Standard run time is 25 minutes which also isn’t much so you might want to consider an Energy model for that extra battery unless you have a tiny space to clean. There’s nothing complicated about putting its parts together; all the buttons are clearly labelled, so it’s easy to piece it together and get it up and running asap. Even with the wand attached and the motorised floor brush fitted, the H-Free 500 measures just 1179 x 252 x 195mm and weighs just 2. On the top it has two lights to indicate battery level and mode (standard, hard flooring, auto and turbo mode) as well as an indicator to let you know when maintenance is needed. As you might expect with such a compact vacuum cleaner, the cylinder is a bit smaller on the Hoover than the Dyson V8 Animal and the Shark IZ201UK, which means you’ll need to empty it more often.

Cleaning performance was mostly good, although I did find myself reaching for the Turbo option frequently to really pick up the mess, and some spills took a few swipes or more to clean up everything. It’s easy to detach the vacuum from the stick and use it as a handheld to clean up smaller spills and get into awkward areas too. Turbo powered cordless - up to 8 minutes of maximum power, or 40 minutes in auto mode*, with no annoying cables getting in the way.As usual, the main unit is where you’ll find the dustbin, along with lights that indicate the battery status and what cleaning mode you’re in. My Hoover H-FREE 500 review vacuum cleaner is really powerful compared to other cordless vacuum cleaners I have reviewed, allowing you to pick up a lot of dirt and dust which other cleaners may have missed. The combination of the powerful motor, air flows and nozzle ensures excellent cleaning results, together with cordless agility and comfort. It’s got a special boost mode for carpets which starts the dust roller at the end of the head whirring round, and we found it worked well. There’s one slight oddity, though: you can replace the soft edge strip at the rear of the brush head, designed for hard floors, with two wiper blades designed for the best carpet pick-up.

Starting life on the consumer PC press back in 1998, David has been at the forefront of technology for the past 20 years. It’s also frustrating that to get the most out of the floor head you have to manually swap out the soft strip for the wiper blades. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).You know you’re sliding into middle age when the thought of a new Hoover excites you more than the thought of a night out. H-FREE 500 can be kept in a cupboard, with no need to wall mount, as it stands up unaided in storage mode. On hard floors and tiles, the lower power mode was plenty to pick up dust and dirt, but the H-Free 500 does have a rather low ground clearance which means you can end up pushing larger debris around the floor.

H-FREE 500 H-FREE 500 is the lightest and most compact cordless stick of Hoover’s range, with incredible performance, equal to a corded vacuum*. Fully charged over six hours, I have found that the battery lasts around 15 minutes when using turbo mode (which supplies additional suction) some of the time, although it is claimed that it will last up to 40 minutes maximum with the lowest settings and 8 when there are motorised accessories attached and the HF500 is in turbo mode.We're happy to report that, since reviewing this Hoover back in the summer of 2020, the model we tested is still going strong in 2023. Plus, as a handy extra, you get a neat little tote bag which fits all the attachments that come with the vacuum, so it’s easy to tuck them away in a cupboard or hang them off a hook for storage. H-FREE 500 is equipped with the "Intense Floor Roller" that picks up fine and large particles of dust and debris, on any type of hard floor or carpet. Tech Advisor's Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. Like a lot of cordless stick vacuums, the H-Free 500’s carpet roller is a magnet for tightly wound hair.

We use third-party cookies to enhance your browsing experience, enhance site security and analyze site traffic for marketing purposes. Given that I had to switch on Turbo mode regularly to clean up bigger spills, this isn’t a vacuum cleaner I could use for my entire house. The combination dusting tool and furniture brush slide onto the main vacuum body where the wand attaches, providing a convenient means of storage. H-Lab Brushless Compact Motor provides consistent power output with outstanding suction to pick up all fine dust, larger debris, hair and pet hair.It’s got similar battery life to most stick vacuums on the market (40 minutes on low power mode), so it was plenty to get around a flat, although if you’re using max power in a big house, you might want to invest in a model with a spare battery to ensure you get all your cleaning done in one go.