Simply tying the strap on was fine for our test, and the Bosch worked as described – assuming you’re comfortable with having a machine over your shoulder. The main hose tool was OK for stair cleaning, although, as ever, tools without a rotating brush are always going to have limited efficiency on carpeted stairs. Care must also be taken when putting the vacuum cleaner down in this mode, as there’s no obvious way to place it on the floor. It would be easy to put it down ‘end-first’, crushing the hose. After due research I decided on replacing my cheap vacuum cleaner, which wore out after about 3 years, with this Canstar recommended product. The Athlet had rather mixed performance with pet hair from our willing assistants, Poppy (Labrador) and Willow (Collie).

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. For the stronger user, the Athlet’s easy-to-handle 3.3kg weight with the main floor head attached actually means you can carry it up the stairs, cleaning each step as you go. Practically, though, the idea with this is that you swap the floor head for the hose, attach the strap, sling the cleaner over your shoulder and use the hose tools provided. That’s not as simple as it sounds, however, as the push-clip to detach the head (and latterly the hose) requires a very firm push whilst trying to pull two sections apart at the same time. On full power the Athlet performed admirably in open areas of carpet, comparing very well with lower-powered corded models. Its light weight and manoeuvrability encourage you to repeat any areas that weren’t cleaned on the first sweep, while its cordless power is a blessing for anyone who’s ever become entangled in a vacuum cleaner cable.Of course, you can nudge down the power to level 2 to make moving the Athlet around even easier, albeit at the expense of cleaning power. On level 1, the electric brush bar in the main head is switched off, making it ideal for hard floors. In upright mode with the main floor head it coped admirably well. On full power it cleaned the test carpet area, with its well-rubbed-in pet hair, to pristine clean in around 18 seconds. Charging itself takes around three hours from flat, and the charger draws less than 16W during this time – we measured 0.056kWh/charge. The charger automatically shuts down when the cleaner is fully juiced up, meaning it can be left plugged in and switched on without wasting electricity between uses.

Attaching the flexible hose requires removing the main floor head by firmly pressing a robust plastic clip and lifting the main unit away from the head. It’s a three-handed job, so we had to place a foot on the head.

The cordless design and compact sizes make the Athlet extremely versatile and easy to move around, particularly as it weighs in at a featherweight 3.3kg with the floor head attached. Remove the floor head and you can attach a clip-on hose and a selection of tools for reaching more inaccessible places while you carry the main unit on a shoulder strap. The bagless design has a dust bin with a compact 0.9-litre capacity and a warning light to indicate when the washable filter needs a clean.