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

Product Information

For darker areas, there are three LED lights on the front of the floor-head although, strangely, they only come on in carpet mode. With the growing trend for hard floors like laminates, this seems an odd way of setting up the lights, particularly as we find LEDs most useful for spotting pet hair on hard floors. Sadly, the lights are pretty dull so their function is more decorative than useful anyway. A full charge took us just over 6 hours, as the manual suggested. That’s a seriously long time and clearly not going to see multiple cleaning sessions in the same day. Then again, if the Hoover does deliver on its promised 60 minutes run-time, that shouldn’t be a problem.

The H-Free C300+ may look a little industrial at first sight, but it feels sturdy, performs really well and, crucially, won’t break the bank.

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. verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ 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.

While there are only two power levels (carpet and eco) in addition to the main setting used exclusively for hard floors, carpet mode is, in fact, the real winner here. 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. Out of the box, the C300+ looks a little old-fashioned with an unexciting grey and blue design, especially when compared to the slimmer H-Free 700. But, of course, looks aren’t everything.In terms of manoeuvrability, we loved the swivel steering (a huge highlight!) as it made the vacuum cleaner super easy to manoeuvre, especially when changing direction – key if you have enthusiastic children running around the house as you’re attempting to clean.

A light and fairly small hose clips over the handle for storage. The upper part of the handle offers a six-position height adjustment including slotting completely down into the lower half. To use the hose and detail tools, you have to pop up a slightly awkward clip on the floor-head and press and turn the hose into place. If you’re on the look-out for both of these things, then this model may well be worth considering. What is a First Look? It has a decent number of settings, a small selection of useful tools and volume levels that aren’t deafening, particularly in eco mode.When it comes to really busting the dust, the right vacuum cleaner can be a lifesaver. We share our first impressions of Hoover’s new H-Free C300+. All-in-all, it took our team about 15 minutes get going. As the vacuum was already part-way charged out of the box, we could also start cleaning straight away – something that we were very pleased about. Once empty, it takes about six hours for the vacuum to reach full charge. Stand-out features To reach those difficult-to-clean areas under chairs and sofas, the Hoover’s handle tilts and reclines very close to the ground, allowing the head to get under low obstacles. Three LEDs on the front light up the pet hair tumbleweed and dust in these darkened areas, although they’re not very bright compared to those on more affluent cordless uprights.