Bosch Unlimited 7 review

The Bosch Unlimited 7 comes packed with smart solutions to make life effortless. With this cordless vacuum cleaner you can take the guesswork out of cleaning with the Auto Detect function, and let the Flex Tube do the bending under low furniture.

Select Auto Detect mode for the optimal balance between runtime and performance. The Auto Detect function senses the floor type being vacuumed and adjusts power accordingly for the most effective clean. Move seamlessly between glossy wooden floors and deep pile carpet without having to guess the best setting. You can even hear the change in power as the intelligent vacuum adjusts for optimal suction across surfaces.

Testing the Bosch Unlimited 7

Firstly, when I opened up this vacuum I thought it feels great quality, not plasticky like some vacuums I’ve tried in the past. All of the attachments, batteries, docking station and charger were neatly packaged, and the vacuum itself is impressively lightweight. The wall docking station is much neater than my previous vacuum, plus it has a small magnet which is really useful as it helps it ‘click’ the Unlimited 7 into place properly – very handy if your vacuum is tucked away under the stairs like ours is!

The main feature of the Unlimited 7, and easily my favourite feature, is that the vacuum head tube can ‘fold’ so it’s flexible, to fit under sofas and other furniture. It’s so easy to use, you just press the button at the join and you hear it click, then it bends up to 90 degrees. Once you’re done cleaning under the sofa or table, you pull it back up again and it clicks back into place effortlessly. There’s no loss of suction and the button is positioned ideally so it doesn’t feel like a pain, it’s in a very natural spot to reach down and press rather than feeling like you have to bend over. It’s also not somewhere you can accidently press, which I would find really irritating.

Range of accessories: As well as the flexi main vacuum head, which includes a strong motorised brush and integrated floor lights, the Unlimited 7 comes with three additional accessories. There’s a long flexi nozzle which is perfect for getting into corners, and I’ve found it particularly good for ceilings or tricky to reach areas. It’s made of softer plastic than most vacuum attachments so it doesn’t scratch the paint either.

The smaller narrow nozzle is great for stairs but I’ve found it doesn’t stay on very snugly so you kind of have to hold it on when you’re using it. This could be my error of not clicking it into place but I’ve put it on quite firmly and it still seems to want to pop off again.

Lastly the smaller brush attachment is perfect for sofas and upholstery. I have two dogs, one of whom loses a lot of hair, so I’m always giving my sofas a bit of TLC to keep them looking neat and tidy. The brush is stiff enough to pick up loose hairs, but it’s also easy to keep clean and gentle enough for my leatherette sofas.

Suction: Much better than the last cordless vacuum I had, in fact when I use it on my carpet I use the Eco setting as Auto and Turbo are too strong! On my hard floors I tend to use the Auto setting, which changes suction power depending on the surface, so you can hear it kick up a gear when it goes from wooden floors to the tiles in my kitchen. Turbo is great for bigger messes, like when my husband has come in with muddy boots from outside. It really is a great cordless vacuum for hard floors.

Battery life: Again with my old cordless this is something it struggled with, but I’ve been really impressed with the Bosch batteries. I was sent the model which includes two batteries and the charger, which I’d recommend going for as it means you can have one ready and charged up for when the other needs a charge – it always happens when you really do need to hoover! One battery easily manages the whole house, and I don’t have to worry about keeping it on Eco power either. Charging is fast and the instructions on the charger are really clear so you know when the battery is ready to use, and when it’s completely full.

The 18V batteries can be used for a range of Bosch home and garden tools, part of the Power For All Alliance. So you can use the same 18V battery from your stick vacuum to power compatible 18V tools and products from the Bosch Home & Garden line, as well as Flymo and GARDENA.

There doesn’t seem to be a way of charging the vacuum while it’s in the dock, which would be a nice feature – instead you need to remove the battery and put it in the separate charger. I may see if I can figure out a way to mount that as it is rather unsightly to have out on the counter, but it is very quick so it’s not in view for long.

Emptying the vacuum is much easier than previous ones I’ve tested, there’s no flap that pops open beneath the bin (which never empties right in my experience) instead you pop the top off the bin, lift off the filter and empty out the dust and dirt. You can also twist the filter to clear it and empty out any dust trapped in there. I would say that the bin capacity is quite small, so I do find myself emptying it quite regularly. I don’t know if there are any Bosch models with larger bins, but perhaps this could be considered as for those with pets or children there’s often a lot of mess to clean up!

Final thoughts

I’m really impressed with the Bosch Unlimited 7 overall, I think for a cordless vacuum the suction and battery life is brilliant. They say it’s as powerful as a corded vacuum cleaner and I would agree. I absolutely love the flex tube function, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to own another vacuum that doesn’t have this feature! As mentioned if the bin capacity could be improved that would be a bonus, however this would of course make the vacuum larger and potentially less easy to manoeuvre and store. I also would like the option of charging it when in the dock.