Cordless Vacuum Buying Guide
If you are searching for the best cordless vacuum you may have found the array of vacuums available to be a bit confusing. There are so many terms to get to grips with, whether it be 2 in 1 vacuums or machines especially for pet hair, condensation or hard floors.
This comparison table gives an excellent overview of the 10 most popular cordless vacuums
| Vacuum | Key Features | Battery Life (Minutes) | Rating Out of 10 | Get it Here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vacuum | Features | Run Time (Minutes) | Rating | Get a great deal from Amazon |
| AEG AG6106WDT Lithium Wet and Dry |
| 14 | 6 | AEG AG6106WDT Lithium Wet and Dry |
| Black + Decker Lithium Compact Pivot Vacuum, 18 V | 10 | 8 | Black + Decker Lithium Compact Pivot Vacuum, 18 V |
|
| Black and Decker Flexi with Pet Hair Tool | 12 | 8 | Black + Decker Lithium Flexi Vacuum, 18 V, Dark Titanium | |
| BLACK+DECKER Cyclonic Action Dustbuster – 9.6v | 11 | 7 | Black + Decker DV9610N Cyclonic Action Dustbuster - 9.6 Volt | |
| Dyson DC34 Multi Floor | 15 | 9 | Dyson DC34 Multi Floor |
|
| Dyson DC58 Animal Handheld Vacuum | 20 | 10 | Dyson DC58 Animal Hand Held Vacuum | |
| Hoover Jovis Turbo Power Nozzle Bagless 12v | 17 | 8 | Hoover Jovis+ SM18DL4 Lithium Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, 18v | |
| Dirt Devil HandiMate Handheld | 14 | 7 | Dirt Devil HandiMate Handheld Vacuum | |
| Ryobi CHV182M ONE+ Cordless Hand Vac, 18v | 15 | 7 | Ryobi CHV182M ONE+ Cordless Hand Vac, 18v | |
| Vax H90-GA-B Gator Handheld Vacuum | 12 | 6 | Vax H90-GA-B Gator Handheld Vacuum | |
| VonHaus 7.2V Handheld Vacuum | 15 | 4 | VonHaus 7.2V Rechargeable |
There are many advantages to choosing a cordless vacuum, no longer will you risk tripping over the power cable, nor will it tangle around chair legs, get stuck under furniture and jam in doorways. It will reduce the wear and tear on your house paintwork or wallpaper, no more abrasion from the cord rubbing against corners.
Although cordless vacuum cleaners are not as powerful as corded vacuums, some of the new products available will most likely be more than suitable for a small home. A major advantage is that they are lighter, smaller and easier to use than the traditional larger vacuum. Although the suction power may not be as great, many people decide that the advantages of a light weight cordless vacuum far outweigh the disadvantages.
It must be pointed out that cordless vacuums run on batteries, and these batteries only last so long, typically about 20 to 30 minutes and then must be recharged. Better cordless vacuums use Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) batteries which are far superior to Nical Cadnium (Ni-Cal) but are more expensive. Li-Ion batteries can be rapidly recharged, typically in about 3 to 5 hours for cordless vacuums. Another advantage of Li-Ion technology is that the batteries can be part charge, or partly discharged multiple times with no loss of capacity or performance.
There is also a variety of working voltages for the vacuums, a higher voltage does not necessarily mean a more powerful vacuum, it depends more on the electric motor that is used. Dyson V6 Cordless Vacuums lead the field and have the best motors driving them. This results in powerful suction, fast re charge times and long run times.
Another feature to look out for is mulitple power modes. This means that the cordless vacuum has the ability to suck harder, but usually this depletes the battery life faster. Some manufacturers call it a “turbo mode” but this is somewhat of a misleading colloquilism as a turbo is a device that compresses air as it enters a combustion engine and has absolutally nothing to do with electric motors. In fact, you may have noticed that on the back of Mercedes cars it sometimes says “Kompressor”, this is German for Turbo, and a more accurate description really of what the device does.
