After our Spring review of the Gtech AirRam vacuum cleaner, I was excited to review the newer model enhanced and updated with dog owners in mind and find out what was new.

I was a big fan of the original AirRam, the cordless element combined with the power was a revelation to me as a dog owner. It made cleaning so much easier and with two dogs at home, working full time and the hours seeming to fly by, anything which makes a job such as vacuuming easier has to be applauded, right?

Today, seeking a distraction from wondering how Mia was getting on at the vets while having an operation, I started my normal distraction routine.

1) Work – doing the essentials.
2) Washing all dog beds. In a house where dog beds are regularly reviewed this is a job and a half.
3) Bleaching floors.
4) Vacuuming every inch of the house – giving me the chance to tick off no 1 and no 4 on the list, perfect!

A Dog Owner’s Review of: Gtech AirRam K9

Price: £249

Gtech AirRam K9

Pros:

Cordless and lightweight, it makes light work of housework making it easy for daily use. Great suction and pet hairs pick up, one of the updates to this model was designed to strengthen its performance in this area (more about this below).

Energy efficient with the battery life easily visible and displayed with LED lighting on the front, it gives 40 minutes of run time when charged. Gtech says its energy efficient design means you can clean your home twice on one 4-hour charge, running for up to 40 minutes; a 1-hour short charge will deliver a burst of additional run time.

Cons:

Time will tell whether the approximately £50 price difference between the AirRam K9 (£249) and AirRam (£199) are noticeable. So far I think the update to the brush bars making them easier to pick up those pet hairs which just won’t move will prove worthy of the extra outlay, but this really is an individual choice as to whether the extra cost is worth it to you if you were picking between the two cleaners.

Summary:

Being a huge fan of the original cordless model, this was always going to have a lot to live up to but keeping the main benefits of the original it was off to a flying start!

When I began reviewing I did so blind in as much as I didn’t read what the changes were beforehand so my judgement wouldn’t be clouded. Although slightly heavier than the AirRam, the AirRam K9 really does makes light work of housework.

Mia and our newest addition, Christopher, are both black-coated dogs and with cream carpets throughout the home any and all shedding is easily noticed – no room for a day’s rest in this house!

The biggest updates I noticed came in the form of the sound – whereas the AirRam is quite high pitched, the AirRam K9 sounds lower and in fact Christopher, aged only eight-weeks old, didn’t even move when I approached – although he did wake up. And secondly, I noticed the fresh scent which is released when cleaning. The scented filters are refillable and this really is a great touch.

Another update has been made with pet hairs in mind. Strengthened by zinc alloy components, the AirRam K9 has upgraded brush bars which help to reduce the build up of stubborn pet hair.

Suitable for use on all floor types, the style of the cleaner means it easily fits under sofas, tables, radiators and right up to the skirting boards.

The volume of dirt and hairs this cleaner collects constantly amazes me, I can’t believe so much dust and hair can be accumulated in one day but am relieved I have something which gets rid of it.

Out of all of the vacuum cleaners I’ve reviewed over the years, the Gtech AirRam and AirRam K9 are in my all time top two favourites for performance, ability, easiness of use and all-round convenience – thank you Gtech. Update: Gtech have now released a newer model, the AirRam K9 2 – read how the original compares to the newer model here: http://www.k9magazine.com/new-gtech-airram-k9-review-is-it-better-than-its-predecessor-at-tackling-pet-hairs/

Want To Try The Gtech AirRam K9 For Yourself?

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19 comments
  1. I’m currently searching for reviews regarding vacuum cleaners for a doggy home. I think I’ve narrowed it down to the gtech air ram but after reading your reviews for the air ram and the k9 version I don’t feel I’m any wiser as to whether the k9 version is any better. Please can you clarify. Thank you.

    1. Hi Helen,

      Thanks for your message. There really isn’t a huge amount between them on a side by side comparison. The Airram K9 has a few updated areas as is mentioned in the review from a technical standpoint. It has a different type of brush area so hairs don’t get caught as much but it depends whether this is worth the cost difference to you. For me when reviewing and after using for some time, it does make a difference. Spending time undoing hairs wrapped around the brush (more mine than the dogs it has to be said) does make a difference.

      The fresh scent you get with the Airram K9 is short lived and new scented refills are received additionally/separately. Again, this isn’t necessarily a huge sway one way or the other though.

  2. Thank you. I’ll ponder some more! Obviously the scent refills will be an annoying costly replacement which I know I won’t bother with.

    1. Hi Helen,

      No problem, for me the Gtech Airram made a huge difference. The Airram K9 has continued that role but has slight benefits. It depends whether for you they are worth the extra money. The refills, after researching further, are applied for and free but instructions come in the box as to how you get them etc.

  3. Just started using the k9 , I don’t know why I didn’t get one sooner , no wires to trip over is a godsend as I’m an oap , yes it really did pick up the cat hairs so I am well impressed

  4. Hi, I read a review that said the filters were difficult to clean and put back in the cleaner. Is it any easier with the K9. Look forward to hearing from you

    1. Hi Lynda, I don’t think one is easier than the other because I think both are relatively simple once you’ve gotten into the swing of it.

      For example, I open the lock with something like a knife for the blunt edge, open the lid, take the filter out and just tap clean. Any hairs or dust trapped will fall out before you start tapping them dry, repeat for both filters and then put the lid back on and lock with the blunt knife edge.

      For me, the biggest thing was working out how to open the lock safely and with what sort of an edge without destroying the plastic around the lock. You can tap clean without opening but really, you don’t get rid of all of the dust in the filters without opening it up. I do it twice per use (three dogs = lots of hair, lots of dust!) and it takes me a couple of minutes per time.

