Yachting Monthly - November 2015

GEAR TEST

Which should I choose?

Cordless seems to be the way it’s all going

these days and that includes vacuum cleaners

• even upright domestic models. Some of
  the compact units we tested here can act as
  full domestic uprights if you add the extra
  components or buy the set with them in. This
  can make sense if you need one at home, but
  occasionally want to use it in the car, boat or
  caravan. Charge it up, leave the extension bits
  at home and off you go!
  All but two we tested were cordless and
  the only decent 12V corded model was the
  Black & Decker Dustbuster, which proved

to be very good value for money if you can

contend with the cable. Of the cordless

models only the Waeco had a 12V charger

lead, although Dyson does sell a 12V charge

adaptor for some models. The Waeco is

quite neat and has good capacity and, more

importantly, is wet & dry, so ideal for cleaning

the bilges. The only other wet machine was

the AEG, but with a small liquid capacity it’s

useful for ‘damp’ material only. Most are easy

to empty and have simple twist-and-pull-out

fi lters that can be washed and re-used.

In terms of shear sucking power the Dyson

wins with its max boost function, although it

limits use to just a few minutes. For versatility

the Waeco’s liquid capabilities are handy for

a boat, but the Gtech is probably the best

all-round dry tool for the money.

Following my experience with cordless hand

tools I was convinced that the higher the

voltage the better the device. But then again,

six months ago I ditched my tiddly 7.2V drill

that had lasted me many years and replaced it

with an 18V ‘bee’s knees’ model. The latter is

now already a shed doorstop!

So, much to our surprise the two-speed

7.2V AEG performed remarkably well, with

easily as much suction as the higher voltage

models, although not the longevity. Ditto the

12V Waeco PowerVac with its sealed lead-acid

battery, although its recharge time is slow.

Most use Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries,

which can be fast charged and will keep their

energy longer when stored for long periods.

All have some form of charge indicator to

show when they have fully recharged, but

only the Dyson V6, Hoover Jovis and Gtech

Multi have any form of

battery capacity

gauge.

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

Product specifi cations

Conclusions

Which compact vacuum cleaners do we recommend?

Best buy

Test time* = Time to vacuum up 100g of muesli spread over one square metre of carpet

‘Most use

Lithium-Ion

rechargeable

batteries for

longevity’

Gtech Multi

Good suction, quick

charge, handy accessories

Best budget buy

Waeco PowerVac

Big bin, good suction

power, wet or dry

MAKE MODEL RRP Wet/dry Weight Battery Voltage Capacity Bracket Charger

volts

Run

time

Recharge

time

Te st

time*

Roadpro AT955 £26.95 Dry 0.9kg n/a 12V 1.0l No n/a n/a n/a 1m 39s

Black & Decker Dustbuster auto £29.95 Dry 1.0kg n/a 12V 0.9l No n/a n/a n/a 1m 11s

AEG Rapido AG6106WD £59.99 Both 1.8kg Li-Ion 7.2V 0.7l Wall 220V 14m 4h 1m 26s

Hoover JovisPlus SM18DL4 £79.99 Dry 1.3kg Li-Ion 18.0V 0.5l Wall 220V 20m 4h 2m 46s

Waeco Powervac PV100 £80.99 Both 2.1kg SLA 12.0V 3.8l No 12/220V 18m 14h 1m 25s

Vax Air Cordless

H85-ACH-BD

£129.99 Dry 1.3kg Li-Ion 20.0V 0.7l Base 220V 20m 10h 1m 33s

Gtech Multi ATF001 £149.00 Dry 1.6kg Li-Ion 22.0V 0.5l No 220V 30m 4h 1m 13s

Dyson V6 Absolute £349.98 Dry 1.4kg Li-Ion 21.6V 0.4l Yes 220V 20m 3.5h 1m 07s