Here at ES Best we love a good vacuum cleaner review, so I was delighted when Hoover HQ unveiled its latest offering, the HF9 Anti-Twist Cordless Vacuum.
Hoover make some big claims with this new launch stating that it ‘has the most powerful suction of all the brand leading vacuums on the market’. Well, it certainly had its work cut out for it in my house, having to contend with a golden retriever that sheds hair by the second plus a weaning baby that likes to fling apple and blueberry puree onto the floor.
Hoover dates to the early 1900s and a man named James Spangler. Spangler was a janitor and an inventor who struggled with severe asthma, exacerbated by his job. Frustrated with the dusty work of sweeping the carpets that were making his condition worse, Spangler began experimenting with ordinary household objects, placing them together until he had the first portable electric vacuum cleaner - et voila! Hoover was born.
Hoover is proud of its heritage and have come along way since Spangler invented the first vacuum. I asked Dave Matthews, Business Director at Hoover, about what makes this cordless vacuum stand out from the competition. “The intuitive features of the HF9 makes this a hoover that goes above and beyond in terms of performance and our new digital display and Anti-Twist feature offer ease of use too,’ he told me.
“We are really proud of this Hoover and look forward to having it make cleaning so much easier for our customers,” he told me.
I was intrigued by the claim that this cordless can run ‘for up to 30 minutes without any loss of high suction capacity’. The makers of such a claim clearly do not have a teething baby as it often takes me 2hr+ to leave the house, let alone clean the whole thing in half an hour.
Let’s get down to it and find out if it lives up to its big claims.
Specs at a glance
- Powerful motor with no loss of suction
- 50w brushless motor
- Fast charging
- Optimal balance of power and 30min runtime
- Capacity: 0.7L
- Net weight: 3.4kg
- Turbo Power boost
- Anti-twist prevents hair wrap
- Specially developed bristles to clean deeply on all floors
- Flex & Deep Pet tool (included with Pets models)
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First impressions
On first inspection I was impressed to see that the vacuum arrived without plastic packaging, something Hoover has enshrined in its policy; a commitment to 100 per cent recycled and recyclable packaging across all their vacuums and all of the ink on the packaging is biodegradable too.
There’s a motorised mini power nozzle attachment to transform the machine into a smaller handheld device and give chairs and sofas a once over. It also comes with a wall mount to hang your Hoover on the wall, making storage compact.
Performance
The problem with some cordless vacuums is the fact that their suction power leaves a lot to be desired. You’re often lucky to get ten minutes charge out of them and they can’t deal with serious dirt and hair without giving up and dying in a tangled mess. Not so the new HF9. This baby has suction power to spare and goes the distance, lasting a full 30 minutes when fully charged.
It also has a ‘turbo charge’ mode which deals well with stubborn patches, although this does impact battery life.
Run time
Hoover claims the HF9 is fast charging, the removable 400 mAh Lithium-Ion battery pack reaches 100 per cent charge in 3.5 hours or 80 per cent charge in three hours. It lives up to the hype: we charged this at 9am on Saturday morning and it was good to go at lunchtime and it lasted up to the half hour claimed. There is also a handy LED display that lets you know how many minutes of use you have left.
Anti-twist technology in action
The brand states the anti-twist technology used in both the HF9 Cordless and the upright HL5 ‘radically reduces human or pet hairs that get caught in the brush bar during regular vacuuming’ and they’ve utilised a combination of bristles and an ‘anti-twist nozzle’ to work effectively on all types of floors.
The HF9 made light work of the never-ending golden retriever hair which is no easy task, trust me. Having bought many a vacuum in the past that claimed to be anti-pet hair and found they did not live up to their claims, this one didn’t let me down and made light work of my dog’s copious amounts of hair to the point that even my husband remarked on how clean the carpet was which never happens. Praise indeed.
Let’s talk about the lights
Who wouldn’t want their hoover to light up in the dark? This cool feature really does elevate the HF9 to top rating as it was so much easier to see under those hard-to-reach areas or illuminate bits of dirt that you somehow miss without the lights.
At first I thought the lights were just a nice extra, but in action, they were brilliant at spotlighting patches of dirt and hair I’d missed on both my carpet and hardwood flooring. It’s strangely addictive to vacuum with LED lights on (especially at night or gloomy afternoons); the amount of dirt and hair that’s highlighted is pretty shocking and strangely satisfying to suck up.
I swapped notes with This Morning’s resident Queen of Clean, Lynsey Crombie, and she agreed that the HF9 being both stylish and modern, high performing and that she also loved the LED light action.
Noise levels
If you’ve got sensitive hearing, have little ears napping in nearby prams (hello new mums!) or if you’re inclined to do a quick vacuum late at night, sound levels matter. Hoover said they are in the process of looking at getting a Quiet Mark rating, so watch this space.
From my experience trying the machine, I’d say this was average and definitely one of the quieter vacuums on the market at the moment.
Where to buy HF9 vacuums
There are two new versions of the HF9. I tried the pet hair version which comes in turquoise and works on both carpet and hard floors. It’s easy to switch between the different modes: there’s hard floor mode, when the brush bar spins at lower speed to clean delicate surfaces, and carpet mode, when the brush bar spins at higher speed to lift up dirt from beneath the surface.
HF9 Home - The standard HF9 model that comes with one battery pack.
Hoover - £360
Currys - £379
Argos - £380
HF9 Pets - The pets’ model with 1 battery pack and an additional motorised mini turbo brush for cleaning up pet hair.
Hoover - £343
Currys - £299
Argos - £350
There’s also the HL5: this comes with an 8m cord and Anti-allergy HEPA H13 Filtration. It’s heavier and better if you have a lot of carpet to clean.
Verdict
The claims were bold, but boy does Hoover’s new HF9 Cordless deliver. I loved that it can be parked upright thanks to Hoover’s ‘Quick Park and Go’ system, and at 3.4kg is lightweight enough to carry up and down stairs or clean the car, good news for anyong with dexterity or mobility issues.
Everything about the HF9 is designed to make vacuuming easier and it shows. The ‘pet’ version is worth it if you’re continually cleaning up hairs and if anythng goes wrong, the five-year warranty gives you peace of mind.
Lightweight, powerful and no wires to trip over, the HF9 is a brilliant addition to the Hoover range.
