With that being said, this vacuum is seriously convenient for more than just floors. Leftover popcorn from movie night found its way into the couch? If you’re like me and appreciate versatility, consider the ICONpet your new must-have – you can use this gadget on more than just floors. It’s also worth noting that Bissell started the Bissell Pet Foundation to assist animal welfare organizations.
Designed for hard flooring, it shines a green laser out onto the floor as you clean, making it easy to see dust and other small bits of debris otherwise hard to spot with the naked eye. It isn’t much help under strong indoor lighting or sunlight, but it’s still a nice, unique feature that we found helpful as we cleaned. Also interesting is the readout on the back of the vacuum, which lists the ratio of dirt collected by particle size. Our picks for the best cordless vacuums are listed below — and keep checking back, because we’ll update this list periodically whenever new models make their way through our lab.
As the company’s flagship cordless vacuum, it’s as expensive as you might expect, retailing at $ but, like its predecessor the V11, the V15 ripped through our suite of vacuum cleaner tests with ruthless competence. Sometimes big messes are unavoidable, and when you need a serious machine for larger-than-average areas, this vacuum cleaner will do the trick. With a 40-foot cleaning radius and a 2-liter dust cup, the SmartClean Canister Vacuum is made for big jobs. Not only will it stretch to the farthest corners of each room, but it can cover any surface you need with its automatic floor type recognition.
Eureka and BISSELL vacuums occupy a similar budget-friendly niche, and offerings from each brand tend to have strengths. When comparing like-for-like models, BISSELLs usually have a wider array of convenience features, while Eurekas offer superior debris pickup performance. Dyson vacuums tend to occupy a much higher price point than BISSELL’s offerings, which is reflected in generally superior performance and better build quality. That said, BISSELL’s selection of corded models is far more extensive than what Dyson offers. Tangle-free brush
Pet hair is one thing, but long (human) hair is a whole new ballgame. Bissell’s patented Tangle-Free Brush Roll is amazing and prevents hair from wrapping around the brush.
Use upright for large areas, and slide off the handheld attachment for stairs and tight spaces. If you’ve got furry friends at home, this cordless vacuum is an investment you won’t regret. The Bissell Featherweight is appropriately lightweight, weighing in at only 4 pounds. This is significantly less than other stick vacuums on the market.
BISSELL® cordless vacuums are perfect for quick pickups of everyday dirt and debris on hard floors and area rugs. Our stick vacs are lightweight and easy to maneuver throughout your home. That said, there are plenty of other perfectly capable cordless vacuums that we can recommend, too. To find them, we’ve spent countless hours bissell handheld vacuum testing the top models from brands like Shark, Bissell, Dyson, Tineco, Eureka and Samsung at the CNET Home product testing lab in Louisville, Kentucky. Specifically, we run a rigorous slate of tests to determine each cleaner’s capabilities when it comes to picking up a variety of messes on a variety of different floor types.
Large wheels on the canister make the vacuum easy to pull along as you clean, too. Credit to Dyson for pioneering the cordless vacuum category with a series of capable — yet pricey — Cyclone V series stick vacs. Many years and many models later, Dyson remains a fixture of the category in 2023, but it’s not quite as dominant in our cleaning tests as it was five or 10 years ago.
All of the cordless vacuums we tested were between 4 and 7 pounds, but none was so heavy that it affected our recommendation. All of the vacuums on this list were also very similar in height and overall size. The Dyson models are both roughly 49 inches, while the Tineco A11 is shorter at just 43 inches tall. To simulate small particle size, we use a mix of play sand and landscaping sand.
With minimal moving parts and super clear instructions, it took less than twenty minutes to put together. Bissell recommends charging the unit for four hours before using, and despite being impatient, I listened. Once the vacuum was ready to roll, I tested it on several surfaces.
This corded upright has a tangle-free brush roll and a hair spooling system in the dust cup that makes pet (and human) hair pickup — and the inevitable cleaning of the vacuum after — a breeze. It comes with three attachments, and two are specifically for tackling more pet hair messes. The sealed filtration system keeps allergens trapped inside the vacuum, which means less sniffling and sneezing. Our experts appreciate that the dust cup can be removed with the push of one button, and Febreze odor technology in the filter prevents pet odors from building in the device. It also automatically adjusts the height of the brush roll to go from carpets to bare floors and area rugs seamlessly.