Looking for a cordless vacuum but overwhelmed by the choices?
In this article, we’ll give you our top six picks to help you to decide which one is best for your home.
We tested dozens of vacuums cleaner from top brands like Miele, Dyson, Bissell, Shark and Moosoo.
While using each one, we kept in mind important factors like convenience, performance, noise level, battery life, and budget.
Let’s jump right in!
Table of Contents
Miele Triflex HX1
First up is the Miele Triflex HX1, which ranges in price between $499 and $799, depending on the model.
This innovative new cordless vacuum is our pick for best overall because it checks the boxes in all the areas where it counts.
Convenience
One of our favorite things about this lightweight model is that you can take each piece apart and rearrange them to change the weight distribution.
This is a huge perk because it allows you to comfortably clean your entire home – even those hard to reach spaces.
Another huge convenience is that the Miele Triflex stands up on its own. You also don’t have to hold the trigger down while you clean, which saves your fingers from cramping up during deep cleans.
In terms of convenience, the Miele Triflex gets a five out of five.
Performance
But don’t let the fact that it’s lightweight fool you. The Triflex is a beast on all types of flooring, including high-pile shag carpets.
It is ss easy to move the Triflex between different types of flooring. This is thanks to Miele’s automatic surface detection, which allows the Triflex to automatically change the amount of suction that’s being used.
This vacuum is also great for households with allergy concerns. The Pro and Cat and Dog models both come equipped with HEPA filters, which pick up 99.999 percent of small particles and allergens. Even the entry-level Triflex eliminates 99.98 percent of these particles.
For all of these reasons, we’re giving the Triflex a five out of five for performance.
Noise
But what about noise level? When operating on the lowest setting, the Triflex’s hum registers at about 70 decibels, which is similar to many of the other models we’ll talk about.
However, the Triflex operates at a much lower frequency, making the noise level seem a lot quieter than its competitors.
In this category, the Miele Triflex gets another five out of five.
Battery Life
And of course, we can’t forget about battery life. The Triflex gets a whopping 60 minutes of battery life per charge. This is an unheard of run time for a cordless vacuum.
The pro model also comes with a second replaceable battery, giving this model a total runtime of 120 minutes.
For battery life, we’re giving the Triflex a 5 out of 5.
Value
Although the Triflex has a higher price point than other models on the market, Miele products are high-quality and built to last.
When taking that into consideration, the Miele Triflex gets one final five out of five rating.
Overall, the Miele Triflex earned a perfect collective score of 25 out of 25, living up to its title of best overall.
Dyson v11 Torque Drive
Next up, we have the Dyson v11 Torque Drive, which our staff named the best capacity, and starts at $599.
Convenience
The v11 Torque Drive is without a doubt Dyson’s best vacuum to date. This vacuum is lightweight and agile, meaning you can easily clean your whole house without putting any strain on your arms.
However, the v11 isn’t freestanding, which is a major bummer. After using the Miele Triflex, it’s easy to see what a huge perk it is to have a vacuum that’s able to stand up on its own.
Another minor inconvenience is that you do have to hold down the trigger to keep this vacuum moving.
For these reasons, we’re giving the Torque Drive a four out of five for convenience.
Performance
In terms of performance, the Torque Drive is right up there with the Miele Triflex. It works great on different types of flooring and has automatic surface detection.
It also has both a sealed system and a HEPA filter, making it a must-have for those with allergies or asthma.
For performance, the Dyson v11 Torque Drive gets a five out of five.
Noise
Like the Triflex, the v11 Torque Drive measures about 70 decibels when placed in eco-mode.
However, because of its higher frequency, this model sounds more like a dental drill than a vacuum.
So in terms of noise, the v11 gets a three out of five.
Battery Life
The Torque Drive also has an impressive 60 minutes of runtime, which is doubled with the addition of a second replaceable battery.
The coolest thing about this Dyson model is the LCD screen on the top, which gives a real-time reading of the battery levels based on what type of surface the vacuum is being used on.
For this nice bonus, combined with the 60 minutes of runtime, the v11 Torque Drive gets a five out of five.
Value
Although this vacuum works great, it’s much more expensive than similar models from other manufacturers, with a price of $599.
