Don't spend £500 on a 'flashy' vacuum — here's what'll suit you better and 'clean your floors reliably for the next 20 years'

‘It’s got fundamental advantages over any other vacuum we test,’ Gtech founder Nick Grey told me during a sit-down chat about all things floorcare. And while you might assume that he’s talking about stick vacuums (AKA, the most popular type of vacuum in the UK), you might be surprised to learn that he’s not.

Out of all the best vacuum cleaners out there, the inventor and founder of Gtech believes that the upright vacuum is the all-rounder everyone needs in their homes. And in a world where new vacuum variations emerge each year, Nick prefers to stick to the recipe he cooked up for the very first Gtech AirRam in 2012: ease of use, overall floor cleaning effectiveness, and longevity. With a few modern twists along the way.

And while he’d (obviously) prefer those choosing a new vacuum cleaner to opt for his home-grown brand, Nick was incredibly open about the other brands and models he thinks would make an excellent long-term investment - and why it’s worth considering options outside of the 'flashy' stick market.

As an engineer who grew up tinkering with electronics, working for VAX, and then starting his own company from his garage, Nick Grey, first and foremost, focuses on the engineering and construction at the core of household appliances. And that’s one of the reasons why he’d always choose upright in the stick vs upright vacuum cleaner debate.

In his opinion, stick vacuums just don’t have what it takes to last as long as they should when compared to upright and even cylinder vacuums, as the construction simply doesn’t allow for this long-term use. And while they may look sleek and sophisticated, he also believes that they can be overpriced.

He told me, ‘Underneath it all, their basic format, for me as an engineer who spends decades working on them, doesn’t work. Stick vacuums, where you have a little handheld at the top with a battery, they’ve got fundamental design issues for me.’

He added, ‘And whilst we can make them better than the average, ultimately, if you want something that’ll clean your floor reliably for the next 20 years, your stick vacs won’t do it. They block up and they clog and they’ve got many issues.’

Of course, knowing how to unclog a vacuum hose and clean a vacuum will help you if you do have a stick vacuum cleaner and don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. But it’s important to note that Nick doesn’t think that all stick vacuums are inherently bad.

After all, the brand themselves have released the Gtech AirFOX Platinum Cordless Stick Vacuum, which is proof that Nick and his team believe stick vacuums deserve a bit of love and attention. He just believes that, on an engineering level, upright vacuums are better suited for the job in most cases.

For some, though, he does acknowledge the perks of a stick vacuum. He says, ‘If you live in a small home where you don’t walk lots of dirt in and you don’t mind doing maintenance, then stick vacs are okay.’

And from my personal experience of living in flats and small homes, stick vacuums can also be ideal when you have limited storage to hide a vacuum cleaner. He just warns, ‘I would be wary of spending £500 on something that might look flashy, and think about what you need it for.’

Naturally, he believes that those in larger homes with a higher footfall or those who want to vacuum pet hair will suit an upright model best for long-term cleaning, but he also appreciates that other brands and even mains-powered cylinder models offer similar effectiveness.

He says, ‘Loads of people still buy Henry’s and if you clean your car a lot, the Henry’s pretty darn good. I don’t have a bad word to say about Henry, he’s easy to look after.’

For those who definitely know they want an upright, he also told me that a brand like SEBO, which makes upright vacs that are often used for commercial cleaning and even used to clean royal households like Buckingham Palace, also offers impressive build quality and longevity. He says, ‘They’ll last 20 years easily.’

But does he think uprights will continue to reign supreme in the vacuum world? Well, yes - but he does also anticipate robot vacuums making a bigger splash soon, too.

He told me, ‘I used to think robot vacuum cleaners were just sort of for technically interested people. They weren’t that useful, but the navigation systems are getting better now.’

He also believes that having two floor cleaning appliances will become commonplace, as ‘robotic vacuum cleaners tend to run at a very low wattage (and therefore reducing how much it costs to run a vacuum cleaner) and just do little and often. So, I think the combination of the two is realistic in the future.’

But what do you think? Could you be convinced to move away from a stick vacuum?