I tested a sub-£200 vacuum cleaner built for pet parents – this is how Hoover’s newest model fared in a real home covered in pet hair
It's one of the lightest models I've EVER tested
Budget-friendly but still brilliant, Hoover's new pet vacuum understands the struggles pet parents face. The anti-tangle floorhead tackles hair with ease, the HEPA filtration keeps pet dander at bay, it's extremely lightweight for grab-and-go cleaning, and the pet cleaning tool is ideal for sofas, beds and upholstery. However, it is loud - so be aware if you have pets that are more sensitive to noise levels.
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Very lightweight and easy to handle
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Pet hair removal tool is incredibly effective
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Average-sized dustbin
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Anti-tangle brush bar and HEPA filtration
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Stands up on its own
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Not as powerful as other models
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Extremely loud
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Meet the tester
I'm Lauren, Ideal Home's resident floorcare expert and Certified Expert in Vacuums. I tested the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner in my three-bedroom home over the course of two weeks, with the help of my dog, Barney.
Hoover is an iconic brand within the vacuum cleaner space, regularly dropping new models to tackle specific problems. And the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean Vacuum Cleaner? Well, this new cordless vacuum is competing to become one of the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair.
This new model promises to tackle all the cleaning problems pet parents face on a daily basis, but at a price point that works for every household. So, Barney (my dog) and I decided to test these claims for ourselves. And this is everything we found out along the way.
In a nutshell
Retailing at just £199, the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is one of the cheapest pet vacuums on the market - but it doesn't scrimp on cleaning power. Like many other cordless vacuums, this model is ideal for grab-and-go cleaning, but it has the added bonus of being one of the lightest I've ever tested at just 2.5kg.
Offering 150AW of power, its suction power was more than enough for everyday cleaning in my pet hair and dander-filled home, and the 0.7L dust bin coupled with the 30-minute runtime in Standard mode (or 60 minutes in Eco mode) allowed me to vacuum my small three-bed Victorian terrace without running out of juice or having to empty it mid-clean.
Of course, this might not be enough for those who want more suction power or for larger homes that struggle with tougher messes. For the everyday UK household, though, I do think it ticks a lot of boxes. Plus, the additional attachments - including the pet tool that I used almost daily - allow for more targeted cleaning when needed.
The only real downside is that you are buying a cheaper model, so you can't expect it to be perfect. It's also on the louder side of the sound spectrum (92dB in Standard mode), which is something you should definitely consider if your pets are scared of louder appliances.
Specifications
- Weight: 2.5kg
- Suction power: 150AW
- Run time: 60 mins (Eco mode), 30 mins (Standard mode)
- Charge time: 4 hours
- Bin volume: 0.7L
- Modes: 3 (Eco, Standard and Turbo)
- Noise level (tested by us): 92dB in Standard mode
- In the box: Main unit, pet hair removal tool, crevice tool, dusting brush, wall mount and charger
- RRP: £199.99
Unboxing, setting up and first impressions
I test a lot of vacuum cleaners in my role as Ideal Home’s Certified Expert in Vacuums, so I’m used to big, bulky boxes landing on my doorstep. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised by the lightweight box the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean came in.
In fact, at just 2.5kg, it’s one of the lightest models I’ve ever received - and it’s on par with the extremely popular (and lightweight) Dyson V12 cordless vacuum cleaner, which is significantly more expensive than the Hoover.
Because of this, it was easy enough for me to carry over the threshold myself, and everything was encased in a solid cardboard scaffold to protect the smaller components from damage. My only niggle here was that they were also individually wrapped in LDPE 04 plastic, which is not widely recycled in kerbside collections. Instead, I had to take it all to the supermarket to dispose of it.
Despite this slight delay, I then got to work assembling the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean, which took just a few seconds. I simply slotted all of the components together and kept the tools separate to test out later.
I then popped it onto charge before using it for the first time, and took a step back to assess both the design and the feel of the cordless vacuum - and I was impressed. It feels lightweight yet not cheap (despite its affordable price point), and I loved the sleek black-and-gold colourway.
One thing I also appreciated was that it stood up on its own without needing to be propped up against a wall. However, the dust bin did look a little small to me, so I was eager to see how it would fare during testing.
Using the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner
As part of how we test vacuums at Ideal Home, our process is twofold. First, we conduct tailored tests to assess a vacuum cleaner’s ability to pick up debris. Then, we use it as naturally as possible in our homes as our everyday vacuum cleaner.
So, to start, I threw some rice, flour, porridge oats, and pet hair on the hard flooring in my three-bedroom Victorian terrace home. And as you can see from the video, it picked up every speck of debris within one forward and one backstroke of the vacuum. You can even see the pet hair being sucked into the floorhead before it even touches it.
