Is a Dyson really worth it? We tested cordless stick vacuums to find the best | CNN Underscored (2024)

Editor’s Note: Since our initial round of testing, the Shark WS632 Wandvac — our former pick for best cordless stick vacuum for smaller spaces — has been discontinued. After a new round of testing, the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max emerges as our new best cordless stick vacuum for smaller spaces. Likewise, the Bissell 3177A IconPet Turbo Edge emerges as our new great, affordable cordless stick vacuum, replacing its discontinued sibling, the Bissell 2894A IconPet Edge, in that category.

Today’s vacuums include robot, upright and canister models, which can all help make it easier to clean your home. But in the case of upright and canister vacuums, it’s sometimes a pain to deal with heavy vacuum bodies, cords and bags, which is where cordless stick vacuums come in. Unlike their bagged, corded siblings, cordless stick vacuums are compact and lightweight. They’re also powerful enough to tackle most jobs around smaller homes, apartments and college dorm rooms. Some of these vacuums even excel at challenging tasks like vacuuming pet hair.

We tested 14 highly rated cordless stick vacuums to assess their performance, suction power, ease of use and battery life. And since finding the best vacuum for pet hair is always on our minds, we gave our seven pets — three dogs and four cats — full reign of our homes and then got to work. We used each vacuum to suck up pet fur, cat litter and pine needles, along with all the dirt and debris that’s left behind daily. Once testing concluded, five models stood out from the pack.

Dyson V11 Animal

Best cordless stick vacuum for deep carpet

With impressive power and the ability to tackle cleaning tasks on surfaces ranging from high-pile carpets to hard floors, the Dyson V11 Animal is the most capable cordless stick vacuum we tested.

$570 $470 at Lowe's

$570 $500 at Best Buy

$570 at Dyson

Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max

Best cordless stick vacuum for smaller spaces

The Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max has a swivel head and can lay down flat and still pick up dirt with the same strong suction power. Its anti-tangle beater bar reduced hair wrap during testing and was removable, making it easy to clean.

$158 at The Home Depot

$160 at Amazon

$200 at Black + Decker

See Also

Best Stick Vacuums 2020 | Top 10 Reviews & Buyer's GuideWe Tested the Best Cordless Stick Vacuums—These 7 Make Cleaning FunThe 5 Best Stick Vacuums for Both Quick and Deep CleaningsBest-Rated Stick Vacuums | Brands & Buying Guide – Canstar Blue

Dyson Gen5detect

Best luxury cordless stick vacuum

The Dyson Gen5detect is a stellar cleaner and includes excellent features like its auto-calibrating vacuum power system. But with its higher price tag compared to the competition, getting the Dyson brand name will cost you extra.

Read our review

$950 $649 at Amazon

$950 at Dyson

$950 at The Home Depot

Bissell 3177A IconPet Turbo Edge

A great, affordable cordless stick vacuum

The Bissell 3177A IconPet Turbo Edge works well on low-pile carpets and throw rugs and its swivel head allows it to reach under furniture easily. It has a bright light that illuminates where you vacuum and it comes with several attachments, including a useful bendable hose and brush. It never clogged during testing, even after sucking up piles of dog hair.

$396 at Amazon

$397 at Bissell

$400 at Best Buy

Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Stick

Best cordless stick vacuum for pet hair

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Stick did an outstanding job picking up dog hair on dog beds, wood floors and low-pile carpets. It's a powerful, lightweight vacuum with great maneuverability and a digital display that alerts you to battery strength and other useful information.

$650 $480 at Dyson

See Also

The 3 Best Stick Vacuums

$650 $525 at Amazon

$650 at Lowe's

Best cordless stick vacuum for deep carpet: Dyson V11 Animal

$570 at Dyson

If you’ve ever used a Dyson vacuum (or anything Dyson makes), you’re likely not surprised to see the Dyson V11 Animal come out on top. This stick vacuum is an absolute powerhouse that made easy work of everything we threw at it. It performed equally well on high- and low-pile area rugs and carpets, as well as all types of hard floors — vinyl, tile and hardwood. The swivel head and lightweight body — it weighs in at 6.68 pounds — also made it easy to move around the room.

