Five corded vacuums that show the main choices, from an upright with a stretch hose to a large bagged cylinder, researched from manufacturer pages, with plain explanations of cable, hose and reach and what the filter words mean.
A corded vacuum cleaner is a simpler purchase than a cordless one, which makes the details easy to overlook. Should it be an upright or a cylinder? Does it take a bag? What is the real reach once the hose is added to the cable, and does the floor head cope with both the carpet and the kitchen floor? Those questions decide how often it comes out of the cupboard.
This guide takes five corded vacuums as worked examples: an upright with a stretch hose, a large bagged cylinder, a bagged upright with a foot-operated brush switch, a bagged cylinder with a hard floor nozzle and a compact bagless cylinder with a pet tool. They were chosen because the manufacturers’ own pages are clear and each one matches an exact Amazon.co.uk listing, not because they are the best of their kind. They are not a ranking. Our Corded Vacuums listing covers ten models, with a short card for each.
Shopicks has not tested any of them. Everything here comes from manufacturer pages and data sheets read on 23 October 2026, plus UK consumer advice, and the guide says where a figure is missing or contested rather than guessing.
Upright with a stretch hose
Vax
A corded upright with a removable 1.5 L bin and a stretch hose. Vax spells out how it arrives at 17 m of reach, which makes it a clear example of cable, hose and reach as three different numbers.
Research-based assessment
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. We have not physically tested this product.
People who want an upright for carpets and hard floors and a stretch hose for stairs and above-floor jobs.
Vax UK’s page prints the cable, the hose and the total reach separately, and the Amazon.co.uk listing carries U85-AS-Pme in its title and Vax’s own SKU, 1-1-137092, in its Model Number row. It represents the upright with a long reach. Vax’s fine dust claim is footnoted to a laboratory test to the maximum fill line, so we do not repeat it. We have not tested how it cleans.
Large bagged cylinder
Henry
A 9 L bagged cylinder with a 10 m cable. It is the example for bag capacity and weight, and for a headline range that its maker does not define.
Research-based assessment
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. We have not physically tested this product.
Larger homes where a big bag and a long cable matter more than weight, and where the buyer will check the exact variant.
Numatic’s page and data sheet agree on the drum, cable, filter and bags, and the Amazon.co.uk listing carries HVR 200-11 in its title and Model Number row. It represents the large bagged cylinder. The data sheet is for the HVR200-11 (EU) variant and the UK page prints no suffix, and Amazon sells several listings for the machine, so check the exact ASIN. We have not tested how it cleans.
Bagged upright for carpets
SEBO
A bagged upright with a separate brush motor, a foot-operated brush on/off button and three handle heights. It is the example for matching the brush to the floor.
Research-based assessment
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. We have not physically tested this product.
Mostly carpeted homes where a heavier upright with a long guarantee is acceptable.
SEBO UK’s page for the Felix Pet ePower is specific about the motors, bag, brush switch, floor types and guarantee, and the Amazon.co.uk listing carries 90810GB in its title and Model Number row. It represents the bagged upright. SEBO’s page prints no article code, so the code rests on Amazon. SEBO’s S-Class filtration claim has no test conditions, so we do not repeat it. We have not tested how it cleans.
Bagged cylinder with floor-specific nozzles
Bosch
A 4 L bagged cylinder with six nozzles, including a hard floor nozzle and a mattress nozzle. It is also the example for why a listing’s filter wording should be checked against the maker’s own.
Research-based assessment
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. We have not physically tested this product.
A home with hard floors and stairs that wants separate nozzles and a bagged cylinder.
Bosch UK’s page lists the bag, cable, radius, filter and every included nozzle, and the Amazon.co.uk listing carries BGB41HYGGB in its title and Model Number row. It represents the bagged cylinder with floor-specific nozzles. The Amazon title’s HEPA and 1.5L do not appear on Bosch’s page, so we follow Bosch. We have not tested how it cleans.
Compact bagless cylinder with a pet tool
Hoover
A 2 L bagless cylinder with a washable filter that Hoover calls HEPA H13, a pet turbo tool and a stretch hose. It is the example for a small bin and for a maker’s own HEPA wording.
Research-based assessment
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. We have not physically tested this product.
A smaller home, or a second cylinder for stairs, where a small bagless bin is acceptable.
Hoover’s page for the HP320PET 001 prints the bin, cord, hose, weight and tool list, and the Amazon.co.uk listing carries HP320PET in its title and Model Number row. It represents the compact bagless cylinder. Hoover’s UK page returned ‘not found’, so the specification comes from its Irish page for the same product number. We have not tested how it cleans.
