We tested each vacuum’s ability to pick up birdseed, Cheerios, glitter, and synthetic hair from rugs and bare floors, and we eliminated those that scattered debris, dumped debris, or jammed. The battery is one of the most common failure points on cordless stick vacuums, so Dyson’s swappable design means you won’t have to toss the whole vacuum if the battery goes bad. I'm happy to help you decide if you need to get your appliance professionally repaired or if you can manage the repair yourself.

Though heavier than other vacuums we've tested, the Miele Triflex was easy to use with features like fingertip controls, battery indicator lights, a bright headlight on the wide floor nozzle and a lifetime HEPA filter that never needs washing or changing. But a good stick vac with max or turbo settings can certainly suffice, especially if you are in a hurry.No single vacuum is the perfect choice for every cleaning need, so we usually recommend keeping several styles in your cleaning arsenal, and a stick vac should certainly be part of the mix. With the help of a quarter, you can easily remove the brush rolls from the cleaner head to clear tangled hair. Its battery recharges in under two hours—faster than that of any other vacuum we tested in our latest round.

Of all the cordless stick vacs we’ve tested, only the Shark models and the Lupe Pure Cordless Vacuum Cleaner have longer warranties, but those are considerably more expensive. Today’s lithium-ion batteries have more power and last longer than the nickel-cadmium batteries of older models. The Kenmore Elite CSV Max Cordless Stick Vacuum DS4095 is a rare exception, but it still makes major trade-offs.If you're looking for a cordless stick vacuum that's lightweight and easy to carry around, the Dyson Omn-Glide is worth a look. Add this to the hundreds of hours we've spent testing uprights, canisters, robots and more, and it's safe to say we know our vacuums. Twice during long-term testing, the plastic tab on the cleaner head that allows the vacuum to stand up on its own broke off. Unfortunately, build quality falls short of the Samsung vacuum, with the plastic used in its construction feeling somewhat thin and toy-like in places.