The Best Upright and Canister Vacuums for 2023 Reviews by Wirecutter

She also took the vacuum’s specs, features, price point and ease of use to give an in-depth and accurate judgement of its value to our readers. Liam McCabe is a former senior staff writer for Wirecutter, and has covered the wild world of appliances since 2011. After testing dozens of robot vacuums, he is neither worried about AI nor holding his breath for self-driving cars. He enjoys visiting factories and learning about regulatory loopholes, and has flooded our testing area only three times. With the Shark Navigator Lift-Away guaranteed to last five years on warranty alone, the math proves that paying a little more for a vacuum cleaner will almost always save you money over time. The automatic cord-rewinding mechanism can get stuck in the not-rewound position.

Whether vacuuming carpet or hard floor, this vacuum didn’t go above 70dB, which is similar to a dishwasher or shower and pretty quiet in comparison to some other vacuums. The floorhead glides nicely shark dustbuster on all floor types and it’s easy to maneuver around obstacles. Plus when you need to stop to pick up a stray dog toy or sock, it’s helpful the floorhead and wand will stand unsupported.

Contactless delivery is available with our “Leave at my door” option. You can track your order’s progress and communicate with your shopper every step of the way using the Instacart app or website. The compact canister is built with Smooth Glide wheels to effortlessly glide behind you from room to room as you clean.

Unfortunately, Shark no longer makes this product as they are more focused with their upright and stick vacuums that have the same functionality as this canister vacuum. If you don’t want to deal with swapping in a new dirtbag now and then, consider the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball. It doesn’t offer the same level of performance as the similarly-priced Pure Suction variant of the Miele Classic C1, as it struggles with bulky debris and material embedded deep in carpets. However, you also won’t have to worry about recurring costs adding up over time, as it doesn’t use conventional disposable filters.

Click here to see the full cleaning results of the Miele Compact C1 canister vacuum. If you need a basic yet beloved vacuum that won’t break the bank, consider the Shark NV360 Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum. This model has fewer vacuum features than others, but it costs less, too.

In addition, the brush roll seems to struggle on high pile carpet and often requires stops to clear out debris. This unit is also one of the oldest in Shark’s product line, so the advanced cyclonic structure isn’t as powerful as newer models. Still, this canister vacuum is formidable in the home and deserves recognition as the only true Shark canister product. Shark vacuum cleaners have quickly become mainstays in the home appliance world for their revolutionary upright bagless design. Shark vacuum cleaners have been known to compete with the likes of Dyson and other premium brands at the cost of a budget vacuum cleaner. While the Shark brand has been somewhat quiet when it comes to canister vacuums, they do offer several products that appeal to those who enjoy the effective all-surface cleaning capabilities of a canister model.

It feels sturdy and well made, the floorhead in particular is far better quality than we see on most canister vacuums. The dual brushroll configuration makes it a robust cleaner that’s designed to clean deep into carpets, without damaging hard floors. Since the cleaning head is relatively narrow and the body is top-heavy, this machine does fall over more easily than some other vacuum cleaners do. If you find tipping to be a constant problem, you can lift away the main assembly and set it on the floor for a sturdier base. Some of our staff testers disliked having to use the clips to take off the dust cup. Canisters often come only with air-turbine-powered brushroll tools, though, which means that the flow of air spins a turbine that powers the brushroll.

shark canister vacuum

But our testing has indicated that for up to $200, you can snag a vacuum that’s highly reviewed, comes with useful accessories, and has enough power to suction up big debris. We love our pets dearly, but there’s always going to be a trail of fur left in their paths — which calls for a great vacuum that can clean up after them. The Samsung Jet 75 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaner worked tirelessly to scoop up pet hair across all surfaces, from tile to high-pile carpets, leaving only a clean space in its wake. Although this vacuum did struggle a bit cleaning hardwoods, it was very efficient at cleaning carpets. It cleaned about 99% of debris from the low pile carpet and 100% of debris from the high pile carpet .

It took us less than five minutes to get this robot vac going after removing it from the box. This short time period includes downloading the app and setting up the vacuum’s cleaning schedule on our phones. This small canister handheld operates much like a Lift-Away product in Lift-Away mode, making it easy to clean debris off of countertops and in the car. The lightweight design and simple attachment setup are both handy, but no brush roll or floor cleaning solutions limits this product from being an all-surface cleaning appliance. The Shark Rotator Powered Lift Away NR96 is a good alternative to the Dyson Canister vacuum that costs hundreds more. One advantage this vacuum has is it equipped with a motorized brush, so it will do better on carpet.

We selected the Kenmore Pet-Friendly Pop-N-Go Canister Vacuum as the best overall vacuum for pet hair because it earned perfect scores for its effectiveness, maneuverability, and ease of use. Handily stores the Combination shark dustbuster and Crevice tools on the wand of your vacuum. Two tools in one – nozzle and brush, for precise cleaning in hard-to-reach narrow spaces. Soft nylon and anti-static carbon fiber filaments capture dust from hard floors.