If you want a corded upright that can stay useful for stairs, pet hair, and a whole-house clean without the drag of a battery, the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max is aimed squarely at that job. Its long reach, bagless bin, and handheld attachments make it relevant for homes that need one machine to move from carpets to hard floors, then on to upholstery and the car. The trade-off is that this is still a mains-powered upright, so the benefit comes from reach and suction rather than grab-and-go convenience.
I would put this in the buy pile for households that value strong pickup, long cable reach, and straightforward emptying more than cordless ease. It makes most sense if pet hair is a regular problem and you want a cleaner that can do stairs and soft furnishings without constant socket changes. Skip it if you mainly want a light, quick, cordless feel, because the corded upright format and the fiddly handheld swap are the price of that extra reach.
| Format | Corded upright |
|---|---|
| Suction power | 820W |
| Dustbin capacity | 1.5L |
| Weight | 4.9kg |
| Cord length | 13 metre power cord |
| Reach | 17m cleaning reach |
The 13 metre cable, stretch hose, and 17m total reach are the defining practical features here. They matter because they reduce how often you stop to change sockets, which is exactly what makes an upright feel workable on stairs, around rooms, and out to the car.
The trade-off is that reach does not remove cord management. This is a cleaner for people who will accept winding and storing a long lead in exchange for fewer interruptions while cleaning.
The Turbo Tool and 2-in-1 Tool give this model a clear route for upholstery, stairs, and pet hair on soft surfaces. That is the part that makes it more than a basic carpet machine.
In practice, this is the difference between a cleaner that merely covers floors and one that also handles the places pets leave the most mess. The caveat is that the turbo brush is suction-driven, so heavy pressure on a surface can make it less effective than a powered brush head.
The 1.5L dust bin and rinseable filter keep the routine side of ownership fairly direct. Emptying and cleaning are part of the deal, but you are not buying into bags or a more complicated consumable cycle.
That suits buyers who want lower ongoing friction and a clearer view of what has been collected. The bin size is sensible for regular domestic cleaning, though a full-sized bagless design still asks for occasional filter care to keep performance consistent.
At 4.9kg, this is light enough to move between rooms without feeling cumbersome, and that matters when the cleaner is being used on stairs or carried from floor to floor. The weight helps the machine feel less tiring than many uprights in the same format.
It is still a corded upright, though, so the overall feel is about controlled movement rather than effortless glide. That balance is good for a proper home clean, but it is not the route for anyone who wants the easiest possible quick tidy.
On a normal weekly clean, the first thing that matters is whether the machine gets you across the house without breaking the rhythm. Here, the 13 metre cord and over 2 metre stretch hose change the job from socket-hopping to proper coverage, and that is exactly why it suits stairs, landings, and rooms that are not arranged around one plug point. The upside is obvious in day-to-day use; the downside is equally clear, because a long cord still needs tidying and storage takes a bit more care than with a cordless cleaner.
For pet hair, the appeal is stronger. The turbo tool and 2-in-1 tool give it a more practical route for sofas, stairs, and mattresses than a plain upright head alone, and the bagless 1.5L bin means the machine is set up for repeated pickups rather than stop-start bag changes. The recurring theme in the feedback is strong suction and good carpet pickup, which fits the way this model is positioned. The limitation is that the handheld route adds a bit of faff, so if you switch between floor cleaning and attachments constantly, the workflow is less slick than the headline reach suggests.
The weight is another useful part of the picture. At 4.9kg, it sits in the lighter end of the upright range, which helps when you are carrying it between floors or steering it around furniture. That said, a lightweight upright is not the same as a featherweight cleaner, and the push effort matters as much as the carry weight once you are doing a full room. For a larger home, the better fit is someone who wants a full-sized cleaner with proper reach and constant power, not someone chasing the easiest possible lift-and-go machine.
Community
The pattern is straightforward: people are convinced by the suction, the long cable, and the pet-hair performance, while the main frustration comes from the attachment workflow and the fact that this is still a proper corded upright. The useful lesson is that the machine wins on cleaning reach and pickup, not on being the most effortless cleaner to switch around mid-job.
I’m a big fan of Vax machines and this one feels well designed and very good quality.
the suction is excellent, the cord is very long, and the extra hose gives it great reach.
I have two dogs that shed a lot and it has excellent suction. It’s very lightweight and the long cable means I do not keep unplugging as I move around the house.
It picked up almost everything, the cord is long enough for at least two medium-sized rooms, and the pet hair attachment is decent.
| Attribute | Vax Air Stretch Pet Max Current | Hoover TH31B002001 | Vax Mach Air | Vax U85-AS-Be |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £80.10 | £79.00 | - | Out of stock |
| Weight | 4.9kg | - | 4.9kg | 5 kg |
| Format | Corded upright | Corded upright | Corded upright | Corded upright |
| Suction power | 820W | 850 W | 820W | 820W |
| Dustbin capacity | 1.5L | 3 L | 1.5L bagless | Full size capacity |
| Cord length | 13 metre power cord | 7 m | - | - |
| Reach | 17m cleaning reach | - | - | Up to 17 m |
| Editorial score | 7.3/10 | 7.4/10 | 7.4/10 | 7.5/10 |
Against a cordless stick like the VACTechPro F02 Ultra, this Vax is the better route if you want constant mains power, a bigger reach for whole-house cleaning, and a more traditional upright feel. Choose the cordless route instead if light, fast, no-cable cleaning matters more than uninterrupted suction and a larger cleaning radius.
Compared with a bagged upright or a more expensive Shark-style alternative, the Vax makes its case on value and reach rather than premium convenience. It is the cleaner for a home that needs pet hair pickup, stairs, and hard-floor-to-carpet coverage without paying for a higher-end badge, while buyers who want the smoothest attachment workflow or the most polished push feel may still prefer the pricier route.
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The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max makes the most sense for households that want a corded upright with strong pickup, proper reach, and useful pet tools at a sensible price point. If you need one cleaner to handle carpets, hard floors, stairs, and soft furnishings without battery anxiety, it is an easy route to like, and the long cord plus 1.5L bagless bin are the features that make it feel practical rather than flashy. Check the current offer if value is the deciding factor, because this model’s appeal is strongest when the price stays in the lower end of the upright market.
The main reason to skip it is simple: if you want the easiest possible everyday cleaner, the cord and attachment workflow will get in the way. That matters most for buyers who clean in short bursts, move constantly between rooms, or strongly prefer cordless convenience. For everyone else, the better-documented buying rule is to choose this when reach and suction matter more than absolute convenience.
Yes. The Turbo Tool, strong suction, and repeated pet-hair praise make it a sensible fit for homes with shedding animals.
Yes. The cleaner is set up for carpet and hard floor use, and the long hose plus attachments make stairs, upholstery, mattresses, and car cleaning part of the same routine.
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