• I've been testing this 2-in-1 vacuum and mop for 3 weeks, and it'

    From TechnologyDaily@1337:1/100 to All on Sat Sep 27 06:15:07 2025
    I've been testing this 2-in-1 vacuum and mop for 3 weeks, and it's perfect
    for everyday spruce-ups but nothing more strenuous

    Date:
    Sat, 27 Sep 2025 05:00:00 +0000

    Description:
    The Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is a great little vacuum, but Im not convinced the mop function brings much to the party.

    FULL STORY ======================================================================Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua: two-minute review

    The Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is marketed as a hybrid hero: part cordless
    vacuum, part mop, all in one sleek stick. It sits alongside the regular Unlimited 7, which is a standard cordless vacuum, but the Aqua version comes with two floorheads: a powered vacuum head, and a mopping head with suction. As such, it's a direct rival to Dyson V15s Submarine , but with a lighter
    feel and a friendlier price. However, after using it for nearly three weeks,
    I found it wasn't quite up there with the best wet and dry vacuums on the market.

    On test, I found this vacuum light and nimble, with a properly practical design. There's a long, flexible nozzle attachment for getting behind radiators, and the main vacuum wand can be released to bend forwards to 90 degrees too, enabling me to skim under sofas, kickboards and low tables without crouching or dragging furniture around.

    However, it's not well suited to strenuous cleaning. With the vacuum head attached, suction was strong enough for everyday crumbs, dog hair and dust bunnies, but not on a par with the best cordless vacuums on the wider market it struggled to get fine dust out of carpet and wasn't great on edges,
    either. The mop head did a decent job of freshening up hard floors, but
    tended to smear spillages around rather than mopping them up. Plus, the gap between the two rotating pads meant several passes were required for complete coverage. Both the dustbin and water reservoir are quite small, which means frequent emptying and refilling.

    Still, if you live in a smaller home, perhaps with mostly hard floors, and
    are just looking for an all-in-one solution for everyday use, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is well worth a look. Youll still need to dig out the mop
    for more thorough cleans, but this stick vacuum will help keep things fresh
    in the meantime. Read on for my full Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review. It comes with plenty of accessories and spares (Image credit: Future) Bosch Unlimited
    7 Aqua review: price & availability List price: 499.99 / AU$699 Launch date: January 2024 (AU), April 2024 (UK) Available: UK and Australia

    In the UK, the Unlimited 7 Aqua officially launched in April 2024, and its already seen some decent discounts. The list price is 499.99 , but at the
    time of writing I spotted it on offer for 379.99 with free delivery (which actually makes it cheaper than the base Unlimited 7 ). Considering the Aqua version comes with a handy mop head as well as the standard vacuum
    attachment, it feels like a no-brainer if youve got hard floors.

    Over in Australia, the Unlimited 7 Aqua arrived in January 2024 with a price tag of $699. That puts it neatly in line with the rest of the Unlimited 7 range, which varies between AU$549 and AU$749 depending on which bundle you
    go for (extra batteries, pet brushes, that sort of thing).

    I haven't spotted any consistent discounts yet, so its probably safest to assume itll be sold close to full price for now. Sadly, Bosch doesnt sell its vacuums in the US, so the Unlimited 7 Aqua wont be making its way across the pond as far as we know.

    As for where it sits in the market, the Aqua is at the lower end of the premium sector in both territories. But given the solid build quality, the option to mop and vacuum in one go, and Boschs reputation for durability, Id say its pitched fairly. Value for money score: 4 out of 5 Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua specs

    Weight:

    6.4 lbs / 2.9 kg

    Dimensions (H x W x D):

    51.6 x 9.9 x 53in / 131 x 25.2 x 134.5cm

    Floorhead width:

    9.8 in / 25cm

    Filter:

    HEPA

    Bin capacity:

    0.3L

    Battery:

    18v 3.0 Ah

    Max runtime:

    40 mins

    Charge time:

    5 hours Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: design 2-in-1 vacuum and vac-mop, with separate heads for each Slim, lightweight, yet solid build Flexible wand and bendy hose get into hard-to-reach places

    In the box, the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua comes with everything youd expect, and more. You get two floorheads (a powered floorhead for vacuuming and the Aqua mop/vac head), a bendable hose, charging cable, battery pack, docking
    station, a 2-in-1 furniture brush, both short and long, bendy crevice
    nozzles, plus four textured pads for the mop.

