Best Vacuum Cleaner in 2020 (September Reviews)
When choosing the best vacuum cleaners for your home, we narrowed down our top picks based on the following factors: suction power, brushes for a variety of floors types (carpet in particular but also bare floors as well), bag vs canister, warranties and over course customer sentiment. We also included some robotic options and some of the most trusted brands that have proven to work for an extended period of time with no loss of suction or efficacy.
This is why our top pick is the Shark Navigator, a model that combines lightweight maneuverability with power. It’s also easily convertible into a hose-based handheld model for hard-to-reach places, while retaining its spacious 2.2-quart debris canister. That makes this vac ideal for the average home – but make sure to check out our other big picks for other vacuum solutions!
Top 7 Best Vacuum Cleaners
#1 Shark Navigator Vacuum Cleaner
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This Shark is an amazing upright vacuum with top-notch filtration and an incredibly useful handheld conversion feature. It’s the best pick for tackling every mess a house has to offer.
Read Full Review: Shark Navigator Vacuum Cleaner Review
- Best upright & HEPA filtration
- Conversion to handheld model
- 2.2-quart canister
- Handheld version is a little awkward
The best upright vacuum we’ve found, the 13.7-pound Navigator is especially easy to handle, with “swivel steering” that allows it to go nearly anywhere with just a twist, and a brush roll shut-off options for more delicate floors. It carries a canister with 2.2 quarts of space (more than most) and an excellent HEPA filter for trapping almost all the dust the vac brings in. Everything about this vac is designed for great performance in the home.
It’s also a convertible model: You can remove the canister and hose at any time for a handheld option that makes it much easier to reach high surfaces in the middle of vacuuming. With all these capabilities, there’s not much the Navigator can’t handle, making it the best upright vacuum cleaner we’ve found. Speaking of a clean floor, the best carpet cleaner detergent is a must.
#2 Eureka PowerSpeed Lite Vacuum Cleaner
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This adjustable vac can be prepped for any type of surface (5 height adjustment), and comes with accessories to manage any situation – while still being lightweight. We especially like the extra large 4.1L capacity of this model, making it easier to clean the whole house in one session.
Read Full Review: Eureka PowerSpeed Lite Review
- Best on a budget
- 5 adjustable heights
- Lightweight 10 pound vac
- Lacks the power of other picks
With five height adjustables, this upright can be adjusted for all kinds of surfaces, making it the best vacuum cleaner for hardwood or stone floors – and the smooth wheels ensure there’s no danger of scratches. Despites being a very light 10 pounds, the vac also includes a variety of accessories including a dusting brush with a 7-inch reach (nice for drapes), fabric tool, and more.
The canister on this vac is also one of the largest on our list at 4.1 liters, easily enough to deal with a room’s worth of dust. And thanks to the 12.6-inch width brush head, you can clean flat spaces quickly while still trapping dirt. The 25-foot cord can also easily handle even larger rooms around your home. You may also want the best carpet cleaner for your floors.
#3 Bissell Cleanview Vacuum Cleaner
Award: BEST EXTRA WIDE CLEANING PATH
WHY WE LIKE IT: This affordable vacuum cleaner includes technology for picking more debris up in one pass, and plenty of on-board accessories for different projects. Add in the extra-wide cleaning path, and it’s one of the best vacs for getting projects done quickly.
Read Full Review: Bissell Cleanview Review
- Easy to empty canister
- Wide 13.5-inch cleaning path
- Great onboard accessories
- Capacity is a bit low at 1 liter
- One of the heavier vacs on our list
One of the best bagless vacuum cleaner models around, the Cleanview is full of special features to make vacuuming easier on you. The “OnePass” design focuses on excellent suction to average dirt gets picked up easily. The “Scatter Free” tech makes it easier to trap debris on flat surfaces, too. It also has a particularly large 13.5-inch cleaning path to get jobs done more quickly.
On board, you’ll also find a number of handy tools stored away (4 in total), including a crevice tool, a dusting brush, and even a “turbobrush” for tougher furniture messes. The multi-level filtration system isn’t HEPA, but it does help trap more dust and is easily washable between projects. The best floor cleaner keeps your home healthier.
#4 Dyson Animal 2 Vacuum Cleaner
Award: BEST FOR PET HAIR
WHY WE LIKE IT: Dyson designed this vacuum to be one of the best vacuum cleaners for pet hair, with incredibly powerful suction and a dedicated turbine tool for pet hair. Pet owners and everyone else looking for fast results will love this vac.
