Aldi is bringing its bestselling Shark lookalike back to the middle aisle — and this time it’s been given a space-saving upgrade you don’t want to miss

Aldi’s middle aisle is always a treasure trove of unmissable Specialbuys, and the supermarket’s sellout cordless vacuum will be making its triumphant return from the 4th of May. But at just £44.99, I doubt it’ll stick around for long.

Competing with the best vacuum cleaners out there, including my favourite Shark and Dyson models, this isn’t the first time the Aldi Ambiano Cordless Stick Vacuum has caused a stir. The sub-£50 vacuum cleaner has sold out a few times in the past few years, with shoppers rushing to the discount supermarket to snap one up for themselves.

Thankfully, you now have the chance to grab this bargain again. But you’ll have to act quickly, as you know the drill with Aldi’s middle aisle. Once it’s gone, it’s gone...

As Ideal Home’s Certified Expert for Vacuums, I know that most of the best cordless vacuums come from the likes of Shark, Dyson, and other leading vacuum brands. But I can’t deny that Aldi’s budget vacuum cleaner is a seriously affordable alternative to some of the best in the business. And for just £44.99, it’s certainly a low risk (and a low price) for a potentially high reward.

Coming in either a blue or white colourway, the Ambiano Cordless Stick Vacuum also offers a 0.55l dust capacity, which is only slightly less than the 0.8l capacity of its lookalike, the bestselling Shark Stratos Cordless Vacuum IZ420UKT. This model offers a similar sleek and compact design, and was crowned the ‘best vacuum cleaner for most people’ in our guide. And the rest of the specifications aren’t too far off, either.

Although the Shark Stratos has a longer run time (120 minutes across two batteries, so 60 minutes each), the Ambiano Cordless Stick Vacuum still offers a generous 32 minutes of run time in Eco Mode or 18 minutes of run time in Max Mode - which, from my experience, is still enough time to vacuum a whole house.

Aldi’s model also comes with a motorised brush head, a 180-degree swivel head to ensure no nook or cranny goes uncleaned, and 3 LED lights that Shark has since added to its newer models, like the Shark PowerPro Cordless Vacuum I recently tested.

This year, Aldi’s cordless vacuum cleaner has also been given an upgrade from previous years - onboard storage for the crevice and brush attachments that I’ve only ever seen in one other vacuum (the Miele Duoflex HX1 Cat & Dog) that’s also a whopping ten times the price. This means that you can enjoy the practicality of these tools without having to find somewhere to store them.

Of course, I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I said that the Aldi cordless vacuum was the best new vacuum cleaner on the market. For £44.99, it won't be revolutionary or have high-tech features, but it’s still an affordable vacuum cleaner for those on a budget or those looking for a spare vacuum in their home.

You could even just buy it as an alternative to the best handheld vacuums, as this model transforms into a detachable handheld vacuum with ease. I'd advise snapping up this bargain as soon as it drops on the 4th of May to avoid disappointment, though.

Alternatives

As the Aldi cordless vacuum will only be available in-store, we've rounded up a couple of other worthy alternatives to it, as well as the Shark Stratos.

So, will you be heading to the middle aisle to snap up the Aldi cordless vacuum? Let me know how you get on with it!