A five-star score here means that nearly all of the fine dust and allergens that the vacuum cleaner picks up are locked tightly within the container and are not released back into the home. Converting from stick to handheld mode is easy: just grab the two switches on the side of the vacuum to detach it from the wand. These kinds of controls make a lot of sense: you only use Boost mode while the button is engaged, quickly upping power when you need more and then dropping it down to regular mode straight away. Quickly remove crumbs, dust, debris and pet hair from floors with the Anti Hair Wrap floorhead, perfect for unexpected messes. Under the Consumer Contracts Regulations June 2014 you have a duty to take reasonable care of Products whilst they are in your possession.

Disconnect the wand and floor head, and the vacuum’s weight drops to under 1kg – that’s super-light, and makes cleaning up high, getting into tighter areas and moving the vacuum cleaner around far more easy. What really makes the WV361UK different to previous handheld models is that you get a wand in the box, which extends reach and lets you use a proper motorised floor head. This score shows how well each cordless vacuum cleaner sucks up fine dust from hard flat floors such as laminate. While measured suction is one thing, the quality of the floor head, how well it can agitate dirt, and the contact it makes with the floor all play a part when assessing cleaning quality.There’s no point in having a lightweight vacuum cleaner if it doesn’t have the cleaning performance of a larger model. The worst will give you less than twenty minutes of power and take more than half a day to fully recharge.

Lightweight and compact, easily clean worktops, soft furnishings, car interiors and more with the included Crevice tool and Multi-Surface tool. A single touch is all it takes to open the easy-empty dust cup, so you can empty it straight into your bin. This test is particularly important for serious allergy sufferers who want to remove all of the fine dust and allergens they can from their home.

It’s a little energetic, so ensure you have the cleaner centred over a bin – or you may just fling dust all over your floor. Battery life is good enough for one or two full rooms, which will suit most people, but a second battery will extend run-time should you need it. The Airstorm 1 with Auto Dust Sensor technology and a brushless DC motor wand, is the perfect machine for versatile cleaning and great performance.

That may not sound like a huge amount of dust collection, but factor in the relatively short battery life and that this cleaner is aimed at quickly tackling smaller spills, and it more than does. That’s a bit louder than most regular cordless cleaners, although the high-pitched motor here isn’t particularly annoying. Straddling the ground between handheld and stick cleaners, the Shark WandVac System WV361UK provides the best of both worlds, with a grab-and-go cleaner that can tackle large areas and smaller spills alike. If you want to compare how well this vacuum cleans when the vacuum is full, and empty, then compare the floorboard star rating, with this one. That lightweight body also means this cleaner is easy to push around; I found it quick and nimble with the motorised floor head attached.

The docking/charging base can accept the vacuum with or without the wand or floor nozzle being fitted which is very convenient and also serves as a handy storage base. Relatively short battery life and a small bin mean that you’ll still need an alternative vacuum cleaner for cleaning your entire house. It’s a shame, particularly given how light this vacuum cleaner is, that it won’t stand up on its own.