This Sucks (Vax V-015)

Member Name: mummy2harry

Product:	Vax V-015
Date:	18/06/08 (765 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's a nice blue colour!

Disadvantages: Everything else - noise, suction, reliability, company customer service

When we first got our house, we paid out a lot of money kitting it with the essentials, such as a washing machine, oven and fridge freezer, and I completely forgot about getting a hoover! Luckily, my fiance's parents had a spare one so we were able to borrow that one. But when that one gave up the ghost, it was finally time for us to buy our own hoover, so we turned to Argos. This one was on a half price offer, and seemed pretty good so we decided it would be the hoover we would buy.

Vax have been manufacturing vacuum cleaners since the 1970's and have a good reputation in this country for producing high quality cleaning products. They manufacture both dry carpet cleaners, and wet/dry cleaners, and are available from most home stores and supermarkets to buy. This particular model is the V-015 and is marketed as being a vacuum cleaner great for picking up pet hair. The Vacuum was released in 2006, and seems to be a discontinued model.

*The Hoover*
When you first purchase the hoover, it comes in a large cardboad box with a picture of it on the front and back, and some more information printed on it also. When you take it out of the box, it is wrapped in large cellophane bags and is split into 2 parts. The handle is separate from the main body of the cleaner itself, and this is easy to assemble. You simply slot the handle onto the top of the main body of the vacuum, and put the 2 screws into the holes on the back of the machine. These hold the handle in place and need to be done up tightly. There are also some attachments to put onto the slots, these include 2 pipes, a brush and a thin nozzle attachment. These are located on the sides of the cleaner, and the back of the main body of the vacuum. The main body of the hoover is a lovely blue colour, with the main head and outline of the body in this colour. The handle, pipe and back of the hoover are standard grey, but its an okay looking vacuum. There is also a handle at the top of the main body, helpful for carrying it around.

*Using the Hoover*
Using the hoover is the same as any other to be honest! It has a 9 metre black cable leading from the back with a 3 pin plug attached. The cable can be wrapped around 2 points on the back for storage. In order to use the hoover, you need to tilt it backwards, and this is done using a footpedal on the left hand side of the hoover, simply press down and let the body of the hoover tilt backwards. The on/off switch is located on the left side of the main body of the machine, simply press it up to start the hoover. Then just push the hoover around your carpet to make it wonderfully clean. The head of the hoover can be set to 5 different levels, and you choose the appropriate one for the carpet/flooring you are cleaning. This is done using a twist knob on the top of the head of machine, and the levels range from High Carpet - medium - Low Carpet/Laminate. You just turn the knob to indicate which level you want, and this makes the brush underneath the hoover drop or rise accordingly.

The hoover features a 4.2 metre (when stretched) hose, grey in colour and attached to the back of the hoover, with storage on the side of the hoover. There are also attachments for this which slot inside the pipe. The hose is plenty long enough to stretch up a staircase, particularly when you have the extension pipes attached to it. The suction on the pipe is great when the vacuum is brand new, sucking up all dirt and debris from the carpet, however, I have found after time this suction decreases to almost nothing, and doesn't pick up at all. I ensure that my pipe does not get blocked with paper or toys at all, so I cannot account for why the suction on this part of the hoover stops.

*Turbo Tool*
The hoover also comes equipped with a Turbo Tool, which is attached to the front of the handle part of the vacuum. This has a plastic tube at the top to attach to the hose too, and a brush at the bottom which rotates incredibly fast when the hoover is switched on. This is supposed to be great for cleaning places such as staircases when you can't use the main head of the cleaner but still need a good cleaning tool. However, I found this stopped working properly after a few weeks, for no apparent reason. There was nothing blocking the brushes from turning, or anything in the tube either, so another fault with this hoover that just happened for no apparent reason, and is now in the cupboard as a broken piece of equipment.