But is it worth the money? In 2019, Dyson’s stick vacuums were actually stripped of their Consumer Reports recommendation. This is because owners reported significant problems with their models within five years of purchase.
These vacuums were not lasting as long as they should, which is not something you want to hear when investing in a vacuum.
Because of this, we’re giving the Torque Drive a three out of five in the value category.
Overall, the Dyson v11 Torque Drive earned a collective score of 20 out of 25.
Dyson v8 Animal
Staying within the Dyson family, our third pick is the Dyson v8 Animal, which sells for $399.
The Dyson v8 Animal is our pick for best spot vacuum.
Convenience
The v8 is agile and easy to move around your home. However, like the v11, it isn’t freestanding and requires the user to hold the trigger down while cleaning.
It’s also a little more top heavy than the v11, which means your arms will get tired pretty quickly.
Because of these factors, we’re giving the Dyson v8 Animal a three out of five for convenience.
Performance
Like the v11, the v8 Animal does pretty well on different surfaces. One downfall, though, is that it has a tough time going from hardwood flooring to area rugs.
You can also feel the difference between the v11 and v8 when working on carpeting, because the v11 has much better suction power than the v8.
We did like that the cleaning head swivels from side to side, which makes it really easy to clean under and around furniture.
Taking all of this into consideration, the v8 earns a four out of five in the performance category.
Noise
The Dyson v8 Animal is a bit louder than the v11 Torque, hovering a little over 70 decibels.
The v8 Animal has a high sound frequency, making the vacuum seem louder than it really is.
For this reason, the Dyson v8 Animal gets a three out of five.
Battery Life
Let’s move on to the battery. The v8 has a shorter runtime at only 40 minutes per charge. This is pretty decent for a cordless vacuum, even though it seems short compared to the other models we’ve already mentioned.
Because we believe this vacuum is used best for spot cleaning, 40 minutes is enough battery life to get the job done.
So for that, the v8 gets a four out of five for battery life.
Value
And finally, let’s talk about price. The v8 retails for about $200 less than the Dyson v11. For a Dyson vacuum, this is a great price.
But because of the fact that owners have reported a shorter than average lifespan for their Dyson cordless models, we’ll give the v11 a three out of five for value.
Overall, the Dyson v8 earned a cumulative score of 17 out of 25.
Bissell ICONPet
Next up, we have the Bissell ICONPet, which retails at $199, making it our pick for the best value cordless vacuum.
As its name suggests, this cordless model is perfect for households with pets.
Convenience
The Bissell ICONPet has a bunch of cool features for convenience. A big perk of this vacuum is that you don’t have to hold a trigger down to make it run.
Another bonus is that the cleaning head comes with LED lights, which help to make sure you didn’t miss any pet hair or debris.
However, like the Dyson models, the Bissell ICONPet doesn’t stand up on its own, which means you’ll have to put it back on the wall mount between uses.
Taking all of this into consideration, we’re giving the Bissell ICONPet a four out of five for convenience.
Performance
This vacuum is best for hard flooring and low-pile carpets. It’s designed to be a spot vacuum for kitchens, so you can expect this model to have a bit more trouble on high-pile, shag carpets.
But if you have a home with mostly hard or low-pile flooring, the ICONPet is a great option.
This vacuum doesn’t have a HEPA filter, but it does have a sealed filtration system called the Smart Seal Allergen System.
In terms of performance, the Bissell ICONPet gets a three out of five.
Noise
Like many of the other vacuums we’ve already talked about, the Bissell has a noise level of about 70 decibels.
The frequency of the sound is relatively low compared to similar vacuums, so we’re giving this model a four out of five for noise.
Battery Life
Let’s talk battery life. When placed in low power mode, the battery gets up to 55 minutes of life, which is pretty impressive compared to most other cordless vacuums.
However, this model only gets up to 18 minutes of battery life on high power, making it inconvenient for cleaning large spaces. The battery is not replaceable, so you’ll have to let it fully charge before each use.
For these reasons, we’re giving the Bissell ICONPet a three out of five in this category.
Value
Because the ICONPet was designed to be a spot vacuum, the price is consistent with the value.
