Spare packs are a whopping $160 each.). Were really not sure why it worked so well, because we measured relatively weak suction. Its not complicated: You just press a big red button to release one and then slide the new head in until it clicks (just like switching attachments). This model doesnt clean quite as well as the V15, nor does it have Auto mode, but its still a stronger vacuum than anything else at its price. Best Overall: INSE Cordless 6-in-1 12 KPA Vacuum Cleaner. That comb is nothing sophisticatedjust some rough plastic teeth at the back of the headbut it passively shreds any hair that gets tangled around the roller, so you shouldnt have to cut the hair away by hand as often. With laser illumination. Its still possible that the Triflex units with non-defective battery packs will prove to be longer-lasting than a typical stick vac. A Tineco representative told us that the company is working on a refurbishment effort, but that its limited right now. The Dyson V15 is actually better than lots of plug-in vacuums at cleaning rugs. Our take: Cordless vacuum cleaners, in general, are not long-lasting products. The motorized mini brush (shown here on the vacuum) comes with the Animal and Absolute variants, and its great for getting hair off upholstery. Most of the time, the advertised battery life is about the same as the real-life run time. The V10 is degined with advanced whole-machine filtration traps 99.99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns. Are refurbished cordless vacuums worth it? By the fifth year, 45 percent of cordless stick vacs develop a problem. Unfortunately we arent confident enough to pick a direct replacement for the Linx. While modes vary by machine, most everyday cleaning can be tackled in the lower power modes or in auto mode, which will help conserve battery life.. (That said, we think the V15 is actually more comfortable than the cheaper Dyson models because its trigger doesnt need to be squeezed so hard and its overall weight distribution is better.) It seems to be positioned as a competitor of the Dyson V15 in both price and specs, and were interested to see how it does in head-to-head testing. Like most cordless vacuums now, the S11 works with extra battery packs that you can buy to extend the run time (though theyre $90 each), and it can function as a handheld vacuum, too. So if you choose a cordless vacuum, you can expect to create more waste and pay extra in the long run. I stopped paying attention at all after about a month. We did some digging into their origins, and most of these brands have almost no traceable presence outside of Amazon and maybe a sloppy-looking brand site. At least a few times a year, its a good idea to clean the filters and, if necessary, untangle the brush roll, unclog the intake, and unjam the bearings. Apart from their batteries, cordless vacuums need most of the same type of maintenance as any other vacuum. While it wont pull as much dust or hair out of rugs as some other models near this price (including the Dyson V8 series, one of our runner-up picks), the S11 is strong enough that were comfortable recommending it considering its other advantages over its competitors. The downside is that the Black+Decker works just okay on bare floors, where it struggles with debris thats very heavy (mulch) or very light (flour). Dyson lead systems engineer Carlos Dorado Cardenas told us in person that its best to keep Dysons cordless stick models as close to fully charged as possible, and to recharge after each useespecially older models like the V7 or V8, which use an older battery technology than the V15. The trigger-style power switch can get uncomfortable to squeeze during long sessions, too, and were not confident that the V15 is more reliable than cheaper sticks from Dyson or any other brand. We test most models suction with a specialized gauge and some models airflow with an anemometer. The V8 also uses built-in battery packs, so when the vacuum is out of juice, youre done cleaning for a few hours. What we do know about EcoVacss product quality is nothing to get excited aboutits robots tend to break within a couple of years. (Wirecutters resident tool expert, senior staff writer Doug Mahoney, warns that Black+Decker tools are not great and pretty flimsy, so take that for what its worth.) Its carpet performance is respectable for a vacuum with such magnet-like prowess on bare floorsa great compromise for people who really need both, in other words. You can convert it between two different body styles by rearranging the order in which the parts fit together (no tools needed). It has an extendable pole that you can adjust for my 54 self or Jordans 62 self. (Contrary to popular belief, built-in packs are usually replaceable with the help of a screwdriver.). Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions. For the price, it did an above-average job of cleaning rugs and bare floors in our testing. Weve established that these Dyson vacuums are impressive, so whats the downside? Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute Lightweight Cordless The Pure One X often costs less than $200, and it does have a dust sensor, plus a much longer battery life than the S11 (up to 70 minutes). The S11s best trait is how comfortable it is to handle even during long cleaning sessions (you can realistically get about 30 minutes on a fully charged battery pack), as it feels lighter and easier to steer than any of its close competitors. Heres what we can tell you, though: All the cordless vacuums weve tried have been strong enough to suck up small crumbs and tufts of hair off bare floors, at least when theyre new. You could also consider the pricier, bulkier Dyson Outsize models, which have larger bins and wider brushes than the V15, plus an extra battery pack, but otherwise perform similarly. With regular suction you get about 35 minutes from the V8, and on max mode for thicker rugs you get eight minutes from the V8. But its one more chore, and youll probably have to do it more frequently with this vacuum than with most others. One nitpick is that its almost too good at lighting up the floornot just debris but also un-vacuumable, irritating flaws, like scratches and dents and uneven boards, that you might prefer not to know about. Need a new vacuum? WebINSE cordless stick vacuum cleaner features 23KPa powerful suction with 265W advanced digital motor and upgraded filtration system. Knockoffs are available, but buyer beware.). *At the time of publishing, the price was $350. The main differences between the models are the combination of clip-in tools, accessories, and cleaning heads they come packaged with, including the Fluffy cleaning head for bare floors. The Powerseries Extreme is also one of the few stick vacuums that let you turn off the brush roll to help prevent debris scattering on bare floors. So with all that in mind, we dont think there are any diamonds in the rough to be found at this price. Some variants of the Dyson V8 also come with the soft-roller (or Fluffy) cleaning head, which is excellent for cleaning all types of debris off bare floors. But the Tineco simply feels lighter than other sticks while youre using it. It makes the V15 excellent on bare floors, rather than merely very good, as it would be with the default carpet-cleaning head. INSE S6P Cordless Vacuum Cleaner After testing dozens of robot vacuums, he is neither worried about AI nor holding his breath for self-driving cars. And based on an AI-assisted analysis of customer reviews, weve found that most S11 owners are perfectly satisfied with its cleaning power. The torque drive cleaner head removes 25% more dust from carpets than our previous Dyson V8 Absolute Vacuum. At $700, the Dyson V11 stick vacuum is the most expensive model in our ratings. 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. Results vary. The switch can be uncomfortable to use for long sessions. The battery life is ample, thanks in part to an automatic suction-adjustment feature. In our tests, we always struggled to reattach it because it offered no tactile cues for where to line it up and no audible click when it slotted into place. The V15s Fluffy head (and that of the new V12 Detect Slim) is covered in a microfiber fabric that helps it glide smoothly across wood, tile, and linoleum floors and is better at grabbing all kinds of debris on those hard surfaces than the stiff-bristled carpet-cleaning head. Plus, cordless vacuums tend to be easy to maintain. Jasmine Khoury, a software engineer at Wirecutter, reports that her V8s battery stopped holding a charge after about four months. Their battery lives are about average and, we think, ample for most uses (roughly 35 minutes for the V8), but they use built-in (or screw-in) battery packs, so its impractical to swap in a spare battery as some owners would like to be able to do. To see whether reconditioned vacuums are worth seeking out, we asked the manufacturers of some of our picks how they handle refurbished models. The real test is how a vacuum performs on longer, denser rugs, since most models struggle to dig out clingy debris (like dust or embedded hair) from these types of fibers. Dyson makes a couple of models that arent very compelling. The V8 Absolute and the V8 were also recently updated to include the same anti-tangle brush head feature found on our upgrade pick, the Dyson V15 Detect. All that said, now that weve done a thorough analysis of customer reviews, it sure looks like the Dyson V8 has a higher rate of premature battery failure than the average cordless vacuum. Look no furtherwere tracking all the best Cyber Monday vacuum deals available today. You can find some reasonably priced models with long run times, but they tend to be too weak to work well on rugs. We pay close attention to how comfortable it is to clean with each vacuum; several of our picks rank among the easiest-to-handle models that also offer good cleaning performance for the price. The Tineco S11 comes with a bunch of useful attachments, including a mini motorized brush, a crevice tool, and a convertible brush. A Dyson representative also told us that since lasers are more compact than LEDs, that allowed its engineers to fit this type of light into the Fluffys low-profile chassis, as well as to situate it very low to the ground, at a shallow angle, diffused widely, so the light glistens off more fine debris. You wont be able to use your cordless vacuum for very long if you select the highest-power mode, so keep that in mind when you start cleaning. We dont recommend it for a wide audience because our analysis of customer reviews suggests that very few people really want this kind of floor-carpet balance in their vacuums cleaning performance. The packs are $140 each, though cheaper knockoffs are now available if youre willing to risk it. We evaluated vacuums on how comfortable they were to handle and maneuver in tight spaces. Very few cordless vacuums can clean that well even on their highest power settings, and none even come close on their lower settings. Dyson The V15 not only senses dust and adjusts the suction accordinglyit also estimates the exact number of particles that its collecting, broken down into several different sizes (as small as 10 microns, which is a fraction of the width of a human hair) and displayed in a bar graph above the battery-life estimate on the LCD. (We also tested its predecessor, the H6, a couple of years ago.) It takes an hour less to charge and runs for 20 minutes longer than the V8 Absolute, and comes with more accessories, including a cleaner head that lights up dirt in hard-to-see areas and a display with a run-time countdown and (gimmicky) particle counter. Wed skip the base-model A10 and A11 vacuums from Tineco. We tested the Bissell AirRam a few years ago. The Pure One X Tango variant does come with a second cleaning head thats better suited for bare floors, thanks to a brush covered in microfiber. The main tests we run measure performance on both a loose, low-pile rug and a dense, plush, medium-pile rug by weighing how much of a 45-gram mixed batch of sand and baking soda each vacuum can pick up. We havent found another cordless vacuum for less than $200 that cleans carpets as well as this Black+Decker. 