    Its a generous bundle that meant I could get stuck in straight away without feeling short-changed on accessories. You can also store a couple of the nozzles on the wall-mounted docking holster once youve decided where it's going to live. The floor head has a motorized brush with soft and hard bristles and LED headlights (Image credit: Future)

    The vacuum itself is slimline and lightweight and, crucially, it doesnt feel top-heavy in the hand the way some stick vacs can. All the attachments click into place with satisfying smoothness, and the release buttons are ergonomically positioned, so swapping heads mid-clean never felt fiddly.

    If I were to compare it to a car, the build quality was giving VW energy: solid, reliable, and clearly engineered to last, even if it doesnt have the glossy, showy looks of a Merc or Beemer. Switching to handheld mode is very easy (Image credit: Future)

    Controls are nice and simple. A single slider toggles between Eco, Turbo and Auto, and I mostly left it parked on Auto. Battery life is shown by three
    LEDs that switch off one by one as the charge drops. Its functional, but a
    bit vague info-wise compared to a modern digital display. Getting deep under furniture is a breeze (Image credit: Future)

    The flexible hose was one of my favorite design touches. It bends like an elbow joint, letting me sweep under sofas and kickboards without crouching. I also made good use of the bendy crevice nozzle, which snaked neatly behind radiators and into tight spots.

    The roller floorhead mixes stiff and soft brushes, though I couldnt see an obvious way to pop the roller out for detangling hair without a screwdriver, which felt slightly old-school. A small water tank feeds the mop floorhead (Image credit: Future)

    The mop head, on the other hand, is refreshingly straightforward: a lozenge shape with two spinning pads that attach via Velcro. Fill the small tank with water (and a splash of floor cleaner if you like), press a button to dampen the pads, click it back into place, and youre ready to mop. All in all, the Unlimited 7 Aquas design is practical, flexible and reassuringly well built. It's not especially flashy, but it's smart where it counts. Design score: 4 out of 5 Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: performance Strong suction and flexible cleaning Mop tends to swish dirt around Small bin and tank need frequent stops

    Since the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is a game of two parts, Ill start by
    covering the general stuff like ease of use, noisiness and maintenance, then focus on mop-ability.

    Maneuvering the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is effortless. Regardless of which floorhead is attached, it glides smoothly across every surface, getting tight to edges and right into the corners with ease, and barely needing any force, thanks to the powered floorhead.

    On test, I especially loved the flexible main tube, which I could unlatch and bend to reach right under sofas and low furniture without having to twist my own body like a contortionist. Its also very lightweight, even for a stick vacuum, so I could lift it up onto the sofas and upholstered ottoman, staircase runner etc.if I was feeling lazy, or switch to handheld vacuum mode if I wanted a bit more precision. The long bendy nozzle tool is super handy for getting into awkward places (Image credit: Future)

    The array of nozzles make the fiddlier tasks easy, too. The crevice tool and furniture brush work exactly as expected, but my fave is the bendy long crevice nozzle, which managed to get into all the nooks and crannies of my fancy (but impossible to clean) radiators and also provided good reach for ceiling cobwebs and curtain rails. This cordless is so light, I often didn't bother switching to handheld (Image credit: Future)

    While the mop head has a vacuum function, its really only designed to clear the way for mopping. For carpets and dirty hard flooring, youll need to
    employ the excellent motorized floorhead.

    I loved that it has decent LEDs on the front to illuminate every crumb, and the anti-tangle roller had no truck with my daughters long tresses. In terms of noisiness, which I recorded using an app, in Eco mode it was fairly quiet at around 68 dB(A), so I could easily hold a conversation while cleaning. Turbo definitely ramped things up, hitting about 80 dB(A) and sounding punchier, but I used this mode sparingly to save juice so it was never really an issue.

