This cordless stick vacuum employs Shark’s anti-hair-wrap tech to remove hair from the brush roll as you clean, saving you a particularly tedious job. If the Floor One S7 Pro sounds too techy—or too expensive—I recommend the iFloor 3. This older Tineco model lacks edge cleaning on either side of the shark stick vacuum motorhead, but it cleans efficiently and quietly. While it’s technically not a smart device, it does have a backlit LED display with visual alerts for battery level, power mode, and brush roll tangles. It will also let you know if the dirty water tank is full or if the clean water tank is empty.
Their batteries typically last 30 to 40 minutes on a full charge, enough to clean a room or two but unlikely to tackle your whole home top to bottom. Cordless stick vacuums also have a shorter life expectancy than good plug-in vacuums. For most people, a cordless stick vac should be a sidekick to a plug-in vacuum.
The best I tested were equally comfortable on thick carpet, wood, sofas and skirting; and the very best were just as efficient as corded varieties. With one click, you release it directly into a bin and then fit another one. Each standard purchase of the vacuum comes with 26 Henry pods which are made of up to 65 percent recycled material and are carbon offset, so you can go through them relatively guilt-free. Shark’s Detect Pro Cordless Vacuum (£199) might better suit anyone who enjoys Shark’s technologies but wants something a little more lightweight. All in all the vacuum feels sturdy and, although I’ll have to report back on this front, feels like it will last a long time. We still rate the Vax Blade 4 (£159) highly, which is slightly lighter at 3.1kg and comes with an extra battery for double the run time.
Plus, we applaud Dyson for equipping this model with a push button on/off switch for continuous operation. Gone is the trigger that you had to hold down to keep the vacuum running that many users complained about. These lightweight cordless models are the perfect solution for easy, effective cleaning. Here is how we conduct our revamped stick vacuum tests of brands including Bissell, Dyson, Hoover, Kenmore, Samsung, Shark, and Tineco.
Plus, it propels itself during use so we had to put little effort into pushing 21.5lb vacuum around when testing it. In our tests its powerful suction meant it collected discarded crumbs, ground-in dirt, and even larger debris like cereal and shark pet vacuum cat biscuits without complaint. The floorhead also automatically detects the change in floor types, and the three power settings are useful if you either want to deep clean a large pile rug or to lightly skim across the surface of hard floor.
But of those that do, Pullins says you should look for attachments that clean hair more easily from upholstery and carpets. We also found that the crevice tool was also quite helpful in picking up stubborn hair from upholstery and stairs. Manufacturers will often boast shark stick vacuum about their vacuum’s suction power in terms of air watts, a figure that quantifies airflow in terms of power usage. Generally speaking, more air watts means a more powerful vacuum cleaner, but the actual design of the vacuum head plays a significant role, as well.
Another selling point of the Crosswave is that unlike the other devices, which are marketed as “hard floor cleaners,” the Crosswave’s mop vac function is indicated for area rugs, too. But it’s not a true carpet cleaner and I wasn’t impressed with the rug-cleaning power of any of the Crosswaves I tried. In fact, I tested all 12 mop vacs on my rugs and they were all underwhelming. It’s heavier, didn’t pick up as much on the first pass, left more water on the floor, and didn’t alert me when the clean water tank was empty.
The powerful Dyson Outsize Cordless Vacuum excels at picking up pet hair, has up to 60 minutes of run time, and features a large dustbin for longer, uninterrupted cleans. In our hardwood floor testing, the Shark Stratos AZ3000 picked up all of the Cheerios, coffee grounds, rice, flour, and pet hair we set out. On carpet, it only left behind trace amounts of flour, the best you can expect with that tough material, and powered through all the other substances.