Vax VCZ1600

Strong suction, clean air, easy to maintain, never failed me – Bought about five years ago now. This thing still sucks nearly as strong as the day it came home, and boy does it suck, in the good way. It used to suck the wall to wall carpet up off the floor! It sucks almost that strongly to this day, in fact it was a good thing it settled down a bit. I've never had it overheat, but we empty it every time we… Read more

use it. Filters are very easy to clean, and I only wash them occaisionally, like I think I've done it two or three times. I just whack them clean outside mostly.

We have kids and hairy dogs - no problems - and a basic 3 bedroom house.

Cord still retracts pretty strongly, just needs a little encouragement now and then if fully extended, to pull in the last meter.

Keeping the attachments on the handle has been wonderfully handy, when people remember to put them back!

One piece of plastic fell off the turbo head eventually, like after four years of use, and that interfered with the air flow, but we just glued another bit on and good as new again.

No complaints, I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, if only they still made them. No other vacuum compares IMHO.

This is a piece of rubbish – I first purchased in 2013 within a year it was replaced for an overheating problem. I thought it may have been a one off problem but unfortunately not. The replacement machine does the same. Contacted store and customer service, because I used extended warrantee for the first one it does not continue to the replacement. I only have 2 rooms… Read more

with carpet all other floors are hardwood so it hadn't had a hard life. I will never purchase another Vax machine ever. Rhonda

loss of suction in less than 3 months – suction is less every time we use it, sick of detangling hair & fluff from "power head". Used for 3 months, very disapointed. purchased 23/12/15, was good for 1st month, now hardly sucks anything up, hair constantly has to be untangled from the cleaner head, I spend more time untangling & going back & forward over pet hair than I did with my 20 year old vax

Best Vacuum Cleaner I've Ever Had – We upgraded to this vacuum cleaner from a particularly dodgy one that we had previously purchased. We've found this one to be excellent. It has good suction, useful attachments and a very long cord, which means we can vacuum almost our entire house without changing powerpoints. It's easy to use, easy to empty the chamber and easy to dismantle and… Read more

clean when required. The fact that the extra cleaning accessories are attached to the vacuum cleaner handle I find a bit annoying, they fall off during use quite often and we've found it easier to leave them off and grab them when we need them.

Best Vacuum I've Owned – I bought this vacuum in 2011 and it has been a reliable machine since its purchase. It has unbelievable suction and is quieter than many other similar machines on the market. I have yet to change the filters and it has continued to be great for the last 3 years. I haven't had any overheating issues or any other troubles and have found that it is… Read more

easy to clean, light enough to carry around if need be and reaches into every nook and cranny. I have three messy children and this vacuum gets a workout several times a week - I even use it to clean my slat-blinds using the brush attachment - I'd highly recommend the Zen. Works great, easy to clean None

Excellent cleaner – Purchased this vac on special for $299, and you get a LOT of product for your money. It looks and feels well-built with quality parts that click in and out easily which makes for easy emptying of the cylinder when you're done vacuuming. It is quiet and comes with a host of tools including: hard surface floor tool (a decent width too), carpet… Read more

cleaning tool, mini turbo head (excellent for upholstery), crevice tool, and small soft brush tool (magic for cornices). The hose is FANTASTIC. The extra extension now means I can get round the ceiling (ours are higher than normal) with ease, however there is a trade-off: it is heavier than normal hoses (but I am happy with that compromise given the superb reach it gives). It also comes with a decent 3 yr warranty. This vac might not be for everyone - it is heavier than the myriad of cheapies on the market. But at least it does not feel like a flimsy piece of plastic that will break in 3 months - so you get what you pay for. Value for money? Outstanding. Well built, variety of attachments, extension hose, quiet, easy to clean. It is heavy (but on hard surfaces the excellent wheels means it follows you around with any hassle).

Absolute piece of JUNK! – 2 years of ownership. Two dead powerheads and constant thermal cut outs due to overheating, even though the filters have been kept in good condition. I will never, ever buy another vax again. PS: First powerhead that died it took nearly 4 months to get a replacement. We haven't even bothered replacing the second one.

