Gtech GTCSW02 SW02 Power Sweeper, Plastic, 25 W, Silver/Grey

I ordered this for my mum to use (she'd been finding lugging a traditional vacuum up and down stairs a bit challenging). I had initially been tempted by the Gtech Air Ram - on the strength of the product description, Press and customer reviews - but my dad objected to the price. This seemed like the ideal compromise.My initial impressions of this weren't entirely favourable. The sweeper arrives partially assembled in a box smaller than that of many a netbook: which was a little disconcerting. In addition, the Gtech Sweeper (in particular the three-part handle) is somewhat flimsy feeling. It's so very light and easy to put together that I found myself questioning whether this would work/last at all.I needn't have worried. Once I (and then my parents) got past our initial preconceptions of what to expect in a rechargeable carpet sweeper, we discovered that this is certainly sufficiently robust for everyday home use AND surprisingly powerful. The GTech Sweeper does a great job of cleaning up pet hair: my parents' Black and Tan dachshund and cream carpet are not an enviable combination, but it's so easy to whip round with this that the dog hair situation is kept under reasonable control! An unexpected positive was that this arrived with some initial charge, so the sweeper could be tested straight away.It's not all plain sailing: because this has a rotating sweeper brush at the front long hair and other lengthier threads if caught tend to wrap around the rotating brush section and get stuck (ultimately requiring liberation via scissors). The collection drawer is quite small and requires frequent emptying. However, these are minor issues when taken against how nice, light, easy to use and effective this is at the price point.Would I buy it again? Possibly not, but only because this has proven to be such a nice, neat simple device to use. Instead, I'd give serious consideration to buying its enhanced-feature sibling, the GTech Air Ram.And my dad, who wasn't prepared to consider buying the Air Ram... has since had me buy him a GTech cordless strimmer, having gained so much respect for the brand!

Okay, so I had one of these years ago, and I remember it being stellar, so I thought I'd give another one a try. I've got a bad back so wanted something very light and easy to pick up for quick clean ups, and I thought it would be handy for my kids to use (they are 11 and 7) to sweep through their bedrooms.Putting the handle and base together was easy enough. Having had one of these before, I knew the charger would be packed away in the sweeper's dust compartment, so no surprises there. It might have been confusing for someone who didn't know this, though, to find no charger in the box! It is there, it's just tucked away neatly in the sweeper itself.After it had been put together, as it appeared to have charge in it, I thought I'd whip it round the downstairs of my three bed house. As it happened, it had enough charge to get round most of the house!This sweeper picked up a surprising amount - by the time I'd been round the house, I was amazed, the dust compartment was pretty much full up (despite having recently vacuumed with a Dyson), mostly with dog hair (we have a French Bulldog). It tucked in to edges much better than I'd expected, and it is so lightweight it's absolutely effortless to throw it around all over the place! Even those with back issues can manage this no problem (I'm living proof of this). The dust compartment is a bit of a fiddle to pull in and out without getting dust everywhere, but still absolutely manageable for all but the most dexterically challenged.Right, on to the not-so-good things. None of these are absolute deal breakers for me, I'm still glad I bought it based on the suction performance and the light weight, but they might be bigger problems for some. First, as other reviewers have said, the handle assembly is, frankly, rubbish. The second from bottom connector needs some sort of screw or clip in it, it just falls out, especially if you try and lift the whole thing by the handle (I mean, how else are you supposed to move it?!). My Nan has the model below this at her house and hers doesn't do this, and I could swear the one I had years ago didn't do this either, why have they now changed the handle assembly so it just falls to bits on you? Not good. Maybe I should superglue it together or something? Anyway, for £70 something worth of sweeper, it shouldn't do this. You can push it back together easily enough, but you do find yourself doing this two or three times in a sweeping session!Secondly, the noise it makes! It sounds like it's in its death rattles to be quite honest, like an appliance that's on its way out. My husband moans when I use it that it sounds like 'a bag of s**t' and the dog tries to chase after it. It does the job superbly so it's clearly not a fault or issue, but it does sound awfully like it's full of loose bolts or something. Be prepared for the noise when you use it!Lastly, be careful of the corners of doormats or rugs or anything like that. It likes to catch them, then makes an awful screeching sound when it does, and shuts off. You really need to avoid the edges of unattached soft furnishings.I can't comment on battery performance or longevity as yet as I've only charged it once, but I am guessing based on past usage, and my Nans one, it'll be fine.