Verdict

The Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac offers pretty much the same power as a full-size model, but its compact form means you can stash it where you're likely to need it most – such as in the kitchen – to quickly clean up smaller spills. There's no battery in the box, but if you have an existing Vax ONEPWR product then this is a cheap and handy extra.

Pros

• Small and easy to use
• Works with all ONEPWR batteries
• As powerful as a full-size vacuum cleaner

Cons

• Best value if you have another ONEPWR product

Most cordless vacuum cleaners are designed to replicate the features of a plug-in model, delivering the full power you need for a whole-home clean. The Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac is something of a throwback to the original days of the cordless vacuum cleaner, the Black & Decker DustBuster. Built to be quickly grabbed for smaller spills, this model could be your new kitchen friend.

Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac design – Chunky and powerful, with removable batteries

• Like a Dustbuster of old, this is a chunky old vacuum cleaner to grab and go for small spills
• Simple on and off switch for control
• Works with any ONEPWR battery

Designed to be grabbed and used to clean up smaller spills, the Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac sports a far simpler design to many other cordless vacuum cleaners. It has a chunky handle at the back, just behind the simple on/off control, and the bin sits at the front of the vacuum cleaner with the opening acting as the basic nozzle for cleaning up bigger spills.

There’s a simple on/off control on this cordless model

On the underside is storage for the clip-in crevice tool, which lets you get into harder-to-reach areas. And that’s it for accessories – since that’s all you’ll really need with a device such as this.

The crevice tool slides away for storage underneath the vacuum

As the ONEPWR name suggests, the Cordless Hand Vac is compatible with any of Vax’s ONEPWR batteries. In fact, this model ships without a battery, and has been designed to be bought as an accessory for one of the other tools in the lineup, such as the ONEPWR Glide or ONEPWR Blade 4. You can buy batteries separately, but that will push up the price and therefore make this tool a less attractive option.

Batteries slide into the back, but a unit isn’t supplied in the box

Batteries slide into the rear of the handle and lock securely into place. You can then stand the vacuum cleaner vertically or lay it flat in a cupboard for storage. There’s a charge meter on the rear of the battery, with four LEDs to indicate the approximate charge status. Once the battery is flat, it needs to be placed into a charger – again, this isn’t provided in the box.

Emptying the vacuum cleaner is fairly straightforward. A press of a button detaches the bin from the front. To get the dust out, you’ll need to grip and pull the filter holder out; this is a little fiddly, requiring more force than you may at first estimate. You can then tip and empty out the dust.

The filter unclips from the inside and can be rinsed under a tap to keep it clean. This setup means you can wash out the bin from time-to-time, too.

The bin is easy to take apart for cleaning

Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac performance – Near-on the power of a full vacuum cleaner

• Has the full power of a regular vacuum cleaner
• Easily cleans up spills but with only a crevice tool there’s not much flexibility
• Short battery life, but long enough for small jobs

Handheld vacuum cleaners of this type that I’ve reviewed in the past, such as the Vorwerk Kobold VC100, have been far less powerful models than the ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac. Using the same high-performance batteries of the full range, this model offers similar performance to its big brothers, albeit with just a single power mode.

To test suction and performance, I used a water-lift meter. For comparison, I test vacuum cleaners using a 2in opening. I measured the Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac with a water-lift of 15 inches.

In comparison, the Vax ONEPWR Blade 4 on standard power mode offers more powerful suction; I measured a water lift of 20 inches. This model has a Turbo mode, too, which ups suction with a measured water-lift of 54 inches. Still, for a small handheld unit, the Hand Vac is certainly impressive and not far off the Blade 4. Plus, the nozzle of the Hand Vac sits much closer to the bin, so less suction doesn’t translate to worse performance.

Fortunately, the quality can be seen in the real-world tests. First, I started with the carpet test, sprinkling flour onto carpet. Running the vacuum cleaner through the centre of the patch resulted in a clear path from where all the mess was removed.

The wide area in which the flour was dusted meant the Cordless Hand Vac needed to be used a few times to pick up everything, taking longer than a regular cordless vacuum cleaner with a larger motorised floor head.

Carpet test: Dirty carpet (left) vs Clean carpet (right) – move slider to compare

Next, I attempted pick-up on a hard floor, sprinkling rice onto the floor. Again, a single pass was sufficient to suck up every grain in the vacuum’s path. The Hand Vac was even powerful enough to pull up some rice grains that had fallen into the gap between floorboards, which is super-impressive. Suction performance is reflected in this vacuum’s noise levels – I measured the Cordless Hand Vac at 85.1dB.

Hard floor test: Dirty hard floor (left) vs Clean hard floor (right) – move slider to compare

Battery life will depend on the unit used, with the largest in the range – the 4Ah model – lasting 25 minutes. Expect half this if you use a 2Ah battery. Given that this vacuum is designed for picking up smaller spills, even a 2Ah battery will last you for a good couple of weeks of normal use.

Should you buy the Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac?

There will be occasions when it will be easier to reach for a small vacuum cleaner to quickly pick up some mess – whilst cooking, for example, or if your pets have made a mess. Other such handheld vacuum cleaners that I’ve tested are handy for very little jobs, but generally lack power; the Vax ONEPWR Cordless Hand Vac is the exact opposite.

With near-on the same power as the larger vacuum cleaners in the ONEPWR range, the Hand Vac can easily pick up any type of spill. If you find yourself regularly cleaning up patches of mess then this handy grab-and-go vacuum is for you – but it offers much better value to those who own a ONEPWR product with battery already. If you need more flexibility, an alternative cordless vacuum cleaner will be better.

Trusted Score