Vax Air Lift Pet Upright Vacuum Cleaner; Easily converts to a portable, lift out vacuum; Steerable Technology; Pet Tool – UCPESHV1, 1.5 Litre, 850W, Black, Blue, Grey
Vax Air Lift Pet Upright Vacuum Cleaner; Easily converts to a portable, lift out vacuum; Steerable Technology; Pet Tool - UCPESHV1, 1.5 Litre, 850W, Black,...
3 reviews for Vax Air Lift Pet Upright Vacuum Cleaner; Easily converts to a portable, lift out vacuum; Steerable Technology; Pet Tool – UCPESHV1, 1.5 Litre, 850W, Black, Blue, Grey
Rated 4 out of 5
Regular customer –
Our previous vacuum was a Dyson DC50, so here’s a comparison: Suction power – here, the Vax wins, and then some! The Dyson was feeble in comparison. The last job the Dyson did before it died was vacuuming the living room carpet, a regular occurrence as we have a cat. This was about two days prior to the Vax arriving. The amount of stuff the Vax then got out the carpet was incredible! Tip – don’t try to vacuum door mats or thin rugs with the main machine, or it will pick them up rather than rolling over them! Also, don’t leave charging cables lying around. The Dyson would happily roll over them – not this thing, which is already named The Beast in our house, and has given rise to several inappropriate jokes about suction power. Detachable hose – Here, the Dyson wins, as their hose is far longer, and doesn’t pull the machine over, unlike the short Vax example. Something of a design compromise, I’d guess, given the exceptionally low price! You get what you pay for. Tip – lie the Vax down on its side when using the hose, it’ll fall over otherwise! Detachable cylinder – Another Vax win. Although you simply carried the whole Dyson when vacuuming the stairs, with the Vax you detach the cylinder. The fearsome attachment for cleaning the stairs and the far better suction, means the Vax does a better job. Tip – When using the attachment for cleaning the stairs, roll it backwards. It simply doesn’t work pushed forward. Overall – The Vax when fully assembled is far heavier than the Dyson, and you need to put a bit of effort into pushing it around. So, if this would be a problem for you, then the Vax is not for you. The Vax can roll into corners just as well as the Dyson. However, for the considerable price difference, all the minor quibbles listed above become largely irrelevant. The only unknown is reliability. The Dyson lasted probably 10 years, will the Vax get close? At this price even if it lasts half as long, it’s a win!
Rated 5 out of 5
Regular customer –
I don’t usually get exited by a vacuum cleaner but, for the sake of anyone looking for an upright vacuum cleaner that performs well, is easy to manoeuvre and easy to use on the stairs, this, in my view, is the ideal vacuum cleaner. It has very strong suction which can be adjusted for different floor surfaces. the cylinder (with motor) can be detached from the body of the vacuum cleaner and the long power lead that’s attached to it makes the whole thing light and easy to carry up and down the stairs. I don’t have any pets but it certainly does pick up human hair. One major downside is that it comes with only a few attachments, you have to buy the rest separately at an extra cost. Two minor downsides are; 1. It has quite a short extension hose, compared to other previous makes that I’ve used. This may have been a design compromise to enable the removal of the cylinder from the body of the vacuum cleaner. 2. The on/off switch is not easy to distinguish from the way the three switches at the top of the cylinder are symmetrically lined up ( as shown in the two photos). The on/off switch is one of the two small switches positioned on either side of the larger switch. The two small switches are identical in size, shape and colour and the only way you can tell that one is the on/off switch is from the power symbol that is in relief on the top of the switch and in the same colour as the rest of the switch, therefore, not easily/clearly identified. Using an alternate colour, shape, size or position would make the on/off switch a lot easier to identify. A minor ( but, nevertheless, relevant) down side on what is otherwise a really well designed vacuum cleaner.
Rated 5 out of 5
Suzanne –
After reading lots of reviews on various hoovers I took a chance on this one but was a bit unsure as the comments on the hose length for the stairs concerned me. I’ve just used it for the first time & found the instructions easy to understand & it was very easy to assemble.
The suction for carpet was brilliant & very strong on full power & the button you press to change it to hard floor use is easy to reach without bending too much. I’m 5’8″ tall & the handle is plenty tall enough for me not to have to bend when using this hoover.
Now the main issue for me is that my bedroom carpet is the hardest carpet to hoover as it’s nearly impossible to remove all the dog & cat fur. There’s always a layer left behind so each month I have to get on my hands & knees & physically scrape the residual fur left from previous hoovers off my carpet – as you can imagine this is a real pain.