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 (more on that feature in a bit). The T20 is rather ordinary, with decent performance but a worrying rate of defects according to our analysis of customer reviews. We keep an eye out for notable deals on such models, and generally we recommend only those units that have been refurbished by the manufacturer (unless they come from sellers weve found to be reliable), have a minimum 90-day warranty, and can be returned for free (weve written elsewhere about our criteria for refurbished products in general). On its Max setting, the V8 even outperformed some models that are significantly more expensive, too. Using different suction settings (when theyre available), we test how each vacuum performs on all types of rugs with several kinds of debris. The Pure One S11 Pet has the same features as the Pure One S11 but adds an anti-tangle brush head for picking up pet hair. But we dont know which ones will continue to perform well over time. Because cordless vacuums use batteries, they are much more expensive and less reliable than plug-ins. Theyre almost all bagless, and they typically come with filters and brush belts that are meant to last the life of the vacuum. The S11 also has a built-in dust sensor, which we found to be surprisingly helpful: Whenever you roll over debris, an LED ring changes colors to give you a visual cue that youre actually vacuuming something. (The Lupe reps told us that the company would sell replacements for those parts and provide installation instructions upon request, though they dont currently anticipate demand for those components.) 3) The Tineco is quieter than the Dyson and also more powerful. Other sources of delight or dismay that we look for: what its like to empty the dust bin; whether the vacuum can stand up on its own, in an included floor stand, or in a wall-mounted dock for storage; and the variety and usefulness of extra attachments that come with each vacuum. Amazon. Cordless The LCD can also display animated maintenance reminders and troubleshooting tips, a feature we havent seen on any other vacuums. Like the S11, the S12 comes in a few variants, with different sets of accessories. The lasers shade of cyberpunk green might look odd or uninviting to some people, too. Theyre so easy, in fact, that plenty of owners are willing to overlook their many flaws, such as high prices and mediocre reliability. Although most models completely clean uncarpeted surfaces after a few passes, not many grab everything on the first or second push. And, yes, the V15 is wildly expensive. The V15s extra bulk and wide snout also make it unwieldy as a handheld vacuumit cant reach into super-tight spaces very well. Cordless Apart from the cleaning performance, the V8 is pretty typical of cordless vacuums at this price, with lightweight (but top-heavy) handling, enough battery life to clean most apartments or small houses in a single session (up to 1,500 square feet, give or take), and relatively easy maintenance (but not-so-great reliability). An AI-powered tool helped us analyze thousands of owner reviews, revealing that some popular models may break faster than others. We dont think the distinction is important for most people because, again, you probably wont need as much battery life as you think you will. Thankfully, this machine does both at once. Based on specs, owner and expert reviews, experience with older models from some brands, and reader requests, weve tested more than 25 models that are currently available, including the Bissell AirRam, Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme 20V Max, Dreame T20, Dyson V8 Absolute, Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal, Dyson V11 Outsize, Dyson V11 Torque Drive, Dyson V15 Detect, Dyson Omni-glide, Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity, Eureka Stylus, Hoover OnePwr Evolve Pet, LG CordZero A9 (and the similar A9 Kompressor and the All in One Auto Empty), Lupe Pure Cordless, Miele Triflex HX1, Roborock H7, Ryobi One+ EverCharge, Samsung Jet 70, Shark Rocket Pet Pro, Shark Vertex IZ462, Tineco A10 Tango (we tested the A10 Master, a similar variant that is no longer available), Tineco Pure One S11, and a handful of others over the past couple of years. Of note, the Jet 90 will work with anoptional accessory (usually $200) that empties the vacuum on its own, though we have not tested it. On the downside, the atrocious dustbin falls off the vacuum anytime you bump it, replacement filters arent always in stock, and its bare-floor cleaning is just okay. Hoover has switched most of its lineup, including the Evolve, to a unified battery pack system, so finding replacement batteries should be easy for at least the next few years, and theyre reasonably priced, too. The V15s carpet-cleaning head also has an anti-tangle comb (just like it says on the roller). Tineco sticks all have a Dyson-esque, trigger-style power switch, though there's also a locking switch that can keep the trigger pressured so you don't have to squeeze it constantly.