The swivel head was especially impressive on carpets and area rugs. No animal fur, dirt or dust escaped the V11 Animal. It sucked up so much debris from our living room rug that we were as embarrassed as we were impressed by the results.

The Dyson V11 Animal has three modes, Boost, Auto and Eco, you can easily cycle through via a button on the LED screen. The vacuum defaults to Auto, which was plenty powerful for most of our needs but Boost mode helped pull dirt and heavier debris, like cat litter, out of the plush carpet.

The screen has a battery monitor that gives you a rough estimate of the battery life. On paper, the Dyson V11 Animal should give you 60 minutes of continuous runtime on a full charge. In reality, the usage drops down to around 30 or 45 minutes when it’s used on Auto or Boost, the latter of which sucks up the most juice. The 0.2-gallon (or 0.76-liter) dustbin was one of the most generously sized in our testing pool and though it made the Dyson V11 Animal one of the bulkier models we tested, we’ll gladly take a bit of bulk to have to empty it fewer times.

Aside from the main high-torque cleaning head, the Dyson V11 Animal comes with four additional attachments — a combination tool, dirt brush, crevice tool and mini motorized tool — which aren’t revolutionary but serve their specific purposes well. You can swap out the main brush head for each attachment, or remove the wand portion altogether, and use the V11 Animal as a handheld. It’s a bit bulky and heavy in this application, but we found it convenient for vacuuming couches, cat towers and the car.

There were only two minor things we didn’t love about the Dyson V11 Animal. The first is that the power button operates on a trigger mechanism, meaning we had to continuously hold it down as we vacuumed. Being able to just switch it on and go would have been preferred. However, on the plus side, the trigger mechanism makes it easy to shut it off quickly.

The second thing we didn’t love — and common to most of the cordless sticks we tested — is that it doesn’t stand on its own. If you’re using it around the house as part of your weekly chores and don’t return it to its dock right after using it, you’ll need to lean it carefully against a wall or lay it on the floor.

Best cordless stick vacuum for smaller spaces: Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max

$200 at Black + Decker and $160 at Amazon

While not as powerful as the Dyson V11 Animal and the Dyson Gen5detect, and at 10.8 lbs, a little heavier, the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max cordless stick vacuum works wonderfully in smaller spaces. The suction was strong enough to pick up everything from debris and crumbs to hair (so much hair!) even from hard-to-reach places, and the fully-charged battery lasted around 30 minutes on full power, even longer on the Low power setting. Granted, this isn’t on par with the Dyson V11 Animal’s running time but this is what makes the Black + Decker a perfect apartment vacuum.

With three attachments, the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max easily went from tiles to wooden floors to carpets and rugs without any hassle. It did struggle a little on a high-pile shaggy rug, though. Thankfully, the motorized rug attachment helped this along and we were so impressed by how much dust and dirt the attachment picked up from the shaggy rug that we had thought was relatively clean.

What we loved most about the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max was how easy it was to clean every nook and cranny of every room — even under furniture — due to its swivel head and ability to lay down flat and still pick up dirt with the same suction power. The LED lights are a nice touch, which made it easy to see into dark corners (though again, this doesn’t come close to the Dyson V11 Animal’s illumination technology). Like the Shark WS632 Wandvac we previously tested (and initially named our top pick for smaller spaces), this Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max model also converts to a handheld version, which is perfect for stairs, cars, car seats and dog beds.

Another reason the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max is now our pick as the best cordless stick vacuum for smaller spaces is that the vacuum’s anti-tangle beater bar is designed to reduce hair wrap and is removable for easy cleaning. After two months of regular use through an apartment with plenty of hair and fur, the beater bar was still relatively free of hair and didn’t need to be cleaned, unlike the Shark WS632 Wandvac which had to be detangled after every other use.

The Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max also boasts a cyclonic filtration system, which admittedly, we had to ask the company to see why this was an important or even necessary feature on a vacuum. According to Black + Decker, a cyclone filter separates dirt particles and objects from fine dust to reduce the load on the filter, meaning you have to clean and replace it less frequently, allowing the vacuum to perform better and last longer. This is hard to do a real test of but it is a good addition based on what it aims to do.

Other features we liked were the noise (or lack thereof), as it was quiet enough not to disturb anyone even when vacuuming very early in the morning (as is our preferred time of day to do this chore). It can also free-stand without a wall mount, though it does come with one.

As for what we didn’t like about this vacuum, the battery takes quite a long time to charge. Our tests showed that it needed more than three hours to fully charge and some online reviews claim it can take even longer. The dustbin is a little smaller than the others so it needs more frequent emptying but we honestly didn’t mind due to the ease of doing so. We cannot tell you how many times the Shark WS632 Wandvac’s dustbin accidentally popped out, sending dirt all over the floor. That said, you simply cannot beat the Black + Decker Powerseries Extreme Max as a reliable and powerful stick vacuum perfect for smaller spaces.

Best luxury cordless stick vacuum: Dyson Gen5detect

$950 at Dyson and $950 $650 at Amazon

As the latest in Dyson’scordless stick vacuumlineup, the Dyson Gen5detect covers the expected bases for a Dyson vacuum. It’s impeccably designed, easy to use and powerful enough for routine or deep house cleanings. The Dyson Gen5detect could even work as the primaryvacuumin yourhome.

Throughout our testing, the Dyson Gen5detect had excellent usability, thanks to Dyson’s sharp design touches. At 7.7 pounds, the Dyson Gen5detect is slightly heavier than the competition — comparable models like the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI clock in at around 6 pounds. Still, we had no issues using the Dyson Geb5detect as a floor cleaner or lifting it above our head inhandheldmode.

The Dyson Gen5detect carries over some of the great features from recent Dyson vacuums like the Fluffy Optic hard surface attachment, which has an angled green light that illuminates floor dust, and a 0.2-gallon bin with a convenient no-contact emptying latch, but it also comes with several new upgrades. We liked the Dyson Gen5detect’s integrated crevice-and-dusting tool, which is built into its wand section. If you’re cleaning multiple areas during a cleaning session, you won’t have to awkwardly switch between additional attachments to dust shelves or clean between furniture.

The Dyson Gen5detect’s auto-power system is also intact, another impressive feature we liked in recent Dysons. This system automatically increases or decreases the Dyson’s suction power based on the size and amount of dirt it picks up. During our testing, the Dyson Gen5detect quickly revved up when we moved from a hardwood floor to a living room rug. Impressively, the cleaner’s power system also distinguished between surface-level dust and larger dust bunnies while we cleaned a stairwell.

For as good as the Dyson Gen5detect’s performance is, the vacuum’s price tag will likely give potential shoppers pause. With a retail price of $950, the Dyson Gen5detect is a pricy cordless vacuum. The Gen5detect is still an exceptional cordless cleaner but its high cost makes it strictly a top-of-the-line luxury option.

A great, affordable cordless stick vacuum: Bissell 3177A IconPet Turbo Edge

$397 at Bissell

The Bissell 3177A Icon Pet Turbo Edge is ideal for cleaning low-pile carpets and throw rugs. We brought it to a college dorm move-out (the ultimate test) where we easily vacuumed all the dirt and debris from an area rug as well as the low-pile dorm room carpet.

When testing it in our home, the swivel head makes it easy to reach under furniture and it even features a bright light that helps light up the vacuum path. It comes standard with several useful attachments, including a bendable hose and brushes that allow us to clean a dog bed thoroughly with only a few passes.

It never clogged during testing, either, even after sucking up piles of dog hair from a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, who sheds tremendously.

