When it comes to reviewing products around the home, I like to be sure that I’ve really tested and lived with the item before letting people know what I think.
We were sent the Gtech Air Ram cordless vacuum cleaner at the end of the summer, and from the first use I could have written about it being lightweight, and the way it collects up larger crumbs rather than flicking them to the corners of the room (like my previous vacuum cleaner seemed to do!)
A week into the review, when I had used it every day in the spaces we use most – the kitchen, living and dining rooms, and the always-well-used playroom – and was charging it for the first time, I could have written about the convenience of this product over my now much-ignored dustpan and brush, and how handy it is to just grab this cordless cleaner and whip it around the space, making it cleaner in a matter of minutes.
Now that we have had time enough to really live with the vacuum cleaner, I can honestly say that it is very convenient – it’s light, it’s easier to grab and use a couple of times a day than a sweeping brush was, it means that I don’t ignore the crumbs from breakfast until dinner time, and it’s easy to charge and empty, but doesn’t need charging after every use, which is fantastic when I’ve got twenty other things to remember and my mind is half on the packing, and planning what things to take with us on our next adventure.
Compared to the big vacuum cleaner, which is something of a workhorse chosen with pets and a growing family in mind, this doesn’t do quite as thorough a job, and I still get the big one out once a week to make sure the corners and edges of the rooms are properly cleaned (the Air Ram is great on open spaces, but not brilliant in those hard to reach edges, though it glides under furniture quite well). It does keep on top of the day to day bits and bobs that get dropped to the floor as small children eat, play and pass through a room!
The vacuum cleaner comes with a USB cable that can connect to your computer which gives information on the way it uses energy, and compared to other models it is marketed as one which saves energy – and this is an aspect of technology that I’m always keen to involve in our lives. Saving energy is something I like to teach my children about, and it’s reassuring to see that even everyday household products that you might use without thinking can be more eco-friendly, without losing any of that modern convenience we have come to rely on.
The Gtech Air Ram retails at £199, which isn’t cheap, and it’s not the most attractive vacuum cleaner I’ve ever seen, but I do think it’s worth the money – it’s small enough to tuck away easily, and light enough to whip around the house and up the stairs, and I do like the convenience of it being cordless, which makes getting across all the floors of our home much easier. It’s good on carpets and hard floors, and it’s just slipped into daily use in my home without me really thinking about it – which I think is the sign of a well-designed product.
I would definitely recommend it, particularly for those with busy families who just want to be able to quickly tidy up as you go, and though it’s not cheap, it’s not over priced; it’s worth the money for the convenience.
You can find out more about the product, or where to buy one of your own (or the higher end model which comes with additional tools) here:
http://www.gtech.co.uk/cordless-vacuum-cleaners/airram-vacuum-cleaner.html
Disclaimer: I was sent a Gtech Air Ram for the purposes of this review, but as you have hopefully seen I have tested it extensively and given my honest opinion, warts and all.
Thanks so much for this brilliant review, I have been wondering about trying this for myself. I have Fibromyalgia and hoovering is one of my biggest pain causes, lugging my big hard to move Hoover around, fighting with the cord ect, I often have to go and lie down for an hour to rest my body. This sounds fantastic, especially being so light and convenient, it’s sound as though I’d be able to keep on top of things much easier…Thank you x
Definitely a great innovation. For someone who isn’t exactly techy-savvy, I’m relieved how this Gtech vacuum seemed pretty easy to use. Simple, and I really like the fact that it tells you how much battery life the vacuum has, it actually signifies you of the energy it has (and frankly it’s not the type to die out easily). I’m quite fearful on using these types of appliances because of the potential electricity bill shock, but surprisingly it’s not going to hurt your electricity consumption because of its efficient charging and low energy use. I don’t know, so far I haven’t seen much increase in my electricity since I used it for a month or two, but yeah besides that it’s pretty convenient for storage and handling when in use. I am not kidding when I say I didn’t have to exert much effort in getting my floors cleaned with this vacuum cleaner hahaha! It’s a great recommendation, and I would support that notion too.