Vax Blade 2 Max Vs Dyson Animal V8 Review

As a long-time Dyson Animal V8 user I took on the challenge of testing out the Vax Blade 2 Max. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have had a Vax before but only the plug-into-the-wall types. For me, vacuuming is one of those thankless tasks thanks to two young children and two cats! Fur, crumbs and the inevitable traipsing of who knows what from outdoors soon means the machine is out and working overtime.

With plenty of Black Friday deals and offers on everything from useful gadgets like vacuum cleaners to the latest Amazon Echo devices what better time to get up to date and get your home ready for the chaos that is Christmas!

I’ve had my Dyson for over 3 years, it’s had a replacement battery and replacement filters recently. It has also been regularly cleaned, serviced and emptied (obviously!)

There are things I love and things I hate about the dyson v8…

Likes

• It’s always available due to being able to be hung on the wall.
• It’s always charged
• It is pretty reliable
• It looks cool
• It’s not too noisy
• It gets up pet hair and kiddy grubbiness
• It’s always available due to being able to be hung on the wall.
• It’s always charged
• It is pretty reliable
• It looks cool
• It’s not too noisy
• It gets up pet hair and kiddy grubbiness
• It’s an upright cordless vacuum cleaner
• Works well on carpet and hard floors
• Good suction power
• Comes with attachments
• Bagless

Dislikes

• Emptying it successfully without making a mess is an art. 
• The battery life is pretty short and isn’t long enough to do the whole house in one hit. 
• I keep losing the extra bits that aren’t attached to the dock
• It’s expensive! At £316.99 this isn’t a cheap way to keep the house clean. 

I have to say whilst I was initially very happy with my Dyson it really hasn’t lived up to it’s brand name. Whilst I could send it off for maintenance, it makes more sense to replace it but at £100 a year running cost based on it’s lifespan to the point of needing replacement parts. I honestly think there are more reliable and better vacuum cleaners out there. 

If you are all about the looks and aesthetics then by all means go with the Dyson, but don’t expect miracles with this particular model. 

• Works well on our wood floors.
• Easy to use & simple to clean.
• I popped into our local John Lewis to see how they compared look and weight wise… I was amazed to find they didn’t even have this one on display.
• Lots to choose from but make sure you know what the latest model is to get a good deal!
• And popped over to the Dyson display stand as well just to see how they compare on the shop floor and the big thing you notice is the massive price difference… They don’t give you much shop floor info to go off for either so do your homework before you head to the shops!

The Vax 2 Blade Max Likes

• It’s always available due to being able to be hung on the wall.
• It is reliable
• It has a funky light to see in the dark spaces
• It gets up pet hair and kiddy grubbiness very well!
• It’s always charged (I am so rubbish if I have to charge stuff!)
• The pet hair head is a little smaller than the Dyson which made it easier to manoeuvre
• It has a 45-minute battery life so plenty of run time to hoover and even enough time to catch the cobwebs up high.
• It has better suction than the Dyson which I didn’t expect.
• It’s cheaper to buy than the Dyson at £249.99 (There isn’t a lot that is more expensive to be fair!)
• It was super easy to empty, unlike the Dyson which I always felt I was about to break each time I emptied it. 
• Good cordless stick vacuum.
• Comes with accessories such as crevice tool and has a hepa filtration system.

Dislikes

• It is a bit heavier due to the bigger battery which made my arm ache by the end of things.
• It is a bit louder than the dyson v8.

Overall I was really surprised. I honestly thought I wouldn’t consider giving up the Dyson for something else unless it was a plug-in-the-wall type Hoover. One thing I will say though is that if you aren’t as strong as me, then you may want to go with something a bit lighter weight. I’m pretty strong and fit but this did make my shoulder and arm ache. Which I didn’t expect but at the benefit of being able to do the whole house I’m willing to accept that and build up my strength.

Please note that Vax did not pay for this post. They sent me the device in good faith to review without prejudice. I have no idea whether I will keep or return the sample they sent over. But if they do ask me to return it I will likely consider a Vax over a Dyson based on my experience to date. This post contains affiliate links.

---

Get more lifestyle gadget geek goodness direct to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletter here.

---

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!

Remember to leave a comment!