It also easily converts to a handheld vacuum and is lightweight and powerful enough to clean the wood floor of a set of stairs in one pass.

Another feature we liked was that its dustbin was easy to clean. All we needed to do was lift the outer portion off the rest of the vacuum and shake the contents into the trash. We had to use our fingers to gently pull some tangled dog hair out of the bin a few times, but dirt and debris easily came out on their own.

It also features a battery strength display indicator in its handle that makes it easy to see how much juice is left before it runs out. It took roughly 4 hours to charge from empty but lasted 30 minutes on its highest setting while we vacuumed the dorm room carpet.

Best cordless stick vacuum for pet hair:Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Stick

$650 $480 at Dyson

The Dyson V12 Detect Slim Cordless Stick did an outstanding job picking up mounds of dog hair from two dog beds, wood flooring, a dirty outside welcome mat, and a low-pile hallway and bedroom carpet.

It’s a powerful, lightweight vacuum with great maneuverability and a head that turns to the left and right to get into corners and tight spots without too much effort.

It took around 3.5 hours to charge from an empty battery to fully charged but we got roughly 30 minutes of use on its highest power setting. There’s also a turbo strength setting that’s quite powerful but runs the battery out after about 20 minutes of carpet and rug cleaning.

The V12 also has a digital display at the top of the unit to alert you of battery strength and other useful information such as the current power level and when to unclog a clogged dust bin. Although it was powerful enough to suck up loads of pet hair, it did clog on us once and we had to manually clean out the dustbin.

While cleaning a dustbin is never fun, the V12’s was actually quite easy to clean; all we had to do was lift its red handle and the dustbin door opened up, dumping all its contents into the trash. We didn’t even have to touch any dirt, debris or dog hair to help guide it out of the bin. Just ensure the bin is pointed toward the trash before lifting the red handle.

How we tested

After scouring online user and professional reviews and product specifications, we chose 14 stick vacuums to test. Each of the models is marketed toward users with pets. We decided to go this route because these vacuums are typically more powerful than other models, and they’re versatile too — they all come with upholstery tools that you can use even if you’re not plagued by pet fur everywhere.

We rated each vacuum on setup, different aspects of design like maneuverability and dustbin size and overall performance, considering things like suction power, effectiveness on various floor types and battery life.

Setup

Design

Performance

Other cordless stick vacuums we tested

Bissell SpinWave + Vac

$250 atWayfairandBissell

This cordless combination vacuum and mop is a simple and convenient way to keep your home clean between more comprehensive cleanings. The Bissell SpinWave + Vac is lightweight enough to pick up and carry into any room but also has enough suction power to pick up most types of mess while simultaneously doing a light mop. It usesBissell’s Hard Floor Sanitize Formulato clean but without steam, it won’t do a deeper clean for stickier debris. We found it perfect for spot-cleaning our bathroom floor or for a quick spill.

The controls are easy to use, you can press one button underneath the handle to vacuum and another to either add the mop or do a wet clean. We also liked the swivel head, though it took a minute to get used to, and its flat design let it slide easily under furniture. The Bissell SpinWave + Vac comes with an extra set of microfiber scrubbing pads and you can pluck them right off to throw in the washing machine when they are dirty — which we found to be a boon. Plus, it’s safe to use on sealed hardwood, linoleum, tile, laminate and even vinyl floors.

Dyson Gen5outsize

$1,050 at Dyson

From the inside and outside, the Dyson Gen5outsize is essentially an upgraded version of the Dyson Gen5detect. For an extra $100, you’ll get a larger 0.5-gallon bin, a 12-inch multi-surface cleaning head, and a second battery pack.

As with other high-end Dysons, the Gen5outsize’s design is stellar and emphasizes usability. The cordless vacuum’s attachments handle excellently, and the Gen5outsize replaces Dyson’s traditional power trigger with a simple power button that keeps the vacuum running. We loved the Dyson Gen5outsize’s hard floor attachment, which comes with a green light that illuminates dust and gives you an additional layer of cleaning precision.

