GoKawiilHonorable Mentions
Bissell's PowerClean FurFinder for $160: This is a great stick vacuum, and it was my previous top pick. It does an all-around good job on all kinds of flooring, comes with a nice range of accessories, and has the FurFinder tool to help with pet hair. It's still a great vacuum, especially if you have pets, but unless you're using the FurFinder tool frequently, you can get the slightly cheaper regular Bissell PowerClean for a similar experience.
Dyson PencilVac Fluffycones for $600: This vacuum is impressively lightweight and easy to use, and I really like it for quick daily cleans. The Dyson PencilVac manages to fit its extra-small motor and dustbin into the handlebar, so this vacuum is free of the bulky top you'll find on just about every other cordless vacuum. The downside is that it has a low suction-power level of 50 air watts and only works on hard floors. It has started clogging frequently for me, too, after a few months of use. It works well for quick sweeps, and I like the lightweight design for anyone with strength or mobility concerns, but it's a hefty price tag for a limited version of a cordless vacuum.
Dyson V15 Detect for $850: This is another good Dyson vacuum, but while it has more powerful suction (240 AW) than Dyson's newer, cheaper models, it didn't do better in side-by-side tests against the V10 Konical. It is nice that the V15 vacuum comes with the Fluffy Optic head for hard floors, has a Submarine variant for mopping, and is still a solid all-around performer. I'd snag it on sale for the extra head, but I wouldn't buy it at full price.
Dyson V16 Piston Animal for $850: This is Dyson's new top-of-the-line vacuum. It packs the highest suction power I've seen on a Dyson cordless vacuum—315 air watts—and it does a good job overall with vacuuming several types of floors thanks to the All Floor Cones Sense head that's made for both hard floors and carpets. There's also the Fluffy Optic head included for hard floors, and you can upgrade to the Submarine version ($1,100) to make it double as a wet mop. Even so, I found the Gen5Detect to work just as well, if not slightly better in some tests. So unless you want to add on the mop (or the forthcoming self-emptying base station that Dyson has coming out), you'll be just as happy spending a little less on the Gen5Detect. If you spot it on sale, though, it's worth grabbing over a full-price Gen5Detect.
Levoit Aero Cordless Vacuum for $300: This stick vac comes with a self-emptying charging station, freeing you from the responsibility of manually emptying the vacuum. There's a five-stage HEPA filtration system that claims to capture 99.97 percent of particles (as small as 0.3 microns), making it ideal for people who want to reduce pet allergens around their home. This vacuum also doubles as a hand vacuum for easier, lighter-weight cleaning and comes with a slew of handy attachments for those hard-to-reach places, including crevice and combination tools, a mini motorized brush, and an extension hose for longer reach. It works excellently on both high- and low-pile carpets, pulling up microscopic dust and dirt better than other vacuums I’ve tested. My main gripe is that it isn't nearly as effective on hardwood floors. —Molly Higgins
Shark PowerDetect Cordless Vacuum for $330: Shark's PowerDetect is a fantastic vacuum. It was my previous top pick and is still an excellent buy, especially if you spot it on sale, or if you want a slightly longer battery life than the PowerDetect Speed I recommend above. There are three cleaning modes, lights on both the front and back of the vacuum head to spot debris, and detection technology to sense when you're cleaning edges or when a specific area is dirtier than other spots. You’ll also get 70 minutes of run time, a HEPA filter, and the central stick can even bend so you can vacuum under furniture without crouching on the ground. It comes with two attachments, and you can upgrade to a model with a self-emptying docking station ($550).
Other Vacuums I’ve Tested
Bissell IconPet Turbo Edge for $266: Bissell's OG stick vacuum is a popular model that's been around for a while. It does a good job at picking up hair and cat litter, and it easily turns into a handheld vac. The battery life is also nice, but former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano wasn't impressed by its lacking Cheerios-gathering skills, and the machine also can't stand up on its own.
Bosch Unlimited 10 Cordless Stick Vacuum for $529: This vacuum has six cleaning modes, can bend in the middle, and its motor has a long warranty. When I recently retested it, it was better at sucking up cat litter on hard floors (using its main cleaner head) than Dyson's All Floor Cones head and Shark's PowerDetect Speed vacuum. Overall, it performed similarly to some Dyson vacuums, but didn't outpace Shark, which has a better price point.
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