The wand can be essentially folded in half reducing the height of the vacuum. At about 17 lbs we’d have to say the vacuum isn’t really lightweight, however the canister is pulled along on wheels so you don’t feel the full weight of the machine when vacuuming. But if you lift the entire vacuum (carrying it up stairs for example) you will feel that the unit is not particularly light. It would have been nice if there was also some kind of dusting brush (something with soft bristles). Several Wirecutter staffers who own or have used Miele canister vacuums note that they can be unwieldy in small apartments, and their bulbous shape can make them difficult to store. Writers Sarah Bogdan and Liam McCabe conducted research and testing for this guide.
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In terms of cleaning performance, the NV352 sucks up most kinds of debris (including pet hair) from pretty much any surface, and it picks up significantly more on carpeting, compared with other models we looked at. This upright vacuum cleaner is quieter, lighter, and easier to handle than others we’ve tested, partly due to its flexible swivel head. It also comes with a complete set of attachments for reaching hard-to-clean areas, such as window sills, and getting hair off of upholstery. For an upright vacuum that works well on carpets and bare floors, look no further than the Shark NV151 Navigator Swivel Pro Complete Upright Vacuum, which is one of the most affordable models offered by Shark. This vacuum has adjustable suction levels and brush roll speeds to maximize your cleaning efforts. Just don’t expect it to be as light or nimble as a stick vacuum, but know you’ll be pleased with its maneuverability and effectiveness.
One of the main appeals of this vacuum is its Matrix Clean technology, which moves across floors in a grid pattern, effectively passing every spot multiple times so no debris is left behind. You can also notify the robot for spot cleanings, which is great if a sudden mess occurs or if you have a high-traffic area in your home that you’d like to pay special attention to. However, the Shark vacuum does feature a flexible wand that is a real game changer for reaching under furniture.
It doesn’t have the filter or carpet-cleaning prowess of other vacuums, but it has plenty of power for the price. The biggest advantage of a canister vacuum is the long reach offered by the hose, but compared to the best upright vacuums or stick vacuums, that’s also a downside when you need to put it in the closet. As a consolation, most of these canister vacuums offer collapsing wands and retracting power cords to keep the storage as simple as possible. Against the tougher competition of bagged canister vacuums, the Apex let more fine dust into the air than Kenmore’s top-of-the-line sealed bag system did. The difference is only about 20%, and the Shark captured more large dust particles, so we’re happy with this performance considering the other advantages of the system.
She has expanded CR’s cookware category to include not only more pots and pans but also other essentials like stand mixer attachments, sheet pans, and vacuum sealers. Since the mid-1990s, Mary has held senior positions at People.com, MSNBC, and Ladies’ Home Journal. There is also one post-motor HEPA filter that sits underneath a panel on the back of the canister, and is also easy to access. The HEPA filter can be rinsed in water and, according to Shark, should be cleaned about every 12 months. Edge cleaning testChili flakes were placed up tight against an edge where the carpet meets the wall (baseboard). Good edge cleaning will pick up everything while poor edge cleaning will leave a swath of chili flakes (we’ve seen some instances where flakes are left an inch or more away from the wall).
That makes them more versatile than even the most prestigious brands in our upright vacuum review that just got bogged down or stuck. Given how well our stick vacuum and upright vacuum review winners handle the same situations a canister excels in, we settled on a high-but-comparable $450 price maximum as a first criteria. This eliminated even the least-expensive Miele models with a power head, like the $700 Compact C2 Electro+. They call this a “DuoClean” brush system, and it works effectively on all the floor types we’ve tried. The Shark UltraCyclone Pet Pro+ Handheld Vacuum excelled in all of our lab tests, but it really stood out when it came to sucking up pet hair. If you constantly find yourself reaching for a vacuum to zap pet hair off of your couches or rugs, this is the vacuum for you.
We also talked to vacuum dealers and watched them demonstrate these luxury vacuums and rave about their power, longevity and long-term value. The Mighty Mite isn’t a bad little vacuum, but the price increase to get the HEPA filter is hard to swallow. Compared to the Bissell – Zing, you get bigger detailing tools (with some onboard storage) but give up some airflow on account of the filter. You can attach the hose to the exhaust side of this canister for situations when you want a blower, but you’re better off buying an inexpensive leaf blower for most situations where that would be an asset.
We think it’s pretty cool that, even though we keep refining our tests, the same vacuums keep coming out on top year after year. For handling, we had 22 testers run each model through a slalom course, simulating a real-life apartment with a tight floor layout to clue us in on a few frustrations and flaws that might annoy owners. For example, some vacuums can bunch up area rugs, and others are too heavy or clunky to steer shark dustbuster around tight corners. Still other vacuums have trouble transitioning from bare floor to carpeting, and some have dustbins that are relatively more difficult to empty. Our testers vacuumed parts of the ceiling and a medium-pile and high-pile carpet, and they maneuvered the machines into corners and tight spots. We also measured each vacuum’s raw suction with a specialized gauge and each one’s airflow with an anemometer.
HEPA filters are defined as those that remove 99.97 percent or more of airborne particles of 0.3 micron in diameter; nothing captures 100 percent, though, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF). (You can read a lot more about them in our guide to air purifiers.) But HEPA filters are not a magic bullet, according to Caroline Blazovsky, the indoor air quality specialist. If the gaskets around the HEPA filter aren’t perfectly tight, the filter itself is pointless—the vacuum is still emitting dust.