We also liked the Dyson’s dirt sensor system, which automatically adjusts the suction power depending on the amount of dirt it picks up. In our testing, the Dyson Gen5outsize quickly adjusted between a medium-pile rug, hardwood living room, and kitchen floor without missing a beat.

However, the Dyson’s extra horsepower and bin capacity come with a slight downside. At 8.6 pounds, it’s notably heavier than comparable cordless stick vacuums, which typically clock in at around 5 to 6 pounds. The Dyson’s extra weight was slightly alleviated when we attached the extension wand and did floor cleaning. But in handheld mode, our arms started to fatigue after using the Dyson Gen5outsize for more than a few minutes.

Dyson Omni-Glide

$350$300 atDysonandBest Buy

You can’t compare the Dyson Omni-Glide directly to the other models we tested. It’s optimized for hard floors and on those surfaces this vacuum’s performance is unmatched. It has two brush bars covered in soft nylon and engineered to pull larger debris and finer particles, like dust, off hard floors. It effortlessly sucked up clumps of fur, pine needles and random dirt off tile, hardwood and vinyl floors without ever losing suction power or getting tangled.

The cleaner head is omni-directional, meaning it rotates 180 degrees or any which way you turn it. This makes it the easiest to maneuver out of all the vacuums on the list (and all the vacuums we’ve ever tried). It glides smoothly over hard floors and gets right into corners, thanks to the brush head’s rectangular shape.

The main downside of the Dyson Omni-Glide is the size of the dustbin. It has a 0.05-gallon capacity, which translates to just under a cup. This is fine for quick touch-ups, but it filled up fast with five animals running around the house. The good news is that it’s easy to empty. It has what Dyson calls a “point and shoot” mechanism where you press a button and push down on the handle, and the dirt and debris eject into the trash can without getting your hands dirty. If there’s a lot of pet fur in the dustbin, you might have to assist the emptying by pulling it out but for the most part, it’s pretty hands-free. To be clear, because of the special brush rolls, this vacuum will only work on hard floors and does not effectively clean any type of carpet. But if that’s what you need, get it now.

Hoover Onepwr Evolve Pet

$210 atAmazonandHoover

The Hoover Onepwr Evolve Pet is a fairly impressive machine you can nab for a fraction of the price of the other models we tested. While it gives off more of an upright vacuum than a stick vacuum vibe, it is cordless and works well on all types of flooring, though it struggles a little bit on really plush carpet.

There are three settings — carpet, hard floor and no brush roll — that you can toggle through manually, and each does a decent job of sucking up all types of debris off various floor types, although high-pile carpet took a few passes. We think the Hoover Onepwr Pet is a good choice for smaller living areas or homes that only have low-pile rugs or hard floors.

MACH V1 Ultra

$700$350 atBest Buy

The multi-tasking MACH V1 Ultra cordless stick vacuum plus steam mop is Eufy’s first foray into premium cleaning products — under its new MACH subgroup. The MACH V1 Ultra not only saves you a ton of time but it packs several high-end features that will make you almost enjoy cleaning. However, at $700, the V1 Ultra is an investment, though we appreciated that this cordless stick vacuum was easy to store and didn’t take up too much room in our home. But, at nearly 13 pounds, it’s not as easy to take it out to clean up just a simple spill. If mopping isn’t as important to you, you might be better off with theDyson V11 Animal; it’s half the weight, easier to maneuver and carry from room to room and has accessories for cleaning carpets, bedding, blinds and other household areas. If you frequently vacuum and mop the floors in your house, you’ll save a lot of time and elbow grease with the super-productive MACH V1 Ultra.

Miele Triflex HX1 Cat & Dog

$800$692 atAmazonand $800 atMiele

The Miele Triflex HX1 Cat & Dog performed similarly to our top pick, the Bissell IconPet Edge but it ultimately fell short for two reasons: It’s considerably more expensive and wasn’t as easy to maneuver under couches and furniture. But it has some interesting design features along with similar suction power and performance that may make it worthwhile if you like the options it offers.

