AEG VX7-2-DB review: AEG’s sterling sucker is an ideal low-cost corded vac for hard floors

AEG VX7-2-DB corded cylinder vac review in a sentence: a budget-priced, plug-in vacuum cleaner that’s especially good for homes with large swathes of hard flooring. 

AEG isn’t a name that naturally springs to mind when discussing vacuum cleaners but its current roster of corded machines are among the best for suction power and overall efficiency. 

This entry-level model can be had for a smidge under £120 or €170 – it isn't available in the US or Australia – and sucks so hard you could probably hang off the ceiling with it. For the money, it's among the best vacuum cleaners in its class, and proof that you don't have to head to our best cordless vacuum cleaner list to find your next  floor cleaner. Want to know a bit more? Dip in, my friends, dip in…

AEG VX7-2-DB review: design

This deep blue corded cylinder cleaner is one of the most attractive looking models on the shelf – in fact, it was the colour alone that attracted this reviewer in the first place. To hell with efficiency and features, I thought, let’s have a load of that. The good news is that the charms of the AEG VX7-2-DB don't end with its deep blue livery, sci-fi design and chunky, foot-operated buttons for power and automatic cable retraction. It's also a stalwart performer, especially on hard floor.

A shade under £120 buys you an extremely lightweight bagged corded vac (4.47kgs) that is one of the easiest to pull around behind you and carry upstairs (you will especially come to love this low weight if you have a large house). The small rotating wheels also help steer it easily around tight corners and prevent it from tipping over.

The AEG’s retractable 8-metre cable provides a reach of 12 metres – a perfect length for large rooms – and you can’t miss the button that operates it because it’s huge and labelled with a large plug icon. When you’ve finished the task, simply stamp on the button and the whole lot retracts in a thrice.

This 650-watt vac produces oodles of power; in fact almost too much power for average vacuuming needs. But thankfully it comes equipped with five power settings accessed via a simple knob that switches from minimum to maximum. Just below this you’ll find the access lever to the 3.5-litre dust bag housing and you’ll be pleased to learn that it’s a cinch to change the bag unlike some vac bags that require a bit of extra fumbling. A simple indicator lets you know when it’s time for a bag change.

AEG VX7-2-DB review: performance

The AEG VX7-2-DB comes with a standard style brush head with surrounding bristles and a single 2-in-1 nozzle for detailed cleaning. The head proved to be a boon on hard floors and not too bad on very shallow pile carpets. However, you will need to put in a lot of elbow grease if using it on medium to thick pile carpets because the stiff-bristled head is very hard to push around. In fact, this writer found it easier to pull than push which kind of defeats the object. 

As alluded to above, the AEG’s five power levels range from calm to ferocious. Indeed, like the Miele Complete C3 Cat & Dog Pro PowerLine, you will rarely use the most powerful setting because you won’t be able to pull it free – it’s that potent. Light rugs are the worst culprits if used with anything more than the minimum suction setting – in our test, the head just grabbed the rug by the scruff of the neck and I had to turn it off to make it let go. It looked quite comical, I’ll grant you.

Where the AEG’s simple non-rotating head struggled on thicker carpets and rugs, it truly excelled on hard flooring – on this surface you can easily ramp up the suction to near full-power level though frankly it’s not really necessary because even the medium setting provides more than enough oomph to pick up the majority household detritus. Of course, unlike with a cordless, there are no worries about faster battery drainage when dialling up the power on this model.

AEG makes no remarkable claims about the washable filter system though I found it filtered out dust very well. It does, however, make a bold claim about the machine’s low noise level and I’ll second that because this is indeed one of the quietest vacuum cleaners I’ve ever used.

AEG VX7-2-DB review: Verdict

It's a tale of two floors, here. You may need to consider a different model if you have soft pile carpets or a lot of rugs. However, anyone with swathes of smart, modern hard floor is advised to definitely give AEG's sterling sucker serious consideration.