Read Full Review: Dyson Animal 2 Review
- Best power and suction
- Self-adjusting cleaner head
- HEPA filtration
- Not everyone needs this much power
If you’re looking for sheer power, this Dyson vacuum cleaner will provide all the suction you need, with a self-adjusting head that can immediately adapt to any surface, including carpet, wood, and tile. The Animal 2 is well named, too: The excellent turbine tool is designed to pick up pet hair without getting into tangles, and the HEPA-like filtration and sealing trap pet allergens effectively.
Dyson’s trademark ball-shaped design keeps vacuum very mobile too, which is great for cleaning dust bunnies around chairs and other obstacles.. The half-gallon canister can hold all kinds of debris, and offers quick one-click emptying over a trash can so you can get back to work. This and the best mop make a home clean.
#5 Hoover Linx Vacuum Cleaner
Award: BEST CORDLESS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This cordless vac with a low profile can fit nearly anywhere and saves a ton of time on smaller cleaning projects. It’s the ideal choice for those with smaller homes!
Read Full Review: Hoover Linx Review
- Lightweight & low-profile
- Easy-read battery meter
- Lightweight
- Battery life is short
- 10 pounds is heavy for a cordless vac
One of the best cordless vacuums we’ve reviewed, the Lynx better range and convenience. Plus, models like this Linx pick have extra-low profiles for getting around objects. The vac functions with a removable lithium-ion battery that you charge between projects. There’s a battery meter right on the front of the vac to let you know how much charge is left: To make the most of the battery charge, Hoover has what it calls “Windfunnel” technology, which is a tightly sealed, well-designed containment system designed to increase suction so you’re ready for bigger messes.
Of course, a cordless vacuum is dependent on its battery for performance, which means they are designed for faster cleaning of smaller areas. The Lynx battery only lasts 15 minutes or so before needing a recharge, so be prepared to be speedy. Pet homes will want the best pet vacuum.
#6 Anker Eufy RoboVac Vacuum Cleaner
Award: BEST FOR AUTO CLEANING
WHY WE LIKE IT: This affordable robot vac is smart enough to clean a whole room, adjust power based on the surface, and avoid falls. It’s the smart vac helper that your house has been waiting for!
Read Full Review: Anker Eufy RoboVac Review
- Up to 100 minutes per charge
- Automatic power adjustments
- Triple filtration
- Can’t fully replace manual vacuuming
If you want a robot vac to help keep your house faithfully clean, this model is one of the best choices for the average homeowner. far more affordable than the average robot vac but still loaded with smart features.
The vac can clean for up to 100 minutes on the average hardware floor before needing to recharge, using four side brushes and suction power to get rid of messes. If it detect debris that needs extra handling, it can increase suction for a couple of seconds to get rid of it, or adjust suction when moving onto carpet. The slim design is also great for getting under furniture.
#7 Oreck Commercial Vacuum Cleaner
Award: BEST FOR CARPET
WHY WE LIKE IT: This bagged vacuum has an excellent brushroll for digging down into carpet, and the bagged design means you don’t have to stop to empty any canisters. It’s an especially great choice for larger areas and multi floor homes thanks to its lightweight build that doesn’t compromise on suction.
Read Full Review: Oreck Commercial Review
- Lightweight, so great for multi-floor homes
- Auto-adjust for height
- Excellent suction
- Higher profile than other picks
- Bagged vacs aren’t for everyone
Bagged vacuums aren’t as common these days, but these Oreck vac shows just how useful they can still be. The bag makes it easy to clean without worrying about scattering dust or frequently emptying canisters. Plus, the double helix brushes and powerful brush roll action are ideal for dealing with dirty carpets. If you need to switch to hard surfaces, the vac will automatically adjust to the new height.
At 9 pounds, it’s also the lightest bagged vacuum we’ve ever seen. The 35-foot cord is also one of the longest we’ve seen, which is one reason this vac is good at cleaning larger commercial spaces. But it can still be a great fit for the average home, too!
How We Decided
If a vacuum cleaner doesn’t perform well, what’s the use? Our primary concern during reviewing was suction and dust retrieval – how well a vacuum does its job. Powerful suction from well designed motors and airtight canisters – or bags – is required to get on our list. Enough power to quickly clean up larger bits (like dog food) and harder messess (like matted hair) is important, so our first look for performance.
