But the V8 really stood out in our real-world, around-the-house testing, where it consistently dredged up more hair and dust than its closest competitors. The difference was especially noticeable on thicker rugs, where it completely outclassed other sticks at this price . We’re not sure why the Dyson V8 beat its competitors so soundly—its raw suction isn’t any stronger than that of most competitors—but the advantage was clear.
No one vacuum is the perfect choice for every cleaning need, so we usually recommend keeping several styles in your cleaning arsenal, and a stick vac should certainly be part of the mix. The GH Cleaning Lab is constantly testing vacuums of all makes and models, and because there are new ones coming to market all the time, we continually update our reviews. Add this to the hundreds of hours we’ve spent testing uprights, canisters, robots and more, and it’s safe to say we know our vacuums. In deciding between the two Shark vacuums, I would make the choice mainly by your budget. The vacuums are both quite similar but the Vertex is a step up in suction power and its larger wheels make it easier to push on carpet.
However, it’s worth noting that the listed run time is based on using your vacuum in standard mode. If you switch on high power, max power or boost modes, the battery won’t last quite as long. You’ll find “bargain prices” on older Dyson vacuums (the lower the “v” number, the older the Dyson model) but the Dyson v7 and v8 are are much less powerful than the newer Dysons. If you chose not to buy a shark cordless Dyson v10 or v11 because of the price, in my opinion it’s better to go with one of the newer Sharks than the older Dysons that are a similar price. Full-sized vacuums face a more challenging embedded-dirt test, in which our engineers try to clean up sand that has been ground into pile carpet. She’s an experienced product researcher with years of experience in covering large and small appliances.
According to publicly available import records , EcoVacs has also manufactured vacuums for Shark (including newer versions of the beloved Navigator line of plug-ins) and Bissell. As enormous as its manufacturing operation is, its brand presence in the US is still relatively small, so we don’t know what to expect in terms of customer or product support. The company has done a better job in 2021 than in previous years of keeping spare parts in stock, shark cordless but that’s a low bar. What we do know about EcoVacs’s product quality is nothing to get excited about—its robots tend to break within a couple of years. A $30 plug-in stick vacuum should work about as well as a $100 cordless vac, while a great $150 corded upright should clean like an elite $500 battery-powered stick. If you want a cordless vacuum cleaner that will maximise battery life, clean brilliantly and is great value, look no further.
An upright vacuum might be the best option for you, as it covers more ground thanks to its wide cleaning head and a powered brush that goes deep into the fibers. This type of vacuum is also a great choice for those with allergies because many models feature a bag to trap dust as opposed to a canister. In addition to its impressive cleaning power, solid battery life, and LCD screen, the V15 has a handful of extra features that are easily worth the money, at least for some people.
It proved a similarly powerful cleaner on hard floors, short pile carpet and floorboards, consistently lifting most dirt in just one sweep. It struggled a tad on long pile, but still fared respectably. If this is the case, a cylinder vacuum could be a wise alternative.
This compact vacuum does a fantastic job dealing with pet hair and solid debris on flat, even surfaces like countertops, shelves, or hardwood and tile floors. It delivers a superb overall performance on both low and high-pile carpets and rugs. It feels well-built and has a simple design that incurs few recurring costs.
In addition to sucking up pet hair quickly, we also love this vacuum’s large dust bin because you won’t have to worry about emptying it mid-clean. When it is time to empty the dust bin, keep in mind that it’s a little tricky to pull apart. Our tester said that if she did not properly place the two pieces together, the vacuum lost suction power once restarted. She also had to pull some hair out of the dust cup from crevices that did not initially empty.
This model has adjustable suction levels and brush roll speeds to maximize your cleaning efforts. Don’t expect it to be as light or nimble as a stick vacuum, but know you’ll be pleased with its maneuverability and effectiveness. In our testing, it impressed our tester with how easy it was to push across hardwood floors and carpets of all pile heights.