I then repeated the process on carpet, and it was just as impressive. This is all thanks to the 150AW of suction power, which puts it on par with top-rated models such as the Dyson V8 Cyclone and the Shark PowerDetect Speed - the latter being the model that I choose to use in my home when I’m not testing another vacuum.
After it passed this test with flying colours, I took the Hoover HF3 Pet for a spin around my home, using it to vacuum both the downstairs (all hard flooring with some rugs) and the upstairs (fully carpeted). One thing I really loved was the white lights on the floorhead, which allowed me to see invisible dust and hair that couldn’t be seen to the naked eye.
As it’s so compact and lightweight, it was also incredibly easy to manoeuvre around corners and between rooms. The Double Edge Cleaning feature also meant that every edge received the same treatment as the rest, and I was able to clean right to the edges of the skirting and baseboards.
On carpet, I was genuinely impressed by the floorhead's ability to remove embedded pet hair from my woollen carpets - which typically hold a lot of hair between the fibres. I could see from the dust bin that it was not only filling up quickly with my dog’s hair, but also my own longer, blonde hair.
And while I was initially concerned about the 0.7L size of the dustbin, I thankfully managed to vacuum my entire house without needing to empty it halfway through. It was full by the time I’d finished, but I’m used to emptying it after every use anyway - so this suited me perfectly.
However, I will admit that the run time could be an issue for some. Although it has a maximum run time of 60 minutes in Eco mode, I tended to use Standard mode most, which only allows 30 minutes. This was enough to vacuum my small house, but those with larger family homes may struggle with that timeframe.
Another niggle I have is the noise level of this vacuum cleaner; at 92 dB, it’s significantly louder than other models I’ve tested.
This isn’t a dealbreaker for short cleaning bursts, and because Barney is used to me testing vacuums, but I did find that my dog was more scared of this model than he has been of other vacuums. So, you might want to be cautious if your pets are particularly sensitive to noise.
Using the attachments
It may seem like the Hoover HF3 only comes with two attachments, but the third - the dusting brush - is hidden within the vacuum itself. It’s revealed when you transform it into handheld mode, and I found this tool particularly handy for more delicate cleaning tasks like dusting my blinds and even my laptop keyboard.
As the crevice tool is fairly standard with every vacuum cleaner, there wasn’t anything too remarkable about this - but it’s still a great tool to have for those smaller nooks and crannies.
My favourite tool, however, was the pet hair removal tool. I love it when a pet vacuum cleaner comes with a separate motorised tool like this, as it allows for more targeted cleaning where pet hair is worse. In my house, that’s my carpeted stairs, a footstool and a sofa bed that my dog has claimed as his own.
The pet tool made light work of the footstool and the stairs, and while I’ve definitely had better results with other tools on my velvet sofa bed, it still removed almost all of the hair, dirt and pet dander. So, it’s a worthy inclusion.
Cleaning and maintenance
Like most cordless stick vacuums, the Hoover HF3 Pet relies on a one-touch emptying system to expel the debris from the dust chamber. And while this technically made things cleaner, it still resulted in a dust plume that hit me in the face as I emptied it into the bin. I also often found that some hair had got caught in the chamber, so I had to reach in to pull it out.
However, this is a common problem I often face with cordless vacuums as a pet parent, so I won't hold it against them too much. The bin filters are also removable and can be washed every month for easy maintenance.
This model also comes with a wall mount for easy storage and charging, and it even has space on the mount for the tools - which keeps them neat and tidy and stops them from going AWOL. The 4-hour charge time is also relatively average for this type of vacuum cleaner.
It’s worth noting that while it is also a freestanding model, Hoover only recommends parking it this way temporarily. If you are going to leave it unattended, the brand suggests storing it on the wall mount instead.
How does it rate online?
Despite being a relatively new addition to the Hoover lineup, the HF3 Pet DynamicClean already have many glowing reviews on the Hoover website. At the time of writing, there are 21 reviews, with an average star rating of 4.75 out of 5.
For the most part, customers love how lightweight and easy to use it is, and appreciate that it’s still powerful despite its affordable price point. Many pet owners have praised the floorhead and the pet tool for picking up more hair than they expected.
On the negative side, some have complained about the short runtime in Standard mode and noted that it’s much louder than models they have owned in the past.
Verdict: Should you buy the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean Cordless Vacuum Cleaner?
For £199, I really do think the Hoover HF3 Pet DynamicClean is a worthwhile choice. It’s seriously affordable, but it’s not cheap. It still feels high-quality, offers impressive suction power for everyday cleaning, and is practical for storage and maintenance.
As it’s designed to be a pet vacuum, you’ll be happy to know that it’s also extremely effective at removing embedded pet hair from carpets and rugs, and the motorised pet tool helps you tackle smaller, more targeted cleaning jobs.
Just be warned that it’s not the most powerful model on the market, and it is incredibly loud, which may scare some pets if they’re used to quieter models.
