Verdict
Building on the excellent design of its previous vacuum cleaner, the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design adds DebrisDetect: sensors that adjust the cleaner’s power automatically when dust is detected. I found this system worked brilliantly and produced excellent dust collection without me having to adjust the power manually. A clever self-standing design, with an ergonomic bendy wand, makes this cleaner simple to use in any situation. My one complaint is that the awkwardly placed dust eject button can lead to accidental discharge until you get used to it.
Pros
- Excellent dust collection
- Automatic power adjustment
- Swappable batteries
- Useful choice of accessories
Cons
- Can accidentally eject dust
Key Features
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Type This is a cordless stick vacuum cleaner that can stand up by itself and adjust its power based on the level of dust detected.
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Swappable batteries Works with ONEPWR batteries.
Introduction
Vax’s new cordless vacuum cleaners have been impressive, and the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design is the most impressive yet. Similar in design, features and power to the regular Vax HomePro Pet-Design, this new model adds dust detection for automatic power management.
It’s a great feature, with the vacuum cleaner adapting its power automatically to the level of dust. Rather than switching between power modes, it’s easy to sit back and let the cleaner take on the task automatically.
Versions
Vax sells its cordless cleaner in several different versions. All have the same basic performance, but ship with different accessories. Here, I have the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design, which has a crevice tool, stair tool, pet hair remover and a motorised pet tool. This normally sells for £369.99.
The Vax HomePro Detect Pet (£349.99) is the same, but ditches the motorised pet tool.
Finally, there’s the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design Dual (£399.99), which is the same as the version that I reviewed, only you get two batteries.
Watch out for deals, as not every version is discounted at the same time.
Design and Features
- Stands up by itself
- Automatic mode
- Works with the ONEPWR range of batteries
Externally, the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design uses the same physical design as the Vax HomePro Pet-Design. This is Vax’s new vacuum cleaner design, and it’s a good one, redeveloping the handheld unit so that the battery sits underneath. That makes for better balance, in my opinion, making it easy to lift the 3.5kg cleaner when I needed to vacuum up cobwebs.
A key benefit of this cleaner is that it uses the ONEPWR batteries that power many of Vax’s other tools, such as the Vax SpotWash Home Cordless. If you’ve already got other tools, you can simply move batteries between them and extend the run time.
With the battery in its new position, the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design has a clever trick that few other cordless cleaners have: it can stand upright without support. A knock will send the cleaner over, but for pausing cleaning while I moved things around, it was great that I could leave the cleaner unattended.
For storage, you’ll want to use the provided wall-mounted clip. Then, you can remove the battery for charging, using the clip-in charger provided in the box.
In the middle of the wand, there’s a slide up section, which releases the FlexiClean flexible middle section. This lets the wand bend, so it’s easy to clean under furniture without having to bend down. It’s a neat trick, even if FlexiClean doesn’t quite feel as precisely engineered as the Flexology system on the Shark IZ380UKT.
Vax provides a regular motorised floor head, which has a brush bar that’s designed to work on hard floors and carpets. With a split brush bar, Vax’s HairWrap Resist technology comes into action, preventing hairs from getting tangled.
The LEDs at the front illuminate the area you are cleaning and provide some visibility, though they don’t highlight dirt as effectively as the laser on the Dyson Gen5detect.
In the box, there’s a good range of accessories, including a 2-in-1 crevice tool, stair tool, pet hair remover and motorised pet tool. I like the pet hair remover, which has a comb at the front for channelling hair into the suction path. It works brilliantly on surfaces where hair can get tangled up.
Otherwise, there’s the motorised tool, which makes short work of vacuuming things like sofas and chairs.
There are three power modes on this vacuum cleaner, up from the two on the Vax HomePro Pet-Design. The two standard modes are standard mode for most jobs and a boost mode for when you need more power.
However, there’s also the new, default auto mode. This uses a dust sensor and triggers the vacuum cleaner to increase its power when heavy soiling is detected, a technology that Vax calls DebrisDetect. I’m a big fan of these systems, as I can clean without having to think about which power mode to use.
It’s unusual to see such a mode on a vacuum cleaner this keenly priced, and I’d normally expect it on more expensive models only, such as the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251UKT. The LED indicator changes colour to show when dirt is detected, as a visual guide.
Running around the back of the cleaner is an LED strip that slowly extinguishes as the battery runs out. It’s a neat indicator of battery life.
If the cleaner is turned off, there’s a button on the battery that lights up the four LEDs to show the current charge state.
