When it comes to consumer technology, bigger isn't always better. Complexity can become an annoyance, and it's often wrong to think that if something is more expensive, it's automatically better. The Hoover HL2 TurboStyle is a classic example of this logic. Here's a fairly traditional corded upright vacuum cleaner with no smart sensors built in, no fancy displays, just the features we all want, at a price we can all afford.
It's on offer at the moment. Bought directly from Hoover, for example, you can get one for £129 with free next-day delivery. That's a £40 saving over the usual £169.99 price. But even if you miss the deal, it's still a lot of vacuum for the money.
Key Features and Performance
It has 850w of suction power, a neat pivoting system to help you get it around sharp angles, and a 2.5-litre dust container. These are the basic staples of any good upright vacuum, but it goes one further and offers a lift-away system to make it more portable, and there's an anti-twist technology built in to prevent hair wrapping.
I think my favourite aspect, though, is how light it is. At less than 5kg it's a doddle to push around, easy to carry up stairs, and it makes all the other vacuums I own and test feel unnecessarily heavy.
You could argue that, compared to some of the more modern designs, it looks a bit unappealing. Hoover does offer different colours with some versions of the HL2, but it's not something you'd call stylish. Of course, having to navigate around a cable is becoming annoying, too, as we're now in a world filled with competent cordless tech - but it's the price you pay for more power and no worries about battery life.
Suction and Usability
Its performance is its selling point though. I've tested vacuums costing twice the price that haven't had such a strong suction, especially on carpets. The anti-hair wrap system isn't a gimmick, unlike some of the rivals, it really works in a house filled with labradoodle fur.
If you do have pets, there's a more expensive version with a motorised pet tool, which is great for stairways - but it's not in the sale, so it's £179.99. The other colour options - pastel green and pastel pink - are also not in the sale, so they're £169.99. But, as I've already said, I think that's a really fair price when you consider there are vacuums costing £400 plus that really struggle to out-compete it.
A Refreshingly Simple Appliance
And the simplicity of having a vacuum that just gets the job done without having to connect to an app, or have the right mode selected on a touch-panel, is seriously refreshing. This is a really, really good no-nonsense household appliance that does exactly what you expect. And, if we're being honest, that's really all we need.
