Menu
When it comes to buying a new vacuum cleaner, the corded vs cordless debate is right up there with “bagged vs bagless” for most contentious topics. Corded owners tout the stronger suction and bigger capacity, while corless owners extol the lightweight, flexible style of their stick vacuums. The truth is, both sides have merit.
But there are two scenarios where a cordless vacuum cleaner really shines:
Most cordless vacuums offer great flexibility and cleaning speed, at the expense of suction power and limited total cleaning time. Indeed, even the best cordless vacuums we reviewed only have about 20-25 minutes of cleaning time on a single battery charge. That’s enough time to thoroughly clean 2-3 rooms, but definitely not enough time to clean a full house in one go. Due to the limited suction, cordless vacuums are great on flat surfaces and low-pile rugs, but not great at getting deep down into shag carpets and the like.
Cordless vacuums are also a great complement to a bigger corded vacuum in large homes. It can be a chore to lug out the 20 pound behemoth to deal with a small spill in the kitchen. Due to their thin and lightweight nature, it’s also easy to store a cordless in the corner of your pantry so it’s always on hand for these kinds of small messes.
There’s one other demographic that might benefit for a cordless vacuum:
Due to their lightweight nature and avoiding the need to bend over when changing outlets, cordless vacuums are a fantastic choice for the elderly or those with a bad back. The heaviest machine on this list is only 11 pounds, and several are under 7 pounds which means they’re all easy to move around with and take up stairs.
So if you think a cordless vacuum might be right for your needs, we’ve reviewed 5 of the most consistently top rated models on the market. It’s worth noting all these vacuums are powered by a lithium-ion battery, which delivers constant power over the life of the charge. This is critical so you don’t lose suction as the battery dwindles.
HOOVER LINX SIGNATURE STICK CORDLESS
HOOVER AIR CORDLESS
SHARK ROCKET PET PRO
DYSON V7
SHARK ION F80
Hoover dominates our list, with 2 solid cordless vacuums, each for a slightly different use cases. For a little more expensive the Shark Rocket Pet Pro is an amazing device. For a little more power, we'll also look at the Dyson V7 Cordless, and for sheer versatility we'll also see what the Shark ION F80 has to offer. Let's dive in.
The Hoover Linx Signature Stick Cordless is first on the list because it epitomizes everything we like about cordless vacuums. It’s light (10.5 pounds), sleek (9x11 inch body), and easy to move around. Above all, it makes vacuuming fun - or as fun as it can be.
Cordless vacuums are known for covering lots of ground quickly, and the Hoover Linx Signature takes this idea to the maximum. The 11.5” head has a swivel attachment that allows you to contour around furniture and reach into narrow squeezes. In addition, the ultra low recline handle leans back far enough to get almost flat, allowing you to clean under anything with about 6 inches of clearance. It handles so well, it's the vacuuming equivalent of driving a sporty coupe !
Due to the 15-20 minute battery life, the Hoover Linx Signature is a great choice for 2-3 bedroom homes with lots of hard floors and area rugs. It has a powered brushroll to loosen dirt from carpets, but it drains the battery faster and is better suited to rugs and other low pile carpeting that don't need the brushroll all the time.
That said, both the brushroll and suction are stronger than most other cordless vacuums we reviewed. It does a great job cleaning, sometimes you'll just wish it did a little bit more before needing a recharge. One other limitation is the lack of hose attachment for multi-surface cleaning, meaning the Hoover Linx Signature is limited to larger flat surfaces.
So if you want a sleek, responsive cordless stick, the Hoover Linx Signature Stick is the clear winner. It does everything you want a stick vacuum to do, and delivers a reliable deep clean that has made it a top seller for several years now.
At the start of this article, we suggested a rule that cordless vacuums are best suited for either smaller dwellings, or as a supplement to larger, corded vacuums.
This is the exception to that rule.
The Hoover Air Cordless has everything you need to do a provide a great top-to-bottom clean as a primary home vacuum. It’s the heaviest cordless on our list at almost 10 pounds, but that’s because it has a stronger motor and more on-board features than the others.
One notable feature is the extended life lithium ion battery, which can get over 40 minutes of cleaning out of one charge. And the Hoover Air Cordless comes with two extended life batteries, which means you can clean a huge amount of space on a single charge. This cordless vacuum also delivers excellent suction at normal power, but also has a variable boost setting that can double or triple suction power, at the cost of draining the battery quicker.
Perhaps most useful is the ability to convert from an upright vacuum to a portable canister with the push of a button. In canister mode, the hose and cleaning attachments have an 8ft reach, which is great for cleaning walls, upholstery, and up stairs. It also comes with a pivoting dusting attachment which is great for detailing your countertops and furniture.
