A best-of-both-worlds product is always on a knife-edge, at serious risk of falling into a bad compromise that focused, less compromised products don’t face. Gtech’s small handheld Multi MK2 K9 vacuum is one of these products that want to be an all-rounder: a lightweight yet powerful and effective vacuum. That’s a big ask, so we’ve been finding out if the little Gtech delivers.
www.gtech.co.uk
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.5kg |
| Dimensions | 250 x 136 x 386mm |
| Bin capacity | 0.4L |
| Max quoted run time | 20 mins |
| Battery | 2200mAh |
| Warranty | 24 months |
| Attachments | Power head, crevice tool, extension tube, dust brush |
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Lots of attachments included | • Run time insufficient for deep cleaning |
| • Good build quality | • Top end cordless models are better all round |
| • Superior to smaller handheld models | |
| • Relatively powerful | |
| • Reasonable run time |
First look
That K9 bit in the name essentially stands for ‘tougher’. Gtech says the extra demand put on a vacuum by pet mess is why the K9 exists. It’s £20 more than the standard Multi MK2 because it has plastic bits replaced with aluminium. Certainly, the Multi MK2 K9 feels solid compared to other lightweight handheld vacuums, but this improved aluminium construction is probably what the Multi MK2 should be as standard. Having the two versions feels like a bit of marketing play.
Sci-fi styling is clearly important in a vacuum cleaner design, and the Gtech is no exception to this trend. But looking beyond aesthetics, the Gtech possesses a nicely shaped handle and easily removable attachments, a 2200mAh lithium-ion battery, and a bin.
The Multi MK2 K9 also comes with an excellent range of attachments: a crevice tool, a large powerhead tool, and two brushes. The bin is a generous 0.4 litre and comes with a filter (spare included) and scent cartridge (extras included).
Around the house
The Gtech is about the same size and weight as upright cordless vacuums without their floor tools attached, if not a bit lighter. This Gtech model doesn’t come with a floor tool, so you don’t use it for that. However, it is useful for everything else, including rugs and stairs. We found the attachments most called upon were the powerhead tool and the longer brush attachment – the former for rugs, the latter for skirting boards and the like.
In terms of power, the Gtech is much better than the small sub-one-kilogram handheld models but not as good as the more expensive Dysons and Sharks. Most debris is dealt with, even hair in thick carpet, though you’ll need to stop a couple of times to cut away hair tangled in the roller of the powerhead tool (cutter included in the box).
It’s a similar story with run time. The claimed 20 minute run time is true, and it sits above the shorter run times of small handheld vacuums but less than the top end Dysons and Sharks. Within that 20 minute run time, you can give your house or flat a detailed vacuum. Or, give one or two areas a more thorough vacuum. It’s not enough for both, unfortunately.
In the car
Being light and cordless, the Gtech is advertised as a great option for car cleaning. Such is the case around the house, the Gtech is great for light cleaning. With its brushes and crevice tool, the Gtech is excellent at removing muck from most areas, and the powerhead tool is quite good for upholstery and the boot.
Where the Gtech struggles is in the footwells and with very mucky cars. You want to use the larger powerhead tool for footwells, but because the attachment is short, it can’t reach the edges without the body of the vacuum hitting a seat or door sill. And the other attachments are too small for use in the large footwell areas.
The limited run time does mean that you aren’t able to clean a very mucky interior entirely. The Gtech has just enough power to tackle a deeper mess, but not a whole car’s worth of it before the battery runs flat. There is a Car Accessory Kit that can be bought separately but it’s of no real benefit given the excellent tools that come as standard, and it’s also wildly overpriced (£50 on its own or £25 when bought with certain Gtech models).
Value
Despite the expensive Car Accessory Kit, the Gtech itself is reasonably good value. Compared to the Eufy HomeVac H30 or Shark’s tiny Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner for example (pictured above), the Gtech is superior in every way (except weight) in return for a few more pounds.
And something like the Dyson Micro, which has a similar weight and runtime, is almost double the price of the Gtech. It comes with a floor tool for around the house use and is more powerful, but is nevertheless almost twice the price. So the Gtech stands up well there too.
And yet...
Verdict
www.gtech.co.uk
If a small handheld vacuum is absolutely what you want, the Gtech Multi MK2 K9 is the best of them. It’s reliable, relatively powerful, has good value, and has a reasonable run time. For those who live in small apartments without carpet floors, it’s quite a good option.
For those who have larger houses and for car cleaning, we’re not so sure. The lack of floor tool and 20 minutes runtime renders the Gtech somewhat unsuited to larger dwellings and our colleagues at Parkers found corded models are still better suited to car cleaning. You might as well get a model with a longer run time, more power, and a detachable floor tool and use that for everything. In terms of price, it’s similar to having a regular corded vacuum plus a small handheld vacuum; in terms of convenience, it’s much better.
Score: 3.5/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| • Lots of attachments included | • Run time insufficient for deep cleaning |
| • Good build quality | • Top end cordless models are better all round |
| • Superior to smaller handheld models | |
| • Relatively powerful | |
| • Reasonable run time |
How we tested it
The Gtech Multi MK2 K9 is meant for home and car so that is where we tested it. We also tested it against some other small handheld vacuum cleaners to see how well the Gtech performs directly against its competition.