Now please bear in mind that this has been happening for a number of years & I have used Sebo Pet, Mielle & my last hoover was a Vax which did give me the best results but I still had to regularly scrape the fur off the carpet.
Well, those days are now over as this hoover actually removes the fur off my bedroom carpet & it looks clean for the first time after hoovering it. I am so impressed with the powerful suction on this hoover.
The second thing was the length of the hose for the stairs, & yes, it is short but when you unclip the cylinder I found that it was actually the right length for the job in hand. My top 4 stairs turn so in the past I could never clean them from the ground & had to take the hoover upstairs & hoover these 4 stairs separately. With this clever hoover & being able to unclip the cylinder to carry to the top of the stairs, I can now clean them in one go, brilliant, makes my life so much easier now.
I’m not sure why people have found using the hose difficult as for me it was the right length. When I hoover stairs, I always have my left foot on the stair above my right foot as it helps to keep my balance. Therefore, I didn’t hold the cylinder I just placed it on the stair in front of me next to my left leg & hoovered 3 stairs at a time then lifted it down a couple of stairs as I continued to the bottom. This meant that it didn’t fall over as others have commented on – I found it extremely easy to clean the stairs & much better than hoovers with extra long hoses that I always end up tripping over.
With 2 dogs & a cat I always have a lot of fur so I have to empty the cylinder after cleaning the ground floor & also after hoovering the upstairs floor as well but this was easy for the bottom cylinder but I did find that I had to remove the top part of the cylinder to remove hair & dirt that was still clinging to the air holes. This made it a bit more time consuming but again not too much of a hassle as you just have to press a button to easily release the top section.
The cable length was longer than my previous Vax & although it is a good length it’s still not long enough to allow me to hoover the whole of my ground floor area in one go. This is not a criticism of this hoover as I’ve always had to unplug & plug in the cable in another room to complete my ground floor & this has happened with every hoover I’ve ever owned. The one thing that I did notice is that the little hook to hold the cable on the handle doesn’t hold it firmly enough & the cable can slip out fairly easily but if you hold the cable near the handle then this stops this happening.
Overall, I think this is a brilliant hoover, the suction can be extra strong to remove all the dirt & fur or you can lower the suction so that rugs aren’t sucked off the floor. It’s easy to use & the removable cylinder & shorter hose is a fantastic idea making hoovering my stairs so much easier now. I certainly don’t have to bend over & end up with back ache like I did before. The buttons are easy to use & reach & I would highly recommend this hoover to anyone especially as it makes short work of cleaning difficult to clean carpets. This is the best hoover I’ve ever bought.
Last updated on July 18, 2025 4:01 am
Regular customer –
Our previous vacuum was a Dyson DC50, so here’s a comparison:
Suction power – here, the Vax wins, and then some! The Dyson was feeble in comparison. The last job the Dyson did before it died was vacuuming the living room carpet, a regular occurrence as we have a cat. This was about two days prior to the Vax arriving. The amount of stuff the Vax then got out the carpet was incredible!
Tip – don’t try to vacuum door mats or thin rugs with the main machine, or it will pick them up rather than rolling over them! Also, don’t leave charging cables lying around. The Dyson would happily roll over them – not this thing, which is already named The Beast in our house, and has given rise to several inappropriate jokes about suction power.
Detachable hose – Here, the Dyson wins, as their hose is far longer, and doesn’t pull the machine over, unlike the short Vax example. Something of a design compromise, I’d guess, given the exceptionally low price! You get what you pay for.
Tip – lie the Vax down on its side when using the hose, it’ll fall over otherwise!
Detachable cylinder – Another Vax win. Although you simply carried the whole Dyson when vacuuming the stairs, with the Vax you detach the cylinder. The fearsome attachment for cleaning the stairs and the far better suction, means the Vax does a better job.
Tip – When using the attachment for cleaning the stairs, roll it backwards. It simply doesn’t work pushed forward.
Overall – The Vax when fully assembled is far heavier than the Dyson, and you need to put a bit of effort into pushing it around. So, if this would be a problem for you, then the Vax is not for you. The Vax can roll into corners just as well as the Dyson.
However, for the considerable price difference, all the minor quibbles listed above become largely irrelevant. The only unknown is reliability. The Dyson lasted probably 10 years, will the Vax get close? At this price even if it lasts half as long, it’s a win!
