Gtech Airfox Platinum Review: Budget Build, Not-Quite-Budget Price

Worth When Reviewed

Not at the moment accessible within the US

Gtech is a British model specialising in inexpensive vacuum cleaners, DIY and backyard tech, together with garden mowers, trimmers and instruments. We lately reviewed and appreciated its moist and dry vacuum, the cordless Gtech Orca.

On this evaluation, we’re resting the cordless stick vacuum, the Gtech Airfox Platinum. For all our high vacuum cleaner suggestions, take a look at our round-up of one of the best vacuum cleaners we’ve examined.

Design and Construct

The Airfox Platinum doesn’t impress when unpacking. The standard feels questionable and the elements really feel very plasticky and fragile. Had it been a funds vacuum cleaner, this could have been comprehensible, however the Airfox Platinum has a price ticket of £299.99 (see it on Amazon), which places it within the mid-range for stick vacuums.

Thankfully, it comes with a variety of completely different attachments and even a hose that may change the extension tube. However the query is whether or not a shorter extension tube wouldn’t have been extra helpful, because the hose requires each arms to utilize it.

In any case, assembling the completely different components is fast and simple, however the feeling of questionable high quality stays, together with a priority about by chance breaking one thing throughout meeting.

When beginning up the vacuum cleaner, the damaging expertise continues. The ability button that have to be pressed to function the Airfox Platinum is wedged behind a bit of plastic, making it tough for my giant fingers to succeed in. Thankfully, it may be locked within the on place, so it doesn’t should be manually pressed on a regular basis.

The deal with can be typically not tailored to giant arms. After solely a short while of use, my hand begins to cramp a bit from holding it. I assume Gtech’s founder Nick Grey has smaller arms than I do.

Jan Sandbladh

Jan Sandbladh

Jan Sandbladh

Efficiency and Options

As soon as up and working, nonetheless, the Airfox Platinum proves that it’s not practically as dangerous as first feared. Quite the opposite, it might get into cramped spots and cleans nicely. At the least, it does for those who run it in auto mode or max mode. Eco mode is much less profitable in getting all of the dust, however then again extends the battery life significantly (as much as 80 minutes).

In case you use the utmost mode, you received’t get greater than 1 / 4 of that point, at greatest. Auto mode is just a little higher, with as much as 45 minutes of use for those who’re cleansing frivolously dirty surfaces, however in observe it’s extra like half-hour.

These comparatively brief utilization instances wouldn’t be as huge an issue if it didn’t take a full 5 hours to completely recharge the battery. In different phrases, the Airfox Platinum is just not a vacuum cleaner for overly giant or closely dirty houses.

A plus additionally for the built-in LED lighting that makes it simpler to see and entry dust below the furnishings (or you probably have a poorly lit house generally). And one other plus for the truth that the mud container is simple to empty with out detaching from the vacuum cleaner and can be simple to scrub once you take away it.

Must you purchase the Airfox Platinum?

So the Airfox Platinum is simple to make use of and cleans rather well, however sadly it additionally has a couple of extra flaws.

For starters, it’s very loud when working in max mode (or when it goes to max mode when working in auto). And it’s not simply that it hums loudly, as many vacuum cleaners do, it additionally has an annoying high-pitched squeal.

It can also’t get up by itself. Or fairly, you may stand it up, but it surely’s extraordinarily vulnerable to tipping over, so it’s not one thing you dare do.

Jan Sandbladh

Jan Sandbladh

Jan Sandbladh

The wall mount can be very plastic and feels low cost.

The Airfox Platinum is respectable vacuum cleaner the place efficiency is anxious, however its flimsy construct high quality doesn’t justify its value. If it was extra competitively priced and had been safely within the funds class, we’d suggest it. But it surely’s simply too costly when there are similarly-priced fashions accessible just like the Halo Capsule X (see it on Amazon or learn our evaluation), which is powerful, repairable, and genuinely progressive.

For extra choices, browse our round-up of one of the best vacuum cleaners we’ve examined.