Gtech HyLite 2 | Cordless Upright and Handheld Vacuum | Lightweight | Powerful AirLoc Technology | Bagged

Product Information

Fused together at the top and sides, our hygienic vacuum bags are robust. To ensure you get the most out of each, the airflow continually pushes dirt into the bag as you vacuum. And as they avoid tearing during disposal, your home stays dust-free. You'll get the same cleaning performance as a bagless vacuum, but with extra efficiency due to not having a cyclone bin which requires additional power.

Broken apart (and yes, it’s designed to do this), the HyLite is compact enough to fit in a utility-room drawer or be put into a drawstring bag and hung on a hook. Despite its tiny dimensions, though, Gtech claims it performs at least as well as, if not better, than many of its more bulky rivals. However, to help combat this, if you shop around you’ll find offers to bundle the AirRAM M2 with Gtech’s excellent Multi MK2 K9 handheld vacuum cleaner. That’s a fine combination, but most of its rivals have a handheld option already built into the same model, and these bundles inevitably cost more. It also collected various stringy bits of debris and wrapped those around the roller for good measure. A combination cutter and comb is supplied to help combat the problem, and it was only a five-minute job to remove the roller, cut through the hair and tease it off with the comb, but this would have to be a regular job in my household, something you don’t need to do with anti-tangle models such as the Hoover HF9. The bags are made up of three breathable layers which filter different grades of dust and debris, meaning the airflow can compress dirt more efficiently for maximum capability and durability. Each bag essentially acts as a filter, and with pleats increasing the capacity, you can go longer without changing them. You get a fresh clean every time you use a new bag. Yes, you read that right! Imagine you have just a large bag of sugar in your hands it’s that light.The result was even better on carpet, collecting every piece of cereal apart from a few stragglers that had escaped to the side, registering at 100% on my scales. The battery in the HyLite 2 is no larger than the one in the original HyLite, and unsurprisingly it offers similar battery life, lasting for 20 minutes or so. It only has the one power setting, too, so there’s no way to eke out a slightly longer runtime.

Accidental dirt spills are possible as the gap that dirt travels into the collection bin is on the side, rather than the top. Careful handling usually means you can remove it without anything falling out, but the spillage risk is more significant than most vacuums, which contain the dirt at least until you’re holding them over a dustbin. Related: Best cordless vacuum cleaners Gtech HyLite design – its size is the first thing you’ll notice It’s important to us that we use the best possible components in our products. That’s why we’ve gone for Samsung Lithium-ion batteries - they’re reliable and robust, two of the most important elements for professional users. How do Gtech test the HyLite's runtime? It weighs only 1.6kg (that’s 3.5lb) with the handle attached and just 1kg (2.2lb) in hand-held mode.Hard-floor test – Pushing around our spilt rice made the HyLite slightly frustrating to use on the hard floor READ NEXT: The best budget cordless vacuum cleaners Gtech HyLite 2 review: What do you get for the money? This allows you to use it without the handle, so the next time you’re vacuuming the stairs or your upholstery, you can do it with ease.

The main purpose of the Gtech HyLite 2 is to provide an easy cleaning solution with minimal maintenance needed. All you need to do is replace the bag once in a while, and that’s it. Similarly, in handheld mode the HyLite is great at giving sofa cushions the once over, but if there’s a ridge around the side of your soft furnishing, or want to get into any folds on the underside, the vacuum proves too big to manage such finer detail. We test all our floorcare products in accordance with IEC standards (international guidelines that all floorcare manufacturers have to follow). The HyLite achieved an average runtime of 20 minutes 27 seconds when tested on 50% hard laminated floor and 50% 10mm pile carpet which is what we believe best represents a real home. You can see the performance results of the Hylite here

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People found it very easy to fit and replace the bags, and the fact that it doesn’t take any storage space is an added bonus. Fully extended, the vacuum measures 1,120 x 297 x 256mm (HWD), although it shrinks to standing 845mm tall with the handle dropped. The whole unit weighs 3.2kg, with most of the weight in the base (as is typical of the upright design).

In the floor unit, there’s a single brush bar with two lines of bristles running along its length in a double helix. The collection bin lies horizontally behind the roller and has room for 0.8l of dust and dirt. Unlike the HyLite 2, the AirRAM MK2 doesn’t use a bag, so there are no additional running costs. If you’re getting a sense of deja vu, it’ll be because, as its name suggests, the HyLite 2 is the second in the series – the sequel to the original Gtech HyLite. It’s remarkably similar-looking, but one small change could make a big difference to its performance in our tests – Gtech’s new AirLOC technology. We have considered all the main, ‘state of the art’ vacuum cleaner construction methods currently used in our industry. Surprisingly, very few manufacturers attempt to make vacuum cleaners compact or shorten the airpath.I put the Gtech AirRAM MK2 through the same series of challenges that I use to test every vacuum cleaner, so you can see how it compares to its rivals. I test the vacuums using measured quantities of Cheerios, flour and pet hair, and weigh how much is collected from a single pass. This test is performed on both short-pile carpet and hard flooring.