Russell Hobbs Athena Upright Vacuum Review

The Russell Hobbs Athena2 is an upright, extra powerful vacuum cleaner. It's available in a mixture of grey and blue, and features a compact/lightweight design to enhance manoeuvrability. In fact, it weighs less than 5kg, making it super easy to carry up/down stairs. For added mobility, the Athena2 features a swivel/pivot floor head.

View full product specification.

The Athena2 uses cyclonic technology which refers to the internal dust separation mechanism. Essentially, dust is separated from air through the use of acceleration. The Athena2 is equipped with a "Triple Dust Lock" filtration system, including the use of an HEPA filter which is particularly good at trapping fine dust particles, allergens, hair, etc. We look at the features in more detail later.

About Russell Hobbs

Russell Hobbs are a major brand of home, kitchen and cleaning appliances. From humble beginnings, they've grown their business into a global operation. Their vacuum cleaner range includes corded, hand-held, cylinder and stick vacuums.

Specification

We now look at the features:

• Manoeuvrability - The Athena2 weighs under 5kg. It's compact, and extremely easy to manoeuvre and carry up and down stairs. The floor head is of particular interest as it allows for pivoting/swivelling to facilitate better navigation.
• Accessories - The vacuum cleaner comes with a 2-in-1 combination tool which acts as both a dust brush and a crevice tool. It attaches to the suction hose for precision cleaning. It's particularly useful for hard to reach areas.
• Filtration - The Athena2 has a "Triple Dust Lock" feature which secures dust and debris inside the canister. It's aided by an HEPA filter. Such filters are often found in modern day vacuum cleaners due to their effectiveness at trapping fine particles of dust and, perhaps more importantly, allergens.
• Cyclonic Technology - A single cyclone accelerates air to ensure that dust is separated from it.
• Reach - The Athena2 has an impressive 9 metre cleaning radius. It's helped by a 5 metre long power cable and an extra-long suction hose.
• Canister - The canister has a simple lift-and-lock mechanism for easy dust disposal.

Video

There's a short video on amazon.co.uk which shows the Athena2 in action.

Summary

Overall, the Russell Hobbs Athena2 is a highly manoeuvrable vacuum cleaner with plenty of scope. It's ideal for hard floors and carpeted surfaces, and is capable of cleaning hard to reach areas with its 2-in-1 dusting/crevice brush. It has a compact/lightweight design, and a three-stage filtration system to trap dust and allergens. We rate the Russell Hobbs Athena2 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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