Back to cordless vacuum cleaners then, well.. many today advertise that they are “2 in 1”. What does this mean I hear you cry out?! Well, it means that the vacuum has 2 parts and can either be used as a small handheld vacuum or combined with another part to form a upright stick type vacuum. Some vacuums are only upright stick types, and some are only handheld. Having one that does both is considered an advantage by many but you need to consider what exactly your intended use of the cordless vacuum will be.
If you want something that will replace your corded vacuum most of the time then opting for a upright / stick type vacuum may suit you just fine. On the other hand, if you want something small and light, say, for your car, caravan or kitchen only, then a small hand held cordless vacuum will be a better solution.
There are a wide variety of uses for these modern cordless vacuums now. You can get specialist machines which have HEPA filters to help remove possible allergens from where you vacuum. This can be a real benefit to anyone suffering from respiratory ailments or who suffer from dust borne allergies. It can also be great for vacuuming mattresses and has been known to reduce asthma symptoms in some cases.
You can also get cordless vacuum designed for removing pet hair. I wouldn’t recommend vacuuming your cat or dog, although I have heard that some enjoy the experience. I think most people would take a dim view on it and consider it a form of animal cruelty, so be warned! Pet hair vacuums normally have mechanisms that stop the hair clogging up the suction head and the collecting bag and some can even work when wet. This brings us on to the next feature, wet vacuums!
So wet vacuums can be used to suck up spilled liquids, condensation and even assist in washing carpets. Pretty amazing im sure you’ll agree. They tend to be a bit more expensive so think about whether you really need this feature. For centuries people have been managing just fine mopping up things with a mop, or a dish cloth, so some might consider an electric cordless vacuum to mop up water (or wee) a bit unnecessary. Up to you really.
Bagged or Bagless? I think Dyson have proved that bagless vacuums are the bay forward, not only are they more ecologically sound but make it easy to spot when you have vacuumed up lego by mistake as you can hear and see the piece rattling around inside the catchment bin. Which incidentally, can be quite small on some vacuums meaning that you will have to regularly empty it. This gets quite a chore, I dont want to be messing around with containers full of dust, hair and crap more than i have to, so you might want to look out for cordless vacuums with a catchment bin of greater than 0.5 litres.
So hopefully this will alleviate your fears, or at least some of them when it comes to choosing a cordless vacuum cleaner for pets, or for you home. As to which cordless vacuum cleaner is best, well, that is a whole ‘nother story that I’m sure you will enjoy reading about next.
It doesn’t matter what sort of home appliance you are looking for, home appliance buyer has the solution for you!
If you are looking for a great cordless vacuum then look no further. Our indepth reviews and detailed buying guide will help you choose the most suitable vacuum for your needs.
Click here to see all of the cordless vacuums
Or if you are looking for a Robotic Vacuum Cleaner, just click here to see our range and reviews
Many people with pets struggle to get rid of the hair that their animals shed. This can be a real problem for allergy sufferers. But don’t despair, a specialist pet hair cordless vacuum is the answer. See our buying guide and the top vacuums here:
Home Appliance Buyer.com is here to Help You
We’re living in an age where it’s easy to buy a £5 kettle from the supermarket, a £15 espresso machine and a £20 vacuum cleaner and it’s clear why these types of appliances are attractive; we all want to save money. But the problem with these cheap, generic appliances is this; are they really saving us money? And are they really saving us time?
Why quality home appliances matter
Buying poor quality home appliances is a mistake that we all make, but we should all strive to not make them more than once. Sure that super cheap vacuum cleaner looks like a bargain but once you get it home, you may well discover than it doesn’t actually suck up anything more than a few loose crumbs.
Modern home appliances are supposed to save us time more than anything else and so buying a poor quality appliance is shooting yourself in the foot. Not only will it work poorly and take much longer to achieve the job that a better quality appliance could do in a fraction of the time, but poor quality means less durable too – resulting in you having to replace it within 6 months….costing more money.