Dirt is pulled into the 0.7-litre bin, which is easily big enough for a full-home clean. It’s relatively easy to empty, too: with the cleaner over the bin, press the eject button to open the flap, and then slide the bin forward to push out debris into the bin.
As with the non-Detect model, the eject button is placed very close to the wand removal button, so it takes a little getting used to in order to avoid tipping dust all over your shoes, rather than removing the wand.
The removable, washable filter is located at the top, and slides out easily for cleaning.
Performance
- Excellent automatic dust collection
- No hair tangling
- Powerful suction
As the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design is very similar to the non-Detect version, I wasn’t surprised to see the same suction figures when measured at the wand. On the standard setting, I saw 40AW, which is enough for most messes when combined with the agitating action of the floor head.
On maximum setting, the vacuum reached 164AW, which puts it close to the performance of the Miele Triflex HX2 Pro and the Shark IZ380UKT.
To see what the maximum suction can do, I put down a row of rice, and placed a tape measure next to it. Placing the crevice tool at the end, I saw that rice grains were collected from just over 2cm away.
For handheld clean-up jobs, such as vacuuming a car or wardrobe, this cleaner has the power to make these tasks fast.
Next, I moved to the carpet test, where I added 20g of flour to the floor. Running the cleaner through the middle of the mess on automatic mode, I found it left a relatively clean sweep, although there was some noticeable dust left on the sides of the floor head.
I then finished the job with the automatic mode. I found this made the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design quicker and easier to use than the Vax HomePro Pet-Design, as it adjusted power automatically and made it clear when the vacuum had finished its dust collection.
Overall, I measured that 99% of the dust was collected, and improvement over the previous version because I knew when to stop cleaning.
I then moved to the edge test. Here, I added 10g of flour to the carpet tiles, right up to the skirting board. Running the cleaner along the skirting board, I found that its automatic power mode kicked in. Edge dust collection was 83.7%, which is good but not the best that I’ve seen. I had to finish the job with the crevice tool.
On hard flooring, I put down 20g of rice. Here, the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design did brilliantly, collecting 100% of the mess with ease.
I then combed cat hair into the floor and used the floor head to pick it up. All hair was removed, without a trace.
I then added long human hair to the floor and vacuumed it up. I’m happy to say that the floor head did its job, and nothing was left tangled around the floor head.
Battery life came in at 31m 28s on standard power and 10m 53s on boost. In auto mode, you’ll get somewhere between the two figures, depending on how much dust there is. For larger homes, two batteries would be sensible.
Sound came in at 71.3dB on standard and 72.8dB on boost, which is about average for a cordless vacuum cleaner.
Should you buy it?
Buy if you want powerful automatic cleaning
With DebrisDetect, this vacuum cleaner adjusts power based on the level of dirt, giving a deep clean fast.
Don’t buy if you want something cheaper
If you’re on a tighter budget, you can get similar cleaning performance and the same features with the regular Vax HomePro Pet-Design.
Final Thoughts
You pay around £80 more for the Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design compared to the Vax HomePro Pet-Design. It’s money well spent, in my opinion. The original version remains an excellent cleaner, capable of good results, but the DebrisDetect feature is brilliant. Taking the guesswork out of which setting to use, I found this mode made cleaning easier and faster.
If you’re on a tighter budget or want a cleaner with a self-empty station, you can look at my guide to the best cordless vacuum cleaners.
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every vacuum cleaner we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Used as our main vacuum cleaner for the review period
- Tested for at least a week
- Tested using tools to measure actual suction performance
- Tested with real-world dirt in real-world situations for fair comparisons with other vacuum cleaners
FAQs
You can use any Vax ONEPWR batteries with this vacuum – a 4Ah battery is provided as standard with most versions, plus there’s a dual-battery version available.
It all comes down to the accessories provided, but the basic design and performance is the same for all models.
Test Data
| Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design | |
|---|---|
| AirWatts (low) | 40 AW |
| AirWatts (high) | 164 AW |
| Sound (low) | 71.3 dB |
| Sound (high) | 72.8 dB |
Full Specs
| Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design Review | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Vax |
| Size (Dimensions) | 220 x 250 x 1158 MM |
| Weight | 3.5 KG |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 18/06/2025 |
| Model Number | Vax HomePro Detect Pet-Design |
| Vacuum cleaner type | Cordless stick |
| Provided heads | Motorised floor head, crevice tool, stair tool, pet hair removal tool, motorised pet tool |
| Bin capacity | 0.7 litres |
| Bagless | Yes |
| Modes | Standard, boost, auto |
| Filters | 1 (washable) |
| Run time | hrs min |