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Cordless vacuum cleaners really are one of the best inventions as far as I am concerned. No need to mess about plugging power cords in, tripping over them and then needing to unplug them to move to a different room. Also no need to faff about with a dustpan and brush as vacuum cleaners these days are smaller and lighter. Small enough even to suck up crumbs from the counter easily. Over the past few weeks we have been testing out the Hoover H-FREE 500, which is so light that it weighs the same as a 1.5 litre bottle of drink!
We have wooden floors in most of the house with a lot of rugs of varying piles, so need a vacuum that can easily switch between hard floors and carpets. We have also got two cats and four humans creating mess too, so I tend to vacuum daily at least once but often more than that.
What they say about the Hoover HF 500
HF500 is the lightest and most compact cordless stick of Hoover’s range, with outstanding performance, equal to a corded vacuum. The clever design reduces the height to just 69cm, for easy storage wherever you want.
The H-Lab Brushless Compact Motor provides consistent power output with outstanding suction to pick up all fine dust, larger debris, hair and pet hair. The combination of the powerful motor, air flows and nozzle ensures excellent cleaning results.
What we think about the Hoover H-FREE 500
Genuinely love it. When I first opened the box and saw how small and light the hoover was I was a little sceptical about how it would perform. Once I’d charged the battery up and assembled the hoover I did a quick spin around the downstairs of our house and realised I had nothing to worry about. It was SO easy to switch between rugs and hard floors, both kitchen lino and exposed wood. I was impressed with the pick up, rarely having to go over an area twice. You can actually feel the power as you push the hoover around, which sounds hard to explain so you’ll just have to trust me. It even picked up fluff and dirt from the cracks between the floor boards!
We’ve also used it in the car as it’s so portable and can get into more of the nooks and crannies that we needed to clean out. When using it on corners of ceilings because it is so light you don’t get arm ache or need to hold the hoover up into the corners with two arms, unlike previous models we’ve used, and now all the winter cobwebs are gone!
The Hoover HFREE 500 is also smaller to store than other upright vacuum cleaners and the battery is easily removed for charging, and you can purchase a second one to avoid any interruption of your cleaning session. The machine did come with a wall fitting but I tend to just tuck it behind the kitchen door and charge the battery elsewhere as this works well for us. The main unit unclips and sits further down the machine so you can store it easily upright, with all the different cleaning attachments in one place.
After a week I did have to remove some hair wrapped around the roller, but this was a lot easier and less fiddly to do than with the Shark model we were using before, as all the parts are easily unassembled to clean and put back together again. A spare filter came with the hoover so when that’s been washed and is drying you can carry on cleaning.
The dust-container is smaller than I am used to, but so far it’s not filled up completely before I’ve needed to empty it and even when it’s almost full it doesn’t seem to affect the power of the suck.
I love how easy the buttons are to use whilst you’re vacuuming with the flick of a thumb! You can switch the turbo on for extra power, and switch the carpet roller on or off depending on the floor surface.
The ‘head lights’ on the main attachment mean you can see what you’re doing in dark corners, or under the sofa. The other attachments mean you’ve got everything you need to get cobwebs, dust shelves and awkward places as well as your sofa with the upholstery attachment.
Our verdict
The vacuum cleaner I was using before is a Shark, it’s also a cordless model but compared to the H Free 500 it’s much heavier, both the body and the floor unit and takes longer to charge. I’ve not done a scientific comparison between the power of the pick up, but the H Free 500 sucks up ‘dust bunnies’, hair, crumbs and everything you would expect it to and is so much lighter to use that I’ve picked it over the Shark each time since it arrived. Its made my spring cleaning a doddle, and actually pleasurable!
You can browse the full range of Hoover cordless vacuum cleaners, including the pets range and steam mop bundles.