The packs are expensive to replace, and we’ve found that several brands do not reliably keep spares in stock, so sometimes the lesser of two bad choices is to just replace a vacuum that’s only a couple of years old. Plus, sticks are still prone to the same clogs, cracked plastic, and other mechanical failures as plug-in machines. So if you choose a cordless vacuum, you can expect to create more waste and pay extra in the long run. But up until a few years ago, they were all weak cleaners meant for easy tasks like sucking a few crumbs or a tuft of hair off a bare floor. If that’s the role you still want your cordless vacuum to fill, you can choose nearly any cordless vacuum, and it’ll work fine.
The dust canister is a breeze to empty, the motorised brush can be turned off when vacuuming delicate floors and the boost mode wowed us with its excellent pick-up on all surfaces. It manoeuvres well as a stick but the handheld unit proved trickier in tight spaces. Designed specifically for pet owners, this cordless Vax comes with all the necessary bits and bobs to keep your home fur-free. The main floorhead collected all dirt in one swipe, leaving our carpets looking spick and span, while the mini motorised pet brush proved similarly effective.
Image Credit At 4.07kg, the Shark IZ420UKT is a lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner. I found it easy to push around and lift up for higher cleaning jobs, such as around the ceiling. Dyson’s latest offering brings serious ease to your cleaning routine. Complete with a comprehensive shark cordless selection of tools , an LCD screen also keeps you up to date on battery life. It excelled across all floor types and its notably powerful suction picked up pet hair quickly. This vacuum scored top marks all-round for its pick-up on carpet and hard floors.
And on board storage keeps all of the tools—a dusting brush, crevice tool and extension wand—in one place and close by when you need them. It has good ratings from several other publications that test and review vacuums, but we didn’t find it to be outstanding on either bare floors or carpets. It doesn’t convert to a handheld vacuum, and the handling is stiff—though not top-heavy, as with most other cordless sticks. Another useful feature on the V15 is Auto mode, which automatically adjusts the suction level depending on the situation to maximize the cleaning ability while preserving battery life when possible. For the V15, the suction automatically changes depending on the floor type, using a brush-resistance sensor, as well as on how dirty an area is, based on what the built-in particle counter finds .
While many of the best options have small dustbins, they’re usually painless to empty out when you’re done with them. They also often feature smaller battery lives because of their limited size, but because they are best used for little tasks, it is unlikely that you will need them for more than 15 minutes. Think cereal spills and that dust bunny you just spotted in a corner. Bagged vacuums tend to be easier to clean—all you have to do is remove the bag and toss it in the trash—but bagless vacuums are more environmentally friendly and produce less waste. Bagless vacuums can also save you money over time, since you don’t have to purchase bags separately.
Many models are suitable for different floor types and can start and stop via Alexa or Google Assistant. The battery is the most delicate and expensive part of any cordless vacuum, so it’s wise to do what you can to maintain battery health. Companies also tend to recommend that shark cordless you avoid overusing the maximum suction setting on your vacuum, as well as to let the battery pack cool off for a few minutes after use before you plug it in to recharge. Tacony makes cordless vacuums under its Simplicity and Riccar labels, but none of them are standouts.