I've finally found a cordless vacuum that handles pet hair - it's an inexpensive upgrade

Cordless vacuums have been cleaning up, with each new model promising, to boast stamina, slimmer silhouettes, and smarter technology. I'll be honest though, I find that a lot of new releases come with a lot of hot air. They make big promises with fancy names, but when it comes to vacuuming museli from my kitchen floor after the whirlwind that is breakfast, they all seem to run out of steam. Not the VAX though. I've long admired the brand's vacuums for truly delivering on their promises, so when their new HomePro range launched, it came with a lot of promise.

As a cordless vacuum, the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum comes in direct competition with lots of the best vacuums. As the name suggests, there are a few special elements on offer with VAX's latest iteration: clever detection technology, special pet features, and a completely cordless design.

I took this for a spin in my home over a week, with our family dog, tough tests, and some fierce competition by its side. It's since been homed in one of our woman&home team's flat for further, long-term testing. Yes, we love it, but why?

VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum review

Who would the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum suit?

You don’t need to play detective to work out who this vacuum was designed for: the clues are right there in the name. The HomePro Detect Pet is unmistakably engineered with pet households in mind, arriving with specialist tools designed to lift stubborn hair from upholstery, tight crevices, and other magnet zones for fluff. Its anti-HairWrap roller is built to resist tangling, which is just as valuable if you live with long-haired humans as it is if you share your sofa with a moulting spaniel.

Convenience sits firmly at the centre of the design too. VAX has streamlined the cordless experience with a multi-surface floorhead that automatically adjusts suction depending on floor type and debris levels, removing the need for constant manual switching. It’s the kind of intelligent automation that makes cleaning feel less like a chore and more like a quick life admin reset.

Thoughtful engineering continues elsewhere. The vacuum can stand independently, a surprisingly liberating feature when the doorbell rings mid-clean, while the FlexiClean wand bends to glide under sofas, beds, and kitchen islands without requiring you to fold yourself into origami. Easy, low-effort cleaning is clearly the brief here, and it shows.

With a 45-minute runtime, it comfortably covers most average-sized homes, though those tackling vast square footage may still prefer the unwavering stamina of a corded upright. That said, this is one of the most powerful and straightforward cordless vacuums I’ve tested. DirtDetect sensors automatically ramp suction up to three times when heavier debris is identified, while LED lighting on the floorhead exposes the dust you didn’t know was there, both satisfying and mildly humbling.

Unboxing the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum

The HomePro Detect Pet arrives in a compact, efficiently packed box that wastes very little space, always a promising start. Inside, you’ll find the main motor unit, battery, charger, and what VAX describes as a £50 accessory kit.

Crucially, these tools feel purposeful rather than perfunctory. The DirtDebris tool is excellent on heavy-traffic fabrics like doormats and pet beds, agitating fibres just enough to release embedded grit. A fine dusting brush tackles delicate surfaces and surprisingly awkward areas such as car interiors, while the stretch hose extends your reach into corners that normally require furniture negotiation.

Even without these extras, the primary wand and flexible pole would be sufficient for most households, so their inclusion feels generous rather than strategic upselling.

Packaging is largely recyclable cardboard, though some soft plastics remain, fairly standard for appliances, but worth noting if you’re meticulous about disposal. A quick trip to a supermarket recycling point should take care of the remainder.

What is the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum like to use?

From the moment it came out of the box, this vacuum made a strong case for itself. Assembly is blissfully simple: the wand, motor unit, and floorhead click together with the kind of satisfying precision that suggests thoughtful engineering rather than forced design. My battery arrived partially charged. a small mercy, but I’d still recommend plugging yours in straight away so nothing delays that first, oddly thrilling clean.

Every vacuum I test faces the same opening challenge: 100g of flour and sugar, scattered deliberately across multiple floor types to mimic the fine particulate matter that settles into real homes. It’s a deceptively difficult test; lighter dust often escapes weaker suction or gets redistributed rather than removed. The HomePro Detect Pet sailed through it.

In a single forward pass, it lifted the entire spill from hardwood, stone, carpet, and linoleum without requiring the back-and-forth “scrubbing” motion that lesser vacuums demand. That tells me two things immediately: the suction is strong, and the floorhead is sealing properly against the surface, a detail many shoppers overlook, but one that dramatically affects real-world performance.

Next came the kitchen reality test: 200g of muesli and granola, plus the usual supporting cast of dog kibble. Technically, larger debris is what dustpans are for, but if a vacuum can handle it gracefully, it saves you from crouching on the floor negotiating oat clusters.

