Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
cheap, efficient, effective, lightweight |
| Disadvantages: |
lots of assembly, fiddly tool adjustment, no space for turbo tool |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
Once upon a time I had a Dyson. In my opinion Dyson's are probably the best vacuum cleaner on the market but I will never buy one again because I have a husband who is a keen diy-er. I spent more time washing the filters than I did cleaning the floors and I made a decision to buy cheaper alternatives in future.
Anyway today the Sanyo bit the dust after a furious bout of sanding artex and luckily Argos was still open. The Vax VS-19 Swift 1600 was reduced to £59.99 in store, it's a good name, it had a HEPA filter and a free turbo tool and it looked like it would do the job so I bought it.
I was surprised by the small size of the box and assumed that there would be some assembly required but the box was easy to carry and weighed 5.6 kg so it wasn't difficult carrying it back to my car some distance away. A distinct advantage!
At home I was dismayed by the number of pieces that had to be unpacked and assembled as I don't find this job easy. However the instructions are reasonably clear and well illustrated and it went together with no problems. * You will need a Phillips screwdriver for this job*
First impressions are that this is a lot flimsier than my now defunct Sanyo. The dust container is much smaller than I'm used to but as it looks easy to empty this shouldn't cause problems. Overall it's a much smaller, lighter machine than anything I've had before.
Time to test it out. A quick sweep of the bedroom carpet which was cleaned with the Sanyo not half an hour before filled the dust container. First problem - it's not as easy to empty as it looks as the top locks on easily but I struggle to unlock it. However emptying it is easy, just a tip and a shake into the bin, twist the HEPA filter off and bang it against the side of the bin a couple of times as instructed and put it all together again. Downstairs for the living room and the container is full again. Now this is a GOOD thing but I can see than there's going to be a lot of emptying going on.
Time to test the onboard tools which aren't onboard yet as I got a bit bored putting bits together and wanted to test the machine. There's a extension tube, a crevice tool, a two in one brush and the turbo tool which doesn't fit onboard anywhere. Now that's annoying!
Now I'm going to admit to not reading the instruction book at this point because I've used modern upright vacuum cleaners before. Mistake!!! The hose that I fitted as per instructions is only stored there so plugging the turbo tool into it was never going to do anything. I tried both ends of the hose before consulting the book and discovered my error. The main hose has to be disconnected from the base of the cleaner and the extension hose attached to it. I'm not impressed with this feature. Things have moved on so much recently in appliance design that I wasn't expecting anything so .. basic.
I attached the turbo tool and tested it on the sofa which was handy. Not impressed. I then turned it the right way round and wow - this is an amazing upholstery cleaner. It worked just as well on the stairs. The turbo tool is a small attachment which contains a rotating brush and is designed for stairs and upholstery. It spins round very quickly when attached and switched and users are warned to keep their hair away from it.
Now I realise that I'm coming across as a bit ditzy here with failing to notice that the hose wasn't connected to anything and that the tool was upside down but I'm not usually like this. Maybe I'm just not finding the thing logical or intuitive.
Maintenance appears easy enough although I haven't had to do any yet obviously. Filters need to replaced every 12 months and the paper HEPA filter can't be washed.
It works well on pet hairs, general household dust and dirt and it cleared a nice dried mud stain. The automatic adjustment for different carpet pile works well. The beater bar revolves constantly, there is a warning included with the paper work to ensure that the back of the machine is at the base of stairs to prevent damage to surfaces. Other cleaners I've used have a hard floor setting but this doesn't. I used it on tiles successfully but haven't dared use it on my laminate floor yet just in case.
Would I recommend it. Yes I think so. I'm very impressed with the way it cleans and the lightness and way that this machine moves around but there are niggles that I suspect will get to me over time. Switching to the hose is fiddly and awkward, the dust container is very small, the cleaner won't fit under a lot of my furniture and it just seems flimsy.
Overall a four out of five, at full price it would have been a three
| More Reviews |
 This Does Suck !!!
Review of VAX VS 19 Swift by
Bens__mummy
Advantages: Read Review.
Disadvantages: Read Review
...and problems at tall. This Vax is a nightmare and more the often throwing the crumbs backwards so you have to the floors more then once which does take up much more time and this can be a nightmare when you have kids crying at your ankles or your in a hurry. Pet Hair 5 out 5
Food 5 out 5
Dirt 5 out 5 Stairs 3 out of 5
Carpets 5 out 5
Wood floors 0 out of 5
*** Specs***
1500 watt
Auto carpet height adjuster
Lightweight - highly manoeuvrable
...