The best vacuums will offer additional tools and accessories that support and maintain an optimal standard. However, performance still needs to be properly balanced by other features, or you get a vacuum that’s too heavy to lift and use. So we also focused on features that made the vacuum cleaner move more easily. Low weight models, low profiles, stick vacs, convertible vacs, and models with useful attachments all helped here. In addition to maneuverability, the best canister vacuum models are also easy to quickly empty so you can get back to cleaning.. Cordless models are good at this, but we also took into account their reliance on battery power. The ideal vacuum will perform well on a variety of floor types. If you have hardwood or tile floors, then vacuums that automatically adjust height or have numerous height settings are important, although with wheels designed to not leave scratches behind.
Finally, we award extra points for particular useful features. A HEPA filter, for example, makes a vacuum much better at controlling allergies. Or smart features that allow for remote control of a robot vac adds another dimension of usefulness. For more expensive vacuums like our Dyson pick, great customer service for the next several years is also important to protect your investment. For a full list of features, you should be thinking about, check below!
Best Vacuum Cleaners Buyer’s Guide
The Most Important Features to Consider
- Suction Power
High suction power is always a good thing to look for in a vacuum cleaner. However, telling if a vacuum has great suction is difficult unless you’re running some tests. Unfortunately, there’s no widely agreed upon standard or spec for describing suction power. You can look at wattage, as higher wattage often means higher suction, but this is not a guarantee. You can also look for power modes or extra suction modes, which are a nice feature. Sometimes vacs provide their “Pa” or Pascal pressure rating, but this is relatively rare. - Corded or Cordless
Corded vacuum cleaners are a pain to use, but provide more reliable performance over time. Cordless stick vacuum cleaners are easy to use and very lightweight, but usually only provide 20 minutes or so of full suction, falling off quickly after that. Cordless models are typically suited for smaller spaces or smaller cleaning needs…or people who don’t mind emptying and recharging more frequently. - Maneuverability
Maneuverability refers to how easy the vacuum cleaner gets around things – a low profile and easily rotating head are very important factors here. You want a vacuum that can easily get under the sofa, into corners, and around table legs. Weight is also key – the lighter a vacuum is, the easier it is to use. - Canister Size
The bigger the canister, the longer you are able to go without emptying it. A liter to a half gallon canister is fairly normal for lighter, more manageable vacuums. The best canisters can hold a gallon or so of debris before needing to be emptied. A good canister is also easy to empty quickly into the trash and replace. - Filtration
A good vacuum cleaner will usually have a filter, maybe two, to help trap dust more effectively. Great filtration vacuums will use high-quality filters that approach HEPA standards and filter out lots of allergens while they work. - Attachments
Attachments like brushes and narrow nozzles are great for cleaning curtains or deep sections of furniture. They are also connected to hoses and make it easy to get up to high shelves and similar surfaces. However, they can also weigh a vacuum cleaner down a lot. An alternative is a cordless vac that can dismantle immediately into a handheld vacuum for furniture, curtains, and similar projects. Both have their advantages. - Cleaning Path
Cleaning path is the spec that describes how wide an area the vacuum can clean in one pass – how wide the vacuum head is. 10 to 13-inch cleaning paths can be found on many vacuums. This spec is particularly important if you have a lot of square feet to clean – like a large open carpet area in the living room – and want to get it over with as quickly as possible.
Vacuum Cleaners FAQs
Which Vacuum Has the Best Suction?
Suction can vary greatly depending on design. The motor, how airtight the vacuum is, whether or not you are using a hose, how large the vacuum head is...these all make a big difference. For cordless vacuums, the battery power is also a key factor. So it’s impossible to point at any particular vacuum and say it’s the “best.” But if you are choosing a brand strictly for suction, Dyson has built its reputation on superior design that provides as much suction power as possible.Is Shark Better Than Dyson
Dyson vacuums have the best design and performance of any brand, easily. But that doesn’t make it the best choice in every situation. While Dyson performance is incredible, their vacuums are also the most expensive, and often out of reach for the average home improvement budget. Also, that performance requires Dyson models to be heavier than Shark, which makes them harder to move around until you get to the smaller cordless versions. Shark, meanwhile, tends to make vacuum cleaners that are more affordable and easier to move, often the best vacuum cleaner for home use unless extra power is needed.Are Stick Vacuums As Good As Uprights?
A “stick” vacuum is typically considered to be a version of an upright that’s highly portable, and often able to detach into a smaller handheld vacuum when necessary. They are also much more likely to be cordless, which is a huge benefit in smaller living spaces. However, uprights do tend to produce more suction, have more reliable performance without batteries, and have a lot more space to store debris, whereas stick vacuums tend to have small canisters. It’s all about what you need for your own situation.Are Bagged Vacuums Better?
