Customer Reviews

Vax U89-P8-P Power 8 Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

The Vax is delivered in quite a small box and you have to assemble it yourself. Its very easy to do, takes 5 minutes and only requires 3 screws the rest of the parts just click into place.

Build quality seems fairly good although the holder for the turbo head is a bit flimsy, but I am sure it will do the job. The machine is heavy (mentioned in other reviews) so if you are not very strong look elsewhere. The on switch and recliner buttons are located on the left side and easy to reach with your foot, unfortunately it is near where the cable comes out and this is my only real gripe, the placement of the cable. On the positive side the cable is very long and I managed to do my entire flat from one mains socket.

The use of the accessories is quite straight forward, just push them together, same as most other machines. My niggle here is that the crevice tool could have been smaller, it is too long for what I need to do but for most people it would not be an issue.

To test the cleaning power I first cleaned the carpet and kitchen floor with my old vac then went over it with this new machine. I could not believe how much extra dirt it picked up, filling the cylinder to about 1/3 full. The carpets looked cleaner and refreshed. For pure cleaning power I am very impressed and would recommend this to anyone not wanting to spend loads of money on another well known brand as I cannot see it cleaning any better than this one and they are more than double the price.

UPDATE: Having used this machine for quite a while now I should point out that its weaknesses are the catch that holds the handle up is not very good and often gives way when using the hose with tools. Never angle it so it can fall open and hit something. It never allows you to get more than a 1/3 full cylinder before it blocks the top filter and you have to empty it. The machine filter in the bottom of the unit must be taken out and washed every 3 or 4 weeks, there are 2 slots to allow you to use something like a knife handle as a wrench to undo the cover for this filter.

I am a house keeper/cleaner by trade so have used a lot of hoovers over the years. This new Vax Power 8 pet vacuum is by far the best. It works great on both hard floors and carpets. It has an adjustable head setting, so can even be used on shaggy carpets, it has brought mine up like new. The tools are great, I love the turbo pet hair tool as this makes hoovering the stairs and furniture a doddle. This is the only vacuum I've ever used that picks up all the hairs first time, so no need to go over the same spot again and again. It has a 3 litre bin capacity so needs emptying less often. If I had to find one fault with it, (and I have had to be really picky here) is that it is a bit noisy compared to other models, but I put this down to the powerfull 2200 motor. For asthma sufferers like me, the Hepa filters are great, it is also antibacterial, so a lovely clean machine to use too.

I am extremely dissatisfied with this product. I bought it at the beginning of March on moving into a new property. I bought it after reading some good reviews about the product on Amazon and I was encouraged by the positive comments people were making regarding the product. I specifically chose the Power 8 because it was said to be good for those with animals. Having a long haired cat it was important for me to have something that would effectively pick up all pet hair and also a product that would make it easier for me to Hoover the stairs.
After having this product for 5 months I can say that it fills none of my requirements and I find it a complete waste of my money. My issues with it are as follows; firstly, despite the product description saying it "is a powerful, large capacity vacuum cleaner" the capacity is actually rather despicable. I can Hoover once, maybe twice if I'm lucky before losing almost all of the suction, meaning I have to empty the drum which is only a quarter full before resuming my hovering.
Emptying the drum poses another problem, the product description says it is "perfect for pet lovers" but I find that my cat's hair gets stuck in the top of the drum meaning that when I empty it I have to put my hand into the parts of the Hoover to drag out the cat hairs! This is not a nice experience to stick ones hand in a dirty Hoover.
My next issue is the attachments for the Hoover. The Turbo Tool worked fine the first time I used it, but since then it has become absolutely pointless. The pet hairs that the Hoover supposedly picks up get stuck in the motor of the part. This would be fine if once the hair was removed (following the instructions of the manual) the part worked again. However it doesn't. After multiple times taking the Turbo Tool apart and trying to fix it, it still does not work, and for some reason which I cannot fathom it also has no suction.
The extension tube also has the same problem. Upon trying to use it to get into cracks and crevices with no luck, I realised that the reason it wasn't working was because there was no suction coming through the part. Possibly because of the holes in the side of the tube where all the suction escapes from.
My next issue is with the main body of the Hoover. The Hoover reclining mechanism is appalling. At times the Hoover will not even stand up on its own as the reclining mechanism will not click back into place and the Hoover falls over backwards. This along with all other problems makes the Hoover feel as if it is 2-3 years old, not 5 months which is how long I've had it!
My final complaint is the noise level; I literally have never heard a Hoover so loud for something which actually has virtually no suction! It is so loud my husband will not even sit in the same room while I Hoover, and should he Hoover himself he wears ear plugs to block out the noise! This is not a joke!
All these problems accumulate so that I literally hate to use this Hoover! I am so disappointed with this product and I feel it is such a waste of money. I can only assume that the reviews I read on Amazon were planted by the Vax team as I have had no proof from my own product that any of the comments were true.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005QAKT46/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_title

With the old saying 'all I want for Xmas' I am glad I picked this model before Xmas just to clear any unwanted mess up. I have had Vax products before but this was a long time ago and to be honest it is now probably obsolete , hence a new model .
This product did not disappoint. Easy to assemble, easy to use and easy to store. It is lightweight, manoeuvres easily and with the 10mtr cable ( life saver ) and just over a 3mtr hose it covers the entire downstairs easily.
The motor is very powerful ( the only downside is the noise) but the suction from the vacuum is fantastic. It sounds like a jet engine taking off. I can live with that for the job it does.
Cleaning the stairs was so easy and it must be the first time in almost a year I have been left with `no pet hair' on the carpet. This model is also ideal for hard floors and long pile carpets . It has an easily adjustable switch which controls the height of the brushes.
The cylinder is very accessible and cleaning was very easy and could be carried out one handed.
The instructions were clear and concise and the colour schemes on offer were great.
Would I recommend it to a friend - Yes I would and that not something I do every day. One of the benefiting factors in choosing this product was the fact it comes with a two year guarantee. If this model lives up to my old one I do not think I will need it.

