Neither one was a standout with sand (in fact, the Moosoo model was among the worst in those tests), but with larger crumbs at least, both are perfectly capable. The Samsung Jet 90 is one of the lighter models we tested and sports a sleek, futuristic look. It’s a bit of a splurge at a retail price of $477, but it’s the best HEPA cordless vacuum option if you have lots of thick carpets in your home. The dustbin is a cinch to empty and clean, and the battery is removable, too. Replacements are priced at $80 each, which is pretty reasonable by cordless vacuum standards. There’s also a handy trigger lock lever to keep the vacuum running without constant finger pressure.
It finished just outside the top 5 on low-pile carpet, removing a respectable 83% of sand and a near-perfect 99% of black rice — and every vacuum that did better in that test costs hundreds more. With all of those extra fibers for dirt to cling to, midpile carpet was more of a struggle, as the A11 sand score fell to 73%, but it still nailed the black rice test, sucking up 98% of the stuff. When testing the vacuum, we also found it to have a super easy setup and immediate effectiveness; its strong suction picked up all the debris on the floor in less than a minute’s time.
Attachments shouldn’t be an afterthought when shopping for a Shark vacuum, because the right tools can help you complete your cleaning tasks more quickly and easily. Few things are as satisfying as aiming a handheld vacuum at a mess of crumbs and zapping it all up in seconds, and the Shark UltraCyclone Pro Handheld Vacuum is as easy as it gets. The suction power is comparable to a regular stick vacuum, only it comes in a much smaller and sleeker package suitable for countertops, couch cushions, and tight spaces (like the nooks and crannies of your car’s cup holders). It feels like three vacuums in one—but even if you’re not interested in the different modes, it excels in the upright setting, too. You will need to cut hair out of the brush roll (that bristled piece in the head of your vacuum that loosens dirt and grime when the vacuum is in use) here and there. A self-cleaning brush roll is offered on some of our other favorite vacuums (like the Shark AZ1002 Apex), but it’s not a deal breaker for us that it’s missing from this one.
However, the most affordable models aren’t as powerful and may struggle with really deep cleaning. If you have a lot of carpeting in your home, we recommend the Bissell AirRam. This cordless stick vacuum does excellent work on different flooring surfaces, including medium-pile carpet and even high-pile rugs.
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. Handheld vacuums are a diverse group, with some models designed for the awkward angles of a car’s interior shark handheld vacuum and others purpose-built for pulling pet hair off carpeted stairs or upholstery. With DuoClean PowerFins, you’ll get continuous contact with all surfaces, digging deep into carpets, directly engaging hard floors, and picking up more dirt and fur with every pass.
In our guide to shop vacs, we do recommend two full-size models, which are a better fit for more heavy-duty jobs. One drawback is that it comes with only one clip-on crevice tool, which makes it useless on fur; in our tests, it picked up clumps but left all other fur stuck to the carpet. At this writing, you have the option to buy the vacuum shark pet vacuum alone for $35 or in a kit with a charger and battery for $70. This model is no longer a pick because of its relatively short, 11-minute battery life, and because we found it noisy. Though it was great at picking up larger debris, it did not excel at picking up baking soda from a medium-pile carpet (possibly because the filter got clogged).
If you have hard floors, look for a cordless vacuum that comes with a dedicated cleaner head. That has a softer brush roll to ensure the flooring isn’t damaged when vacuuming. Dyson vacuum cleaners are known to be some of the best in the industry, and if you have hard floors at home, like tile or wood flooring, the Dyson Omni-Glide+ is a surprisingly affordable option for under $400. This hardwood floor vacuum sucked up most of the debris during our tests, including coffee grounds, Cheerios, and even cotton balls, and it’s — dare we say — fun to use because it truly glides across hard flooring.
You can also use many Shark vacuums as handhelds, which is nice if you need to clean hard-to-reach places. However, the best cordless Shark vacuum models tend to have a few maintenance needs and can be a little more tricky to clean. Its stellar cleaning performance, light weight and easy-to-use features and attachments all make it a standout. We’re not fans of having to wall-mount stick vacuums to get them to stand on their own, but we’re willing to overlook that for how well the Dyson cleans and all the other plusses it offers. “The detachable head and assorted tools make it extremely quick and easy to suck up detritus in corners or on surfaces, and it’s done an effective job at digging cat hair out of my couch, comforter and carpet,” wrote one reviewer. “Picks up so much, it’s impressive,” confirmed another reviewer who uses the vacuum to effectively clear away dog hair on hardwood floors.
Additionally, the cleaning spray has a lovely fresh scent, and the vacuum features LED headlights to help you see all areas clearly as you go. During testing, we had a few issues with the Wandvac at first, as it seemed to be struggling to maintain suction, but it performed quite well on subsequent uses, pulling up pet hair and debris without any issues. We like that its swivel head makes it easy to maneuver around furniture and other obstacles, and its lightweight form makes it ideal for cleaning stairs and other hard-to-reach areas. Upright vacuums are one of the most popular styles for deep cleaning, and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away was the top-performing upright model in our testing. Its corded design offers unlimited runtime, and as its name suggests, the body of the vacuum can be removed from the brush head, making it easier to carry if you need to vacuum stairs or other hard-to-reach areas in your home. In testing, this vacuum performed extremely well, having no problem picking up dog kibble or pet hair from a variety of surfaces.