Poor Quality and Service – Decided on Vax after disappointed with previous Dyson model. Seemed good quality when trialed in shop. Worked great for first 6 months then the power head kept stopping with a build up of pet hairs - even though we regularly cleaned and its supposed to be good for pets. We only have a cat and dog. After 8 month the power head stopped completely… Read more

and we found that the plastic parts had actually burnt out. We sent this to local WA repairer as directed by VAX Service and despite many calls to service centre 12 months later are still waiting for a new power head. Both VAX and Service Centre say its being investigated. Stay away from this product.

always overheating but motor replaced under warrenty – i've had this vacuum cleaner for 3 years. it's always had excellent suction. i vacuum only a small area which is tile and timber (no carpet). after about a year and a half the vacuum cleaner started overheating all the time. it would stop and not start again until it had cooled down. i tolerated it for the last year and a half because of my… Read more

small vacuuming space but just before the warranty expired i decided to get it sent away and repaired under warranty. i had always cleaned the filters regularly. vax organized a courier and chose a good repair guy and then had it sent back to me. turns out the motor was toast so he put in a new one. now it's working fine again. so i'd say that it's good while it's working but it was annoying that the motor wore out so quickly ... obviously not the best quality parts. the repair guy also told me that dysons aren't as good as they're cracked up to be. but he told me that i should replace the filters once a year (the filters cost me $40 to replace). he said the vax filters are almost too good at filtering and that's why the machine's motor can wear out easily - because it's sucking so hard through the filters. harvey norman's price for this vacuum cleaner when i bought it was something like $390. but i got them to price max the good guy's sale price of $245. Bagless, easy to clean Smelly for the first half a dozen uses

Vax Zen – Avoid. Constantly overheats most frustrating piece of rubbish. Hoses pop off Very costly filters with only one being washable. Threw powerhead away when stopped working properly and too expensive to replace compared to original purchase cost. This is a machine that costs a fortune to run when it isn't constantly overheating and stopping.

Bad design – When first bought, I was happy. It is quiet. Dont have the power shutdown issue. after using it, i found it very annoying. the filter has a layer of mesh fabric in front. Dirt got inside and very hard to clean. there is no point washing it if you cant remove the dirt trap inside. so i made a small cut to remove the dirt. it is cyclonic but the dirt tends to lump in the centre and got sucked up to the centre.I hardly use it now.

Terrible keeps shutting down – Bought a Vax Zen kept turning itself off from the day we bought it. Returned to Harvey Norman Oxley and they gave us another. 2 months later started turning itself off again. Checked and cleaned all filters that made no difference. Gave it away and bought a Bosch Relaxx'x HEPA 2200.

Avoid! – At first we noticed the cheap plastic parts, but it was a weak link of the handle (between the wand and the hose) that became most annoying. It made manoeuvring the power head most difficult, but this was no issue after the power head stopped spinning 3 months after warrantee ran out. I cleared the head of gunk and hair but still it didn't work.… Read more

After removing the brush itself from the housing I could see where the bearings meet the plastic housing - there was evidence of repetitious plastic melting until finally the bearing seized. It has been broken from the start, but just took this long to burn out. A new power head - $165. Three-year warrantee only covers the motor. 12 months for everything else.

Other factors, if the collection basket gets even a little too full, the vacuum cleaner stops working. It seems the motor is underpowered for the capacity of the collection basket. Same goes for the filters - I'm constantly cleaning them because it doesn't take much to stop the motor from working. I don't live in a dusty environment or anything unlike a common usage expectation. We don't have cats / dogs etc.

worst vacuum ever – I purchased a vax zen3 as the sales person said they were better then a dyson. Worst mistake ever. I had the vacuum for 5 weeks and had to get replaced cause it lost all power to it.. 12 months later the replacement vacuum has done the same thing. So wish I spent that little ($50) bit extra and purchased a dyson again..

Vax Zen – Absolutely disappointed, piece of rubbish, had the cutting out problem, finally got motor replaced. Doesn't seem to seal properly there is always dirt on the outside of it, the hose keeps coming away from the machine, and now the wand will not stay extended! I want another Dyson. There is nothing I like about this vacuum cleaner, it was quiet to… Read more

begin with, however it is extremely noisy now. Not quite 2 years old, motor was replaced after 5 mths!

Returned – Bought this at Harvey Norman at $199 (was $599) and returned the next day. The build quality was not to my liking which was based in a $599 machine. They tried to sell me a Bosch instead. Thought It was a bargain but saw the same model at the good guys for $148. Went to Bing Lee and bought the Dyson DC37 for $390 instead. I have a Dyson already… Read more

and for 8 years only replaced a filter once which they says needs to be cleaned every 6 months. So returning to something that works. In the end you get what you pay.

Got sick of the overheating – Even with new filters wouldn't go for more that two minutes. Pulled it apart this morning and removed the inner motor case and the silly bits of foam. Drilled holes around the outer motor case and around the the top section of the main housing. Totally removed the bottom filter and cover plate. Daughter has just done the entire house and two… Read more

large vehicles.

Didn't cut out at all. And in about a 35c ambient.

