Gtech - AirRAM 2 Cordless Vacuum

We’ve had a Gtech AirRam for years. Most of the parts are replaceable, even the battery packs. They’ve just done a new one Gen3, we have the second generation model which apart from needing to be recharged more often still does the whole house. As the battery and other components are mostly in the head on the floor it’s much lighter on the arms compared to other handheld devices. https://www.gtech.co.uk/cordless-vacuum-cleaners/uprights/airram-3.html

Any cordless vac is going to run out of power quickly if used on the higher power modes, that's unavoidable. And of course the lighter weight cordless vacs are going to tend towards having a smaller bin. The miele triflex hx1 also had a removable battery which you could supplement with spares fyi. Avoid jimmy, that's a no-name fake brand with poor quality products and virtually no after sales support. If you're willing to compromise on having a handheld and attachments built in, the Gtech airram range might be a good choice. They perform well, have about 40 minutes runtime with no power settings, just on/off. And because the motor and battery are located in the base, the weight you feel in the hand is low. And they compress the dirt so the bin holds a lot. Either the mk2 or the latest mk3 should work. And separately you could get a handheld only vac for other areas.

This is going to be an issue with basically every cordless stick style vac at or below $250, depending on the debris it's picking up etc. They aren't really meant to be your main vacuum or for heavy cleaning. I wouldn't recommend tineco really, many of their models need frequent filter cleaning. Same goes for shark etc and they are judt as likely to clog. If you're ok with not having attachments, the Gtech airram is under budget and works pretty well. Has an extremely short air pathway, debris only travels like 4 inches from the floor to the bin. The weight is also down on the floor and not on your wrist. The airram does need filter cleaning periodically but it's way less likely to clog up with coarse debris. It's not going to last forever but you can get a few years out of them. And again no attachments or handheld unit, but it's a decent pick under your budget. Some versions of the airram on amazon are well below $200.

AirRAM3 is good cordless, doesn't block and picks up bigger debris because of their no-tube design. But I'm a Gtech geek. The improvements over previous generations are basically AirRAM2 had easier emptying and was better on hard floors than first model. Later MK2s had anti hair wrap (which was issue on first generation models). Mk2 is a bit harder to push than Mk1. AirRAM3 has self cleaning filters which actually work, game-changer. Edge cleaning is good and they are easier to push than Mk2. I'm not a fan of stick vacs. They block up a lot and have small bins and filters, plus they only run 10mins or less on full power (AirRAM3 runs 30 mins full power). Stick vacs are hard for cleaning up high because you are holding the product up with motor, battery etc so your arm aches. Plus they only have around 10 to 15 litres per sec airflow so don't shift sticky cobwebs. I would recommend AirRAM3 for floors and use your Miele for everything else.

AirRAM3 is good cordless, doesn't block and picks up bigger debris because of their no-tube design. But I'm a Gtech geek. The improvements over previous generations are basically AirRAM2 had easier emptying and was better on hard floors than first model. Later MK2s had anti hair wrap (which was issue on first generation models). Mk2 is a bit harder to push than Mk1. AirRAM3 has self cleaning filters which actually work, game-changer. Edge cleaning is good and they are easier to push than Mk2. I'm not a fan of stick vacs. They block up a lot and have small bins and filters, plus they only run 10mins or less on full power (AirRAM3 runs 30 mins full power). Stick vacs are hard for cleaning up high because you are holding the product up with motor, battery etc so your arm aches. Plus they only have around 10 to 15 litres per sec airflow so don't shift sticky cobwebs. I would recommend AirRAM3 for floors and use your Miele for everything else.

I really like the AirRams they are great for light cleaning floors. The weight is all down low for better balance. They’re quite effective. I don’t think the AirRam3 is better than the original or AirRam2. I think the little side spinning brushes get lots of hair wrap so I’d go for the AirRam2 or AirRam Platinum instead. A few notes they don’t have any tools, they don’t have a hepa filter but bagless vacuums aren’t good for allergies in general.

We have big and old chunky Miele for proper vacuuming and a GTech for quick daily stuff I love both. The Miele is about 15 yrs old and the GTech only a year but it's my second one after the first lasted nearly 10 years

We have a Henry and some lightweight G-Tech thing that does the job nicely.

I have a GTech Air Ram, it sucks really hard and gets in close to the edges. Easy to move around and has a long battery life. Easy to empty etc. Not sure how much I paid but it wasn't a huge amount.

I highly recommend GTech AirRam vacuum. No shaft for hay to get stuck in.

No, there isn't. Gtech Airram is "good enough" but again, that's not perfect.

Avoid.. I had Gtech and it’s not amazing… If you currently like your v8 but it’s falling to bits then you could get a new v8 or maybe upgrade to the v10/ v11 Gtech is lightweight, picks up.. some dirt and the battery life isn’t too bad I suppose however they aren’t very reliable, they can break easy or just not work when you go to turn it on one day, the brush rollers melt soooo easily too when they get all bunged up with hair in the end cap I found my gtech to seal itself to the floor and it also seemed to have left a few large scratches, it did also fling quite a lot of bits behind Its decent on carpets and rugs since basically it is pretty much just like a carpet sweeper