I already used the Power Pet 2 and thought that this was amazing at picking up the dog hairs, we have 5 white haired dogs, a nightmare!!! |However, we got this to test and are totally gobsmacked at just how much of an improvement it is. The suction power is first class, leaving carpets like new and the pet attachment for furniture is amazing lifts the finest hair off, suite looks like new. The long length of cable is a bonus as you can go from room to room with ease.
It is a bit noisy but not as noisy as the Pet 2 so this is an improvement even though it feels like a jet engine starting!! Great not having a filter in the collection chamber, no build up of dust and having to furiously shake the filter to free of dust, certainly a job I am glad not having to do now, so easy to empty and keep clean. Would absolutely recommend for anyone not just pet owners.Vax U89-P8-P Power 8 Pet Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner

this was brilliant for the first 3 uses then just kept clogging up at the top of the cylinder, Vax said it was static, followed their instructions but was no better so sent it back - shame as it was brilliant to start with

Vax Power 8 Pet 2200w and Power 9 total home 2300w

Avoid these vacuum cleaners at all costs. Using either of the above makes cleaning more stressful than it needs to be!
The filter constantly needs cleaning. The vacuum only has any decent suction power immediately after the filter has been cleaned but this quickly reduces, even after cleaning only half of a room. The filters are difficult to put back in, they don't seem to sit properly in the housing unit.

The entrance to the dust cylinder clogs easily, probably due to the constant lack of suction, so no dirt is pulled in to the cylinder, it is all clogged in the entrance tube.

The hard floor setting is useless, I have to use the `short carpet pile' setting to have any chance of cleaning hard floors.
There are vent holes in the neck of the crevice tool which means there is also zero suction when using it. It isn't even strong enough to vacuum cobwebs. I taped them up to try to improve the suction levels.

I contacted Vax about this who were very helpful and offered to send me a replacement vacuum cleaner if I paid a £3.99 administration fee. I did this and they sent me a Power 9 total home 2300w vacuum cleaner.

Unfortunately this has all of the problems listed above plus It is very heavy, really noise and it tips over easily when using the hand tools.

I am very disappointed with the Vax cleaners. My previous vacuum cleaner was a Vax and I was very pleased with it. I can't remember the model but it was in an orange casing. I had that cleaner for over 7 years and I never had any problems with it. The only reason I had to get a new one was because one of the wheels broke off.

I will not be buying another Vax cleaner.

This really is the most infuriating vacuum hoover I have ever come across. There are several features which leave me completely confused as to what on earth the designer (if you can call them that) was thinking. Once youve learnt to deal with the minor but no less irritating features such as a far too short hose and awkward return to upright postion, which both result in the vacuum falling over more times than I care to mention, you get to the most ridiculous and unforgivably useless design of the canister.

For some unknown reason the dirt does not fall straight into the canister from the hose. Instead it has to make its little journey round a rather narrow sprialled tunnel within the lid which results in constant blockages, the dirt rarely makes it into the canister. Each and every time I have used this vacuum within the three months Ive owned it, I have had to dig the dirt out of the lid by using a screwdriver which is now on constant standby.

The final straw with this vacuum came when after having lost suction once again, and when the usual screwdriver action seemed to fail to do the trick, I attempted to take it apart in order to search for hidden blockages. This is something I never wish to repeat, it really is the most hideously tortuous and clumsy design. Once I had actually managed to remove the base cover it took nearly an hour to fix it back on, which occurred purely by fluke after a much needed tea break, and not before I envisioned launching the entire thing through the window.

The vacuum in general feels rather cheap and nothing seems to have been thought through in terms of functionality and usability. On a plus note, when it works for the few minutes before it blocks up, it works well and really seems to lift dirt. The cable is also a decent length which means I can reach further round my home before having to unplug it, but these really are the only two positives I can think of.

Terrible and useless design, would not recommend this to anyone, ever.

I bought this product a few months ago. I have now given up with it and bought a Dyson. I said I never would as I have always considered the Dyson to be overpriced. Believe me, in the long run it's cheaper than paying for junk.

As others have said, this Vax just continually clogs up at the top and virtually nothing gets into the collection bowl, therefore emptying is continual and is messy.

Avoid.

Pros- easy to assemble, fairly lightweight, great length lead, powerful, great attachment for getting rid of pet hairs especially on furniture, extremely easy to empty.

Cons- bit stubbon to click back to upright for the first few uses.

Having already owned a Vax, this was a step up. It is more lightweight than my previous model and more powerful. The extra length on the lead was also a bonus. Very easy to assemble. Great on all floor surfaces (I have wooden floors, tiled floors, carpeted floors and shaggy rugs). Fantastic attatchement great for soft furnishings and getting rid of pet hairs. Extremely easy to empty.

Would highly recommend.