*Performance*
Well, if I told you I've had 2 of these cleaners since July 2007, it doesn't sound too good does it. When I first purchased my original one in July 07, it worked fantastically for a few weeks, sucking up everything lying in its path and everything functioned superbly. I noticed after a few weeks that the hose wasn't sucking properly and it wasn't picking up anything. In around November 2007, I noticed that the main head of the vacuum wasn't sucking either, just passing over rubbish and leaving it on the floor. I checked underneath the main body of the hoover, and the pipe leading into the collection bin of the hoover was totally blocked, filled with dust and rubbish. I couldn't unblock it myself so I had to send it away to Vax to be fixed. That in itself was a nightmare, they were supposed to return in within 72 hours - it took them 5 weeks to get it back to me, in which time I had to constantly borrow hoover's from neighbours and family.

They sent me a brand new hoover, stating they couldn't find a reason for the blockage and therefore would give me a new one, exactly the same model. So I started using that one in the middle of January 2008, with great results once more. However, come March 2008, I found that the hoover again wasn't sucking up properly, leaving my carpets still slightly mucky even after long bouts of hoovering. So once more, I sent it back to Vax for repair, stating again it wasn't working properly and that if it wasn't fixable I wanted another model sent to me. They sent this one back after 5 days apparently fixed, and so far so good, its still working as is the pipe. But I just know in a few months its going to go again, and my warrantly ran out this month. If it goes wrong again, its going to the tip and I'll be buying a decent hoover!

*Noise and other features*
The hoover is actually quite a noisy one to be honest. It has quite a high pitched sucking noise, and a loud whirr when its being used, so much so I can't hear the television or music when its being used. With my parents Dyson, it doesn't stop you listening to the television as its a nice low pitched noise, but this one is so obtrusive and loud. Also, there is a switch in noise after a long period of use which is incredibly annoying, almost like an air flow blockage. This stops (sometimes) when I use it the next day, but sometimes it carries on. There's no reason for this and that is why it is so annoying.

The bin is very easy to use and to empty. It has a 2 litre capacity and it is located in the middle of the main body of the hoover, and has the Vax logo on the top of it, and the Power Reach TT symbol on the front. It is a smoky perspex bin, so you can see when it is full and needs emptying which is a useful feature. To pull out the bin, there is a nozzle located at the top of the bin towards the back, simply push it backwards and pull the bin out. To empty, press the button on the front bottom of the bin and the bottom panel will flap open, allowing the rubbish to fall out. You also need to maintain the cleanliness of the filter. You do this buy unscrewing the bin at the top, clockwise, allowing the lid of the bin to lift off. Then pull the canister up, and remove the filter pulling off any dust and debris, ensuring it is nice and clean. To put it back together, simply slot back on the filter, and put the lid back onto the bin, and screw tight. To put it back into the vacuum, just push it back into the hole until it clicks and locks into place.

*Conclusion*
To be honest, I'm not at all happy with this cleaner, and I can't wait until I get a chance to replace it. It seems to have one problem after another, either the suction in the pipe stops working, or the suction of the main floor head stops, either way it is an inconvenience and really hinders the performance of the hoover. It's a very noisy vacuum, one which can alter its noise as well for no apparent reason, and this really bothers me. The floor head is good, giving edge to edge cleaning, although I need to use the thin nozzle pipe attachment to get right into the nooks and crannies. It's quite heavy for a cleaner, I do find it cumbersome to pull around and I do get back ache after a while of pushing and pulling this. The air expelled from the side vent of the hoover does get really REALLY hot after a while so much so if you go near it, it does feel like it might burn you, which is horrible, and another negative thing about this cleaner.

We paid £49.99 for the hoover in Argos, and its £49.99 wasted really. We've had to send it back for reapirs twice in less than a year, and they couldn't pin down the fault in either case, leaving me wondering if there is a fault with the entire fleet. I wouldn't recommend anyone buy one of these hoovers, they aren'r reliable, they aren't durable, pieces don't last and its not great performing either. For a 1600 watt hoover, its not good, in fact its horrid. Oh, and Vax customer service is appaulling too, another bad mark against this company! Hopefully I'll be able to get a nice new decent hoover soon!

For more information on Vax, see their website at www.vax.co.uk

Thank you for reading!

Summary: Dire vacuum cleaner

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