| Vax Air Stretch Pet Max | Henry HVR 200-11 | SEBO Felix Pet | Bosch BGB41HYGGB | Hoover H-POWER 300 Pets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Upright, bagless | Cylinder, bagged | Upright, bagged | Cylinder, bagged | Cylinder, bagless |
| Bag or bin | 1.5 L bin | 9 L drum | 3.5 L bag | 4.0 l bag | 2 L bin |
| Cable | 13 m | 10 m | Not printed | 7 m | 6.5 m |
| Reach as the maker defines it | Up to 17 m (13 m cable plus 3.6 m hose) | 26.4 m ‘cleaning range’, undefined | 11 m ‘cleaning range’, undefined | 10 m operating radius | 11.5 m working radius |
| Floor heads and nozzles | Turbo Tool, 3 in 1 tool | Floor tools named; 280 mm combination tool | Kombi floor head, brush switch off | Hard floor and five other nozzles | Combi floorhead, all-floors nozzle |
| Filter wording | Rinseable, washable | Tritex filter, HepaFlo bags | S-Class filtration (SEBO’s term) | UltraAllergy, washable | Washable HEPA H13 (Hoover’s term) |
| Weight | 4.9 kg | 7.3 kg (data sheet), 8 kg (page) | 6.8 kg | 4.5 kg cleaner only | 4.52 kg cleaner only |
| May suit | Carpets plus a stretch hose for stairs | A large bag and a long cable | Mostly carpet and a long guarantee | Hard floors, stairs and mattresses | A small home or a second cylinder |
Which? says uprights are good for covering large floor areas, particularly carpets, and are generally better at getting hair and fluff out of carpets, but are harder to use on stairs, in tight spaces and under low furniture. Cylinders have a long flexible hose that usually makes stairs easier and, on average, reach further from the socket, but they can be harder to push over thick carpet, particularly without a turbo brush.
Some models narrow the gap. The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max adds a stretch hose to an upright, and the Shark NZ801UKT in our listing has a Powered Lift-Away that converts it into a portable vacuum. Neither replaces a cylinder on every staircase, and we have not tested either on stairs.
Which? says bagged models tend to have a larger capacity, while bagless models have a smaller dust capacity and need emptying more often. It found that both can lose suction as the bag or container fills, and that bagless models still released much more dust into the room when emptied than bagged ones. Bagged models mean an ongoing cost, because you have to remember to buy bags, and Which? says branded bags often have extra filtration while cheaper ones usually do not.
The examples span the range: Numatic’s 9 L drum, the 4.0 l Bosch bag and the 3.5 L SEBO bag, against the Hoover’s 2 L bin and the Vax’s 1.5 L bin. Think about the chore you mind less. Do you want to buy and change bags, or tip out a bin more often?
Which? says corded cables run from about six metres to more than fifteen, and that this makes a big difference. A cable only tells you how far the machine can stand from the socket. Reach adds the hose and any tubes, and makers define it differently. Vax counts a 13 m cable plus a 3.6 m total stretch hose as up to 17 m, Bosch gives a 10 m operating radius with a 7 m cable and Hoover an 11.5 m working radius with a 6.5 m cord for the H-POWER.
Numatic lists a 10 m cable and a 26.4 m ‘cleaning range’ for the Henry, and SEBO an 11 m ‘cleaning range’, and neither page defines the term, so we do not compare them. Measure the distance from your socket to the furthest corner you clean, then compare cable and hose, not the headline reach.
What matters is the floor head and whether it can be adjusted. SEBO’s brush roller switches off with a foot button for delicate floors, and the Hoover Breeze Evo Pets in our listing has a brush bar adjustable for different floors and a carpet height selector. The Bosch BGB41HYGGB lists a hard floor nozzle among its six, while the Bosch BGL38BA3GB lists crevice, upholstery, universal and turbo nozzles and no hard floor nozzle. Hoover describes the H-POWER’s combi floorhead as usable on hard floors, rugs and carpets.
Which? says most vacuums ship with a combination floorhead that works on all floor types, some can be adjusted when switching between carpet and hard floor, and some premium models adjust themselves. None of the pages we read measures how well a floor head cleans, and we have not tested any.
Which? says floor tools with spinning brush bars or powered turbo brushes can be handy for picking up pet hair from carpets, and that a mini turbo tool helps on sofas and stairs. The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max and Pick Up Pet list turbo tools, the Hoover H-POWER and H-ENERGY list pet turbo tools, the Hoover Breeze Evo Pets lists a pet hair remover and the Shark NZ801UKT a Pet Power Brush.
Numatic’s Henry page names no pet tool. A tool’s name is not a result, and what any of them does to real pet hair is something only testing can show.
Makers use different filter words, and a washable filter is not the same as a HEPA filter. Hoover’s H-POWER page says washable HEPA H13, Bosch’s BGL38BA3GB says HEPA hygienic filter, Bosch’s BGB41HYGGB says UltraAllergy hygienic filter, Hoover’s H-ENERGY page says washable EPA and SEBO uses the term S-Class. Numatic lists a Tritex filter with HepaFlo bags, where HepaFlo is the name of the bag.
Amazon.co.uk titles do not always match. The titles for the BGB41HYGGB and the H-ENERGY say HEPA where the makers’ pages do not, so the cards follow the makers. Allergy UK recommends a vacuum with a HEPA filter that does not blow out dust, and says measures against house dust mite lower but do not remove the allergens. We make no claim that any of these vacuums removes allergens, bacteria or viruses.
