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. If you want a top-class canister vacuum with great suction power and a versatile cleaning head that will handle both carpet and bare floors, the Kenmore – Elite Crossover is our choice. Shark vacuums are popular among consumers for their powerful suction and versatile cleaning capabilities. The brand has a wide range of models to choose from, each designed for specific cleaning needs. These include corded, cordless stick, upright, and robot vacuum models. As with any canister vacuum, attachments are what can make or break a product regardless of how powerful the suction is or how large the included bin may be.
Senior editor Harry Sawyers mostly uses a cordless vacuum cleaner at home, but he whips out the Shark when he needs a deeper clean on his rugs. If you’re willing to upgrade to a vacuum that can clean the heck out of your home and last for decades, buy a Miele C3 canister vacuum cleaner. Every industry expert we’ve spoken with (even one shark pet hair vacuum from a competing brand!) has told us that these are excellent vacuum cleaners, and a few technicians have said they’re simply the best you can buy. The cleaning performance is impressive, and the vacuums feel great to use. The filtration is excellent, which is good for everyone, but especially great for people with asthma or allergies.
You should clean your vacuum whenever you notice any weird smells or feel like it might be clogged, but once a month is a good rule of thumb. The only thing we’d change about this vacuum is its battery life, which is listed as 40 minutes in the manufacturer’s description. During testing we found that after about 12 minutes of operation, it had less than 50% of its battery life remaining. We’d recommend only using this vacuum for short cleaning stints, not whole-house cleaning, since you’ll need to recharge it frequently. We also liked that the Shark Navigator vacuum has an extendable hose for added flexibility as you clean. According to the manufacturer, the hose extends up to 12 feet away from the vacuum, so you’ll be able to clean staircases, overhead shelves, and more with ease.
We held the phone up to our ears while vacuuming medium-pile carpeting and then a concrete floor. Plug-in vacuums have an unlimited run time, so they can work in homes of all sizes. If you have a home that’s larger than 2,200 square feet—the average size of a new shark canister vacuum home in the US—a plug-in will almost always be the best choice. That being said, cordless-vac run times are now almost long enough that a battery is no longer a limitation, depending on the size of your home and whether you want to vacuum the whole thing at once.
Though the Dyson V15 Detect vacuum is the most expensive vacuum for pet hair on this list, it’s worth the splurge because of its lightweight design and the suite of impressive attachments it comes with. We also ran the vacuums through an obstacle course to see how well they maneuvered around furniture, under tables, and into tight corners. We used these insights to create our complete list of the best vacuums for pet hair. Vacuums are one of those household items that usually require an upfront investment, which is why this under-$100 DirtDevil is something to write home about. The Versa Cordless 3-in-1 Stick Vac is a powerful machine, gliding around any type of flooring effortlessly. Its lightweight frame and cordless design helps you get into every corner without having to switch a cord to a closer socket.
We found that the Shark Navigator Swivel Pro Complete Upright Vacuum was incredibly straightforward to put together out of the box, with everything sliding together in just three minutes. No matter what surface we ran the vacuum over — including hardwood floors and low-, medium-, and high-pile carpets — it was a breeze to maneuver, effortlessly gliding across even the thickest of rugs. The vacuum has multiple settings for carpets and hardwood floors, which made it seamless to switch between the two surfaces. After days of testing, this vacuum was a clear standout, picking up top scores in nearly every category. Shark has made a product that’s not only easy to use but also powerful enough to effortlessly suck up stubborn particles like pet hair and cereal in one pass.
On bare floors, we put down the same dirt as well as cereal and tested for scatter and efficient pick up of the biggest pieces. Given how well our stick vacuum and upright vacuum review winners handle the same situations a canister excels in, we settled on a high-but-comparable $450 price maximum as a first criteria. This eliminated even the least-expensive Miele models with a power head, like the $700 Compact C2 Electro+. Electrolux includes a turbine-powered carpet head with this model, and that was also a disappointment. It’s incredibly loud, and stalls out quickly on anything thicker than tight-knit carpet like Berber.
Working well one heavy pile-carpets with all kinds of fibers, it has a very convenient lift-away function. We’ve looked at several Oreck upright vacuums in the past and we’ve run into some pretty good machines – some even made our list of best upright vacuums. So we wanted to see what Oreck was doing with respect to canister… The Electrolux UltraFlex EL4335A has been getting some good consumer ratings. This bagless canister vacuum has a washable HEPA filter and a sealed system which make it ideal for those suffering from allergies or asthma. Miele makes a great bagged canister vacuum but can they build a good bagless machine?