Hoover H-Handy 700 Pets Express Handheld Vacuum Cleaner Review

Reviewed by Helen Wyatt’

I really didn’t know what to expect when I received my Hoover H-Handy 700 Pets parcel, thinking “what could be so good or different about a little handheld hoover?”. In the past, I have had a few handheld vacuum cleaners which have been ok but with little suction power and barely any charge before they conked out. They were a bit of a novelty but didn’t really last, not for me anyway. We have 6 cats and 2 dogs and therefore a house full of hair, so to be honest I wasn’t holding out much hope for this one either!

I opened the small box up and immediately had to do a bit of a double take – so let’s get the “bad” bit out of the way first, before we get to the good bit! Oh Hoover, the packaging! There was far too much plastic for this one small item, with every plastic part being packed in plastic itself, and then in cardboard too so once the hoover was unpacked I was left with a lot of non-recyclable packaging that needed to be disposed of, which was a real shame.

That aside, I pulled out all the parts and immediately was able to start clipping it together without referring to the instructions for some time. The main hoover is compact and slim-line, coming in two key parts – one that contains the battery and motor, and one that contains the dust collection part and filter. Those two parts quite simply click together and as long as you have charge you can immediately use it. The handle is ergonomic, with a rubber part to support greater grip and comfort. The hoover is also really lightweight at just 640 grams.

I tried it out straight away, just running it around my carpet in my bedroom. It has an easy on/off switch which powers the hoover up to using the 120W motor, and the most exciting part is that it has an LED light! I don’t know why this pleased me so much, but it is designed for greater visibility, to light up any hidden nooks and crannies, and improve the cleaning experience. I found that the hoover even without any attachments was really effective, and quickly picked up lots of hair. I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised at how good it actually was. Add in the “Flex & Deep Pet Hair Remover Nozzle” and if you’re a pet owner you’re in cleaning heaven. The pet head has a rotating “agitator” which has a velvet cover to help electrostatically attract loose hairs and allergens. I was thinking that this was going to be an awful pain to clean, but it really wasn’t, and it has 50% greater pick up power than a traditional bristle agitator too.

The only part I struggled with is removing and replacing the rotating part. You do need a coin or something similar to unlock the head, which is not too tricky, however I still haven’t quite figured out how to put the rotating part back in and lock it first time, without trying multiple ways. It does however go in after a few fiddly tries. Cleaning it is nothing like the rollers we’ve had in other “pet” vacuum cleaners which always end up with hairs wrapped round them, then they usually just fail after a while. As this roller has velvet rather than bristles, it is so much easier! You just snip them, pull the hair off, and throw it away. The pet head also self-adjusts to different angles too, facilitating greater accessibility for helping remove pet hairs.

The hoover is pretty easy to empty too. You just press a button to unclip the two halves, lift out the filter with the small handle, and then tip out the dust and hairs. The container is clear so you can see when it is full and needs emptying. The washable EPA filter is designed for optimal air filtration and long-lasting performance.

The hoover comes with a neat charging stand, so you don’t have to just balance the hoover on a worktop. The charging stand also has places for all the accessories to be stored, along with an accessories cover, and all you have to do is pop the hoover on the stand and it will start charging. The hoover takes around 3 hours to complete a full charge, which gives you roughly a 15 minute run time. It would be nice if it took less time to charge, however I found that 15 minutes was plenty of time to use the hoover on my stairs, for example, instead of having to lug my large, corded vacuum up there instead.

One of the accessories is a 3 in 1 practical tool which has a dust brush for hard surfaces, a furniture nozzle, and crevice tool. This easily fits on the end of the hoover to give you additional cleaning power. One downside to the hoover is the printed instructions which are purely pictorial and I didn’t find them particularly easy to follow when I was trying to put the rotating head back. The hoover comes with a cleaning brush too, and I couldn’t figure out where to store that so it doesn’t yet have a home. The instructions don’t reference it either. That’s only a minor issue though, and doesn’t detract from the overall use of the hoover at all.

Overall, this is a great hoover and I’m really pleased its now part of my cleaning arsenal. It would be a really great Christmas gift for a tech lover, especially if they have pets, as it is so efficient at picking up loose hairs, dust, and other detritus from all surfaces, and easily packs away neatly in a corner, ready for the next time you need it.

Rating: 4.5/5

RRP: £119.00 sale price £69.00

This product can be purchased from Hoover here.