Philips SpeedPro Max: Price and availability
Black Friday deal: As part of its sale, you can get the SpeedPro for £330 direct from Philips. See also the best Black Friday vaccum deals. While the Dyson Cyclone V10 is available is a somewhat confusing set of three models, you needn’t fret about which Philips to choose. The V10 Animal is roughly the equivalent at £399, with more expensive models like the Absolute at £449 creating a premium for additional tools. If you can’t quite stretch to the SpeedPro then Philips has a more affordable option for a cordless vacuum. The PowerPro Duo is less than half the price at £200. Check out our round-up of the best vacuum cleaners.
Philips SpeedPro Max: Design and build
In order to keep pace with Dyson, alternatives need to offer good design and build and we’re impressed with Philips here. It’s a good job too, considering the high price. The SpeedPro Max comes in a stylish combination of red, black and silver that will fit in with most modern home décor. We particularly like the back section of the main unit which looks akin to a plane jet engine.
Like most cordless vacuums, there’s a wall mount in the box which can have the wireless charger mounted in it. The charger is small and round, looking more appropriate for a smartwatch, snapping in nicely with magnets. Build quality is excellent and the SpeedPro Max is made from a combination of hard plastic and aluminium. It’s all very solid and feels like it will last a long time. Weight is an important factor when it comes to a cordless as you will often use the vacuum without the support of the floor. The main unit with the main attachments is 2.73kg – similar to the Dyson and overall we’ve found easy to use, though you will feel the burn if you clean for a whole hour.
Philips SpeedPro Max: Features and Performance
The firm claims ‘unmatched’ airflow thanks to its PowerCyclone 8 technology. It supposedly maintains suction that’s stronger and for longer, resulting in 1,000 litres of air per minute. That doesn’t mean much to the average consumer but what we can say is that the SpeedPro Max is impressively powerful. The motor lets you choose from three different speeds, which is really useful for different situations. For example, vacuuming a sofa is much easier on a lower setting so the device doesn’t simply get attached to the fabric due to suction. A handy digital display lets you know what speed you’re on, as well as a battery level indicator. It can also tell you when to clean the filter.
You can, of course, use the main unit alone, but the modular design means there are plenty of modes available. The sections clip together easily but have a solid connection and the quick release buttons mean you can chop and change with no trouble at all. For starters there’s a long pole you can attach to reach awkward places. This has a built-in brush you can flip out when needed. Attach the main brush head to the pole and you’ve got a regular style vacuum for cleaning all your floors. A combination of joints mean the SpeedPro Max is really easy to manoeuvre around and under furniture and objects. It has a set of LED headlights helping you see what you’re doing which we love and it also has a 360 degree design so pulls in dirt from all sides. We found performance to be excellent without needing to use the fastest speed setting. Our main complaint is that the brush head doesn’t go backwards very well, easily juddering and skipping across carpet. Another attachment is included in the box. The Turbo Brush is a smaller head with rotating brushes designed for things like pet hair. We found it handy for tackling things like stairs and car seats.
You’ll need to empty the dust bucket fairly regularly as the compact design means a capacity of 0.6L, a lot smaller than a traditional upright, which you may be used to. The SpeedPro Max has a runtime of up to 65 minutes on a single charge, which is a few minutes longer than Dyson’s V10. It’s impressive and unless you have some serious cleaning to do in one session it will keep running for multiple uses in our experience. If you’re using on full power, the runtime drops to 21 minutes. Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
