The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max U85-AS-PME is a budget-friendly upright vacuum cleaner designed to tackle pet hair and everyday mess across carpets and hard floors. With its striking purple finish and lightweight, bagless design, it aims to give you powerful cleaning without the faff or ongoing cost of bags.
At this price, it sits firmly in the value end of the upright market, yet it still packs in multi-cyclonic technology, a generous 1.5-litre bin and a very long 13-metre power cord. A dedicated turbo tool for pet hair and a 3-in-1 accessory for crevices and upholstery round out the package.
Owner feedback is reassuringly strong: a user rating of 4.4 out of 5 from well over three thousand reviews suggests that, while it’s not a premium machine, it does a solid job for most homes and offers plenty of cleaning power for the money.
The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max is a great fit for pet owners who need to stay on top of hair on carpets, sofas and stairs without spending a fortune. The included turbo tool is designed to dig into fibres and lift stubborn fur, while the upholstery and crevice tools help you reach pet beds, cushions and awkward corners.
Its long 13-metre power cord and 17-metre operating radius make it well suited to small and medium-sized homes, especially those where plug sockets are limited or not ideally placed. You can cover a good chunk of the house without constantly stopping to unplug and move.
If you’re looking for your first proper vacuum or upgrading from an older, heavy model, this is a friendly, straightforward option. The controls are simple buttons, the bin is easy to empty and the rinsable filter keeps running costs low.
Those wanting a premium feel, ultra-quiet operation or advanced filtration for severe allergies might prefer a more expensive upright or cylinder with a HEPA filter. But for most households that want decent suction, strong pet performance and low upfront cost, this Vax is right on the money.
Impressive reach for the price: a 13-metre power cord and 17-metre overall operating distance mean far fewer stops to change sockets, which is a real time-saver in typical UK homes.
The multi-cyclonic bagless system offers strong suction (up to 820 AW) while keeping running costs down. There are no bags to buy, and the 1.5-litre bin is large enough that you won’t be emptying it after every room.
Pet owners benefit from the dedicated turbo tool, which is far more effective on embedded hair than a standard nozzle alone. Paired with the 3-in-1 accessory, it’s handy for stairs, car interiors and upholstery.
Maintenance is straightforward thanks to the rinsable filter. A quick rinse and dry keeps performance up, and you don’t need to replace filters frequently.
Despite the budget price, it’s rated for a wide range of surfaces – from carpets and hard floors to tiles, soft flooring and upholstery – so it can genuinely act as your main all-round cleaner.
There’s no HEPA filter, which means it’s less ideal for households with severe dust or pet allergies who need the very finest particle filtration.
The noise level is quoted at 80 dB, which is fairly typical for a budget upright but not the quietest. If you’re sensitive to noise or have nervous pets, you may find it a bit loud.
The tools and build are functional rather than luxurious. You get practical accessories and on-board storage, but the overall feel is more budget than premium, and there’s no fancy digital display or advanced modes.
The 1-year manufacturer warranty is on the short side compared with some rivals that offer longer cover, so long-term peace of mind is more limited.
Living with the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max is all about straightforward, cover-everything cleaning without too much fuss. The long 13-metre cord means you can start in the hallway and easily reach into adjoining rooms before needing to re-plug, which makes weekend whole-house cleans feel less stop–start.
The upright design and flexible hose give you versatility. You can push it around on carpets and hard floors, then switch to the hose and tools for skirting boards, stairs and furniture. On-board accessory storage means the turbo tool and 3-in-1 nozzle are always close to hand rather than buried in a cupboard.
Emptying the 1.5-litre bin is simple: unclip, flip it over the bin and the contents drop out. Being bagless, you’ll see exactly what you’ve picked up, which can be oddly satisfying, though if you have lots of fine dust it’s worth emptying into a large bin to minimise plumes.
Maintenance is also user-friendly. The rinsable filter pops out for a quick wash under the tap, then dries before going back in. There’s no battery to worry about, no docking station to mount and no complex settings – just straightforward button controls and plug-in power.
In performance terms, the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max punches above its price. The multi-cyclonic filtration and quoted maximum suction power of 820 air watts give it plenty of pull, which is exactly what you need for lifting pet hair and ground-in dirt from pile carpets.
A key strength is its versatility across surfaces. It’s rated for bare floors, carpets, hard floors, tiles, soft flooring, stair treads and upholstery, so you can move from the living room rug to the kitchen tiles and up the stairs without swapping machines. The flexible hose extends your reach, making high corners and awkward gaps more manageable.
The dedicated pet turbo tool is the standout accessory. It uses a rotating brush to agitate fibres, helping to pull out hair and fluff that a standard head can leave behind. This is particularly useful on stair carpets, sofas and car seats, where pet hair tends to cling.
On the convenience side, the bagless 1.5-litre dust container balances capacity and weight. It’s big enough for a typical clean of a small to medium home, but not so huge that it becomes unwieldy. Rinsable filters help keep long-term costs and faff low, and on-board storage for the accessories means less time hunting for the right tool.
There are a few omissions that reflect its budget status: no HEPA filter, no fancy displays or smart features, and no parking lock or wall mount. But for day-to-day cleaning, the combination of strong suction, long reach and dedicated pet tools is where this model really delivers.
At around £79, the Vax Air Stretch Pet Max offers very strong value for an upright vacuum cleaner, especially one aimed at pet owners. You get powerful suction, a long cable, a proper pet turbo tool and multi-surface capability at a price many cordless or premium uprights can’t touch.
Running costs are low too. The bagless design means no ongoing spend on dust bags, and the rinsable filter keeps consumable costs to a minimum. Energy use is modest at 24 kWh per year under typical test conditions, which is reasonable for a corded upright.
The owner rating of 4.4 out of 5 from thousands of reviews backs up its value proposition. When that many people rate a budget cleaner highly, it suggests that most buyers feel they’ve had their money’s worth. The main compromise is the short 1-year warranty and lack of HEPA filtration, but if your priority is maximum cleaning ability for minimum spend, it’s hard to argue with what you get here.
The Vax Air Stretch Pet Max U85-AS-PME is a no-nonsense, high-value upright vacuum that’s especially appealing to pet owners and budget-conscious households. It delivers strong suction, a genuinely useful pet turbo tool and a generous 13-metre cord, all wrapped up in a lightweight, bagless design.
It’s not the quietest, and the absence of a HEPA filter and only a 1-year warranty are clear reminders that this is a budget model rather than a premium flagship. If you need top-tier allergy filtration or ultra-refined build quality, you’ll want to spend more.
For most homes, though, this Vax represents an excellent balance of performance and price. If you want a main vacuum that can cope with daily pet hair, large floor areas and mixed surfaces without draining your wallet, the Air Stretch Pet Max is an easy model to recommend.