There were some standout features. The Miele Triflex HX1 Cat & Dog can be set up in three different configurations — power unit on top, power unit on bottom and handheld — a feature exclusive to this model. It also automatically adjusts the roller head and suction power when transitioning from carpet to hard floor, so you don’t have to fumble with manual settings. It was the most visually appealing of the bunch and stands on its own, which seems like a minor detail but comes in handy during use. If you don’t mind shelling out the extra cash, you’ll likely be just as happy with the Miele Triflex HX1 Cat & Dog as you would the Bissell IconPet Edge.

Samsung Bespoke Jet AI

$1,000$800 atBest Buyand $1,000 atSamsung

The Samsung Bespoke Jet AI, Samsung’s top-of-the-line stick vacuum, comes with all the features you’d expect from a premium home appliance. The Bespoke is powerful enough to handle everything from small spills to full house cleans, and it’s extremely light at only 6.3 pounds. After cleaning sessions, you’ll dock the Bespoke into the All-in-One Cleaning Station, which charges the vacuum and empties the dustbin into a 0.5-gallon removable dust bag. The Bespoke Jet AI’s upgrades are more incremental than game-changing, but they’re still solid additions.

Compared to Samsung’s $600standard Bespokestick vacuum, the Bespoke Jet AI includes better battery life, a more powerful motor, and a surface detection system that automatically calibrates the Bespoke Jet AI’s suction level. The Bespoke Jet AI isn’t without a few design annoyances though. For instance, there’s no place to mount its cleaning accessories. But overall, we’d recommend this Samsung stick vacuum if a cleaning station is a must-have feature — and the price isn’t too much of a concern.

Shark WS632 Wandvac

$188 atAmazon (currently unavailable)

The Shark WS632 Wandvac cordless stick vacuum was our former pick as the best stick vacuum for smaller spaces but has been discontinued since our initial testing so Shark no longer sells it on its website (however, it is available on Amazon through some third-party sellers, but we do not recommend buying from those sellers).

While the Shark WS632 Wandvac required a little more effort, it made easy work of cleaning up debris from every type of floor, except for high-pile carpet where it required multiple passes. It had a smaller dustbin than our other recommendations, so it isn’t suited to large homes or big cleanups. But its hidden feature — it incorporated Shark’s highly regardedShark Handheld Wandvacas its power unit — made it a contender for anyone who wants a multipurpose cleaning tool for smaller spaces.

One annoyance about the Shark WS632 Wandvac was that its dustbin release button was located directly below its power button. Overall, though, if you were looking for a less-expensive lightweight stick vacuum for quick cleanups and could have used a great handheld for tight spaces, then the Shark WS632 Wandvac was a solid choice when it was available.

Bissell 2894A IconPet Edge

Currently unavailable at Bissell and Amazon

The Bissell 2894A IconPet Edge is our former pick for a great, affordable cordless stick vacuum but since our initial testing, it has been discontinued. After a new round of testing, it has been replaced in this category by the Bissell 3177A IconPet Turbo Edge.

In our initial round of testing, the Bissell 2894A IconPet Edge got the job done on all types of floors and effectively sucked up everything from pet hair to pine needles from carpeted surfaces and smooth vinyl flooring with ease. It had slightly less suction power overall than the Dyson V11 Animal, so we found ourselves kicking it up into high gear more often, but it was a capable cleaning tool on any surface.

However, the dustbin was also part of the reason the Bissell 2894A IconPet Edge had earned only the runner-up spot and not the overall top spot in our initial testing. It was smaller than the Dyson V11 Animal’s dustbin and filled considerably faster, which meant more pauses were needed to empty it. It also wasn’t as convenient; we had to manually remove it from the vacuum and manually pull out the filter to empty it, which made the overall process a bit messier, too.