‘I ditched my old Vax vacuum for cordless, powerful Halo – it scoops up so much dust’

I swapped my Vax vacuum for a much more powerful Halo model – and it’s hundreds cheaper

There’s nothing better than a freshly vacuumed home, well, in my opinion anyway. To me, there’s nothing worse than a fluff-filled carpet or crumbed kitchen floor, so our Vax vacuum is run around multiple times a week. Until recently, when I ditched it for a much lighter and more powerful rival.

Switching it for the Halo Capsule – I’ve been using this cordless model for the last two weeks, and I wish I had done sooner. In contrast to the six-year-old corded Vax – I picked up on the cheap from the supermarket as a student , the Halo is like a breath of fresh air.

Lighter to whizz around, no pesky cable, and much more powerful I was shocked at how much hair the vacuum picked up. It’s light, at only 2.6Kg, and the battery lasts a full week – with a one-hour run time.

This is the first time I’ve used a cordless vacuum as I’d previously thought – and maybe naively – that my trusted plug-in model had stronger power than any cordless one out there, but I was wrong. The Halo picks up 5 times the amount of dirt, and can be set on different powers to suit a variety of floors.

The brand’s selling point is its claim to be “half the price of the equivalent cordless Dyson” – priced at £219.99 for the vacuum and a full bundle of attachments, wall mount, and 26 dust pouches – it’s certainly cheaper.

To compare, the Dyson V8 Advanced is currently on sale for £229, but that’s with a huge £100 discount applied in its sale. The price isn’t the only feature Halo beats Dyson on either; the Capsule has a run time of up to 60 minutes, while Dyson’s more expensive vacuum is up to 40 minutes.

How I tested the Halo Capsule Vacuum

We are a household of two full-time workers, and as much as I’ll admit I love to clean (I find it theraputic) there always seems to be crumbs in the kitchen, dust, and hair (thanks to my long locks) waiting to be cleaned each day. To test the vacuum, I used it every two days for two weeks, in all of our rooms.

Carpeted bedrooms, tiled bathrooms, and laminate hallways and living space. The various attachments were put to the test on our sofa, and the bristle brush was put to use on our fabric footstool/coffee table.

Halo Capsule sucks up a lot of dust

For me the best feature is the rotating brush – which is really effective on carpet – so much so that it picks up hair I didn’t even realise was there. Another is the option to pick the suction strength, a feature a didn’t know I needed.

This means I can alter the power across the different floors in our home. Using the lightest setting for tile, medium for wood, and the highest power for our deep-piled carpets. This is really effectively and helps suck dust from within, something not seen with the naked eye.

Another huge perk is how easy it is to switch to a smaller handheld device. In a few clicks of a button, the vacuum transforms into a compact size, ideal for getting into small spaces. I’ve used a lot for cleaning out the car and getting in between the sofa. And of course, it means I don’t need to have two different vacuums sitting in the cupboard.

Before the Halo, I used the Shark Classic Pet Cordless vacuum, priced at £79.99, this is good for doing the stairs or small spaces, but in recent months it’s started to loose its oomp – saying that I have had it since 2021.

Like any vacuum, having crevice tools is really handy, and the Halo vacuum comes with multiple. There’s a combination tool for dusting and upholstery, although I have to say dusting is so much easier with a duster (to get behind furniture and on top of door frames) it is useful on fabric, like bed headboard and sofa.

How does it compare to the Halo Capsule X?

The Halo vacuum has big oomph behind it, however, there are models from the brand with more attachments – like on the more advanced Halo Capsule X. Editor Laura Mulley has previously tested this, saying its ‘so lightweight yet powerful’.

In her review, she said: “I was immediately impressed with how light it was to hold and manoeuvre (I could easily do it with one hand) yet how powerful it was – it almost pulled me along with it! My carpets felt perfectly clean in minutes.

“One downside compared to other models, however, is that you can’t switch between floor surfaces using the same head – you have to stop and manually change over the heads”, this is something which isn’t a problem on the Halo Capsule.