      Edited to add: I never wash the filters on any vacuum. I did so on a Dyson some years ago and couldn’t get rid of the ‘wet’ smell. I only ever dry clean by cleaning hairs, tapping until no more dust comes out.

  5. hi Helen. I have just used my original air ram, and the odour from the filters are awful. I wash the filters out regularly, and the machine still smells awful, when switched on. I do wash all the washable bits on it. I see the new K9 has fresh scent filters, but that will only mask the smell? I have 2 Labradors. Does the scented filters of the new K9 really do the job or just mask the smells!!?

    1. I can’t say, but just on the 2-labs-using-airram front, I always use Carpet Fresh, a foam you just spray on the carpet after. Works well, even when the filters are stinky and available at your local supermarket, instead of from Gtech.

  6. Trick to keep the filters clean if you have a hand held vacuum. Remove the filters from the casing and using long nozzle vacuum over the both surfaces of the filter you will be surprised how much dust you get out.

  7. We have three dogs and two cats and I presently use a Dyson upright. I find it very heavy to use and have tried the one with the ball in the showroom and that doesn’t seem any easier, so I am considering a cordless vacuum cleaner. friends have the Dyson stick cleaner but the switch has to be held down whilst in use and it seems to run for only a short time and need hours to recharge. Also, despite emptying it and cleaning it after every use I cannot get rid of the doggy smell, and that stays in the room after it has been vacuumed. The Gtech air ram K9 sounds like the best option for me and i especially like the idea of sweet smelling filters. I have been advised, in the past, not to use anything on the carpet that will get sucked up and clog the machine so hope the filters will be enough. Fingers crossed.

  8. Hi There, I bought the original Gtech and loved it immediately, I had two Labradors at the time. However, a years and a half later, it has broken down. I was always very careful with it and looked after it. Therefore |I am disappointed with the longevity of the machine.

  9. There is a huge difference in the design of the two machines, and if you own a pet, I wouldn’t touch the standard one. The final drive to the rollers is via a metal gear on the motor, meshing with a plastic gear on the roller. If you get a build up of hair on the roller, it can slow down and increase the load on the gearbox. The metal gear shredded the plastic one on my AirRam, leaving the machine unusable. The gear is not available as a spare, and the machine cannot be repaired. It’s now so much junk.

    Although I’ve not used the K9, one of the stated improvements is to replace the plastic gear with a metal one. This should solve the problem, and in my opinion makes the K9 the only viable option for a pet owner.

  10. I used to hate cleaning. I had a VAX heavy pull around machine and I cannot believe the difference. I have only one cat but he sheds hair every time he touches something. So I am a reformed woman. I vacuum every day and longer haired carpets feel soft and brand new as if the vacuum has given them a new lease of life!
    I empty the box quite often and cannot believe what builds up in there after only one day. My husband thinks the carpets are being scalped but to be honest our carpets are looking great and the colour of the dust is not matching the colour of any of my carpets. It must be great also for allergy sufferers.
    Now I love vacuuming and feel such satisfaction – sad I know! But I feel that I could get in to this cleaning malarky. It made me feel very house proud and I suddenly wanted to clean all my windows and spring clean my son’s bedroom. I am sending out more invites for the girls to come round for drinks – it has literally changed my life. Who would have thought it?
    I did actually vacuum the whole house with the VAX the same day the K9 vacuum arrived just as a bit of a test and I could not believe that nearly a whole ASDA thin plastic carrier bag was full of dust and debris. I wanted to take a photo!
    I should get a new job as a sales rep for GTech. LOL

  11. Yes I have had the GTech K9 for nearly a month now and have just got around to washing the filters ( as recommended ). What a carry on tying to get the filter box to fit together again. There is no indication as to which direction is open or closed so you are not sure which way it goes. There are two small marks near the slotted piece but God knows what they indicate! I tried for ages trying to get it to stay closed but to no avail. The little flanges on the piece that slots into the bottom piece are too narrow to hold the parts together. Eventually I managed to get it to hold but when my wife was emptying it this morning it all came apart again and I had to go through the same carry on again. It makes me wonder if anyone ever tested this at GTech. To be fair I was very disappointed as otherwise we were both very pleased with the K9 and it seemed a shame for such an otherwise good product to be let down by such a bad bit of design.

  12. I love my Gtech original. I am now the proud owner of 3..2 in my house in London and one in my holiday home. I agree the filters need to be sorted as they don’t fit properly now but it’s such a small fault I think Gtech will look into replacing them with an alernative

  13. Bought a g tech k 9with the bags as I have 5 cats . I have had it 4 months and it’s the worst buy ever . I’m sure it must be faulty so my daughter contacted them as she bought it for me , may I add I had called but they were very rude and unhelpful said they needed to talk to her I asked them could I get a refund as it’s faulty they said no only a repair or replacement that much I did get out of them . This is a hoover for pets instead of picking up cat litter it spits it out I am disabled and am really upset that I can’t get a refund as I live on a benefit . Out of desperation i bought the Bissel crosswave as it was on easy pay on qvc thank god at last a hoover that picks up litter and this is not even the pet one , it also washes and drys😂 Now what do I do with this g tech it’s faulty goods I guess all I could do is get a replacement and sell it at a loss . I will be telling everyone I see never to buy g tech intact I will put it on my Facebook . Customer services are the worst ever I can’t believe the difference to the amazing team at Bissel . Shame on you g tech .

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