Most of the weight of the vacuum is in the “canister” that follows you around on the floor, so you’re more free to move around and reach tight places. Sure, a $340 Dyson vacuum won’t need new bags or filters or other replacement parts, its five-year warranty is solid, the customer service is great, and Dysons do a great job of cleaning the most common types of flooring. And compared with a $600 Miele canister vacuum, the Dyson might last half as long (10 years), if you’re lucky.
Two of our favorite brands, iRobot and Dyson, are seeing their lowest prices ever on a few of their top models, including the Roomba s9+, which is a top pick in our guide to the best robot vacuums. Other popular vacuum brands like Bissell and Shark are also offering great discounts, but hurry because these deals will be gone soon. And some have the “Lift Away” feature that turns these uprights into canister vacuums. We spoke to experts about the different types of vacuums and the benefits of each, as well as key features to look for like attachments and HEPA filtration. Below are our experts’ picks for their favorite vacuums, as well as some recommended by Consumer Reports’ engineers.
The “dirtiest” place in your home may be the invisible air you breathe, explained environmental consultant and building materials specialist Marilee Nelson, co-founder of Branch Basics. This vacuum weighs just six pounds, all of which you’ll have to carry while cleaning. The Lift-Around has an eight foot hose that connects with any of the on-board attachments. It’s long enough to reach curtains, corners and other hard-to-access places. As long as your shoulder can handle the Lift-Around’s six pound weight, it’s quite maneuverable. There’s no wheeled canister to drag around — just a light vacuum hanging on a shoulder strap.
Compared to the other sub-$300 vacuums we tested, you still get a motorized height-adjustable carpet head and a powerful suction motor. The small bare-floor head and difficult steering on carpet really handicap this model in most households where a mid-range canister vacuum makes sense, though. Owners also generally think that the Navigator Lift-Away is relatively quiet compared with other vacuum cleaners.
Some Shark vacuums are equipped with a detachable canister that adds “lift-away” functionality to the machine. This is useful if you want to do a lot of above-floor cleaning, such as removing dust or debris from stairs, ceilings, and upholstery. Our Best Upright pick, the Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum, has a detachable canister that we enjoyed using while cleaning stairs and upholstery. To make use of this feature, just remove the detachable pod, and carry the canister with you.
In testing, the vacuum was able to pick up all sorts of dirt, dust, grass, and other debris with no problems, and its convenient self-empty base means that there’s very little maintenance needed on your part. The lowest setting on most vacuums works well for bare floors and thin carpets, whereas the highest setting is optimal for thicker carpets and area rugs, Solomon said. A thick high pile rug, for example, needs a higher setting, shark dustbuster while bare wood floors need a low setting and no automatic roll brush, Dulude noted. Both upright and canister vacuums come in bagged and bagless models—the difference lies in where the dirt goes as it gets sucked up. The canister feels lightweight to pull along and when vacuuming stairs it’s compact enough to sit on a step. We did experience the hose twisting a couple of times, but a firm tug usually pulls it straight.
In total, the NR96 has 5 attachments along with the extension wand that’s fully adjustable. You don’t have this feature in the Dyson and a big reason why I like this brand. This removes extra founds off the already lightweight frame and makes it even more portable. Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance, tech and tools, wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.
If you’ve got carpets or a busy house that requires a regular deep clean, this is a great choice and worth the investment. Though if you’re used to a vacuum with lots of tools, you may need to invest in some of the optional extras to meet your needs. The five-year warranty is a good length and covers any non-wearable parts so long as you buy it from an authorized retailer. Shark will repair any defective shark pet hair vacuum parts or replace the vacuum if necessary, during this five year warranty, which is pretty lengthy in comparison to other warranties. Plus, there’s a good range of replacement parts available to purchase direct from Shark, these include replacement canister wheels, dust cup, wand, handle and hose assembly, and more. This makes it easy to extend the life of the vacuum if a replaceable part breaks.
Puisis also conducted an interview with Danielle Lessing, VP of Global Product Development at SharkNinja, to learn more about the features of Shark vacuums. Mary H.J. Farrell is a senior editor at Consumer Reports whose real passion is for cooking and all that entails. 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.
At under $500, this canister vacuum is cheap in comparison to some of the leading cordless vacuums, but it’s pretty pricey compared to most other canister models, so read on to see if we think it’s worth the investment. VERDICTThe Shark Canister Pet performed very well on small-to-medium size debris on both carpet and on hard flooring. If this is the extent of your cleaning needs then this machine is a pretty good choice. It also does a decent job on hair, and the self-cleaning brushroll does help to limit hair tangle but will not completely eliminate it.