...storage
7.5m cord with cord storage. Weight 5.6kg.
*** Price and where to buy***
I picked one up from Argos and only paid £59.99 and this was in the sale. It's a good bargain. You can find one of these nearly about everywhere now. Prices ranging from £59.99 to £89.99. Worth shopping around. ***My Thoughts***
Well I have had some minor problems with this hover like it's easy pulled over by kids and the hose does not reach to do the stairs. Though ...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
| Durability |
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very helpful
12.03.2007
(16.03.2007)
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 This really does suck!!!!
Review of VAX VS 19 Swift by
rayns2006
Advantages: powerful, bagless, good filter system,
Disadvantages: very loud, messy emptying
...thoughts.
Packaging - The Vax VS-19 comes in a relatively small box and is also fairly light this concerned me initially as i thought a may have just spent money on a lightweight flimsy Hoover, but when i opened it i was pleasantly surprised. Assembly - There is a small amount of self assembly to complete on opening the box but it is very straight forward and pretty much a case of just attaching the handle, tools, cylinder and filter. I have to ...
...muck on the carpets. The Vax however had no trouble dealing with dog hairs, kiddy crumbs, dust, grass and various other types of muck my family manages to bring in from the garden. There is also no noticeable drop in performance at all. It manages to collect everything it is pointed at and filters out even the tiniest particles of dust and collects then in the bagless cylinder, the bigger things it collects wizz around the inside of the clear plastic ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
14.11.2006
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 VAX Swift
Review of VAX VS 19 Swift by
Suziwann
Advantages: Powerful, bagless, cheap, reusable filter
Disadvantages: A bit fiddly to start.
I paid £50 for this Vax upright and was a bit wary as it was on special offer at B&Q.
When I got it home I realised that it may have been on special offer as it is only part assembled. Hence the tiny box that it comes in.
The instructions to assemble it weren't very clear but with perseverence it was manageable.
The first time that I hoovered a carpet with it I couldn't believe the sucking power of this mighty machine. It was extremely hard to ...
...you are familiar with other Vax products, you will know that they are not the easiest of machines to change attachments on. They are however very cleverly designed and changing the attachments does get easier as you get used to using it. I wouldn't say that this is a problem, they are just different and human beings don't tend to adapt too well to change.
Emptying the cylinder is really easy and as it has a clear wall, you can see when it is full.
...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful |
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very helpful
04.06.2004
(15.02.2005)
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To My dyson, imsorry i doubted you..
Review of VAX VS 19 Swift by
LadyBev
Advantages: Light weight
Disadvantages: Doesnt like skirting boards
Well when i bought this hoover i was expecting good things, but i dont think its all that great and while i dont rate the dyson very highly i would have to say i would rather use one of those than this. I excitely got it out of the box (well not that excited but i desperatly needed to hoover the house so some what excited), my face fell when i realised i had to put it together myself DIY not one of my strong points. so i huffed and puffed and then ...
...its quicker to sweep the house with a brush. i found it easy enough to fit together with the help of the instructions, so if i can do it you can 2.
Right lets get started, kids you'll have to wait for tea im hoovering the whole house right now...
It looked ok but not very sturdy, i figured i best be gentle with this. Its a bagless cleaner and i have to say the filter is a bit weird, its long, made of some sort of paper i guess and full of grooves ...
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helpful
03.06.2007
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Sure is Swift
Review of VAX VS 19 Swift by
Kingkarliii
Advantages: Bagless, Powerful
Disadvantages: Blasts dust everywhere
...one I come across the Vax VS-19 Swift and swiftly purchased one. I bought it because of its Dyson like style and the clear dust canister on the front.
***Product***
The Vax VS-19 Swift is an upright bagless vacuum cleaner and boasts 1500 watts of cyclonic power. The filter is HEPA and should help keep the germs at bay. The filter is permanent which means no more looking for the right bag. I find this quite a task and usually end up buying a compatable. ...
...button and the on/off switch. VAX is clearly stamped on the front of the dust canister in Bold font, with Swift Bagless stamped on thefront right side when you look at it. It also looks a bit like a Dyson if your imagination can stretch that far.
***Useful Addresses***
Vax Ltd.
Kingswood Road,
Hampton Lovett,
Droitwich,
Worcestershire,
WR9 0QH
UK
email - enquiry@vax.co.uk
website - www.vax.co.uk
***Price***
This came from either Currys ...
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helpful
29.03.2006
(22.04.2006)
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