded mud out of carpets and a Textile Tool that was gentle on leather and would prove effective on suede and Alcantara surfaces too. The downside to all these attachments is that they can lead to a case of decision paralysis when working out how to tackle a specific type of dirt.
The power from the Blade 5 is impressive. Vax claim it can collect 98.8% of dust thanks to a triple filtration design and in our testing there wasn’t much that phased it. From larger clumps of mud right down to sand, the Blade 5 was able to effectively suck it all up into the 0.7-litre dust bin.
What’s okay?
A quick blast around my home in stick mode showed that the Vax Blade 5 would make for a solid choice for most vacuuming duties, even if the toughest of debris would still be best dealt with using a corded vacuum cleaner. The floor head makes use of dual rollers – soft at the front, tougher at the rear – to collect more dust and debris in a single pass. This design proved to be very good at lifting dirt from both carpet and hard floors, although the lack of anti-wrap technology would prove tiresome to clean periodically.
A bigger pity is that the VersaClean technology is only found on the floor attachment and therefore of no use in the car, a smaller attachment with the technology would make the cleaning power even better.
Any negatives?
My biggest pet peeve with the Blade 5 was the top-heavy design and weight of the device, even running in a handheld configuration. It’s not the heaviest vacuum in any regard, but it is ungainly and the weight distribution could be improved. At 3.8kg, it’s about average for a cordless vacuum cleaner, but the positioning of the battery, motor and handle on top does make one-handed vacuuming a bit of a chore after a while.
The included motorised pet brush was another disappointment. No matter how I adjusted it, it wouldn’t stay flat on the boot floor and was quickly added back into the box not to be used again. At least the motorised hose tool could step in here to provide some excellent suction power with the benefit of also slipping into nooks and crannies to reach even more than the pet brush.
Other products to consider
Dyson V15 Detect Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, RRP £469.99
Samsung Bespoke Jet Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, RRP £529
Shark Stratos IZ420UKT Pet Pro Model Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner, RRP £549.99
Who tested it?
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Commercial Content Editor for Parkers. Cutting his teeth testing all the products you’d use to clean a car, finding the flaws in a vacuum cleaner has become second nature to him. And with the Parkers long termer fleet a veritable goldmine for vacuuming, he’s always got something in need of a clean.
How it was tested
The Vax Blade 5 was tested on a Parkers long termer used by a family. Here it was faced with sand, mud, grime and a surprising amount of stones. It was also used around Ryan’s home to test its versatility. Here it was compared with a George vacuum cleaner and a Hoover HL5.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. A veteran car cleaner; if it details, waxes or washes he’ll be on hand to make sure it’s worth your money.
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