What's the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max like to set up?
Set-up is mostly straightforward, although the hose extension took me a little while to work out. It wasn't immediately obvious what it was for until I came to use the wand.
To use the wand, you need to attach the hose extension. Once you've finished, you have to reconnect the hose to the floorhead before going back to normal vacuuming. It's easy enough once you've done it a couple of times, but it isn't especially seamless. If you're used to a premium cordless where everything clicks into place in seconds, this feels a bit more hands-on.
The controls are also more confusing than they need to be. There are three purple buttons grouped closely together, all with raised symbols instead of clear labels. One is the power button and another switches the brush bar on and off, but even after a month I still found myself checking which was which. I'd much rather see a larger power button or one positioned on the handle.
The floor setting switch sits at the front of the floorhead and is quite stiff. It works perfectly well, but it's less convenient than the handle controls, screens or automatic floor detection you'll find on more expensive models.
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What's the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max like to use day-to-day?
The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max is light to carry for an upright vacuum cleaner, and the handle is well positioned. The wand also gives you another place to grip it when moving between rooms or carrying it upstairs.
It does slip out of tilt and back into the upright position quite easily, so I occasionally had to push it back into tilt mode with my foot. That makes it feel a little clunky when you're changing direction or moving around furniture.
The long reach is one of its biggest advantages. I could clean my whole downstairs and the stairs from one plug socket, then do all of upstairs from another. In a busy family home, that means far less stopping to unplug and start again.
The wand and hose are really useful once you've worked out how they fit together. They're light, long enough for stairs, ceilings and furniture, and save you having to stretch or crouch awkwardly. They're great for skirting boards, corners, upholstery and cobwebs.
Storage is about what you'd expect from a corded upright. It isn't as easy to tuck away as a cordless, but it fits neatly into a cupboard. The long cable is useful while you're cleaning, even if it does take a little longer to wind away afterwards.
Emptying the bin is simple. Press one button, lift it out, then open the base to empty it. The door occasionally needed a little nudge because there's no spring mechanism, but hair and dust fell out without me needing to pull anything free. The bin clicked back into place easily and the 1.5L capacity was more than enough for a whole-house clean.
Noise levels are exactly what I'd expect from a vacuum cleaner. It isn't especially quiet, but it's no louder than most others I've used. Even after a month of testing, there was no lingering pet-hair smell while vacuuming.
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How well does the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max perform on carpets and rugs?
On fitted carpet, the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max performs well for the price, although it isn't a one-pass miracle. In areas with lots of hair, I usually needed to go over them twice to lift all the pet and human hair. It doesn't match the cleaning power of more expensive vacuums from Dyson, Sebo or Shark, but it also costs several hundred pounds less.
The stronger hard floor and low-pile carpet setting noticeably increases the suction, and this was the setting I preferred for pet hair. The downside is that it's harder to push. It's fine for a full room, but in areas with less hair I switched back to the easier setting rather than use maximum suction throughout the house.
On rugs, the stronger setting lifted the corners. That shows how much suction there is, but it also means you may need to steady lighter rugs while vacuuming.
During the month I tested it, I didn't need to cut any hair from the brush bar, which is impressive considering how much pet and human hair it had to deal with. After a month of use, the hose, bin, floorhead switch and attachments all still felt solid and well made.
How well does the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max perform on hard floors and everyday mess?