Vax Steam Fresh Combi Classic Mutlifunction Steam Mop | Detachable Handheld | 13 Piece Accessory Kit - S86-SF-CC, White / Blue, 2.6L, 1600W

This is the first steam mop we have had and now I don't know how we managed without it !!! It was delivered quickly (by UPS) and considering we live in France the postage was very reasonable at £7 and that included the postage for a pack of 8 spare cloths that we purchased at the same time. The mop is very easily assembled, within a few minutes. The water tank is easily removed for filling and lasts long enough to do our bathroom, kitchen, lobby, and dining room floors before needing a refill. The microfibre floor cloth fits snugly underneath the mop bottom, by a kind of Velcro backing. The mop comes with one floor cloth but I ordered a spare pack of 8 cloths at the same time, and it is necessary to have spare cloths so some can be in the wash, so I recommend buying a pack of spare cloths at the same time.The mop is ready for use more or less as soon as you turn it on, a green light shows it is ready to use and the trigger is pressed in short bursts to clean without over wetting the floor. I especially like the way that the mop can get along the edges of the floor and into corners - it really does a good job and so quickly. The hand held part is ideal for cleaning grout between tiles in the kitchen and bathroom and as we live in a very hard water area, the way it can remove scale from around taps and other difficult areas to reach, needs to be seen to be believed. I haven't used it on windows yet or the hob - but so far I am more than pleased with it.For the price this is excellent value and I do recommend it - it's no bother to use and cuts down cleaning time.

I bought this model after having tried the model which does not detach from the body.This model is very easy to use. If you use the detergent setting on full when mopping it does leave the floor very wet. This can be fixed by turning down the detergent or not using it at all. The carpet glider works and refreshes the rug but does not remove marks.It takes less time for me to mop the whole floor than it did for me to fill the two buckets I used to mop with. And the results are good. Used every day, the floor gets cleaner the more you use it. Certainly as good as mopping. Not quite as good as getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing!The hand held unit is very easy and effective. It cleaned my oven door with no cleaning fluid. It cleaned the tops of my kitchen cabinets with ease. I had a window in my house that seemed forever dirty and always smeared. It is now gleaming (I recommend polishing with an ecloth after steaming). It really is an excellent thing to have.I have given this a four star review because I think the omission of the hose attachment is a significant one. I had a spare so it wasn't a problem for me but I really do recommend that to use the handheld unit properly you need the hose (which can be purchased for £10 from a well known auction retailer).All in all, you really can't go wrong. I bought this after trying my Mums. Two of my sisters now have them too. Happy steaming!

Great steam mop

Replacement for a 12 year old model, it's a much more versatile machine also it hasn't risen excessively in price so it's good value well pleased

I bought this to replace my trusty H2O steam mop which sadly died of limescale after several years of loyal service. Whilst the H2O is slightly flimsy, the Vax is over-engineered to the point of being clunky and very heavy. I get the impression that it was designed by a committee with nobody in charge of the overall vision. So it's got lots of ideas in it, but none of them work properly when put together in this unit.These are the worst problems:-The handheld unit is impossibly difficult to use due to the heavy weight which is behind the handle so you're constantly fighting gravity.To make matters worse, the tools are connected to it by a long "concentrator nozzle" which sticks out awkwardly at 90 degrees.The tools unlock and fall off the moment you try to scrub anything.It's like trying to use a long dinner knife with a 90 degree bend in the middle, and all the weight at the far the end of the handle, plus a tendancy for the blade to fall off in to your scalding hot gravy the moment you try to cut up your steak & chips.You're already struggling but you now have to hold down the trigger to make it work, so it's not long before you're really aching (and I go to the gym 3 times a week).Then you try using it in a confined space (such as an oven) and can't easily manoeuvre it in to all the corners due to the 90 degree bend.It's as unergonomic as you can possibly get - what were the Vax designers thinking????There is no graduated steam control, it is either ON or OFF. I often need steam on a middle or low setting and this is impossible with the Vax.You need 2 hands to remove the handheld unit from the upright section.You need 3 hands to fill the fiddly (and seemingly uneccessary) detergent dispenser.The tools unlock and fall out of the storage rack when mopping and it's easy to spike yourself on the metal brush when putting them back or winding up the cable.The cable protrudes awkwardly from the side of the unit and gets in the way during use.Those are some of the negatives, but there are a few positives too:-The mop head is slim so it slips under radiators and fridge doors.The microfibre cloth sticks out the side of the mop head so it cleans right up to the floor edge and part of the skirting board.It has a replaceable filter which should prevent death-by-limescale for those in hard water areas.The cable has a very long reach and is a funky turquoise colour which I like.Sadly, the positives do not compensate for the negatives. I've sent it back after only 2 days use due to the extremely poor, awkward design.HERE'S AN UPDATEAmazon sent me a no-quible refund which was great and I've replaced it with a Morphy Richards 720502 which is a far superior machine and £10 cheaper. It's lighter, sleeker, prettier, easier to use, and much better designed, with the attachments in-line with the hand-held unit rather than at 90 degrees to it. Nobody has ever designed an ice-scraper with a 90 degree bend in the middle, and VAX should never have designed a steam-scraper with a 90 degree bend in the middle.If you only ever want to use the VAX as a floor mop and don't mind it being heavy & clunky, it's fine.If you think you might ever use the hand-held unit, buy the Morphy Richards.