GoKawiilComparing Our Favorite Vacuum Cleaners
Honorable Mentions
Bissell PowerClean FurFinder for $260: This was our previous top pick for the best cordless vacuum. It got bumped though because the regular Bissell PowerClean ($200) is a touch cheaper since it doesn't come with the FurFinder upholstery attachment, while Dyson and Ryobi’s vacuums have more powerful suction for pet hair.
Black and Decker Dustbuster Flex for $130: This is another cool handheld vacuum that’s great for cars or even indoor areas like staircases. It has a 4-foot hose, longer than most compact vacuums, and a handy little charging mount that the accessories clip into. Thank goodness for the charging mount, though, since the battery only lasts 15 minutes.
Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai Robot Vacuum for $1200: This is Dyson's first robot vacuum that doubles as a mop, and it serves both purposes well. It uses the same app as other Dyson vacuums and can learn multiple floors of your home. The base station is large and unique, with a visible dustbin that’s certainly a callback to the clear dustbins of the brand’s cordless vacuums. Dyson says it has artificial intelligence to spot stains and scrub them away, but I couldn’t tell a difference and it didn’t spot the cherry stains I intentionally created. It’s also tall, so it was often bumping into cabinets and low furniture.
Dyson V8 Cyclone for $400: This is a new version of the long-favored Dyson V8, but I wasn’t super impressed when testing it side by side with the only slightly more expensive V10 Konical. It did a fine job and has 150 air watts of power, but I'd recommend the V10 over the V8 any day.
Dyson V10 Konical for $500: I expected to prefer the V8 Cyclone, but the V10 Konical did a better job vacuuming up debris in my tests, comes with a HEPA filter, and has a built-in light so you can better spot dust and dirt when using it on hard floors. When tested and scored against all of the new and current Dyson vacuums, the V10 Konical was in third place, ahead of both the V8 Cyclone and the V15 Detect. It’s a great buy if you want a Dyson vacuum but don’t want to manage multiple heads, and it will be compatible with Dyson's base station that comes out later this year.
Dyson V15Detect for $846: There are a lot of Dyson vacuum models, and the older V15 Detect is a good choice if you want two vacuum heads included without spending close to a grand. There’s an option to upgrade and get a Submarine wet roller head if you want it to double as a mop. It performed solidly in testing against Dyson’s other vacuums, but wasn’t the best. I’d recommend looking for it on sale for under $700; anything higher and there’s no point in not buying the Gen5Detect or V16 Piston Animal instead.
Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones for $600: This is a new take on a stick vacuum with the motor and dustbin built into the slender handle. There's both a Fluffycones version, which I tested, that has four fluffy cone-shaped rollers in the head, and a cheaper Fluffy version. I was impressed with the maneuverability of the PencilVac Fluffycones and often find myself grabbing it between runs of my robot vacuum to keep debris and cat litter under control. It’s also lightweight and easy to push, and it has a freestanding charging mount. But it’s a little pricey for being only for hard floors.
Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone for $1100: If you want a newer robot vacuum, the Ecovacs Deebot X11 Omnicyclone has a unique design with no dust bag. Instead, it has a rounded canister like a Dyson or stick vacuum, circling the debris to keep it from tangling. It’s a great robot vacuum overall, especially if you don't want to buy dust bags over and over.
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