Regular customer –
I don’t usually get exited by a vacuum cleaner but, for the sake of anyone looking for an upright vacuum cleaner that performs well, is easy to manoeuvre and easy to use on the stairs, this, in my view, is the ideal vacuum cleaner. It has very strong suction which can be adjusted for different floor surfaces. the cylinder (with motor) can be detached from the body of the vacuum cleaner and the long power lead that’s attached to it makes the whole thing light and easy to carry up and down the stairs. I don’t have any pets but it certainly does pick up human hair. One major downside is that it comes with only a few attachments, you have to buy the rest separately at an extra cost. Two minor downsides are;
1. It has quite a short extension hose, compared to other previous makes that I’ve used. This may have been a design compromise to enable the removal of the cylinder from the body of the vacuum cleaner.
2. The on/off switch is not easy to distinguish from the way the three switches at the top of the cylinder are symmetrically lined up ( as shown in the two photos). The on/off switch is one of the two small switches positioned on either side of the larger switch. The two small switches are identical in size, shape and colour and the only way you can tell that one is the on/off switch is from the power symbol that is in relief on the top of the switch and in the same colour as the rest of the switch, therefore, not easily/clearly identified. Using an alternate colour, shape, size or position would make the on/off switch a lot easier to identify. A minor ( but, nevertheless, relevant) down side on what is otherwise a really well designed vacuum cleaner.
Suzanne –
After reading lots of reviews on various hoovers I took a chance on this one but was a bit unsure as the comments on the hose length for the stairs concerned me. I’ve just used it for the first time & found the instructions easy to understand & it was very easy to assemble.
The suction for carpet was brilliant & very strong on full power & the button you press to change it to hard floor use is easy to reach without bending too much. I’m 5’8″ tall & the handle is plenty tall enough for me not to have to bend when using this hoover.
Now the main issue for me is that my bedroom carpet is the hardest carpet to hoover as it’s nearly impossible to remove all the dog & cat fur. There’s always a layer left behind so each month I have to get on my hands & knees & physically scrape the residual fur left from previous hoovers off my carpet – as you can imagine this is a real pain.
Now please bear in mind that this has been happening for a number of years & I have used Sebo Pet, Mielle & my last hoover was a Vax which did give me the best results but I still had to regularly scrape the fur off the carpet.
Well, those days are now over as this hoover actually removes the fur off my bedroom carpet & it looks clean for the first time after hoovering it. I am so impressed with the powerful suction on this hoover.
The second thing was the length of the hose for the stairs, & yes, it is short but when you unclip the cylinder I found that it was actually the right length for the job in hand. My top 4 stairs turn so in the past I could never clean them from the ground & had to take the hoover upstairs & hoover these 4 stairs separately. With this clever hoover & being able to unclip the cylinder to carry to the top of the stairs, I can now clean them in one go, brilliant, makes my life so much easier now.
I’m not sure why people have found using the hose difficult as for me it was the right length. When I hoover stairs, I always have my left foot on the stair above my right foot as it helps to keep my balance. Therefore, I didn’t hold the cylinder I just placed it on the stair in front of me next to my left leg & hoovered 3 stairs at a time then lifted it down a couple of stairs as I continued to the bottom. This meant that it didn’t fall over as others have commented on – I found it extremely easy to clean the stairs & much better than hoovers with extra long hoses that I always end up tripping over.
With 2 dogs & a cat I always have a lot of fur so I have to empty the cylinder after cleaning the ground floor & also after hoovering the upstairs floor as well but this was easy for the bottom cylinder but I did find that I had to remove the top part of the cylinder to remove hair & dirt that was still clinging to the air holes. This made it a bit more time consuming but again not too much of a hassle as you just have to press a button to easily release the top section.
The cable length was longer than my previous Vax & although it is a good length it’s still not long enough to allow me to hoover the whole of my ground floor area in one go. This is not a criticism of this hoover as I’ve always had to unplug & plug in the cable in another room to complete my ground floor & this has happened with every hoover I’ve ever owned. The one thing that I did notice is that the little hook to hold the cable on the handle doesn’t hold it firmly enough & the cable can slip out fairly easily but if you hold the cable near the handle then this stops this happening.
Overall, I think this is a brilliant hoover, the suction can be extra strong to remove all the dirt & fur or you can lower the suction so that rugs aren’t sucked off the floor. It’s easy to use & the removable cylinder & shorter hose is a fantastic idea making hoovering my stairs so much easier now. I certainly don’t have to bend over & end up with back ache like I did before. The buttons are easy to use & reach & I would highly recommend this hoover to anyone especially as it makes short work of cleaning difficult to clean carpets. This is the best hoover I’ve ever bought.