Best Stick Vacuums of 2023
Quick cleaners from Bissell, Dyson, Samsung, and Shark stand out in CR's tests
By Mary H.J. Farrell
The compact size of stick vacuums certainly makes them convenient. But that’s not their only selling point.
“In the past few years, stick vacuum suction has gotten a lot stronger, especially in battery-powered stick vacuums,” says Frank Rizzi, a senior test lab engineer at Consumer Reports. “If you don’t have a lot of wall-to-wall carpet, these machines can do a lot of cleaning.” (If you do have wall-to-wall carpet, read our article on the best upright vacuums.)
In fact, the performance of stick vacuums has improved so much in recent years that Consumer Reports has made its stick vacuum tests more challenging to bring them more in line with the way we test full-sized vacuums. As their capabilities have increased, so has the toughness of our tests.
That means we are giving you more decision points to help you choose whether you want a stick vac or a full-sized vacuum. As a result of these changes, our pet hair tests are a bit more challenging and we now embed dirt in the carpeting instead of scattering it on the surface as we used to do. And for bare floor testing, instead of combining all the debris into a messy array of cereal, sand, and rice, we vacuum up each type separately. This is good to know if you have a toddler in a high chair! All in all, we’ve made our stick vacuum tests better reflect real-world situations.
Among stick vacuums, cordless models dominate the market. According to the research firm Gap Intelligence, only about 1 in 4 stick vacuums on the market is a corded model and the rest—more than 100 models and counting—run on batteries.
But cordless stick vacs aren’t problem-free. In our exclusive CR surveys, more than 40 percent of battery-powered stick vacs owned by our members developed problems with the battery within the first five years of ownership. Corded stick vacuums do not have this issue, which is why we give separate reliability ratings for cordless and corded stick vacuum brands.
Because of their low ratings for brand reliability, no cordless model earns a recommendation from CR despite scoring well in our performance tests.
Run times for cordless vacuums can vary widely. In Consumer Reports’ tests, some stick vacs lose power in as little as 7 minutes when running on high and others run for an hour or longer on low. Some brands include an extra battery with their cordless stick vacuums so that you can have one charging while you’re cleaning with the other. (You can also buy an extra battery for some models.)
How CR Tests Stick Vacuums
Here is how we conduct our revamped stick vacuum tests of brands including Bissell, Dyson, Hoover, Kenmore, Samsung, Shark, and Tineco.
For Bare Floors
In separate tests, we scatter cereal, rice, and sand on a section of laminate flooring. We use four swipes to remove the cereal and rice and two to pick up the sand. We weigh the vacuum before and after to calculate how much debris was removed.
For Pet Hair
We embed 1 gram of Maine coon cat hair in a medium-pile carpet and then see how many strokes it takes to remove it, with a maximum of five. We note the number of strokes and see how much fur, if any, is left behind on the carpet or in the brush roll.
For Carpeting
We embed 100 grams of sand into a carpet and vacuum the debris on high speed for 16 strokes using a strobe light to highlight the test area. We weigh the vacuum before and after.
Run Time
To test battery life, we run the cordless vacs on high and then again on low until the battery is depleted, then we note the times. If the vacuum has a medium setting (not every vacuum does), we test that too.
Here are the best performers of each type of stick vacuum—corded and cordless—listed in alphabetical order. For all vacuum types, see our full vacuum ratings and recommendations.
Best Corded Stick Vacuums
Bissell CleanView Pet Slim 28311
The Bissell CleanView Pet Slim 28311 certainly lives up to its name. It is not only slim but also aces our pet-hair-removal test. It’s also top-notch on bare floors and almost as good at cleaning carpet. And it does all this quietly. The cord is 30 feet long, so you have plenty of running room. It didn’t do so well getting the grit out of edges, but its biggest downfall was on the emissions tests, meaning some of what you vacuum up may be released back into the air.
Shark Vertex Ultralight HZ2002
The “Ultralight” moniker for the Shark Vertex Ultralight HZ2002 refers to its light weight (2.9 pounds) when used in hand vac mode (without the stick). The Shark aces our tests for carpet, bare floors, and pet hair, and does a very good job at edges. Although not as versatile as a cordless vacuum, this model has a 30-foot cord that is long enough so you won’t have to constantly map out your electrical outlets.
Shark Rocket HV322
The Shark Rocket HV322 corded vacuum excels in pet-hair pickup but is only so-so at cleaning carpet. It converts to a hand vacuum, and comes with a bare floor tool and a motorized small brush accessory. This model can be stored compactly, and the dirt chamber can be emptied in just one step. Its Overall Score gets a boost from surveyed owners, who gave the brand high marks for reliability and satisfaction.
Shark Rocket HV302
The corded Shark Rocket HV302 delivers on both carpet cleaning and bare floors. It earns an excellent rating for its pet-hair pickup, leaving little fur behind on a grooved tile floor in our tests. Bonus: It can convert to a handheld vacuum as well. And in our member survey, Shark received top marks for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.
Shark Rocket Zero-M Ultra-Light ZS352
The Shark Rocket Zero-M Ultra-Light ZS352 is no lightweight when it comes to cleaning bare floors and picking up pet hair, earning excellent ratings on those tests. Its one downfall is that it’s only so-so at carpet cleaning. Otherwise, it zips along edges collecting debris, operates quietly, and contains all the dust particles it collects. The cord is 29 feet long, so you won’t have to change outlets too often, especially if you’re working in a small space.
Best Cordless Stick Vacuums
Dyson Outsize+
The Dyson Outsize Absolute+ features a laser light on its soft roller powerhead that shows the dust in its path. The laser feature works best in low light or on dark flooring. Testers especially like the LCD screen that shows battery countdown and monitors performance. An auto mode changes the vac’s suction according to floor type. A few major pluses: A big dirt bin, so there’s less emptying, and two click-in batteries for versatile cleaning and double the run time.
Samsung Bespoke Jet VS20A95923
Bespoke usually refers to custom-made clothing, not vacuums. But you can customize the Samsung Bespoke Jet VS20A95923 to the task at hand, and it converts into a handheld for cleaning stairs and other tight spots. It also has a multipurpose storage tower that automatically empties the bin after each use, capturing the dust in a bag instead of releasing it into the air. The tower also serves as a recharging station. The vacuum features a digital countdown display for monitoring the battery, which can run for almost an hour on low and for 10 minutes on high.
Samsung Jet 90 Complete VS20R9046T3/AA
The cordless Samsung Jet 90 Complete vac scores highly in all of CR’s tests and is more powerful than some of its competitors. Our testers like the sleek and solid stand and the digital display that allows you to check the power level, the battery life, and any maintenance issues.
Shark Stratos IZ862H
The cordless Shark Stratos IZ862H has Shark’s signature duo brush roll and a flexible wand for reaching under furniture. It earned top scores for cleaning bare floors and removing debris along edges. But if you have carpet, it’s only so-so. A dirt sensor increases suction when the vacuum senses debris and decreases when the floor is clean. It has a self-cleaning mechanism that prevents hair from getting tangled around the brush roll. The vacuuming mode and battery life are displayed on the console.
Shark Vertex Pro IZ662H
The Shark Vertex Pro IZ662H was a sharp performer in CR’s tough tests. It cruised through our tests for carpet, bare floors, and even pesky pet hair. And it didn’t leave anything behind along the edges. It’s packed with features, and testers liked the duo-clean power head with both bristle and soft rollers. (The roller also uses bristle guards and a combing device to remove hair automatically.) More pluses: It has a flexible wand to streamline its profile for better under-furniture clearance, and it folds for compact storage.
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