    The suction on this thing is way punchier than I expected. Even in Eco mode
    it guzzled up crumbs, pet hair and muddy paw/boot prints without breaking a sweat. Auto mode was the real star though I could hear it cranking things up the second I hit a rug, then chilling out again on hard floors. The red
    button slides down to drag the bin contents out (Image credit: Future)

    The vacuum dustbin was annoyingly small and needed emptying far more
    regularly than my cordless Miele this wouldnt be ideal if you have plenty of pets. On the plus side, it was very easy to empty, and the filter has an easy-clean function whereby you turn the red wheel in the top and the dust pours out. No washing filters under the tap and waiting for them to dry
    before you can vacuum again. Mopping

    To set the scene, my floors are mostly hard surfaces (engineered wood, porcelain, laminate) and they do not get an easy ride. With two kids, two
    dogs (including a mischievous puppy), an escapee budgie who thinks he rules the roost, and ponies that seem determined to send half the Devonshire countryside indoors on our boots and clothing, my mop and bucket get a lot of action throughout the week.

    With that in mind, its fair to say the mop pads on the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua had their work cut out. They work by taking clean water from the reservoir to dampen the pads, then spinning fairly quickly as you push along, vacuuming at the same time. The mop head has a button you can press with your foot to charge the mop heads with water. Press the raised button with your foot to charge the mop heads with water (Image credit: Future)

    I found the mop pads spread the water and cleaning solution fairly evenly, except for the dry channel created by the gap between the two, which meant I did need to do multiple passes for full coverage. They definitely did some good, judging by the grubby pads afterwards which were pretty grim, in a satisfying way.

    If Im honest, it often felt like the mops were pushing the dirt around rather than properly lifting it away. In short, when life got really filthy (pretty much every other day), I still needed to follow up with an old-fashioned mop to tackle the worst of it.

    That's the issue with this style of mop: although the pads are fed with clean water, the dirty stuff stays on them until the end of the cleaning session, when you can remove them and rinse them out or pop them into the washing machine.

    In contrast, roller-based wet cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 have a scraper that siphons off dirty water as the mop pad rolls around. That kind of setup does require a separate dirty water tank, though. The rotating mop pads sit
    on Velcro and can be removed and washed in the washing machine (Image credit: Future)

    That said, for everyday upkeep the Unlimited 7 Aqua was still a handy pal to have around. It gave our hard floors a nice little refresh, and I loved how quick and fuss-free it was compared with lugging out the mop and bucket.

    For me, this is the machine to grab for a speedy once-over before guests arrive, i.e. when I want to pretend we dont spend our days knee-deep in horse muck. But after a muddy hack through the fields or a puppy-induced disaster, the good old faithful mop was called back into action. Cleaning tests

    To really see what this machine was made of, I put the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua through a series of at-home tests that aim to replicate the kind of messes real families deal with daily. Heres how it did.

    Test 1: Fine dust
    I started with a teabags worth of dry tea scattered on both hard floor and carpet. On hard floor, it was flawless everything vanished in a single pass on Eco, without any effort. On carpet, though, it wasnt quite as slick. Eco took several passes and still left bits behind until I cranked it up to
    Turbo, which eventually got the job done. Image 1 of 2 Tea on hard floor (Image credit: Future) Image 2 of 2 Tea on carpet (Image credit: Future)

    Test 2: Larger debris
    Next up, 30g of oats scattered across the floor to mimic larger dirt particles. On hard floor it aced the challenge, sucking them up in one smooth pass without shoving them around like a mini snow plough. On carpet, they bounced about a bit at first, but a second pass on Eco cleared the lot. Image 1 of 2 Oats on hard floor (Image credit: Future) Image 2 of 2 Oats on carpet (Image credit: Future)

    Test 3: Edges
    I lined oats along the skirting boards to see how close it could clean
    without swapping to a nozzle and was not terribly impressed. It needed multiple passes and still left a few stragglers that I had to tidy up with
    the crevice tool. The edge cleaning test left a fair few stragglers (Image credit: Future)

    Test 4: Mop
    This was the big one. I spilt milk on dark laminate and set the Aqua mop head to work. At first glance it looked promising until I stopped and lifted it,
    at which point milk dribbled back out. Worse, when the floor dried, there was a faint white film where it hadnt been properly cleaned.

    A second test on my engineered timber floor seemed better at first, but a swipe with a wet wipe revealed plenty of dirt was still lingering. Safe to say, I wont be relying on it for puppy accidents again anytime soon. Image 1 of 2 I didn't cry over spilt milk... (Image credit: Future) Image 2 of 2 ...until it poured right back onto the floor (Image credit: Future)

    Overall, the tests showed that the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua is a strong performer on hard floors, handling both fine dust and larger debris with ease in Eco mode. Carpets were more of a challenge. It could cope, but often
    needed multiple passes or a boost to Turbo to get a thorough clean.