True to its name, the VAX detected the heavier mess and adjusted power accordingly. Raisins, chunky granola, and rogue cereal pieces disappeared with impressive efficiency. Initially, I noticed a slight “ploughing” effect, where the largest pieces gathered at the front of the floorhead rather than being immediately lifted. Slowing my pace and angling the head slightly solved this almost instantly and, in fairness, this is common behaviour even among premium cordless models.

Hair was the test I was most interested in. With two long-haired women in the house and a dog who sheds with theatrical commitment, we generate the kind of tumbleweeds that can humble a vacuum very quickly. I scattered 30g of hair extensions to create a controlled challenge, and the VAX handled it beautifully. Instead of winding itself tightly around the brush roll, the hair travelled cleanly into the bin, exactly what HairWrap Resist technology promises, and reassuring proof that it’s more than marketing gloss.

Switching to handheld mode revealed another strength: agility. Nimble is the word I found myself writing repeatedly in my notes. It manoeuvres confidently around chair legs, slips between banisters, and reaches impressively close to skirting boards without the heart-stopping crunch of accidental impact. With the FlexiClean wand engaged, it glided under radiators and low furniture without forcing me into an impromptu Pilates session. If some vacuums feel like bulky gym equipment, this is more ballet dancer: controlled, responsive, and surprisingly graceful.

Cleaning and maintaining the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum

A quoted runtime of 45 minutes proved accurate in my testing and was comfortably enough to deep-clean the entire house with charge to spare for a quick pass over the car. Yes, some cordless competitors now stretch towards the 60–90 minute mark, but runtime is only meaningful if suction remains consistent. And here, the VAX holds its nerve.

Charging takes around three hours, which sits squarely within the industry norm. Faster options exist, but rarely at this balance of power.

The 0.7L bin strikes a sensible middle ground between capacity and weight. During my deliberately heavy testing, I emptied it twice, but under normal weekly cleaning, that frequency would drop considerably. Emptying is refreshingly low-contact: the base releases cleanly, allowing debris to fall straight into the bin without the dust cloud theatrics some designs still produce.

Filtration is another quiet strength. VAX claims the two-stage system captures 99.9% of particles down to 0.3 microns, and while I can’t peer into the air itself, the absence of that telltale dusty smell during vacuuming suggests it’s doing exactly what it should. For allergy-prone households, that’s more than a spec. It’s a quality-of-life upgrade.

Maintenance is similarly straightforward. The brush roll is easy to access, the filter can be cleaned without deciphering an instruction manual, and nothing about the design feels unnecessarily complicated: always a good sign for long-term ownership.

Should you buy the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum?

If your home includes pets, long hair, busy mornings, or simply the everyday evidence of a life well lived, the VAX HomePro Detect Pet Cordless Vacuum makes a very compelling case for itself.

It delivers where it matters most: strong suction, intelligent power adjustment, excellent hair pickup, and genuinely useful manoeuvrability. While it does lean slightly heavier than some Dyson models, the trade-off is a vacuum that feels robust, grounded, and engineered for real cleaning rather than showroom theatrics.

Among cordless vacuums I’ve tested recently, this is firmly one of my favourites, reliable, capable, and refreshingly unfussy. It doesn’t just promise performance; it demonstrates it, pass after pass.

In short, if you want a powerful, low-maintenance cordless vacuum that won’t wilt at the first sight of kibble or chaos, this is an investment you’re unlikely to regret.

How we test vacuums

At woman&home, we test every vacuum in real homes rather than pristine labs, because true performance only shows itself in everyday mess. Alongside day-to-day cleaning, each model undergoes controlled tests designed to measure suction, pickup, and overall usability.

We begin by scattering 100g of flour and sugar across multiple floor types to replicate the fine dust and debris that settles in busy households. Strong performers remove it in minimal passes without redistributing particles. Next comes a tougher challenge: larger debris such as muesli, granola, and pet kibble, which quickly reveals whether a vacuum lifts dirt smoothly or pushes it ahead, a behaviour known as the “plough effect.”

Hair pickup is another essential test, particularly for pet and long-haired homes. We assess how effectively strands are removed and whether they wrap around the brush roll. Beyond cleaning power, we live with each vacuum for at least a week, evaluating manoeuvrability, reach, weight, battery life, bin capacity, filtration, and how hygienic it is to empty.

Only models that prove themselves across all these areas earn our recommendation, because a good vacuum shouldn’t just clean well on paper, it should make everyday life noticeably easier.