The Navigator is only less than a pound heavier than our top pick—and its swiveling cleaner head, which is narrower than that of our other picks, makes it easy to steer in small corners and around obstacles. But because of its weight distribution, this model has a tendency to tip over if you yank the hose. By removing the hose and attaching one of its two tools, the Felix instantly transforms from an upright floor vacuum into a portable handheld. Our 5-foot-4 tester found the lengthy hose with the included extra-long crevice tool sufficient to reach her 8-foot ceilings.
Think about what your specific needs are before deciding which accessories are most important to you. Bundled with the vacuum are seven different cleaning attachments. Along with the Laser Slim Fluffy, you’ll also get a high-torque cleaner head, a hair screw tool and a crevice tool, just to name a few. If money is no barrier, and you want the most powerful cordless vacuum for your cash, the V15 is tough to match. If you’re looking for the best Shark vacuum for pet hair, the Shark Vertex Upright Vacuum is our recommendation. This full-size yet ultra-light vacuum features DuoClean Powerfins, which are flexible silicone fins that dig deep into carpet and pick up more dirt—and pet hair!
Still, for carpet, this vacuum provides plenty of impressive help and is a great pick. This model’s dustbin holds 2.8 cups of debris, double that of most other handheld vacuums we tested. Its opening mechanism is straightforward—some other vacuums we tested required us to perform complicated manipulations to open the bin—and its filter is washable. This cordless handheld vacuum’s powerful suction, long battery life, and large bin make short work of tidying up around the home and in the car. Most of the vacuums on our list feature a runtime of 40 minutes before needing another charge, although a growing number of models are starting to offer higher-capacity batteries with runtimes of 60 minutes per charge. In truth, it’s a rare occasion that one would need more than 40 minutes of runtime for a single vacuuming session, and the prevalence of charging docks makes it easy to recharge in between cleaning runs.
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. The readout on the back of the vacuum, which lists the ratio of dirt collected by particle size was also interesting. The Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra did great in our cleaning tests and was the only vacuum we tested whose brush didn’t get entangled no matter the length of the hair.
Thankfully, it’s very easy to take apart and reassemble, with most components attaching via easy-clip mechanisms and featuring visible latch buttons to take them apart. Overall, we were very impressed with the Shark Vertex Upright Vacuum. And if you have as much pet hair around the house as we do, the Shark TruePet vacuum upgrade is worth it!
CNET’s expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. The Bissell SurfaceSense Allergen Pet Lift-Off Vacuum screeched and screamed, and it underperformed in most of our cleaning tests. The Airbelt K3 costs three times as much as our budget pick, the Shark Navigator shark pet vacuum Lift-Away NV352. However, it has a much longer life expectancy, it’s more versatile, its parts are easily replaceable, and it is much nicer to use. SEBO sells even more attachments online, including a pet kit with a mini turbo brush and a grooming tool. With its curvy, retro shape the Felix looks nicer than most other vacuums we tried.
You can expect to spend a few hundred dollars at least, with some options going up to at least $600. However, they do not typically have as much suction power as their electric-powered (and much bigger) counterparts. Corded vacuums, on the other hand, can be quite heavy and sometimes hard to maneuver, but their suction power is superior. With this vacuum, it’s very easy to remove the dust canister; however, emptying it was a different story, as hair tended to get caught on top. It’s small, which means you’ll have to take the time to empty it more often, too. However, we were thrilled to notice that there was no hair wrapped around the front roller, so we’ll take the tradeoff.
Just switch off the motorized brush when using it on delicate hardwood floors. Its three-way switch (off/suction/brush roller) is located on the pod instead of the handle, forcing you to bend down to make adjustments. (On the plus side, if the handle gets damaged over time, it won’t affect the power supply.) shark stick vacuum Its dust cup is secured with clips that some users complain no longer hold tight after extended usage. The Felix’s bag and filters are accessed from the top of the pod, so you don’t have to squat to exchange them (most upright vacuums require you to reach further down to remove clips or press buttons).
When comparing their stick vacuums to Dyson’s offerings, Shark vacuums feel better built and sturdier. However, they also tend to have a similar but slightly worse performance on carpet. Their upright vacuums usually perform better on all surface types than BISSELL vacuums. Priced at less than $100, this powerful stick vacuum cleaner is designed to meet all your various cleaning needs, from carpet & hard floor to rugs, cars, sofa, desks, cabinets, windows, curtains & more. It comes with all the accessories and attachments you need to get the job done, and it features an intuitive space-saving design.
To test pet-hair pickup, we spread a handful of fur (from a local groomer) into a rug and then try to pick it up with each vacuum. If a model comes with an attachment that may improve pet-hair pickup, such as rubber nubs—or better yet, a motorized brush—we use it. The Black+Decker Dustbuster AdvancedClean+ HHVK515JP07 cleans up pet fur better than any other handheld model we’ve tried. It has great suction, which is enhanced by a motorized brush that agitates debris and dislodges stubborn fur from grippy upholstery.