    Edge cleaning wasnt its strongest suit, and the mop function looked good at first glance but ultimately made me sad, leaving behind residue and proving unreliable for all but the quickest spruce-up. Performance score: 3 out of 5 Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua review: battery Around 30 mins with the powered floorhead for vacuuming Mopping eats battery quicker, around 1015 mins on
    Auto Turbo gobbles up the juice about 9 mins max

    Battery life on the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua isnt mind-blowing, but its not a total washout either. In Eco mode, I squeezed out a respectable 41 minutes when using the smaller accessories, though the powered floorhead brought that down to about half an hour (28 minutes, if were being precise). Flick it into Turbo and the battery evaporates faster than my kids snacks after school youll get around nine minutes before it keels over.

    Mopping is another level of thirsty: with the Aqua head on Auto mode, I only managed 1015 minutes before the lights started blinking. That said, I rarely needed Turbo when mopping, so it wasnt a huge issue.

    Charging is where Bosch redeems itself. Yes, it takes a yawnsome five hours
    if you plug it directly into the vacuum, but if you shell out for a fast charger base (not included as standard), that falls to just one hour, which feels far more realistic for a busy household. The battery is part of Boschs 18V Power For All Alliance, so I could technically pop it into a hedge
    trimmer or drill, which is pretty handy.

    Overall, the runtime wont blow you away, but I never ran out mid-clean in
    Auto mode. If youve got a bigger place or serious messes, a spare battery is your golden ticket. Battery life score: 3 out of 5 Should you buy the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua?

    Attribute

    Notes

    Rating

    Value for money

    Not dirt cheap, but youre getting a vacuum and a mop in one, plus Boschs
    solid build. Deals make it even sweeter.

    4/5

    Design

    Slim, light and packed with clever touches like the bendy wand. Feels sturdy and well thought-out, but not flashy.

    4/5

    Performance

    Great suction on hard floors, less convincing on carpets and edges, and the mop turned out to be disappointing.

    3/5

    Battery

    Enough juice for a decent clean, although Turbo and mop modes drain battery fast. Bosch's fast charger (not included) is a lifesaver.

    3/5 Buy it if...

    You just need something to refresh floors
    If your hard floors just need a speedy spruce rather than a deep clean, this machine will do the trick. The Aqua is brilliant for freshening up hard
    floors between proper mop sessions.

    You hate messy bin emptying
    If dusty hands and fluff clouds make you sneeze, this ones a win. Boschs twist-to-clean filter and neat drop-out bin design keep the whole process
    tidy no flying dust, no grim faff. Don't buy it if...

    You're looking to bin your mop
    The Aqua cant fully replace a good old mop and bucket. Its fine for everyday upkeep, but for really grubby spills or puppy chaos, youll need something
    more hardcore.

    You have a lot of carpet
    This vacuum shines brightest on hard floors. It can manage rugs and runners, but wall-to-wall carpet demands more passes (and more Turbo), which eats into battery life fast.

    You have a lot of messy spills
    The mop here is for light cleans only. Look for a roller-style mop if you
    want the mop pad to be refreshed as you go. There are also models on the market with docks that'll clean the mop pads for you. How I tested the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua

    I spent nearly three weeks living with the Bosch Unlimited 7 Aqua, putting it through its paces in the chaos of my pet-filled four-bed family home in the country. To keep things fair, I ran TechRadars set tests, sprinkling fine tea leaves, scattering handfuls of oats, dragging it along skirting boards, and even pouring milk on my dark laminate to challenge the mop.

    Day-to-day, I also used it for real-world chores: sucking up endless dog
    hair, chasing crumbs under the kitchen table, and tackling the fallout from pony gear being trailed through the hallway. The bendy wand and flexible crevice nozzle got a workout behind radiators and under sofas, while Auto
    mode proved handy for flitting between hard floors and rugs without me fiddling with settings.

    I even gave the mop head a fair chance, though I quickly learned its limitations and gave up using it on Dotty the puppys many, many toilet-training fails. I generally found it quick, light and easy to use,
    even if it couldnt quite conquer the messiest moments.

    Read more about how we test vacuum cleaners .

    First reviewed September 2025



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    Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/bosch-unlimited-7-aqua-review


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