Hoover H-POWER 300 Pets Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner review: lightweight and easy to manouevre

Price on writing: £139 | Buy now from Amazon

Our verdict

• Ease of use: 4/5

• Effectiveness on pet hair: 3.5/5 

• Suction power: 3/5

• Ease of emptying: 5/5

• Value for money: 3.5/5

My first impression of the Hoover Bagless Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner was how lightweight it felt and how simple and easy it was to put together. There were no fiddly bits to assemble and no extra tools or attachments, aside from the mini turbo brush for pet hair and the extra hose, both of which were pretty self-explanatory. However, having used the vacuum cleaner for several weeks now, there are things it does well and some areas in which it is lacking. 

I really like how lightweight it is at just 4.5kg (especially compared to bulkier cylinder vacuums like the Henry Pet and Miele C3 Cat & Dog), but what it lacks in heft, it also lacks in suction endurance. I found that the suction reduced significantly after just one or two uses, which was due to the main filter getting clogged. After clearing this, the suction power improved, but I wouldn’t normally expect to need to clear out a vacuum’s filter after only using it once or twice – especially as this model claims to use cyclonic technology to push the debris away from the filters and into the bin.

In terms of performance on pet hair, I was able to remove most of our cat’s fur from his cushion using the mini turbo brush, but it took a few goings-over. This Hoover also comes with silver ION technology which reduces bacteria. While this is a reassuring feature, this and the addition of the mini turbo brush (which isn’t the easiest to use due to a lack of flexibility) puts the price up to £139 versus the regular Hoover Cylinder Vacuum’s £89. I don’t think these extras are necessarily worth the additional £50, though it's worth noting that the Pet model does have an impressive three-year guarantee (the original only has one year).

I would still recommend the Hoover H-POWER 300 Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner, but for smaller families with one or two pets who don’t shed much. For a family of five with two cats in a four-bedroom house, it wasn't quite up to the job. Having said that, its portability and extra hose attachment make it a very handy extra vacuum for stairs and car vacuuming – we are even considering taking it away with us on holiday!

Hoover H-POWER 300 Pets Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner: what’s in the box?

The Hoover comes with its main body pre-assembled and all other parts ready to attach. I liked that everything was quite self-explanatory and I didn’t actually need the instructions to work out how to put the main components together for first-time use. In the box you have:

• Main cylinder vacuum

• Telescopic tube

• 1.5m stretch hose

• 2.5m stretch hose extension

• Floor tool

• Mini turbo brush tool

• Instructions
  

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How easy is the Hoover Bagless Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner to set up?

Set up was very easy. All I needed to do was fix the hose and tubing to the main body of the vacuum and then attach the floor tool. The instructions included diagrams which were very clear and simple to follow, and there were also images on the body of the vacuum itself to show how to empty it and clear the filters, which I found very handy.

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How easy is the Hoover H-POWER 300 Pet Vacuum Cleaner to use day-to-day?

It was a very easy vacuum to use day-to-day, mostly because of its simplicity and lightness. I found that the cord wasn't quite long enough for me to vacuum the whole of one floor from one socket (particularly the ground floor as it’s got a larger floor plan due to an extension), but as it's a lightweight vacuum, it was so easy to pull along. It's not too much of a hassle to unplug and re-plug – plus it retracts at the press of a button, which is always a welcome feature.

Thanks to the hose extender it has a really good range of up to 12m, though I did find it slightly awkward to manoeuvre with the full extension in place as the middle bit flopped about. 

It’s a good size to store – with the telescopic tube fully retracted and hooked onto the back of the main body of the vacuum, it fits nicely in the understairs cupboard. In terms of tasks it excels at, it's great at cleaning the stairs – both because it extends, but also because it’s so light, you could carry the main vacuum in one hand and hoover with the other quite easily.   

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How does the Hoover H-POWER 300 Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner perform on pet hair?

I found it fairly effective on pet hair, using the mini turbo brush on the upholstery where the cats had shed fur. It was good, though not quite as effective as the Henry PET2000's comparable pet tool attachment, as it took a few more goings-over to remove all the fur. Also, the mini brush doesn’t have a hinge so it’s not quite as comfortable to use or as manoeuvrable as the Henry mini brush.

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How well does the Hoover Bagless Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner perform on carpets?

I’d rate it three out of five on carpets; when the filters were clear it was fine on regular carpet*, but I found that the main filter got clogged and needed to be cleared out after one or two uses, which was a bit disappointing. However, this was very easy to do so it wouldn’t be a sticking point. 

*The Hoover struggled with the deep pile rug in my daughter’s bedroom, but this is something I’ve found with other vacuum cleaners too.

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How well does the Hoover H-POWER 300 Vacuum Cleaner perform on hard floors?

I’ve tried the Hoover on engineered wood, laminate and tiles. It performed better than on carpets, but the suction didn't feel as strong as that of other brands such as Henry, Miele and Bosch, so it’s more of a whip-round vacuum than one I’d use for a proper deep clean.

The main floor tool has a switch on the top to go between carpet and hardwood, but I didn’t really feel like it made much of a difference to the suction levels.

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How easy is it to empty the Hoover Bagless Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner?

It was very easy to empty. You just detach the bin and press a button to open it up. If I were using it on the whole house, I’d have to empty it after every use. If using on only one floor, this would be every other use.

I had to clear the filter after only one or two uses, which is a lot more often than other vacuums I’ve used. 

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Does the Hoover H-POWER 300 Pet Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner offer good value for money?

The original Hoover Cylinder Vacuum is £90 and this version with Pet Tool is around £140 on Amazon. The main differences are the additional pet mini turbo brush tool and silver ION treatment in the main floor tool and turbo brush. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t feel like the additional features are really worth the extra £50 - if this version were closer to the price of the original, I’d be singing its praises. 

I think for a budget vacuum, it’s quite pricey for what it is, but I would also expect to pay more for a vacuum considering the size of my house and family. I think the main drawback is the loss of suction due to the filter getting clogged up easily and, for me, the size of the bin being a bit on the small side and thus needing to be emptied more frequently. However, 10 years ago when my family and home were half the size, this vacuum would have been perfect for us.

How we tested

I tested the Hoover Bagless Pet Cylinder over a period of around five to six weeks. During this time I tried it on several different types of flooring including tiles (ceramic and Travertine), engineered wood, laminate wood and carpet. I also tried it out in the car to prepare for a long journey with the kids.

We have two cats, one of which is a ginger Tom who sheds a fair amount of fur during the summer, which is when I tested the Hoover. I tested the vacuum on the items of furniture he likes to sit on to assess how well it removed his fur, with and without the use of the mini turbo brush pet tool.

About the author

Jenny Wonnacott is a Content Editor for Mumsnet, specialising in writing, editing and optimising parenting-related and floor care content. As a parent of three primary school-aged children, Jenny is passionate about making Mumsnetters' lives easier through rigorous research of all items recommended in reviews, features, and buyers' guides.

Jenny is also a best-selling sci-fi author (writing as J M Briscoe) and parenting blogger.

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About Mumsnet Reviews

All Mumsnet product reviews are written by real people after extensive research and testing. We work hard to provide honest and independent advice you can trust. Sometimes, we earn revenue through affiliate (click-to-buy) links in our articles. However, we never allow this to influence our coverage.

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