VAX Big Bubble Review

Overall Rating

Very reasonable price
Works well
Never buy bags again

We had previously bought an LG bagless upright machine about 18 months ago. In use it proved to be the most difficult machine to live with because of its weight and resistance moving around. When the beater bar belt broke I took the opportunity to find something better suited to our needs.

So this time we went to the other extreme and bought the lightest, cheapest bagless upright we could find. The Vax Big Bubble machine has not disappointed us yet. It has met pretty much met all our expectations.

It comes in a relatively small box but that's because you are expected to some of the assembly yourself. Fortunately all you need is a screwdriver and a little patience. The instructions are clear and you can't really go wrong.

It picks up well, both over short piled carpet and hard wooden flooring. Its suction is certainly adequate without being so powerful that it sucks itself down to the floor. It is light and easily moveable around the room without having to put in too much effort. There's no manual adjustment for carpet pile height or flooring type but this doesn't seem to affect the performance. The suction available to the tools supplied is also quite adequate.

One criticism here, you don't get a lot of tools thrown in compared with some other machines, just a straight hose extension piece, a simple crevice tool and a small bristled brush head. The hose and tools are a little flimsy but there's no reason to believe that they won't give adequate service if treated reasonably. Removing and emptying the dust container is easy. There's a removeable filter inside the dust container which Vax recommend is washed occasionally. It's a long-life-type filter which should never need replacing. There's the traditional belt drive to the front beater bar which will inevitably break at some time and I've taken the precaution of ordering a couple of replacements from the Vax spares department (£4.50 each). Fitting these looks easy. Construction of the cleaner is almost entirely plastic, there is very little metal employed anywhere (except for the motor unit)
The power cable could have been longer, it's enough without being generous. Curiously, the cable itself is quite stiff and not as flexible as you might expect.

In summary, this is a very effective and lightweight cleaner. Just what we needed for our domestic circumstances. The construction is a trifle flimsy compared with more pricey products from other manufacturers but this is more than offset by the price, lightness and convenience. A good buy.