The third is battery life: the vacuum cleaner you choose will need to last long enough to get round your home on one charge, otherwise it will take just as much effort to clean with as a corded model. Don’t expect to get much more than quarter of an hour’s use when cleaning carpets. Always use less energy-intensive hard floor modes where possible to extend the run-time. Henry vacuums are many things: nostalgic, iconic and reliable. That's why you'll find them in homes up and down the country, as well as in the arsenal of many a professional cleaner. The Henry HV160 is the original Henry, and it's also the most affordable model you can buy from the brand. Testing several of the vacuums included in this round-up has allowed her to see which model excels at which task, and to judge them on all of the crucial factors of suction, as well as ease of use and storage, which is important in her very compact space. She's also constantly looking out for the newest vacuum releases and technology so that she can keep you better informed on which appliance to buy.

Another pricier option from Shark - but if you're looking for maximum power because you're just going to have one vacuum in the house, then it's worth stretching to the extra expense. Love a Henry but want to go for one of the best cordless vacuums? The Henry HVB160 cordless vacuum cleaner is well worth a look. Our reviewer Sarah gave it 4.5 stars and thinks it's great for smaller homes as its battery life only lasts for 30 minutes. For a cordless vacuum, the power available to you is astounding. It was brilliant on pet hair when our reviewer Millie put it to the test, and while it's definitely one of the heaviest options on the market, it was up to heavy-duty work and rivalled a corded vacuum in cleaning up the whole home. Millie found the control panel easy to toggle, and reported that even the eco power mode, which is the lowest of the three settings, was plenty on tiled floors. We found we could easily vacuum a four-bedroom home from top to bottom in a single charge, with power to spare (there are four power levels indicated by LEDs and we never bled out before we were done). Admittedly, this was achieved by using low power on the hard floors (wood and tile) and low-pile bedroom carpets, switching up to high power only for a couple of rugs and the odd dog-hair strewn sofa. Like previous models, the Gen5 Detect has three power modes: ‘Auto,’ which intelligently adapts to different floor types, ‘Eco,’ which saves power, and ‘Boost,’ for intensive cleaning. It also races ahead of competitors when it comes to battery life, with a maximum run time of 70 minutes. The battery is removable – spares are available to buy from Dyson should you wish to double your run time.

It’s noticeably heavier than previous models. Though only 0.5kg heavier than the V15, that weight is all in the top which makes it cumbersome as a handheld - unfortunate given the upgrade Dyson has made on immersing the handheld inside the regular vacuum.

Another way that Henry has made life easy is by keeping things simple when it comes to features and therefore keeping things simple when it comes to cleaning. Using dust bags comes into its own when it comes to clean up too as to take care of the mess inside (that usually explodes in a cloud of dust with non bagged models) all you need to do is remove the bag, and place it in the bin. None of the dust or nastiness escapes, and you don't even need to clean the inside space, as it won't have gotten dirty. A dream.The Roidmi X30 VX looks good in silver and has all the features you’d expect in a luxury vacuum cleaner: an LED display, up to 80 minutes run time, a dark-detecting LED light and an easy-empty dust container. It also has a few features you won’t have come across before, including a 200rpm (revolutions per minute) steam mop head. As someone who lives in a tiny flat, the idea of having two otherwise bulky appliances in one is attractive. The battery life ranges from 14 minutes in high power with the brush on, to 70 minutes in low power with the brush off, which is about the best you can expect from a cordless vacuum of this size. If you love Henry (the vacuum) and you have pets, then the Henry Pet 200 would be an excellent shout for you since it has all the great features of a Henry with the added bonus of extra pet-friendly features. Our tester Jen found that it excelled as collecting hair left behind by her adorable guinea pigs. It's for sure one of the best vacuums for pet hair. If you have a mainly carpeted home, then listen up, as Millie found that this cordless vacuum really proved its worth in those high-traffic carpet areas. When vacuuming around her dog's bed, she was wowed by the visible line of clean carpet it left in its wake.

The EcoBrush came in handy during testing for giving upholstery and stairs a once over, according to our vacuum expert Jen. Another standout feature is the impressive suction that works well on carpet and hard floors, part in thanks to the universal floorhead.

George

Yep! We've been covering sales at Ideal Home for years now and can confidently say that big-time discounting happens on vacuums during the November sales period. Last year saw discounts from Shark, Dyson, Vax and more, so it's most definitely a good time to save up and spend. What are the different types of cordless vacuum? However, the biggest draw is convenience – a cordless vacuum cleaner allows you to clean little and often rather than doing one weekly deep clean, and to easily spot-clean dust or spillages without the faff of dust bags and cables. After taking it for a test vacuum at home, our reviewer Helen can only agree that Henry is a dependable workhorse, with a low-maintenance design. It doesn't have the sophisticated features that brand-new cordless vacuums do, but it also doesn't need to be charged or regularly emptied, with its six litre capacity. The battery takes 150 minutes to recharge, which again is up there with the best. You can buy an extra battery if you want to double up on cleaning time, but considering we never ran out of juice, we don’t believe it’s necessary for any home with four-five bedrooms or less. This Henry vac has a HEPA filter to trap common allergens, such as pollen, pet dander, and dust mites. The three-stage filtration system stops them from escaping from the machine, and it’s approved by the British Allergy Foundation. The HepaFlo bags also have a self-seal tab, keeping dust in when the machine’s emptied. The cleaner comes with a combination floor head — put brushes down for hard floors, and lift them for carpet — and includes a special hard floor tool as well.