Stick vacuum cleaners Lakeland 2-in-1 Cyclonic vacuum cleaner
This bagless, cordless stick vac from Lakeland comes with a detachable handheld cleaner so you can get to those awkward-to-reach spaces. We tried it out to see if its cleaning ability matches its convenient features.
Easy to set up
Getting started using this £79.99 Lakeland vac is simple, as it doesn’t require much assembling or the use of any tools to put it together. The handle unfolds – you’ll hear it click and lock into place - and the charging base comes in two pieces that fit easily together.
You’ll need to charge this vac for 16 hours before using it for the first time, and after that, if you run it down completely it will take 12 – 14 hours to recharge. This may sound like a long time, but other stick vacuum cleaners we’ve tried out have taken up to a full 24 hours.
Average battery life
You’ll know when this vac is fully charged when its blue LED charging light stops flashing.
After a full charge, you’ll be able to vacuum for about 16 minutes. Although stick vacs with a longer battery life are available, this Lakeland clocks in at about average.
One grumble we had, however, is that once the machine is in use, you can’t tell how much battery is left.
If you have space near a plug socket, it might be best to keep the machine plugged in while it’s not in use so it’s always ready to use.
Vacuuming is a bit of a drag
The vac’s floorhead swivels and turns reasonably well, but it doesn’t have the smoothest vacuuming action we’ve experienced.
The wheels on the underside of the floorhead don’t turn very smoothly, so it can feel like you’re dragging the vac across the floor - particularly on thicker pile rugs or carpets. But it does lie fairly flat to the floor, so will reach under furniture without too much trouble.
There’s just one cleaning setting on this vac and it did a reasonable job of cleaning fluff and crumbs from our carpet. But for a really thorough clean you’ll still need a regular vac.
It weighs 3.4kg, which is heavier than others we’ve seen, but thanks to its foldable handle it’s very easy to carry around.
It can’t stand unaided, so will need to be propped up against a wall or door or returned to its base when not in use.
Useful detachable handheld
The handheld vac unit detaches from the vacuum cleaner’s main body at the touch of a button and clips easily back into place when you want to return to stick-vac mode.
When using the handheld, you need to ensure that the nozzle locks into place. This prevents it from sliding back into the body of the handheld and makes it much easier to get into nooks and crannies.
Fiddly to empty
As with all stick vacs, the dust-container capacity in this Lakeland model isn’t very generous, so it will need to be emptied regularly.
It’s a bit fiddly to empty, as it involves lifting out the inner and outer filters and you may need to get your hands a little dirty to completely clear hair and dust out.
Pros: Slimline and foldable so easy to store and carry, reaches easily under low furniture
Cons: A bit fiddly to empty, can’t stand unaided, can drag on some surfaces
