Stick vacuum cleaners Gtech AirRAM

Gtech says that its new AirRAM cordless vacuum cleaner is better than a Dyson, offering superior cleaning performance with maximum energy efficiency and even an in-built calorie counter. We got our hands on one and tried it out to find whether it really does represent, as Gtech claims, the biggest leap forward for vacuum cleaners in 20 years.

We don't test stick vacuums in our test lab (instead we've tested more than 140 cylinder and upright vacuum cleaners) but our researcher has given the new Gtech AirRAM vacuum a thorough going over to discover its pros and cons.

The AirRAM is exclusive to John Lewis where it is currently available for £229.95. You can also purchase it online through Amazon or Gtech's own website. The price is quite high and makes the AirRAM the most expensive cordless on our site, far outside the typical price range of £70 to £140.

 

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Video transcript

This is the AirRam, a new cordless vacuum cleaner from manufacturer GTech now as well as some pretty sleek looks. This vacuum comes with some fairly big claims, including having a better cleaning performance than the latest Dyson vacuum cleaners, whilst remaining incredibly energy efficient. Now, we haven't sent this to our test labs, but we have given it a spin around the office and in the home, and find it's done a pretty reasonable job.

One thing we particularly like is how easy it is to control the AirRam. Twisting the handle will rotate the floor head so you can easily move around objects. The suction goes right to the edge, So cleaning up to the skirting boards won't be a problem. As you can hear, the vacuum cleaner is quite noisy, but you can just about have a conversation over the top of it.

It's also fairly light, weighing in about three and a half kilos it is lighter than most mains vacuum cleaners. Though it is quite heavy for a stick vacuum cleaner. What does make a difference is the second handle. Because it's positioned a bit further down, just makes it so much easier to carry up and down your stairs.

Everything you vacuum up will be compressed into two compartments in the floor head. GTech say that by the time they're full up they'll be dust-free bales that you can just easily out into your bin. Now what we did find it was easy to empty, the bales weren't quite dust free. But that might be because we didn't let it reach full capacity before we emptied it.

Most of the stick vacuum cleaners we've seen take about 12 to 16 hours to charge and will deliver about 20 minutes of run time. GTech say their AirRam will charge in just four hours and deliver forty minutes so it's pretty big claims. Now we did find that our AirRam did charge just less than four hours which is pretty impressive but when we ran it, it only lasted 27 and a half minutes.

The 100 watt motor found in the AirRam is a lot smaller than the motors you typically find in mains vacuum cleaners which are about 1100 to 2000 watts on average, so it should be a lot more energy efficient. An unusual feature of the AirRam is that you can remove the battery plug into your computer.

Now, you'll need a USB data bridge, which is available for free, at the moment, from GTech's website. But, they are going to charge for it in the future so make sure you get your hands on one soon. Once you've downloaded and installed your software you'll be given access to a whole host of information, including how long you've been running how long you've been running your vacuum so far, the state of your battery and weirdly a calorie counter.

Now, we haven't sent this to our test labs, but what we can from our initial impressions we like the AirRam. It has a good cleaning performance, it gets right to the edge, and it's easy to set up and maintain. However, it costs �230 so it's not likely you're going to buy this vacuum on impulse, and for that amount of money you have quite a wide choice available to you in both stick and Mains powered vacuums.

Just to put that in context we've tested 90 pound vacuum cleaners that have aced our test and been awarded best buy status. For the written first look at the AirRam and for more details on the best buys I mentioned head to which.co.uk

Assembling the Gtech AirRAM

We were immediately impressed with the convenience of the Gtech AirRAM vac and found it simple to assemble.

All you have to do is remove it from the box, slide the handle into one slot, put the battery into the other and plug it in to charge.

Unusually quick to charge 

Many of the stick vacuums we’ve tested need a full 24 hours of charging before they can be used for the first time, and will then take between 12 and 16 hours to recharge between uses. But Gtech says its cordless vacuum needs just four hours to reach full charge, regardless of whether it’s the first time or not.

This is an impressive claim and one that the AirRAM fulfilled - when we plugged it in for the first time, it took just  less than fours hours to reach maximum capacity. 

The four LEDs on the front of the machine indicate its current level of charge, and Gtech says the AirRAM will last 40 minutes without dipping in power – about double most stick vacuums we’ve seen.

But when we charged ours up and let it run flat, the total use time was 27 and a half minutes. This is still impressive for a cordless vac and provided ample time to get all our vacuuming done.

Dust-free bales of dirt

Our researcher used this vacuum on tiles, wooden floors and carpet, and found the results to be generally pleasing. While we can't comment on the absolute efficiency of dust pick up outside of our lab’s stringent tests, we were impressed with how well the AirRAM picked up bits of fluff - even right at the edge of the floor head and at the sides.

The dirt is collected into bales that are stored in the floor head. Gtech says the AirRAM uses compression technology to squeeze the dirt collected into these ‘dust-free’ parcels of dirt that can then be tipped into the bin.

There is no light to indicate when the compartments are full. Gtech simply instructs to empty the compartments 'once the vacuum stops picking up'.

Having twice vacuumed a dirty house, we did have two oblong areas of dirt collected, and tipping them out was easy - though not completely dust-free as some fluff remained in the bale compartment. This may have possibly been due to the compartments not having reached full capacity before being emptied.

The filters can be accessed by undoing the main head – this simply requires a coin rather than a screwdriver or special tool, which we found convenient. The filters can then be washed under a tap, left to dry and popped back in. Gtech recommends you do this once a month and clean the brush bar at the same time.

Manoeuvring the Gtech AirRAM

A cross section of the AirRAM showing the inner workings, brush bar and bale compartment

This vacuum weighed in at 3.6 kilos on our scales, which would be light for a mains vacuum cleaner but is heavier than average for a cordless stick vacuum.

Carrying the AirRAM around is helped greatly by the secondary, mid-level handle. Using this second means you can lift with the knees as opposed to having to hold the vac solely with the top handle. 

Manoeuvring the vacuum when in use is fairly easy thanks to an interesting rotating handle, which helps direct the AirRAM around corners. We found it easy to control without much effort.

Energy, noise and calories

The Gtech AirRAM has a 100W motor. This is energy efficient compared with a lot of mains-powered vacuums, which typically have 1100W to 2000W motors. 

Noise wise, you can have a conversation over the top of it with slightly raised voices.

One unusual service Gtech offers with this vac is calorie counting. You can connect the AirRAM’s battery to your computer via a USB and Gtech's software (once you've downloaded it) will show you stats including how long you've vacuumed, the condition of the battery and of course - how many calories you've burned. The instruction manual is also on here and you can view maintenance videos.

The USB data bridge required is currently available for free on the Gtech site. However Gtech says it will charge for it in the future, so if you do have an AirRAM it's best to order yours now. Currently the software is only compatible with PCs and not Macs.

Like any vacuum cleaner, the Gtech AirRAM has pros and cons, but overall we were pretty impressed with it in our initial tryout.

Pros Easy to manoeuvre, easy to empty and clean filters, secondary handle makes it easier to lift, quick to charge, seemed to be good at cleaning even at the edge of the floor head

Cons Heavier than other stick vacs, dirt bales were not quite dust-free, little bit noisy, no light to indicate the vac needs emptying, expensive

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