Bissell also does extensive product testing and offers a number of warranties to its customers, to allow you to get the best bang for your buck.
For this, the ICONPet gets a five out of five for value.
Overall, the Bissell IconPet gets a total score of 19 out of 25.
Shark ION
Next up we have the Shark ION F80, which we voted as having the best battery, and retails for $399.
Convenience
This model is a little heavier than the other cordless vacuums we tested. Overall, it’s more clunky and awkward than the lightweight options.
If you want to give your hands a break while cleaning, the Shark is great because you don’t need to hold down a trigger in order to vacuum your floors.
A unique feature of the ION F80 is that it folds in half to make storage easier. When the vacuum is positioned like this, it’s able to stand up on its own.
This feature also allows you to vacuum under sofas and chairs without having to bend over. But because this vacuum is a little awkward to carry around, we’re giving the Shark ION F80 a three out of five for convenience.
Performance
But what about performance? The ION F80 features Shark’s signature DuoClean technology. This means the floorhead has two brushrolls that work together to remove both large and small debris from hard floors and carpets.
One drawback is that when you use the Shark on high-pile carpets, it seems to take on a life of its own. This is because the F80 is self-propelling and pulls itself through the carpet, making it harder to control.
In practice, we found many of the other options on our list ro be easier to use.
For this, the Shark gets a three out of five for performance.
Noise
Although this model measures in at about 70 decibels, the frequency of the sound is very high.
The ION F80 is probably not the best option if you’re looking for a quiet vacuum. So, for noise, the Shark gets a two out of five.
Battery Life
Battery power is one area where the ION F80 really shines. This model comes with two rechargeable batteries, which is a nice bonus for the price point.
Together, these batteries have a total combined runtime of 80 minutes. In terms of battery life, the Shark earns a solid five out of five.
Value
But let’s talk about overall value. The ION F80 retails for $399. Like Bissell, Shark offers several different limited warranties, ranging from one year to lifetime.
However, unlike Dyson, Miele and Bissell, Shark isn’t transparent about their testing protocols, making it harder to justify the price.
For this reason, we’re giving the ION F80 a three out of five.
Overall, the Shark ION F80 earned a total score of 16 out of 25.
Moosoo
And finally, we have the Moosoo cordless vacuum, which we deemed the best short-term vacuum.
The Moosoo is a best-seller on Amazon and retails for just $109.
Convenience
The Moosoo is super lightweight and is small enough to store in tight spaces. You also don’t need to hold down the trigger while you’re using it.
However, this vacuum doesn’t stand up on its own, which is a big inconvenience. Taking all of this into account, we’re giving the Moosoo a four out of five for convenience.
Performance
This vacuum is best for short-term use on hardwood floors. Unlike the other cordless vacuums on our list, the Moosoo is not built to last for a long time.
It also doesn’t perform well on carpeting. If you’re looking for a quick replacement vacuum for a home with only hard flooring, the Moosoo is a great choice.
However, it’s not recommended for those who have heavy carpeting or are looking to invest in a vacuum that will last them for many years to come.
The Moosoo does come with a washable HEPA filter, which is a nice bonus not often seen in lower-priced cordless vacuums. For performance, the Moosoo scores a two out of five.
Noise
Like the other vacuums we mentioned, the Moosoo has a noise level of about 70 decibels. However, the sound frequency is really high, meaning it sounds more like a power tool than a vacuum.
This is definitely a model that will have your dog running away because of the sound. For noise, the Moosoo gets a two out of five.
Battery Life
The Moosoo comes with a detachable battery that has about 20 to 35 minutes of runtime. This isn’t bad for the price point, but it’s definitely the shortest battery life on our list.
So we’re giving the Moosoo battery a three out of five.
Value
The main selling point of the Moosoo cordless vacuum is that it’s only $109. Although this model won’t last you long-term, it’s great for spot cleaning hardwood floors on a budget.
In terms of total value for the low price point, the Moosoo scores a four out of five.
Overall, the Moosoo gets a cumulative score of 15 out of 25.
We hope this article has given you a great starting point when it comes to selecting the best cordless vacuum for your home.