Verdict

Pros

• Good general cleaning on all surfaces
• Lightweight and manoeuvrable
• Large 4-litre dustbag
• Attractive price

Cons

• No good on pet hair
• Uses more power than stated
• Cable could be longer

What is the Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor?

The Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor is a lightweight bagged cylinder cleaner that’s available in blue (BGL3B110GB) and black (BGL3ALLGB). It’s also very affordable – prices range from as little as £70 to around £110 depending on where you look. It’s one of the cheapest we’ve tested.

Bosch claims that its new motor technology delivers the equivalent cleaning performance of an old 2400W machine. It’s small and easy to move around, uses a 4-litre self-sealing bag and performs decently for a cheap machine, though it’s no good if you have pets.

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Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor – Accessories

The GL30 comes with basic universal cleaner head. It’s a fairly traditional wide-body head with hard nylon bristles that drop down to skirt over hard floors and stop the head scratching the floor. There is no rotating brush bar, so it’s bound to be somewhat limited compared to cleaners that have one.

That’s no surprise given the cheap price, but the GL30 doesn’t feel cheap. The solid telescopic metal tubes and chunky, solidly built handle – Bosch refers to it as the ‘Ergo’ handle – instil confidence. It’s built to last. If anything, though, the handle might be a bit too chunky to be ‘ergo’ for those with smaller hands. A crevice tool and small upholstery brush are supplied but, despite what Bosch’s literature claims, we could see no way of clipping them to the handle easily.

On the inside you have a large 4-litre capacity bag that Bosch claims offers high filtration and good airflow right up to when they need replacing. There is also an anti-allergen AirClean2 filter, which can be washed out several times before it will finally need replacing. Its EU ‘B’ rating for dust filtration is respectable for a cheap machine.

Other nice touches include automatic cable rewind, variable suction power via a large knob on the main cleaner and a clip that allows the tubes to be held upright against the cleaner for more compact storage. It claims a fairly low 79dB operating noise and Bosch offers a range of optional accessories, such as turbo brush heads that can be used to extend its versatility for a few dollars more.

Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor – Carpet & Hard Floor Cleaning

The GL30 Compact All Floor pulls around easily on its four wheels, even on fairly deep pile carpet. Even with the hose and the main multi-floor head attached the total combined weight is just 5.3kg – less than many cleaners without their hose, tubes and accessories.

Powered up, the GL30 sounds considerably more potent than its 800W headline figure would suggest and we measured a peak power of over 1200W – no wonder it gets a D rating from the EU for energy use. Its new HiSpin motor with aerodynamic blades is said to offer high dust pick-up with low energy consumption.

Before

On carpet, the multi-floors head tends to stick down to the carpet – it requires a fair bit of force to move around. We found knocking the power setting down a little aided this and will save you some electricity, too.

After

The head cleaned carpets fairly well with much of the test powder removed from the carpet after just three passes. The head did, however struggle to clean up to the edge, particularly where the carpet dipped against the skirting. That said, its edge cleaning is better than the Numatic Henry (£95) and beats cordless vacs like the Vax Air Cordless Lift (£350).

We had no head-sticking problems on hard floors, as it glides around on its stiff bristles with ease. Again, it struggled to clean right up to the very edge although nipping around with the crevice tool afterwards isn’t a major chore for a deep edge spring clean.

The telescopic tubes are robust and adjust easily and the attachments clip onto them and release without too much pressure. As the GL30 only comes with the one bag, don’t forget to pick up some spares.

Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor – Stair Cleaning

Lightweight compact cleaners like the GL30 are great for stairs as they can be carried with ease. We used the main multi floor head on its carpet setting and stair cleaning proved efficient and easy. The head is large enough to clean quickly, but not so large it can’t get into the corners of stairs with turns. The hose is nicely flexible too, although the 7m long cable could have done with another metre or two to save us having to unplug downstairs and re-plug into the mains at the top of the stairs.

The main cleaner is compact enough to sit on each step as you go if you need, either flat on its wheels or upright. The smaller tools proved invaluable for getting into tight corners and crevices. In an ideal world we would have loved a compact turbobrush for the stairs, and Bosch offers one for less than £35 direct from its website. Given the relatively low cost of the GL30 Compact All Floor we reckon this option would make this cleaner a great all-rounder for a very reasonable overall cost.

Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor – Pet Hair Cleaning

Pet hair is the Bosch GL30’s one major weakness. On full power the multi floor head is fairly efficient at pulling hairs just laying on top of the carpet, but no amount of back and forth would shift deeply embedded hairs.

Our test area of mixed Collie and Labrador hair took the best part of 30 seconds of back and forth action to get the area acceptably clean – compared to 16 seconds from the Numatic Henry and 12 seconds using the Miele Compact C2 Cat & Dog. The detritus from curly haired pooches might be an even trickier challenged for the GL30. Of course, that optional small turbo head would also prove just the job for stubborn patches of pet hair.

We had no such problems on our wooden floors and the GL30 sucked in loose tumbleweed hairballs with ease. It offers very potent suction for a claimed 800W machine with the good airflow helping to pull hairs from the edges and corners, too.

Should I buy the Bosch GL30 Compact All Floor?

Maybe. It’s affordable, compact and cleans well in most cases. It’s as good on carpets and hard floors as the similar price Numatic Henry, and it’s considerably lighter and easier to use on stairs. It’s a very good choice if you want a cheap vacuum cleaner that doesn’t take up too much space.

It’s no good for pet owners, though. It doesn’t have a turbo brush head, which means it really struggles to lift deeply ingrained hairs. Bosch sells one for the GL30, but it’s an extra £40 on top of the list price. It’s worth considering, but only if you get the GL30 itself for less than £100. Spend more and you may as well look at the Recommended Miele Compact C2 Cat & Dog (£180), which edges the Bosch in most areas.

Verdict

A very good, cheap and compact vacuum cleaner provided you don’t have pets.

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