Here’s the thing we all have to acknowledge;
‘Owning a poor quality version of something great is no better than not owning it at all’ – Anon
Investment not Impulsion
So you want a high quality vacuum that will suck up all manner of dirt and debris but you can’t wait until two months time when you’ll have saved up for it, so you settle for buying the cheapest available.
After running it over the same carpet area twenty times, you eventually have to give up and hope your guests won’t notice the trampled in hair that’s accumulated there. You tuck the £20 vacuum in the back of the airing cupboard and write a poor Amazon review.
So what have you lost? You’ve lost time, happiness and the £20 that could’ve gone on an amazingly effective £80 vacuum. Great home appliances are investments, not impulse purchases.
When you start seeing your home and the things you put in it as investments, not mere essentials, then you’ll not only make wiser purchasing choices and save yourself time and money, but you’ll enjoy using those things too. A Dyson vacuum or a Dualit toaster are genuinely pleasurable to use and it’s immensely satisfying to see their efficient technology working to produce immaculate results.
But we all know the big brands – on HomeApplianceBuyer.com we’ll show you the big brands and the small brands who produce fantastic products but often get overlooked.
‘Quality is not an act, it’s a habit’ – Aristotle
Longevity and Durability
Investing in high quality home appliances means that you shouldn’t need to replace them for years and years, maybe never. Technology is changing though and it’s understandable why we might want to ditch the vacuum we bought 3 years ago and replace it with the newest on the market. Finding your perfect balance between investment and practicality is key.
How to decide the right product for you
- Fit for purpose – this sounds pretty obvious. I mean, what company would release a product that wasn’t fit for purpose? But you’d be surprised. In the case of vacuum cleaners, some are so weak they won’t pick up even clumps of loose pet hair, let alone trampled hair. Make sure that the product you want will actually do the things you need it to.
- Budget – While you should always think of a home appliance as an investment, there’s no point in spending more than you can afford and risk regretting it later. Sure the Dyson DC58 might be the sexiest appliance on the market, but if you don’t want to spend that much than why not take a look at the outdated DC34, still great and now discounted! Or what about the Black and Decker range? They focus less on innovative design and more on consumer friendly prices but they’ve found their groove and meet the two in the middle. Money’s important, work out your budget and stick to it.
- Practicality – Yep that product looks kick-ass in the advert, but is it practical for you? A huge kitchen appliance that takes up too much room on your counter doesn’t make much sense if you have to stick it in a cupboard after each use. A handheld vacuum that only lasts 7 minutes isn’t useful if you have a large Land Rover or a multiple staircases in your house. A two-slice toaster is going to disappoint if you have four hungry children and an eight-slice toaster is going to be a waste if you live alone. Think about what purpose the product will serve and if it’s right for your individual circumstances.
- Time needed – Five years ago robotic vacuum cleaners were hurtling down stairs, denting table legs and running over small pets – now they’re exceptionally adept at navigating the space around them without hitting anything and turning around before they reach that fateful stairway. Some technology is going to be better in another five years’ time. So this is another thing to think about.
Chances are, kettles and toasters won’t improve, so you can invest in the really nice one now and know that you won’t replace it for a decade or more. But how about vacuum cleaners? Technology changes pretty fast there. Maybe you’ll want to upgrade in five years, in which case you’ll want to get the best one you can for an acceptable five-year price. Take the Dyson DC34– a real bargain price! Always check the warranties too, because high quality products are built to last, and you don’t want to miss out just because you got the faulty one.
How to use this website
HomeApplianceBuyer.com is designed to bring the latest and greatest appliance to you in a way that makes it easy to compare them. Why? Because bad quality stuff sucks and we want to show the world that it’s simply better when you support companies who invest in quality, craftsmanship and innovation. This doesn’t mean spending a lot, but it does mean that you’ll end up with home appliances that you enjoy using and that you’ll use for years to come.
So take a look around and check back often, because this site will grow and grow, bringing you the best reviews and comparisons on the web. Not sure where to start? How about starting by reading our review of theiRobot Braava Floor Mopping machine – why? Because it’s really cute.