Typical, takes a Diesel fitter to fix stuff like this.

Frustratingly disappointing – I bought this just over a year ago & it has over heated since day dot. I unfortunately did not keep my reciept as its not the first vax I've owned and stupidly trusted the brand. I'm sitting here right now waiting for it to cool down so I can finish the bloody floors!! Absolute rubbish. Being a full time mature age student I cannot just replace or… Read more

repair it. I trusted your brand and you have failed. Sounds like I'm not the only one who will never buy this brand again. Don't reply with contacting office unless your going to replace the thing because I am over it.

hose blockage how to undo hose – I am new to this brand and have had tissue lodged in first 20 inches of hose from head fitting. Cannot undo am I able to remove hose to clear out easier? Not overly impressed by this as half finished job and now can't do anything until vacuum working. No suction so definitely a knot of tissue blocking it.

Stopped functioning properly after less than 12 months – I purchased this vaccum from Harvey Norman just over 12 months ago. However, about 9 months ago, It began to cut out constantly even after filters have all been cleaned, washed and dried etc. most fustrating when you are trying to vaccum the home. Hearing from others and their similar issues makes me think I won't have much luck (despite it still… Read more

under warranty). I'll attempt to take it back tomorrow, but fear I'm sure I'll be told the same rubbish. Wish me luck. Suction was great initially. Constant cutting out very few minutes & having to wait 15 mins or longer

Very ordinary product – This seems to be a poorly designed .we have experienced overheating problems from not long after purchasing, & upon returning it to godreys were informed it needed new filters [new filters $45.00 ] 2 months later same problem. my husband took the item apart & disconnected the control circuitry [ read that as thermal control ]. 6 months later no… Read more

problem. has anyone else tried this. the item , i won't call it a vacuum cleaner, gets very hot but keeps going.

Over heating

Regrettable purchase – I really wanted another Dyson as it lasted for many years but as they had none in stock & I couldn't wait I bought the vax........never again, it weighs a ton to cart around the house & I really don't feel it is as effective as the Dyson. After only a few months the plastic joining the brush head to the hose broke. A cheap copy of a Dyson but nowhere near as good

Power head 1600 or headache ! – Don't even think about it getting this one ! It's a shocker! Even your body temperate can cut it off for a while. The safety switch is so poor and you need a whole day to vacuum one house! The hose can also help you upset getting twisted . The suction is so falsely advertised! I called them but they never returned my call nor do they answer the… Read more

call. They gave me a new one as they couldn't repair the first one but the second one had the same problem. I believe they just want to get rid of theses rubbish through shops.

Cutting off even after cleaning the filters

Vax Zen Overheating constantly – I had a Vax wet and dry for years and loved it so bought the Vax Zen but am so disappointed. It constantly overheats and then stops for an hour to cool down. Initially I didn't see the filter at the bottom of the machine but even with brand new filters it is still happening. Will not even vacuum a car let alone a whole house. Filters are hard to… Read more

come by as well and need to be ordered online. You can't just order one filter as they only come in a complete pack with all included that costs approximately $45.00 so there is an ongoing cost. Not as economical as I first thought. Good suction, quiet compared with others I've had. Overheats, expensive filters that are hard to come by. Can't buy filters from Godfrey's where I bought the vacuum.

Stretch hose is a pain! – I bought my vax zen reach about 18months ago.when the salesman gave it a good rap. I now despise vacuuming. The stretch hose is useless on carpet and I feel like I am vacuuming with a bag of bricks at the end of the hose. The suction is ok but I really wish I had purchased differently. As its not a cheap vac I can't afford to ditch it an start… Read more

again. Good suction and accessories Stretch hose makes vaccumming hard work. Rollers keep coming off hard floor attachment

Cheap but Relatively Powerful Vacuum Cleaner – The suction is pretty good but once it fills up emptying the dust can be a fairly messy job. Filters need to be cleaned regularly. This vac is not for big houses. Not for those who don't want to waste time maintaining the vac. Not for those who have allergies. Build quality problems: parts aren't perfect fit as there are small gaps between… Read more

separate parts. This results in loss of suction!

But for only $199, I can overlook its flaws. Pretty strong suction Thorough cleaning of the dust a hassle and it fills up very quickly.

