Hoover 300 3in1 Cordless Vacuum: agile, dual LED lights and brushless motor, H-FREE 300 HOME HF322HM

Product Information

Designed to complement a regular plug-in vacuum cleaner, this cordless model can stand up by itself and includes two LED lights. A decent performer with light spills and good at removing pet hair, this is a useful supporting vac to have in your home. Hoover H-Free 300 design and features – Cleverly, it can stand unaided We’d have liked to have seen a larger bin capacity and a less bulky vacuum head, but the runtime and lightweight design do well to outweigh any negatives. Measuring 110 cm at its highest point, the Hoover boasts six adjustable height settings, which means it’s easy to store, and it comes with a more than manageable seven parts in total, including a main vacuum head, removable battery and stretch hose. The C300 cordless vacuum cleaner from Hoover houses all its workings, including motor, battery and filters, in the floor-head. That really makes it a cordless upright cleaner with no hand-held cleaning option, although you do get a tube, detail tools and a handle that doubles as an extension tube. The accessories clip on-board, and with the telescopic handle fully down, it’s compact and easy to store in low cupboards such as under the sink.

At the rear, there’s a Power Control touch-sensitive button that you tap to run through the Power mode. With non-powered tools, there are three power modes: Low, Medium and Turbo; add a motorised brush and you just get Medium and Turbo modes. Grey in colour and complemented with the deep-red Hoover logo on the front, the H-Free C300 looks neat and compact for an upright cleaner. With hard-floor, carpet and Eco modes, it promises comprehensive floor cleaning around the home and a super-long run-time – up to an hour on the Eco setting. Buttons are located conveniently on the front, below the telescopic handle that doubles as an extension tube for extra reach when using the detail tool. Společnost Hoover nabízí široký sortiment příslušenství a náhradních dílů pro váš spotřebič. Kontaktujte nás a vyhledejte kompatibilní příslušenství.

The verdict: Hoover H-Free 300

Aside from the ability to stand up on its own accord, which makes it a hit with us for starters, the Hoover H-Free 300 looks pretty good overall. Our test model came with a red anodized finish on the aluminium main tube, while the colour scheme overall is a blend of red, dark grey and silver, topped with the iconic Hoover logo on the main body. Quality isn’t based on suction power alone, but also the efficiency of the tools, which is where my real-world tests come in. First, I started be spreading an ‘X’ of flour onto a carpeted floor. Heading out over different carpets and rugs around the home, the Hoover delivered a reasonably good clean, pulling up pet hair and titbits easily. Suction to the floor-head isn’t the strongest, so much of the good cleaning here is due to the effective brush bar and design of the floor-head in concentrating the suction. Either way, the C300 works well as an upright vacuum over the carpet. The true mark of any vacuum cleaner is its ability to clean well. I start my tests by measuring the power in AirWatts of each mode. I measured the cleaner at 29.13AW on Low power, 64.47AW on Medium power and 118.66AW on Turbo. The Medium and Turbo speeds are similar to the Dyson V11 Outsize’s results on Eco and Medium power settings, and then the Dyson has a Turbo mode that more than doubles the power. In the box, Hoover has provided a good range of tools. There’s the floor brush, as mentioned, plus a 2-in-1 crevice tool with brush, an upholstery brush that has a clip-on hard brush, and a mini-motorised pet tool, which is great for use on sofas and stairs. For those without furry friends, there is a non-pet version of this cleaner available (the HF322HM 001) that comes minus this tool.

No need to tire your hands by constantly squeezing a trigger : just push the button once to keep the power on. There is also a Power Control button which allows you to increase or decrease suction as needed. The same can be said of the hose. Releasing the upper section of the handle to use as an extension tube, push-fitting the hose in the floor-head and handle is a rather flimsy affair. It does give you fairly decent reach, however, and we effectively used the extension tube with the dusting brush to clean above canvas paintings.

Remove and clean the filter once per month

At 3.4kg and 60 minutes respectively, it’s one of the lightest vacuums on the market with one of the longest battery lives, which will likely be very attractive to families who need a reliable model with a good battery that's light enough to lug up and down even the steepest of stairs. The Hoover certainly looks great, is simple to use and relatively affordable compared to some of the higher priced battery upright cleaners available. However, its performance is a bit of a let-down. The battery lasted only a third of the 60-minute suggested time if you use the most effective full power and carpet mode and, even then, it didn’t deliver the best cleaning results, so you’re better off with something on our Best cordless vacuum cleaner list. The brush bar saves the day with effective carpet cleaning, but low suction power overall and the poorly designed hose and tool system left hard floors, stairs and detail cleaning tasks wanting. Included are a 2in1 dusting/ crevice tool, to help you to reach tight spaces and to clean above floors, plus a 2in1 large dusting brush/upholstery tool for cleaning bigger surface areas and textiles. I didn’t find the Hoover H-Free 300 too loud, either, coming in at 67.9dB on Low, 69.5dB on Medium and 74.9 on Turbo. That makes this one of the quietest cordless vacuum cleaners I’ve tested.