Synonymous with vacuum cleaners, Hoover has been in the cleaning business for over a century so they definitely know a thing or two about suction. But since the arrival of brands like the slickly-designed Dyson and the accessory-friendly Shark, it’s lost some of its prestige. It’s not that the quality has declined – it hasn’t – but it just feels a bit old-fashioned.

Well, that might soon change with the release of the brand’s new HF9 anti-twist cordless vacuum cleaner. According to Hoover, it’s twice as powerful as Shark’s best-selling cordless model (although it doesn’t specify which).

Launched in October 2022, the HF9 combines many of the features seen in its competitors. There’s the anti-twist design, which stops hairs from getting tangled in the motorised suction head. It’s also fitted with lights so it’s impossible to miss the dirt.

(Qin Xie)

A removable battery pack makes charging easy, with the device also wall-mountable for storage. Throw in crevice and upholstery tools, plus the option to upgrade to a Pet edition, you have a machine that can pretty much take care of cleaning every nook of your home.

But is the new device as good as Hoover says? We put the home edition of the HF9 to the test to find out.

How we tested

We’ve tested a few cordless vacuum cleaners in the past, including several from Shark, so we were keen to see how easy the HF9 was to use and of course, whether it delivered on the suction front. To get the best feel of the device, we incorporated it as part of our regular cleaning routine and again for a standalone test a few days later. We tried all of the accessories, from hoovering sofas to skirting boards and we also tested the suction head on hardwood floors, lino and rugs. Here’s how it fared...

Hoover HF9 anti-twist cordless vacuum cleaner

Best: Versatile cordless vacuum

Charging time: 3.5 hours

Running time per charge: 30 minutes (12 minutes in turbo mode)

Bin capacity: 0.7l

Cleaning capacity: Up to 120sqm

Weight: 3.4kg

Dimensions: H 111cm x W 26cm x D 21cm

Accessories: Motorised suction head, wand, two-in-one dusting/upholstery tool, crevice tool, cleaning tool, wall mount

Warranty: Five years

Design and features

The HF9 isn’t Hoover’s first foray into the cordless vacuum cleaning market but it does appear to be its most sturdy and powerful yet. For one, it has a five-year warranty compared to the three that comes with other models from the brand. And unlike most of the other cordless vacuum cleaners out there, you can stand this one up on its own if you need to go answer the door or have a quick chat on the phone – although it’s not designed to be stored in an upright position.

The device is split into a few elements. The compact and slimline main body houses a 350W motor, 0.7l bin and a removable 4,000 mAh lithium-ion battery. It has a LED display on the top that tells you how much battery power you have left in minutes, as well as buttons you can use to toggle between floor types, and normal/turbo mode. Two silicone strips at the back mean you can set the body down horizontally without it falling over.

Also in the box is a motorised suction head with anti-twist brush and front lights, wand, two-in-one dusting/upholstery tool, crevice tool, cleaning tool (small brush with hook), wall mount with nails, and charger. Each of the accessories are designed to click into place, and are released at the touch of a button.

The one thing we were particularly impressed by was the packaging. Unlike other devices we’ve tested, all of the packaging for the HF9 was cardboard or paper, making it fully and easily recyclable.

Performance

The HF9 came with an instruction leaflet but we didn’t find it particularly helpful. It was one of those Ikea-style universal ones where all of the instructions were in picture form, so some of it was difficult to interpret. And althought it was straightforward enough to assemble without said instructions, for troubleshooting we would have preferred more information. Hoover suggests that you call them when there is an error flashing on the LED display.

We usually vacuum once a week, and sometimes more if needed. To test the HF9, we allowed a full week to let the dust settle so there was plenty to clean. The light on the front of the suction head showed us exactly where the dust was while the wheels made manoeuvring the device easy. The suction head was also able to twist sideways to get into tight spots, which we thought was a great feature.

After emptying the bin, we then tried the upholstery tool and the crevice tool on the sofa (plus cushions) and skirting board respectively. The upholstery tool best demonstrated the power of the suction for us. You could pick up a cushion using the suction alone – something we couldn’t do with our regular device. When we emptied the bin a second time, we were surprised by just how much dust had accumulated on our sofa despite it being cleaned regularly.

After two days, we repeated the process and were surprised to see how much dust the HF9 picked up the second time. It’s definitely a reminder that we should vacuum more than we do now.

The HF9 has a run time of up to 30 minutes – which is quite standard across the industry – although our device offered 33 minutes when fully charged. After doing the floors and the upholstery on a small flat, and then vacuuming the floors for a second time, we only used about 20 minutes of charge – this, we felt, was a pretty decent result. There are devices on the market that offer significantly longer suction time though.

It’s worth noting that Hoover recommends you run the battery flat before recharging each time, which is not very helpful if you’re just short of enough power for your regular clean. For those worried about this, Hoover also has a version of the HF9 with two batteries (£401, Hooverdirect.co.uk) so you can ensure one is always fully charged at all times.

The other downside of the HF9 was that the body was quite heavy. We didn’t really notice it in the upright mode but the handheld mode definitely got our muscles aching. But it’s no surprise as at 3.4kg, it’s nearly double the weight of other cordless models we’ve tested in the past.

Maintenance

Hoover advises empting the bin after every use and it makes this pretty easy. All you have to do is press a button on the front and the base will open to empty the bin. The opening of the bin is quite small so the contents don’t go everywhere like some models are prone to do.

After five uses, you should take out the bin for a deeper clean. A separate button releases the bin from the main body to allow you to do that. And this is where it gets a bit fiddly.

With some cordless vacuum cleaners, you can just rinse the entire bin, plus the filters, and allow it to dry. Hoover recommends using the brush and hook supplied to clean the interior of the bin – it’s not difficult, but it is a messy job. There are two filters fitted on the device and it’s just a case of rinsing these under the tap and allowing them to dry for at least 24 hours before replacing.

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The verdict: Hoover HF9 anti-twist cordless vacuum cleaner

Overall we were very impressed with the Hoover HF9, and particularly the results. It has all of the features that we love about its competitors, from a motorised suction head that stops hair from getting tangled up in it to the lights to help us see where the dust was. You can also stand it up on its own during use – something that’s not possible for most cordless devices.

Price-wise it’s on the premium end of the market but comparable to its competitors so we think it’s pretty good value for money in that respect. The only thing that would put us off is the weight. It’s quite a bit heavier than our usual device and many of the cordless models out there. If you’re not that strong or you’re more likely to use it as a handheld device, you might be better off looking for another option.

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