Expert rating
Benefits
- Eco, auto and turbo modes
- Hinged to reach down
- Hook for cleaning breaks
- Flexible crevice tool
The inconvenients
- Runtime may be short
- Mount does not store all tools
- Single battery
Our Verdict
Packed with thoughtful features, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua does a lot to justify its price. It offers excellent cleaning paired with tools for every area of your home, from upholstery to hard-to-reach places. However, the mop head seems to be a convenient add-on rather than half the reason to buy. It is useful for everyday cleaning but less suitable for heavily soiled hard floors: for this you may still need a dedicated cleaner or a mop and bucket.
For spotless floors, you can invest in a vacuum cleaner and a separate hard floor cleaner, such as a wet and dry vacuum cleaner. You might also want to pay attention to the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua: a cordless vacuum cleaner that can suck up dust, dirt, and hair with one floor nozzle before cleaning hard floors with another.
This, plus a trio of tools, a hook so you can place it over the back of a chair rather than trying to support it while you move furniture, and a 180-degree articulating hose for cleaning under the objects, makes it ideal as a cleaner for the whole house.
Design and build
- 0.3L trash can
- weight of 4.7 kg
- Two cleaning heads and three cleaning tools
The Unlimited 7 Aqua feels every bit like a sturdy but nimble cordless vacuum cleaner: there’s a good-sized 0.3 liter dustbin at the top, and it’s quite light at 4.7kg, all measuring H131, 5 x L25.2 x D20.4 cm. .
Bosch’s years of cordless vacuum manufacturing shine through in the Unlimited 7 Aqua
Additionally, while the physical size of the battery is the same as other Bosch vacuums (the battery can be swapped between many of its small appliances), it is 3 Ah (amp-hours) more powerful than the 2 .5 Ah that you will find on some previous models. According to its manufacturers, this provides 20% more energy. The battery connects to the back, while there’s a slider for power levels that can be controlled with a thumb.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
At ground level, the Unlimited 7 Aqua offers two heads to choose from: the vacuum head, which has a wide grooved brush bar with two sets of bristles and LED headlights, and the cleaning head, which has two pads in removable and machine washable microfibers. and a small water tank. The pads have labels so you can peel them off.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Performance and Features
- Maximum runtime of 40 minutes
- 5 hour charging time
- Three cleaning tools
Bosch’s years of manufacturing cordless vacuum cleaners shine through in the Unlimited 7 Aqua: aside from the features above, there are several things that make it easier to use. For example, there is a small ring inside the trash can filter called Rotation Clean, which transforms to throw particles into the trash can itself.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The trio of tools is another: a small crevice tool is handy for getting into corners, while the long, flexible crevice tool is suitable for reaching behind furniture against a wall or in high places. There’s also a 2-in-1 furniture brush and upholstery nozzle that transforms depending on what you’re cleaning. The tools can be stored on the charging stand, but there are only two slots for all three.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Where it could do better is the runtime. Although its battery is more powerful than previous Bosch cordless vacuums, the Unlimited 7 Aqua’s motor of up to 66,000 rpm is very demanding. Maximum run time is 40 minutes – but on the Eco setting with a tool. Attach a floor head to the same mode and the run decreases to 30 minutes. You would expect a longer duration for a hard and soft floor cleaner. Replace Eco with Turbo and the race lasts 10 minutes.
Considering the battery needs five hours to fully charge and clearly you’ll need a second (around £90) for multiple floors, or stick to Eco mode only. Also, like other Bosch vacuums, the battery can only be recharged when attached to the machine, so you can’t charge the former while you’re using it with the latter.
We tested the Unlimited 7 Aqua on a hard floor and medium-pile carpet, using flour to represent dust and oats as larger debris particles. For the cleaning function, we spread mustard and brown sauce on the hard floor. Pickup was good for both types of dry messes on hard floors, even when using Eco, although some flour fell out after stopping. Likewise, pickup was reasonable on carpet using Eco mode, although we had to use the Turbo to vacuum up any remaining flour.
Where it could do better is the execution time
The Unlimited 7 Aqua also picked up pet and human hair well, although it required several passes. Its bar is fixed, so it must be “cleaned” on site with a pair of scissors to cut the coiled hair. We liked being able to hang the vacuum on the furniture while we vacuumed and found the hinged hose easy to use.
We had less success with the wash head, starting with finding the reservoir tricky to fill as there is only a small hole. Our food spills were bigger than his pads could handle and spread the mess. Also, the mop doesn’t pick up water, so the more time we spent on a patch, the wetter it became.
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
Rachel Ogden / Foundry
The positive side was that there was a second set of pads, which meant that when the first set was messy we could continue. The Unlimited 7 Aqua performed better when cleaning the rest of the floor, although Eco was no match for dried-on dirt.
Pricing and availability
In the UK, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is available from a number of retailers, with an RRP of £499.99. You can buy it at John Lewis, Argos (where it costs a penny more), Currys and Amazon (where it costs 99p less). It’s not a cheap buy, but if you’re looking for a modular vacuum that can handle both wet and dry cleaning tasks, it’s considerably cheaper than the Dyson V15s Submarine, although it’s a great option if you can stretch your budget.
If this isn’t the vacuum cleaner for you, check out our top recommendations in our roundup of the best vacuum cleaners and the best wet and dry vacuum cleaners to find your ideal cleaning companion.
Should you buy the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua?
A mop head may be the flagship feature of the Unlimited 7 Aqua, but when there’s a lot of mess to deal with, it doesn’t deliver the same results as a standalone hard floor cleaner, or a a mop and a bucket. We felt its floor mopping feature was better for cleaning little and often, or removing a trail of muddy paw prints for example.
It does, however, work well as a cordless vacuum, with its design and accessories providing near-flawless cleaning, followed by easy emptying. Considered an ideal multitasking vacuum for a quick blitz, it’s a smart choice for a busy home with a mix of floor types.
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