Over a couple of weeks, it became the vacuum cleaner of choice in our flat, working over carpet, tiles and floorboards. While the G-Tech HyLite is smaller and can fit in a drawer, it isn’t significantly smaller than the Hoover H-Free 500. If you’re after a vacuum that you can fit easily out of the way, the Hoover H-Free 500 is by far the most powerful of the two.

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On a single six-hour charge, the Hoover H-Free 500 is rated to last for up to 40 minutes on standard mode. This drops down to 25 minutes if you use the motorised floor brush. In Turbo mode, this drops down to just eight minutes. Given that I had to switch on Turbo mode regularly to clean up bigger spills, this isn’t a vacuum cleaner I could use for my entire house. Instead, I see it as a tool for smaller properties or as an addition to a plug-in vacuum cleaner.The name Hoover might be synonymous with vacuum cleaners, but it's fair to wonder how well the brand competes with its rivals. As we’ve mentioned, the Hoover won’t provide the same suction power as one of the more recent Dyson models. While the power isn’t a deal-breaker for us, if you’ve got a lot of carpets that need deep cleaning in your house, you might want to opt for a Dyson. If you’re renting a flat and you’ve got limited storage, you’ll appreciate how the Hoover folds up to a small size, although there’s also a wall mount if you’re inclined to store it that way. Its compact size makes it incredibly easy to use, whether you’re blitzing your whole home or dealing with small spills.

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It’s got a special boost mode for carpets which starts the dust roller at the end of the head whirring round, and we found it worked well. For the money you’re spending, we think the Hoover H-Free 500 is a good investment. It’s almost half the price of a Dyson V8 Animal, but it’s certainly not half the vacuum. As you might expect with such a compact vacuum cleaner, the cylinder is a bit smaller on the Hoover than the Dyson V8 Animal and the Shark IZ201UK, which means you’ll need to empty it more often. Hoover H-Free 500: out the boxSound levels weren’t too bad: I measured the Hoover H-Free 500 at 78.8dB maximum on regular mode and 84.3dB on Turbo mode. This compares well with the competition. Should you buy the Hoover H-Free 500? Coupled with the fact that it doesn’t require your finger to be pressed onto the trigger like a Dyson, we think this is now the best option we’ve tested if you’re looking for a vacuum that can double as a handheld cleaner for your car or upholstery. Or even What are the Top 10 affordable (best budget, best cheap, or even best expensive!!!) Hoover H-free 500 Spare Battery available? Etc.

H - Free Vacuum Cleaner Help and Advice from Hoover H - Free Vacuum Cleaner Help and Advice from Hoover

In the case of the H-Free 500, we found Hoover offered a budget alternative to the top-end vacuum cleaners.The controls on the Hoover H-Free 500 are clearly marked Credit: HOOVER Hoover H-Free 500: The verdict While the Shark IZ201UK has anti-hair wrap technology for this, you’ll have to break out the scissors every couple of weeks with the Hoover to cut free the hair on the roller.