In a busy household like ours, cleaning is a chore most of us hate to do. When there is a bit of dirt off your shoes on the carpet or the kids have spilt some crumbs after eating a snack, getting out the vacuum cleaner can seem like a lot of hassle. If you do get out the vacuum cleaner, then you may just as well vacuum the rest of the carpets in the house. So, a spot of dirt or spilt crisps can turn into a full-blown house clean. Gtech have made light cleaning much less of a chore with the world’s smallest stick vacuum cleaner; the Gtech HyLite – it fits in a drawer!
The Gtech HyLite is an extremely lightweight bagged upright cordless stick vacuum cleaner, it weighs an impressive 1.5kg in upright mode (1kg in handheld mode)! It is suitable for upright and handheld use and has a runtime of 20 minutes (depending on surfaces cleaned) with a charge time of just 2 hours. With its compact size, it is very easy to store – just requiring space in a drawer.
What’s in the box:
- Main Unit (with bag fitted)
- Steering Unit
- Replacement Bags (x3)
- Battery (fitted)
- Hair Removal Tool
- Charger
- Handle
So, is a compact cleaner with a bag that fits into a drawer any good? Its so small and light, how could it be? Well the simple answer is, for light cleaning of carpets, hard floors, stairs and sofas it is absolutely brilliant.
Assembly is very easy. The main unit comes with the bag and battery already installed. Everything else just clicks into place.
Charging is also very simple and can be done in two ways. The HyLite features a 90w motor which is powered by a 14.4V battery. You can either charge it with the battery still in place by plugging the charging cable into it or remove the battery and plug the charging cable into the battery. I find removing the battery the easiest method as it doesn’t take up much space on a countertop. Whilst charging, the “G” on the battery will pulsate green and turn solid green once fully charged. When the battery is down to 15% or less, the “G” will turn orange. A full 2-hour charge gives approx. 20 minutes of use, depending on the surface you are cleaning – a bigger capacity battery would increase the weight of the unit and probably the size.
Using the HyLite is also very simple. In its upright mode it is perfect for cleaning small areas or spills and dropped crumbs. It is very nimble, agile and has excellent performance, picking up everyday dust, dirt and crumbs – it may be small and light but it does the job well. It can quite easily get under tables and sofas and around standing furniture such as lamps and table legs as it is very low profile at just 70mm and features a reclining telescopic handle (1 metre when fully extended, retracts to 40cm).
Remove the handle with the click of a button to switch to handheld mode and it becomes the perfect size to hold in your hand to vacuum upholstery on chairs and sofas and even the stairs (much easier than trying to manoeuvre a large, bulky vacuum cleaner around). With the handle off it weighs approx. 1kg so is very easy to hold comfortably and use.
Unlike most modern vacuum cleaners, the HyLite isn’t bagless. It comes with a bag pre-installed in the main unit and 3 replacement bags are supplied (replacement bags cost £12.99 for 15, so not too expensive). The bags are triple layered and are very robust, no tearing, and despite their compact size compress any dirt and debris up to three times the volume of the bag (average bag use is 7-15 bags per year). The bag acts as the filter, so there are no filters to remove and wash like on bagless vacuums. Removing a full bag takes seconds and anything contained within it says contained with no plumes of dust getting in your face.
Maintenance is a doodle. There are no filters to remove, wash and dry. The brush bar is easy to remove and clean, a hair removal is supplied to make taking out long hair simple. The bag can be removed in seconds by removing the battery and lifting the latch of top of the lid. It really doesn’t take much looking after to keep it in perfect working order.
Overall, the Gtech HyLite is an excellent compact, versatile and agile vacuum cleaner. It has very high cleaning performance and vacuums very well, picking up most debris on the first pass. It is quiet when in use and even has headlights so you can see the what you are vacuuming. Whilst it isn’t something that you would use for a whole house vacuum, it is perfect for light cleaning jobs and is the perfect companion to your main vacuum cleaner. With the handle removed and retracted it is really easy to store in a drawer (or you can purchase a drawstring storage bag for £9.99 so that you can hang it on the back of a door), making it perfect for homes where cupboard space is sparse.
No gimmicks, no hoses to block, no filters to clean, the Gtech Hylite is a powerful little machine for any household. Perfect for light cleaning, vacuuming the car or caravan and takes up very little space.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £129.99 (with free delivery)
For more information or to buy, visit www.gtech.co.uk.