Compare Our Picks
WIRED TIRED Capacity Attachments Power Run time Filter Warranty Dyson Gen5 Detect Dyson's top-of-the-line stick vac with a faster motor and brighter laser to spot dust and debris; powerful HEPA filter Louder than the V15 Detect 0.2 gallons Hair screw tool, combination crevice tool, dusting tool, Fluffy Optic cleaner head, Digital Motorbar cleaner head. 262 air watts; 280 watts in max mode 70 minutes Whole-machine HEPA filtration 2 years, parts and labor Bissell PowerClean Fur Finder Front headlight for visibility; mini vacuum head FurFinder Tool N/A 0.5 liters Mini vacuum head; crevice tool with brush extension 200 watts Up to 40 minutes (usually around 20 minutes) HEPA filter; HEPA Sealed Allergen System 5 years, limited Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro Plus Powerful suction with two cyclonic airstreams, and a motorized self-cleaning power brush Short run time 0.45 quarts Pet brush, scrubbing brush, and crevice tool 80 watts About 15 minutes Fabric filter 2 years, limited Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Effective attachments Hair gets tangled in the bar 0.7 liters Motorized brush, crevice tool, upholstery tool 14.4-volt lithium-ion battery Up to 17 minutes 3-stage filter: prefilter, H13 HEPA filter, motor filter 1 year, limited Roborock Saros 10R Has own with multi-floor mapping, using its StarSight Autonomous System 2.0 with lidar, ToF sensors, RBG cameras, and AI N/A 270 milliliters on robot, 2 liters on dock N/A 6400-mAh lithium-ion battery 3 hours E11 high-efficiency washable filter 1 year 3i P10 Ultra Uses Lidar scans to 3D-map your home and uses AI to identify pets and maneuver around objects Can't share app with anyone else in house Unspecified N/A 18,000 Pa 4 hours Washable 1 year Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Comes with attachments designed for pet hair in carpet and upholstery; stands up by itself Is a corded model; heavy and loud 0.45 gallon Tangle-free turbine tool, Grooming tool, Combination tool, and Stair tool 290 air watts N/A Whole-machine filtration 2 years, parts and labor Bissell Pet Hair Eraser Allergen Lift-Off Vacuum Easy assembly and emptying; sucked up deeply embedded fur and dust from high-pile carpet; super powerful mini rotating upholstery tool Corded 1 liter Dust/crevice brush; Turboeraser upholstery tool 120 volts N/A HEPA filter; HEPA Sealed Allergen System 5 years, limited
Others Tested
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Tineco Go Pet Cordless Vacuum for $219: As when I tested the Tineco Go Mini ($110) for my handheld vacuums guide, I was a bit underwhelmed by this vacuum specifically for pets. It has a slot for easy brush removal if hair gets stuck around the bars, which is a helpful thing to have when you’re dealing with pet (and human) hair. The lever and the angle of the lid for emptying are counterintuitive, and the first few times I emptied it, the debris went everywhere. It’s hard to distinguish between eco and power modes, and the vac blinked red and the brush stopped rotating when transitioning between surfaces. (It especially had a hard time on my thin runner rug.) It felt a bit heavier and clunkier than others as well. But, it does have handy lights to illuminate debris and comes with attachments to make handheld cleaning a breeze.
Photograph: Molly Higgins
Mova P50 Pro Ultra Robot Vacuum for $999: This robot vacuum-mop combo has extendable side brush and mop pads to reach tight corners, a self-emptying dock station that empties dust and debris, and self-cleans and dries mop pads. It also uses an RGB camera and “intelligent dirt detection system” whose sensors identify messes to clean deeper and avoid objects on the ground. The robovac generates 3D maps of your home, and identifies things like furniture and even pets. Through the app, you can customize cleanings, and there’s also synced video and voice interaction to allow you to talk to your pets, schedule cleanings, and more, and it is compatible with smart home devices Alexa and Google Home. When first mapping my small apartment, the vac didn’t want to go past certain rooms, and it took several days to get it to create a complete cleaning map. It has a hard time going over small thresholds, eventually avoiding cleaning the rooms altogether, and has thrown itself off my stairs twice, causing the mop pads to pop off. Despite having intelligent object detection, it still often tried to suck up or roll over small objects on the ground, like shoes and pet toys. I love that this combo vac-mop self-cleans and empties, but for nearly $1,000, I wish the smart features were smarter and the mapping was more accurate.
Dyson Car + Boat Handheld Vacuum for $280: While the Humdinger is still my favorite handheld vacuum, it seems to be dwindling in availability and is being replaced with this new model. Former WIRED reviewer Brenda Stolyar liked this handheld vacuum, designed specifically for sucking up dirt and debris from your car and boat, plus bedding, furniture, and other awkward spaces. (Read our full review here).
Hoover HL4 Pet Upright Vacuum Cleaner for £219: While it is only available in the UK, Hoover’s HL4 successfully removed lots of cat hair from my home. I live with a trio of cats, two of them long-haired, so a powerful vacuum is essential. The HL4 is sadly corded (7.6 meters), but at around 240 air watts it was powerful enough to lift dust and hair that my lightweight cordless vac and robot vac had missed. The smart design easily converts into a portable vacuum, and it comes with a pet tool and crevice tool. The pet tool proved adept at lifting hair from the couch, stairs, and cat beds, though it didn’t quite have the grunt to remove every strand. There’s a handy vent to reduce suction for mats and blankets. The 1.2-liter bin is easy to remove and empty, though not without releasing a dust cloud, and the Anti-Twist floor head seems to collect considerably less tangled hair than other vacuums. —Simon Hill
Not Recommended
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