The makers’ weights in our listing run from 3.92 kg for the Hoover H-ENERGY cleaner alone to 7.3 kg for the Henry on its data sheet, with the Bosch and Hoover cylinders at about 4.5 kg and the uprights at 4.9 to 6.8 kg. Figures are not measured the same way: Bosch and Hoover give a cleaner-only weight and a heavier net or gross weight, so check which one is printed.
Noise is printed for some machines and not others, and makers measure it in different ways. Bosch gives 75 dB(A) for the BGB41HYGGB and 79 dB(A) for the BGL38BA3GB, and Hoover 72 dBA for the H-ENERGY, but we do not rank them on it. An upright needs floor space and a cylinder a cupboard, so measure where it will live.
A bagged vacuum needs a supply of the right bag. Numatic’s data sheet lists NVM-1CH bags in packs of ten for the Henry and its page calls them HepaFlo bags, Bosch names an AirFresh dustbag for the BGB41HYGGB, SEBO a sealable Ultra-Bag and Hoover’s H-ENERGY page refers to EPA bags. Check that the exact bag is sold and what it is called before you buy, because Which? says bags are an ongoing cost.
Filters need care too. Washable filters are cleaned as the maker’s manual says, and a bagless machine needs its bin and filter cleaning more often. Follow the manual for the exact model; we do not give a cleaning interval that a maker has not printed.
The first mistake is buying on wattage. A rating is the electrical power a motor is rated for, not a measure of how much dirt reaches the bin, and Numatic’s 620 W, SEBO’s 700 W plus 175 W, Bosch’s 600 W and Hoover’s 850 W are not directly comparable performance figures. The second is trusting a headline range, such as a ‘cleaning range’ nobody defines. The third is taking a listing title as the specification: the Amazon.co.uk title for the BGB41HYGGB says HEPA and 1.5L where Bosch says UltraAllergy and 4.0 l.
A fourth is forgetting that Amazon.co.uk often carries several listings for one machine, as with the Henry, so match the model number, not just the name. The last is treating a manufacturer’s filtration percentage as a result. Hoover’s 99.9% and SEBO’s 99.97% are the makers’ statements, with no test conditions on the pages.
Our assessment is based on product specifications, manufacturer information, market research and comparison with competing products. The products on this page have not been physically tested by Shopicks.
Neither is better outright. Which? says uprights suit large floor areas and carpets and are generally better at getting hair and fluff out of carpets, while cylinders usually make stairs easier and reach further from the socket. Your floors, stairs and storage decide, and we have not tested either type.
Not on every count. Which? found both can lose suction as they fill and that bagless models released more dust into the room when emptied, while bagless saves buying bags and bagged models tend to hold more. The choice is about the chore you mind less.
Measure from your socket to the furthest point you clean. Which? says cables run from about six metres to more than fifteen. Our five examples list 6.5 m to 13 m where the makers print a figure, and reach is defined differently by each maker.
We do not rank them. The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max lists a Turbo Tool that Vax says lifts pet hair, and the Hoover H-POWER 300 Pets a pet turbo tool. Which? says powered brushes and mini turbo tools can help. What any tool does to real pet hair is something only testing can show.
Most have a floor head meant for both, and some can be adjusted. SEBO’s brush roller switches off for delicate floors and the Bosch BGB41HYGGB lists a hard floor nozzle. None of the pages we read measures how well a head cleans each floor.
Only some do, by the maker’s own wording. Hoover’s H-POWER 300 Pets page says washable HEPA H13, while Bosch’s BGB41HYGGB and Hoover’s H-ENERGY pages use other terms despite their Amazon.co.uk titles. Allergy UK recommends HEPA filters, and we make no claim that any removes allergens.
No. This guide is based on manufacturer pages and data sheets and says so on every pick. Shopicks does not describe results it has not seen.
Upright versus cylinder, bagged versus bagless, cable lengths, floor heads and pet hair tools. Test results are behind a paywall and are not used.
Where corded vacuums suit and their reliability record.
Its recommendation of vacuum cleaners with a HEPA filter that do not blow out dust.
That measures against house dust mite lower but do not totally remove the allergens.
Cable, hose and reach, bin, tools, filters, weight and guarantee. The fine dust claim is footnoted to a laboratory test.
Drum, bags, filter, cable, ‘cleaning range’, weight and floor tools named. The page prints no model suffix or guarantee.
A PDF whose text was extracted locally. Weight ready to work, bags and the kit of tools. It is for the EU variant.
Motors, bag, brush switch, handle heights, floor types, tools, weight and guarantee. The page prints no article code.
Bag, cable, radius, filter, nozzles, weight and noise. The motor guarantee footnote has no text on the page.
Filter wording, nozzles included and noise.
Read from Hoover’s Irish site because the UK page would not load. Bin, cord, reach, hose, weight, filter wording and tools.
Read from Hoover’s Irish site. Weight, noise and filter wording; the page contradicts itself on bag size and bags included.
Adjustable brush bar, carpet height selector and pet hair remover.
Used only to confirm the title, manufacturer and model number behind each ASIN. No Amazon prices, ratings, images or descriptions are used.
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