The wand can be essentially folded in half reducing the height of the vacuum. At about 17 lbs we’d have to say the vacuum isn’t really lightweight, however the canister is pulled along on wheels so you don’t feel the full weight of the machine when vacuuming. But if you lift the entire vacuum (carrying it up stairs for example) you will feel that the unit is not particularly light. It would have been nice if there was also some kind of dusting brush (something with soft bristles). Several Wirecutter staffers who own or have used Miele canister vacuums note that they can be unwieldy in small apartments, and their bulbous shape can make them difficult to store. Writers Sarah Bogdan and Liam McCabe conducted research and testing for this guide.
And even a perfectly sealed bagless vacuum cleaner will eject a bunch of dust whenever you empty it. Any vacuum cleaner is fine for pet owners, but a motorized brush head can be really useful on certain types of carpets and upholstery. But they’re often more or less the same as any non-pet vacuum cleaner, just with an additional mini-brush tool for tackling pet hair that’s clinging to upholstery. Plenty of non-pet vacuums have that tool, too, including many variants of the Shark Navigator, so you don’t need to go out of your way to find a vacuum cleaner marketed to pet owners. That said, we have some thoughts on how to stop tufts of pet hair from piling up on your floors.
Another complaint regarding the hose is that the stiffness limits its mobility, and it doesn’t extend far enough to reach places that are high up. Other reviewers point out that the clips attaching the dust cup to the rest of the main assembly can break off after a couple years’ use, particularly if you carry the assembly by the handle in lift-away mode. shark dustbuster Praised by nearly everyone as excellent, this nimble canister vacuum works on any kind of flooring, runs quiet, and should last for decades. This model is great for those with asthma and allergies, but it requires bags. The low-profile head of a canister vacuum’s pickup tool fits under furniture, and the lower weight makes tight corners less tiring.
Easily customize suction levels, switch between floor types, and more with the LED Smart Display. Smooth Glide wheels rotate 360 degrees, so the canister can glide behind you wherever you clean. We didn’t get to hear the Lift-Around powered on, but we’ll measure noise output as soon as we can get one in our lab. While the flexibility of the wand may be an asset, we did find the overall weight and bulk of the wand to be a little off-putting. We were hoping for a more lightweight and perhaps even telescopic device. But the wand is rather heavy and bulky, and it cannot be expanded or collapsed.
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best vacuums with a canister design. We don’t just base our results on overall performance but also factors like availability, price, and reader feedback. Mary H.J. Farrell is a senior editor at Consumer Reports whose real passion is for cooking and all that entails.
Any other models in the Shark NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuums as the NV352. Performance is nearly identical, and the only differences are minor—their tool sets, bin sizes, colors, and button placements. We’ve found that the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe V360 is currently the easiest shark robotic vacuums to nab for a good deal, so start there. When you’ve got a complete line of accessory tools, it’s important that the vacuum provides a good place to keep them all. Fortunately Kenmore did just that with the Elite, so you don’t have to hunt in your closet for missing tools when it’s time to clean your blinds.
Bissell has aimed squarely at the budget vacuum target, and hit the mark. For bare floors and cleaning tight spots, this is a tool that will get the job done efficiently. The agility of Shark’s motorized brush head makes steering with one hand no problem, but if you’ve got a large room to cover you’ll definitely want to use upright mode most of the time.
It doesn’t have the filter or carpet-cleaning prowess of other vacuums, but it has plenty of power for the price. The biggest advantage of a canister vacuum is the long reach offered by the hose, but compared to the best upright vacuums or stick vacuums, that’s also a downside when you need to put it in the closet. As a consolation, most of these canister vacuums offer collapsing wands and retracting power cords to keep the storage as simple as possible. Against the tougher competition of bagged canister vacuums, the Apex let more fine dust into the air than Kenmore’s top-of-the-line sealed bag system did. The difference is only about 20%, and the Shark captured more large dust particles, so we’re happy with this performance considering the other advantages of the system.