As mentioned, you get a shoulder strap for carrying the cleaner around, with the end of the hose and the upholstery and crevice nozzles within easy reach. This portable nature means the hose is very short, but with the superlight weight and no mains cable to trip over, the Athlet is excellent at reaching places other cleaners struggle to reach. Bosch Athlet BCH625KTGB: How does it clean carpets and hard floors? For the stronger user, the Athlet’s easy-to-handle 3.3kg weight with the main floor head attached actually means you can carry it up the stairs, cleaning each step as you go. Practically, though, the idea with this is that you swap the floor head for the hose, attach the strap, sling the cleaner over your shoulder and use the hose tools provided. That’s not as simple as it sounds, however, as the push-clip to detach the head (and latterly the hose) requires a very firm push whilst trying to pull two sections apart at the same time.

BOSCH AU BCH6AT25AU Rechargeable vacuum cleaner | BOSCH AU

In upright mode with the main floor head it coped admirably well. On full power it cleaned the test carpet area, with its well-rubbed-in pet hair, to pristine clean in around 18 seconds.Cordless, powerful, lightweight and agile, Athlet cordless vacuums combine maximum performance and convenience on carpet, wood, laminate or any floor type. If you’ve ever tried an old-style cordless vacuum cleaner, prepare for a surprise with the Athlet. Even from the sound of the motor on full power, you can tell this is a cleaner that means business, and the suction power through the floor head is enough to generate quite a bit of ground suction. This means a firm hand is required to push and pull the cleaner around on full power.

Bosch BCH625K2GB Athlet 25.2V Cordless Vacuum Cleaner - Red Bosch BCH625K2GB Athlet 25.2V Cordless Vacuum Cleaner - Red

It's a little more than that though, as the Bosch will monitor the amount of air that is passing through the vacuum. If the level of air flow is too low the vacuum will show that. This is actually more useful than it may sound, as you could have a small bit of dust or hair preventing airflow, and thus suction, but you'd have no idea and continue vacuuming your entire home. Bosch have worked hard to keep the Athlet a quiet vacuum. The quintessential self-standing vacuum, the Athlet standard model reliable and powerfully cleans all your floors – no matter the type. Bonus: Slide the easy-to-handle vacuum underneath your furniture with ease. Simply tying the strap on was fine for our test, and the Bosch worked as described – assuming you’re comfortable with having a machine over your shoulder. The main hose tool was OK for stair cleaning, although, as ever, tools without a rotating brush are always going to have limited efficiency on carpeted stairs. Care must also be taken when putting the vacuum cleaner down in this mode, as there’s no obvious way to place it on the floor. It would be easy to put it down ‘end-first’, crushing the hose. This Bosch model comes with a range of accessories included to suit your cleaning requirements. The kit includes a shoulder strap, flexible hose, upholstery and crevice nozzles. Used on level 3 (labelled ‘Turbo’) on mixed-pile carpets, the Athlet ran consistently at full power without fading or reducing power for just over 12 minutes. At this time it stopped completely, indicating it needed a recharge. We had to empty the container mid-way and several rooms got vacuumed twice before the machine stopped working. This is a great result, as you can get a lot of cleaning done in 12 minutes. If you’re prepared to do a lighter clean on Level two power, you can nip round all but the largest of houses on a single charge.

The right vacuum cleaner makes all the difference if you are sensitive to dust particles floating in the air or have allergies. Opt for the Althlet ProHyienic and enjoy the best of both worlds: a powerful and flexible cordless, bagless vacuum that masterfully filters the exhaust air. By filtering air three times before it enters the ambient air, the Athlet ProHygienic filters 99.9% of particulate matter. Hurray! Improved battery technology gives this model an incredible runtime of 75 minutes**. With outstanding cleaning performance to rival mains vacuums and versatile accessories included, enjoy superior, easier cleaning on both hard floors and carpets. However, the ability to use full power even on hard floors when in this mode meant collecting loose pet hair and cleaning hard floors was relatively easy. Should I buy the Bosch Athlet BCH625KTGB? On full power the Athlet performed admirably in open areas of carpet, comparing very well with lower-powered corded models. Its light weight and manoeuvrability encourage you to repeat any areas that weren’t cleaned on the first sweep, while its cordless power is a blessing for anyone who’s ever become entangled in a vacuum cleaner cable. Shhhh. Blaring music. Traffic. Loud (albeit friendly) neighbours. If you are sensitive to noise – or have napping children at home – the ultra quiet Athlet ProSilence quietly gets the job done. Without compromising on performance.