We also used the hose on its own, without extension or tools, to see if this increased the suction power – but it barely improved. Unfortunately, this isn’t a cleaner for stairs. Hoover H-Free C300 – How does it cope with pet hair? Hoover is more than just Henry, that much is true. So when we were asked to try out their latest creation, the cordless H-Free C300+, we jumped at the chance. Hoover was once such a big name in the vacuum cleaner world that here in the UK the brand basically supplanted ‘vacuum’ in the lexicon. But as much as we all talk about our hoovers, these days you’re probably more likely to think of Henry or Dyson when it comes to buying your next vacuum.

A full charge took us just over 6 hours, as the manual suggested. That’s a seriously long time and clearly not going to see multiple cleaning sessions in the same day. Then again, if the Hoover does deliver on its promised 60 minutes run-time, that shouldn’t be a problem. Boasting a runtime of around 60 minutes (yes, you read correctly) and a weight of just over 3kg, the C300+’s specs certainly sound impressive.When it comes to really busting the dust, the right vacuum cleaner can be a lifesaver. We share our first impressions of Hoover’s new H-Free C300+.

Out of the box, the C300+ looks a little old-fashioned with an unexciting grey and blue design, especially when compared to the slimmer H-Free 700. But, of course, looks aren’t everything. While we weren’t that impressed with the dusting brush, we found both the crevice and upholstery tools really powerful (less so in eco mode, of course), which is great if you’re regularly grappling with pet hair and skirting board dust. Tech Advisor's Deputy Editor, Dom covers everything that runs on electricity, from phones and laptops to wearables, audio, gaming, smart home, and streaming - plus he's a regular fixture on the Tech Advisor YouTube channel.While there are only two power levels (carpet and eco) in addition to the main setting used exclusively for hard floors, carpet mode is, in fact, the real winner here. A light and fairly small hose clips over the handle for storage. The upper part of the handle offers a six-position height adjustment including slotting completely down into the lower half. To use the hose and detail tools, you have to pop up a slightly awkward clip on the floor-head and press and turn the hose into place. The C300+ is designed to ‘care for modern families’ – it’s for those of us who want to accomplish as much cleaning as we can in as little time as possible, which basically means all parents ever. Differing in style from other cordless vacuums in the H-Free range, especially when it comes to aesthetics and runtime, the C300+ is both powerful and lightweight. We’d have liked to have seen a larger bin capacity and a less bulky vacuum head, but the runtime and lightweight design do well to outweigh any negatives.