Bosch Unlimited 6 BCS612GB Ultra Lightweight 18V Powerful MultiUse Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, 2 Batteries 60 minutes runtime, range of handy accessories including Docking Station – White

Product Information

The Bosch has two power levels, normal and Turbo. To summarise, let’s call these settings ‘poor’ and ‘properly effective’ respectively. Battery runtime: Depending on the mode and battery used, the runtime of the vacuum cleaner may vary. The Unlimited BCS122GB is the top-spec model of the series and comes with a solid, if not fully comprehensive, list of toys. We used the Unlimited BCs122GB on stairs with both the tube attached and with the floorhead connected directly to the cleaner body. Both worked well and, if you have straight steps, the tube gives extra reach and you can support it with your other hand. For more complex stairs, shortening up the system and using the floorhead directly works well. However, those huge runtime differences highlight the equally massive difference in suction power between modes, and we think Bosch has got it very wrong here.

We first saw this tech on some of Bosch’s mains-powered cleaners and it worked well for both filtration and reducing the filter cleaning chore. It’s not washable though, so we do wonder how its performance will fair over time when particles get permanently lodged in its fibres. At 65dB, the BCS122GB competes with some of the market’s best low-noise and ‘silence’ mains cleaners. You won’t disturb the neighbours even during midnight cleaning sorties.The head’s superb articulation allows it to turn into all but the tightest of turning steps, although it remains too large to flip up and do the verticals. For those, we used the triangular upholstery tool, which was effective if not swift. I really like the feel of this cleaner's light weight, balance and flexibility. I can vacuum my 82 sq m, 2 br apartment in 35 minutes running time, on a single battery (70 minutes with 2 batteries). I can also deep clean with short bursts of Turbo power, for example when vacuuming door mats. However, compared to my vacuuming efforts, my cleaning lady can do this job in half the time that I take. Using my Bosch cleaner, she can vacuum double the area that I can, on a single battery. This means that with 2 batteries, my cleaner can vacuum 328 ... Read more sq metres of a house. When a carpet is regularly cleaned, she usually empties the dust container (dustbox) when she has finished a job. Unusually, the BCS122GB has a single filter unit, rather than the multifarious foam, paper, mesh and pleated filters of its rivals. But thanks to Bosch’s very sleek filter design that doesn’t diminish the filtration, and the company claims that a hygienic 99.9% of particles will be captured.

Except, in fact, you can: the Vax ONEPWR Blade 5 Dual Pet & Car comes with all the attachments you might need and a second battery. While those batteries don’t last as long as the Bosch’s, its soft roller helped it perform better in our all-round cleaning tests. Thankfully, because of the two batteries, this Bosch delivers plenty of serious Turbo-mode cleaning runtime. With the fast charger taking 55 minutes, power is not quite unlimited, but you can get a very long way around the house in 18 minutes. Bosch Unlimited BCS122GB – How noisy is it? On the downside, it has few of the features that are slowly becoming absolute essentials on a cordless vacuum. While I could live with the clunky emptying (and actually, I’m slightly taken by it), I would find it hard to introduce a vacuum into my household that doesn’t comb hair tangles out of its floor head. The white light on the Bosch Unlimited Serie 6 BCS611AM vacuum cleaner briefly turns on, followed by the red light, and then nothing, when it is plugged in to charge because the battery is not charging. To resolve this issue, please follow these steps: Don't compromise on comfort, with a compact, flexible, lightweight design and AllFloor Power Brush and DigitalSpin motor, Bosch helps you get hard to reach places from floor to ceiling cleanAfter due research I decided on replacing my cheap vacuum cleaner, which wore out after about 3 years, with this Canstar recommended product. On carpet, a little more was left behind. I measured 96% of the spill collected, though a visible dusting remained after the first pass. I found it was best to employ the upholstery brush, as the velvety bristles had just enough agitation to gather the remnants from our short pile carpet. a corded cleaner, its effectiveness is boosted by the powered head, so you get the safe level of suction boosted by the powered brushes. The powered floor tool cleans hard floors, carpets and rugs. There is also a smaller powered upholstery tool, and 2 unpowered attachments: - a long crevice tool and a dust brush. These çan be attached directly to the motor head and you can take them anywhere: vacuuming stairs, tight spaces, furniture or inside cars. This cleaner comes with a wall mount hanger/charging point, but that doesn't work in the apartment where I live because I am not in a position to add a dedicated power-point for charging. I just stand my cleaner in the corner of a hallway cupboard and I charge it in the laundry, or anywhere else that I choose. I would like to have a stand for it but in reality, I have nowhere to place one. Therefore I mark the cleaner down 0.5 on my own design scale - I think this cleaner should rate 4.5 design stars for design because of the absense of a stand, although I have now learned of a universal stand that I will investigate further.

We would have much rather seen the normal mode offer twice the suction and half the runtime. That would give you about half an hour of ‘normal’ cleaning with the floorhead per battery. As it is, with its two batteries, the Unlimited BCS122GB offers over two hours of not very much at all on normal mode. Emptying the collection bin is a fairly old-school endeavour. It sits at right angles to the extension wand, so this needs removing before the bin can be extracted from the handheld unit. The filter is then lifted out, leaving just the cup full of dust to be tipped into the bin. Close-to-edge cleaning was very impressive, and even close up, the Turbo mode delivered a decent clean in just this single run. It took a couple of passes to get rid of all the heavier carpet powder particles, but the good suction did well in one pass. While being cordless and having a direct floorhead is undoubtedly the ideal scenario for stair cleaning, we again missed having a small turbo tool for these duties. The main floorhead is a little unwieldy and a small tool would have also allowed us to clean the carpeted step verticals.At its best, the BCS122GB offers staggering good cordless cleaning. But at this price, we would expect a more polished all-around performance. Verdict The bin itself takes a little getting used to as it releases from the cleaner by tipping forward and away. Emptying is as simple as pulling out the filter unit and tipping out the contents. I haven't owned this cleaner long enough to know how kind it is to my carpet, but it glides effortlessly over my current carpet and lifts the pile, leaving trails of fresh-looking carpet in its wake. This cleaner can vacuum all floor types seamlessly with the exception of loop pile wool.