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Compare our favorite vacuum cleaners
Honorable mentions
Black & Decker Dustbuster Flex, $89: This is another great portable vacuum cleaner for cars or even for indoor areas like stairs. It has a 4-foot hose, which is longer than most compact vacuums, and it has a handy little charging stand that the accessories clip into. Thank God for the charging base, the battery only lasts 15 minutes.
Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum for $280: Dyson’s latest handheld vacuum was designed specifically for cars (and boats!) in mind, so if you have a car you want to clean, this one is designed specifically for it. It has great battery life compared to other portable vacuums.
Discover the Dyson Gen5 cordless vacuum for $935: This is the current best Dyson vacuum, and it’s great, especially for homes with a lot of pet hair. But they’re expensive and rarely go on sale, making them a difficult upgrade while you’ll still have a great experience with the Dyson V15 Detect. But this vacuum has a HEPA filter, while the V15 Detect does not.
Roborock Qrevo S for $800 (user): This is technically our top robot vacuum pick, but Roborock recently updated the Qrevo line with new models that don’t ship to the U.S., and the one we like best is only available secondhand.
Tineco Pure One 5 Station for $459: If you want a cordless vacuum but don’t want to deal with emptying it all the time, This is a Tinico vacuum Comes with a self-discharging docking station. You’ll eventually have to empty the station, but it’s a nice added feature and keeps the vacuum from falling around your house since it’s safely stored in the docking station.
Frequently asked questions
Which style of vacuum is right for you?
Here’s what makes each style of vacuum great to help you decide which one you should buy.
- Cordless or vacuum cleaners: These vacuums look like the last name suggests, with a long stick-like arm that connects the vacuum head to the canister and controls. You’ll need to keep this in a way that you don’t have to with an upright vacuum, but it’s powerful and very easy to move. It makes a great main vacuum, and is especially great if you have multiple floors that need to be vacuumed as it’s easy to carry up and down stairs.
- Robot vacuums: Robotic vacuums are great for cleaning for you, and are controlled through an app. There are many models that work as a mop as well. You’ll have to spend some time moving furniture around to get the best cleaning possible, and you’ll usually still want to use a regular vacuum cleaner of some sort in your home. But great for frequent cleaning with kids and pets.
- Portable vacuums: Handheld vacuums are great for targeted cleaning or cleaning specific areas like stairs and cars. Most manual vacuums can convert to a handheld vacuum, but true handhelds are much lighter and have a more compact design (but they also sacrifice battery power and trash capacity).
What about upright vacuum cleaners?
The upright vacuum is the original classic upright vacuum that stands on its own and is much heavier than a cordless vacuum, and requires a connection to an outlet to work. We currently don’t have an upright vacuum to recommend, since cordless vacuums have become the main focus for most shoppers (and like frequent vacuums, we usually resort to cordless and robot vacuums anyway). We are considering upright vacuum cleaners to test in the future, and feel free to comment on this guide with models we should consider.
Do you need a stick vacuum and a handheld vacuum?
Do you need a handheld vacuum if you already have a cordless vacuum? Probably not, because most sticky vacuums can actually turn into a handheld vacuum. A stick or cordless vacuum usually allows you to remove the stick portion from between the vacuum head and the canister base and instead connect these two pieces directly, making it a handheld vacuum. They’ll be much heavier than a vacuum that’s designed to always be portable, and they can be annoying if you have a specific use case you want them for, but you don’t need both unless there’s a specific reason. A handheld device is a good addition if you already have an upright vacuum that you love and don’t need to replace.
How often should you replace your vacuum cleaner?
Vacuum cleaners last about five years, depending on frequency of use and build quality. Some cheap vacuums may only last a year or two, so it’s worth investing in a better vacuum than finding a cheap trick. If you’re interested in learning about the signs that your vacuum cleaner may need to be replaced, check out our website A guide to how long vacuum cleaners can last.
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