When dirt drops on a carpet, it sits on the surface before becoming ground dirt, which is harder to remove. The key is to get the dirt while it’s still on the surface and that is where a handheld vacuum comes really handy - literary - to remove surface dirt so, it doesn't become embedded within the pile of the carpet.
For quick cleaning on the go, hand vacuums are very convenient, indeed, specially a wet and dry hand vacuum like the Holife HM208BB, which can take care of all the messes around the house, including pet ones.
With a pet friend at home, especially a cat, it's virtually impossible stopping cat litter particles from getting everywhere or preventing the pet water bowl from accidentally tipping and spilling all over. The Holife HM208BB easily takes care of cat litter and water spills up to a maximum of 100ml (liquid) and 600ml (debris).
Emptying the dust container is very easy. It's just a matter of releasing it from the body by pressing the large red button, which operates via a spring-loaded mechanism.
The filters consist of a rubber pre-filter and a non-woven paper-like filter designed to protect the motor from dust and water ingress. There is a max line white marking on the side of the dust container to help you determining when the dust container is ready to be emptied.
The pre-filter is made of thick rubber and does not need replacing.The white filter is non-HEPA but, it's reusable, although it has to be replaced periodically. Both filters can be washed under running tap water. Filter replacements can be bought obtained freely from Holife directly. If you need a vacuum with a HEPA filter, Holife also does a HEPA version.
Design-wise, the Holife HM208 vacuum has a standard hand vacuum design with a long, wide body at the centre. The dimensions are 40cm long, 12cm wide and 14cm tall. Where the Holife HM208 vacuum design differs from others is in the hand grip style.
Most hand vacuums are designed to be gripped from the top like a steam iron, whereas the HM208BB vacuum has a pistol grip design with a trigger mechanism that allows the HM208 vacuum to be gripped like a cordless hand drill, which provides a more comfortable handling.
The weight of the Holife HM208 vacuum is evenly distributed between the body of the vacuum, which houses the 120 watt motor. And, the smoked grey plastic dust container, which is detachable from the body.
The Holife HM208BB dust container features a spout mouth designed to collect the debris and to connect the included attachments. There a total of three attachments, two of them have wide nozzles (brush and rubber trim) and a longer crevice nozzle to vacuum narrow openings.
In terms of weight, the crevice attachment weighs 50 grams, while the brush and rubber nozzle attachments weigh 35 grams and 25 grams respectively. The plastic dust container weighs 167 grams, while the filter and pre-filter weigh 12 grams and 58 grams respectively. The heaviest part is the body of the vacuum, which houses the motor, weighing 990 grams.
The mouth of the rubber and brush nozzle attachments measure 42mm long and 23mm wide. The crevice tool measures 17cm long so, it provides extra length for hard to reach areas. A 4-inch long nylon bottle brush is also included.
While the Holife H208 outer shell is made of plastic, the total weight is 1.2 kg so, it has a fair weight to it when holding it with one hand.
The base of the vacuum is flat so, it can be left upright on a surface. There is no wall attachment for hooking up the vacuum, although a drawstring cloth bag is included that allows you to store it and hook it up on a wall hook.
The Holife HM208BB vacuum is recharged via mains electricity and includes a wall power adapter with a UK plug. The power adapter has a high output rating of 28V/0.5A, allowing it to fast charge the 2.2Ah (2200mAh) lithium ion battery in just 4 hours. Like most cordless tools, the Holife HM208BB lithium ion battery has a high operating voltage rating of 22.2V, which is needed in order to power the high output motor.
Lithium ion batteries have a lifespan between 3 to 5 years depending on usage and voltage. Phones and laptop lithium ion batteries tend to last longer because of their lower operation voltage (3.3-3.7V). The high voltage lithium ion batteries in power tools and hand vacuums like the Holife HM208BB have a slightly shorter lifespan (up to 2 years).
The DC port is located on the bottom rear of the Holife HM208BB handle, while the power switch is activated by the trigger itself. The trigger needs to be held on for 1 second to power on the vacuum.
The three leds above the Holife logo are designed to indicate battery charge remaining. When the Holife HM208BB vacuum is powered on, the leds illuminate according to how much charge there is left. If there is only one led illuminated, it means low battery power.
The Holife HM208BB vacuum generates approximately 80dB of noise so, it is fairly loud, although not as loud as the noise of a lawn mower (89dB). The noise generated by the H208 vacuum falls below 85dB, which is considered the maximum level of occupational noise that is acceptable to listen to for 8 hours.
The Holife HM208BB vacuum's 100 watt motor can generate 9 kPa (9000pa) suction, which is enough suction to pick up large debris off of smooth flooring and/or carpets. Compared to a full size vacuum cleaner, which can generate up to 20 kPa suction, the HM208BB vacuum 9 kPa suction performance is pretty good, considering the size.
The only real drawback of any handheld vacuum, including the Holife 9Kpa is runtime, which is 30 minutes after a 3-4 hour full charge. That said, some handheld vacuums have a far shorter runtime and longer charge time (8-9 hours to charge and 10 mins runtime).
If you live in a fairly large house with an attic, 30 minutes battery power is likely not going to be enough time to do the whole house, including floors, rain gutter, the sofa, side walls and windows.
For small jobs like vacuuming the car, the Holife H208 provides enough runtime to properly vacuum the car interior and carpets. The Holife HM208BB vacuum (Model H208A) comes with a generous 3 year guarantee that includes parts and labor only (filters are not included).