Extended hose if a pain – Stretch hose if worst invention ever, like dragging concrete block however when you give extra pull for it to come next thing you know its hit you in the back of the foot. Hose had today broken, probably from having to pull so hard. turbo head got clogged with hair so had to pull apart to clear, hasnt worked since. Buying was biggest mistake ever. bagless turbo head tangled with hair and stretch cord pain to pull

Disappointed – After reading the reviews on this website, I choose to buy this vacuum cleaner. I bought it in May 2013 and only after 3 months the vacuum stopped dead in its tracks. I'm not very happy and I have cleaned the filters. I would not buy this product again and am saving for a Dyson. It's quite and bagless Cheap and nasty

Good suction but it is not that quiet as it states it is – The suction of this vacuum cleaner is quite good. I have been using for more than a year now, and it has been suck away a lot of dirt, and dust. However, I find its suction ability is not as well performed on carpet, than it is on tiles. That's something to look out for, if you are deciding to purchase it. They state it is 70% quieter than their… Read more

other vacuums, but it is still quite loud, in my opinion. If you are looking for a quiet vacuum cleaner, this is not a good option to choose. The price is quite cheap, around $200 bucks, and is a modest vacuum cleaner for those who have lots of mess to clean up. easy to use, with one button for power and the other for releasing the cord back to its original state. Good suction. Easy to detach and clean as it is bagless. Not very quiet. The parts are awkward to attach.

Good Points and Bad – I'm not one to pay a lot for a vacuum but this is the most I have paid at $220 from Good Guys and I'd say it's worth it. I'm not a huge fan of bagless vacuums but compared to my last bagged vacuum this one's pretty good, It does the job. There are some pro's and cons though, however I couldn't go past the 3 year warranty. Good suction, love the… Read more

power head for rugs and the lounge, super long wand, long cord, easy to empty, 3 year warranty the power heads don't attach to vacuum so you have to carry them or go back for them, very heavy and bulky, the other attatchments fall off if bumped, hose doesn't swivel so you have to keep untwisting it, hose short and attached to bottom of vacuum so it pulls, very dusty to empty, expensive filters @ $35ea

Bad vacum cleaner. Never ever buy again a Vax – Had it for more 8 months. Quiet operation. Good suction (but cannot compare to a Dyson). It has a major mechanical problem. It gets over heated after 10 minutes use. Then take at least 4 hours to cool down. Contacted customer support. They asked me to clean filters (there are 2 filters). That didn't help. Vax Zen require regular filter cleaning (… Read more

I never had this problem with Dyson).

Also hose twists all the time, which is a very bad design.

I had my previous Dyson over 10 years, never had any problems. It died as a result of a electrical fault.

Reason I bought Wax Zen this time as it was cheap. I bought it for $300. I did a big mistake.

Yesterday I bought a Dyson again (DC39 animal). Really great product. If I bought a Dyson in the first place I could have saved $300 (cost of Vax Zen).

VaxZen is going to the bin. Quiet. Suction not bad (but cannnot compare to a Dyson) Hose twist all the time. Always over heating (after 10 minutes use).

Vax zen – We went by reviews of this vacuum. What a disappointment. In less than 10 months we have had it back under warrant to fix a suction problem and overheating. It couldn't even do eight steps on our stairs before overheating. Last week we through it in the bin and am going out to by a Dyson, which was the previous machine that I had. Nothing good about it Nozzles hard to take off, over heated.

Piece of Junk – Worst vacuum I have every purchased . Filter needs to be clean constantly . Poor suction .You should not need to clean the filter after every use Poorly designed. Had it for less than 6 months its going in the bin. Should have stuck with a bag vacuum cleaner. I would not recommended this Vax power 7 pet . both filters clogs very quickly then begins to loss its suction .

Vax zen 3 reach – Vacuum works great and is effective for price but hose is terrible. feels like you are dragging an anchor when moving around the house. We use it nearly every day and on hard floors with the hard floor toll and works o.k. Have to keep cleaning out vacuum nearly every time but have 4 kids and are quite messy. price is excellent hose too heavy and bad design, would rather normal hose.

Dump it! – This is an awful clunky unuser friendly vacuum cleaner. After using it you will need a Bex and a good lie down! The hose kinks and then remembers those kinks so don't try and turn around with it. It loves bogging in corners. You can't lift or manouvre it. Forget about cleaning the toilet floor and behind that door. That space is waaaay to… Read more

small for it to cope with. It loves corners. Hugs them. You end up dragging it around by the hose. And speaking of that, the hose comes with a nice industrial immovable handle. That requires constant retwisting so it can work. So if youre not a gym junkie consider this vac as a good workout. On my first use, the rubber strip that is supposed to protect your skirtings came off. Plastic knobs into plastic holes. Doesn't fit into any cupboard. So you can't hide and forget it. I hate it. I've used it 3 times and it's going on free recycle. I couldn't in my honourable mind try and resell it to some other poor unfortunate. Choice recommandation. Phewt!