Yachting Monthly - November 2015

GEAR TEST

NOVEMBER 2015 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com 61

Gtech Multi

£149.00

Supplier

http://www.gtech.co.uk

Vax Air £129.99

Supplier http://www.vax.co.uk

More

powerful

than we expected, the Vax has

a separate battery and charger

base, but no wall bracket –

which would be nice, but isn’t

essential. By having a separate

battery it’s possible to get a

spare if you cruise without

access to 240v for longer

periods.

It is easy to hold and

operate with your thumb and

the switch stays on without

7 /

10

We wanted the smaller

‘Animal’ model to test (£199.99

with 12V charge option), but

instead were sent the Absolute

which is basically the same

power unit only with a gazillion

fi ttings including an upright

handle. As a compact vacuum

it’s nicely balanced and

comfortable to hold. However,

it has a very sensitive trigger

switch that has to be held on all

the time and a second ‘boost’

button on the back.

While it is unquestionably

the most powerful we tested

in its boost mode, it also

only runs for fi ve minutes at

maximum power.

The 22V lithium-Ion battery
recharges in four hours and has
enough power to run for 30
minutes. The battery indicator
is informative and the LED
lights in the nozzle
are handy in poorly-
lit areas of the boat.
It comes with
a brush end
permanently fi tted, a 15cm-
long crevice tool (neatly stored
in the handle) and a wide fl oor
adaptor. It also has a nifty

Supplier http://www.force4.co.uk

A slightly different style
of vacuum cleaner, the
PowerVac has a very large bin
(compared with the others)
and can also handle up to 1.5
litres of liquid. It is designed
either to stand on the fl oor

8 /

10

Supplier http://www.dyson.co.uk

The V6

Absolute is

a top of the

range

cleaner

It has

two fi lters: one

on the top that kept

falling out, as it isn’t clipped

in; the other at the back,

which is. It is awkward to

empty and diffi cult to open and

clean – too many vulnerable

little clippy bits for our liking.

If you want one that doubles

up as an upright vacuum

cleaner for home use, however,

this is has all the bells and

whistle including two beater-

type rotating brush heads.

A modern,

innovative and

powerful cleaner

with good accessories

retractable hose built in, but it’s

a little awkward.

Although only single speed

it is powerful and

cleared the muesli

easily with the wide

carpet adaptor

fi tted. The crevice

nozzle aperture is a little

narrow, but it’s easy enough to

extended hose and brush.

Holding your fi nger on the

trigger gets tiring.

The bin simply

pulls off for

emptying/

cleaning.

Dyson V6 Absolute

£349.98

A good cleaner

with plenty of power

but not many accessories

(when sucking up liquids) or

to be carried by its shoulder

strap, and it comes with a

long (1.0m), fl exible tube with

several different accessories,

including an upholstery brush

and a long crevice nozzle.

Charged from 220V or 12V

(cigar-plug charger included),

it has a very basic fl ashing

LED charge state indicator, but

its large battery will keep it

running for nearly 20 minutes

before recharging is necessary.

(^9) /
10
The only wet
& dry model
we tried, it
worked well
Waeco
PowerVac
£80.99
holding it. It was quick to suck
up the muesli, although it has
no wheels and the one crevice
nozzle is short (8cm) and has
a small aperture that gets
blocked easily.
It is dead simple to
empty. The whole front
end comes off at the press
of a single button and the
fi lter pulls out for quick
cleaning.
(^9) /
10
Quite powerful and easy to use, but
Bulky, but a good performer it was slow to recharge fully
Best budget buy
The Vax Air
sports a
separate
battery and
charger
Best buy
It’s light
and easy to use
BELOW: This Dyson can be
used as an upright vacuum
cleaner too