Not better, but they do have a couple unique advantages. A bagged vacuum traps all debris inside a replaceable paper bag. This is generally very good for dust retention when compared to vacuums at similar price ranges. It also means you don’t have to worry about emptying out canisters. However, you do need to always have a store of spare bags for replacing old versions, and it’s very difficult to find any items that have been sucked up by a bagged vacuum. The lightweight, speedy nature of bagless vacuums is the main reason that bagged vacuums have largely been replaced inside the home.Browse Our Vacuum Cleaner Buyer Guides
Latest Vacuum Cleaner Reviews & Buyer Guides
Learn More About Vacuum Cleaners
The best vacuum cleaners are essential gadgets for the modern homeowner, and Gadget Review helps you narrow down your choice with our vacuum cleaner reviews so that you can buy for your needs. Check out our appliance reviews and comparisons of upright, canister, stick, and handheld vacuums. Read vacuum cleaner reviews to find out about their features - which should you take home to clean your carpeted floors? Which type is ideal for vacuuming hard floor and upholstery? How long does a battery-operated cordless vacuum cleaner last on a single charge?
Hardwood Or Carpet?
When it's time to buy a new vacuum cleaner, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Do you have mostly hardwood floors? If your home is mostly hardwood, you will want to look at hardwood floor vacuums. A vacuum for hardwood floors specializes in this floor type. If you have mostly rugs you'll want carpet cleaners with good bristles and suction power for deep cleaning. Vacuums for carpet cleaning are the most powerful, generally speaking. A vacuum for hardwoods is powerful but gentler.
Robotic Vacuums
If you are looking at a robotic vacuum cleaner for your smart home, consider how long the battery lasts on a single charge, as running times vary. Choose one that has enough battery life to clean your home. The larger the home, the more your robot vacuum cleaner will be running.
Consider how many floors you need to be cleaned as some robot vacuums can hold floor plans for multi floor use.
Handhelds
Battery life is also important when considering a cordless handheld vacuum. Cordless handhelds are convenient for cleaning up small messes quickly. They make great car vacuums.
Filters
Choosing a vacuum with the proper filter is especially important if you have allergies or other respiratory ailments. If that is the case, HEPA filters are the best since they filter out the largest amount of allergens and other particles. These are helpful for everyone, but especially those with an animal allergy. They are considered to be the best filtration system. Chances are that your air purifier uses one too.
Pet Hair
If you have pets a pet hair vacuum is a must. If it specializes in pet hair, your vacuum cleaning is going to be much more productive. A vacuum for pet hair just makes life easier for animal lovers.
Ease Of Use
When choosing a vacuum cleaner, make sure that it is comfortable to use and easy to maneuver around your home. It should also be light enough to use easily. Lightweight vacuums make floor cleaning faster and less strenuous.
Bags or Canisters?
Whether you want a vacuum that uses bags or a container model where you have to empty the canister will depend on your lifestyle. Bagless upright vacuums are less wasteful, but those with bags have to be emptied less often. The happy medium for many users is to use a bagged canister vacuum.
Prices Of Vacuums
A good vacuum can range in price from as low as $30 to as high as thousands, so how do you know what is a good price? The price that you pay should be based on performance, features, and ease of use. Most consumers can get a top pick vacuum for between $100 and $1000. Remember, with a cheap vacuum, you get what you pay for.
Every modern homemaker needs the best vacuum cleaner today. We at Gadget Review will help you make your choice through our vacuum cleaner reviews, Dyson vacuum reviews and reviews on other appliances like lawnmowers, solar panels, and washing machines so that you buy what you need and want.
Look at our vacuum cleaner reviews and a comparison chart of an upright vacuum, canister vacuums, robot vacuum, ecovacs deebot and hand vacuum. Our vacuum cleaner reviews tell you about all its features and which is the best option for things like deep cleaning carpeted floors, vacuuming bare hardwood floors and upholstery, and if it has powerful suction.
It also mentions how long battery-operated cordless stick vacuum cleaners and handheld vacuums last on a single charge. The best vacuum cleaners today are great at removing dust and allergens, and pet hair due to their strong suction, and have easy to clean filters.
Vacuum cleaners having motorized brushes, brush roll and crevice tool which improve a vacuumed rug or carpet looks by efficiently removing dirt and debris. Our reviews are based on the vacuum cleaners’ noise levels, bagless vacuums, maneuverability, power suction, HEPA filter, dust cup and compliance and portability.
Stay with Gadget Review to keep yourself updated about the latest and newest vacuum cleaners from brands like SEBA, Dyson, Hoover, Miele, and Shark and irobot Roomba.