All in all, the Hoover Air Cordless has all the power you’d expect from a corded vacuum, with the weight and speed of a cordless. It’s not cheap, but it has unbeatable battery life if you own a large home and are determined to use a cordless. The added versatility of the canister mode means it can handle any mess you throw at it.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro is designed to get rid of pet hair and therefore great on many surfaces. Its main tool is its brush using the amazing Dirt Engage technology wich is itself the evolution of the experienced and successful Zero M techology which is also Self Cleaning. It's 2 in 1, which means you can use it as a stick vacuum or as a handheld vacuum. The power suction is good for a vacuum so even better for a cordless vacuum.
There is two options for suction control and by squeezing a trigger you can activate the boost mode. The maximum runtime is 40 minutes using the handheld. The runtime decreases using it as a Stick, decreases more cleaning carpet. And finally in Boost mode it remains only a runtime of 10 minutes. Buying an extra battery is an option, charging the battery out of the vacuum is a possibility.
Being a solution against pet hair, the Shark Rocket Per Pro is also quite logically a nice tool against allergens. It's fully HEPA sealed wich means it has the best filtration and the accurate conception to remove most of allergens.
The abilitiy to use it with the handheld mode is another good point, no need to mention all possibilites offered by such mode.
The Shark Rocket Pet Pro is one of the best model you will find at this price. Easy to use, lightweight, optimized autonomy, portable, powerful. With the HEPA filtration and the device sealed, you don't have to worry about allergens.
Perhaps the biggest downside to cordless vacuums in general is that they lack suction power compared to vacuums that plug into a wall outlet. The three devices reviewed above do a great job for cordless vacuums, but they’re still limited in the amount of total suction they can provide.
Well, leave it to the folks at Dyson to engineer a solution.
The Dyson V7 Cordless has a powerful motor at the top of the handle that provides powerful suction whether you’re using the spinning brush bar vacuum head, or one of the handheld attachments. And while the Dyson V7 cordless is usually powerful enough in regular mode, it also has a Max mode that will literally triple the suction power to clean up any stubborn spots.
The brush bar itself sits low to the ground to both maximize suction and scrub deeper into carpet fibers. As such, the Dyson V7 Cordless is the best cordless to use if you also need to clean a lot of high pile or shag carpeting. Like the Hoover Linx it also gets moderate battery life at around 20 minutes per charge. Unlike the Linx the power is activated by holding down the handle trigger. This makes it fantastic for stop-and-go spot cleaning, but can be somewhat tedious over larger floor spaces.
As mentioned, the Dyson V7 Cordless can also detach the regular vacuum head and convert to a compact hand vacuum for above ground cleaning and detailing. It comes with a combination tool for getting into cracks and corners, and does a great job in general of picking up messes other cordless vacuums will leave behind.
The Dyson V7 is the most powerful highly-rated cordless vacuum out there. This is reflected by the high price tag typical of Dysons, but it also has the engineering and build quality Dysons are known for. The battery life makes it ideal as a powerful cleaner for a 2-bedroom or less home, or as a powerful spot tool in larger homes with children or pets.
The Shark ION F80 MultiFLEX is a great solution to clean both bare floors and carpet floors. The DuoClean technology with its dual brushes provides not only a double tool to remove different debris from different sizes but also allows the proper transiton from different floor types.
The main battery along with the two extra removable batteries allow till 80 minutes in timed high-suction mode, with carpert or stronger suction mode, the run time is of course shorter.
Lighter than the lightweight Hoovers mentioned above, the Shark ION F80, has also the MultiFLEX technology which means cleaning under furnitures, easier and storing more convenient.
The abilitiy to use it with the handheld mode is another good point, no need to mention all possibilites offered by such mode.
The Shark ION F80 is one of the best model you will find at this price. Easy to use, lightweight, good autonomy, portable powerful. If you don't need the HEPA filtration, and don't have many rooms with carpets that need professional cleaning, just go for it.
To sum up, finding the best cordless vacuum will depend on your specific needs. If you have a small apartment and want a sleek stick style, the Hoover Linx or the Shark Rocket Pet Pro are great, highly reviewed vacuums that provide a quick clean.
For larger homes, the Hoover Air Cordless Lift rules with its incredible ~45 minute battery life, while the Dyson V7 provides the most powerful suction. And lastly the Shark ION F80 is a versatile and maneuverable cleaner that's great to get to dificult points to reach and for homes with both carpet and bare floors.
So if you're ready to see how much quicker your weekly cleaning can be, try one of these cordless vacuums today!