In the Cleaning Lab, this Dyson model aced all of our performance tests for bare floor cleaning, pet hair pick-up and edge cleaning. Our pet hair tests are a bit more challenging, and we now embed dirt in the carpeting instead of scattering it on the surface as we used to do. And for bare floor testing, instead of combining all the debris into a messy array of cereal, sand, and rice, we vacuum up each type separately.
For those who prefer a more traditional stick vac configuration with an easy-to-grab handheld vacuum that piggybacks on board, this Electrolux WellQ7 is a great choice. Plus, it’s slim, streamlined shark stick vacuum and stands up on its own (which I love!). The battery offered just under 30 minutes of run time on the lowest power setting with the power nozzle attached, which is less than others in our test.
The V15 Detect Absolute can be very noisy when running in full power mode, it only has an average sized dust canister and it’s very expensive. But we think it’s worth the money if you want a top-of-the-range vacuum cleaner. We’ve tested hundreds of models in real homes to find the best vacuums for every conceivable kind of cleaning, And when we test, we don’t just test simple cleaning power. We test vacuums on all kinds of messes, and we test everything from how long their batteries last to whether they’ll make your arms tired.
This can be a useful feature if you have stairs, but it’s by no means necessary. We’re big fans of how this vacuum performs without that add-on, and only have run into minor hiccups, like how the attachments tend to fall off the storage areas located on the base of the machine. Performance isn’t the only aspect worth noting when it comes to a vacuum. Our V7 was so beautiful, and so light, that my now 6-year-old often clamored to vacuum with me. But if you simply can’t stomach the idea of spending more money on another Dyson, after two vacuums poop out suspiciously right after the two-year warranty expires, you’ll probably want to give a Shark stick vac a shot. The generously sized dust bin is easy to remove, and the contents empty out at the bottom, so you’ll have minimal or no direct contact with all the contents.
All in all, we are making it easier to directly compare the performance of stick vacuums and full-sized models. It’s a reliable partner in my battle against dust, dirt, and especially, pet hair. There are so many options out there with a variety of features that would be satisfactory for my apartment, but it’s tough to figure out which one is the right one for me. Fortunately, working at Apartment Therapy means I have the opportunity to try out a ton of vacuums to save you the trouble that I dread.
In terms of its functionality, power and performance on carpet, the Samsung Bespoke Jet AI makes the Dyson V15 Detect look like child’s play. This is a reliable canister vacuum for picking up any type of hair—pet or human—on hard floors and carpet. It’s easy to switch modes because the control buttons are on the handle; no bending over is required!
Households with pets will need a vacuum that can handle pet hair and if you want to use it to clean more than just floors, you’ll need one that converts to a handheld cleaner and comes with plenty of useful attachments. If you’ve got a bigger home, a larger dust canister is a necessity if you want to ensure your floor cleaning session isn’t interrupted, and thankfully the Dyson V11 outsize offers just this. At 1.9-liters it can hold 150% more debris than the Dyson V15 Detect Absolute (above), and the wider-than-usual shark pet vacuum cleaning head, means you’ll be able to vacuum your floors quicker than ever too. We also found that the wand can be cumbersome when cleaning overhead and, unlike some other Shark vacuum cleaners, the brushroll can’t be switched off. We found that pick-up and manoeuvrability was good on hard and carpeted floors, and equally as impressive reaching overhead and on upholstery. The 1.9-quart / 1.6litre dust cup capacity is a large size which we feel will suit large homes or indeed, homes with pets, very well.
Instead of a brush roll, the Hizero has a soft polymer roller that’s supposed to mimic the way a dog licks things off the floor. It’s pretty cool technology but it wasn’t great at cleaning my textured kitchen floor (to be fair, the product description does state that it performs best on “leveled” floors). If you have the benefit of perfectly flat floors this could work—especially if you’re in an apartment and worry about noise. But if your floors have seen smoother days or you have an old house with kids and pets, you’re probably better off with something that actually sucks (in the good way).
The V15 Detect was able to remove 88% in the same challenge, as well as 95% from low-pile carpet. Whether vacuuming across hardwood floors or low-pile or midpile carpeting, the V15 barely left a tuft in its wake. There are plenty of options on the market, and we’ve spent countless hours testing the top models from brands like Shark, Bissell, Dyson, Tineco, Eureka, and Samsung at the CNET product testing lab in Louisville, Kentucky. In our vacuum cleaner evaluations, we run a rigorous slate of tests to determine each cleaner’s capabilities when it comes to picking up a variety of messes on various floor types. However, the cleaner head works extremely well on hard floors, and its self-cleaning brushroll won’t get tangled with pet hair.