Best Under Budget Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaners under 20000

The Best Vacuum Cleaners under 20000 – It is almost fun to use cordless vacuum cleaners since they are so convenient. The ease with which they operate makes plenty of owners willing to overlook their flaws such as high prices and mediocre reliability. It might be useful for you to read What Cordless Stick Vacuum Has Best Suction? Before proceeding.

Our first recommendation right now is the Tineco Pure One S11. It is the best cord-free vacuum for your home and performance expectations.

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Our Selection Process: Best cordless stick Vacuum Cleaners under 20000 to Buy

• Testing in the field

More than 25 cordless vacuums priced between $100 and nearly $1,000 have been tested since 2014, and even more, have been tested since then.

• Research on reliability

Using artificial intelligence, we analyzed tens of thousands of owner reviews and found that some popular models break more often than others.

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• Ability to clean

On two types of rugs and bare floors, we measured how much sand, baking soda, dust, and hair each vac picked up.

• Easy to use

As part of our analysis, we evaluated vacuums based on their ease of handling and maneuverability in tight spots.

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Here’s our pick: 

Tineco Pure One S11 (Vacuum cleaner Under 25000)

Last update on 2024-04-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

This is our top pick because it does a pretty good job (not great) at the important stuff, and it’s not plagued with major issues. There’s not much competition, since every other cordless stick vacuum with longer battery life and more cleaning power has at least one serious downside. The S11 has the advantage of being extremely comfortable to operate, even after prolonged cleaning sessions (you can really use it for up to 30 minutes on a fully charged battery pack), as it feels lighter and easier to maneuver than its closest competitors.

Our tests showed that it cleaned rugs and bare floors better than average for its price. We’re comfortable recommending the Dyson S11 in light of its other advantages, despite the fact it won’t efficiently remove dust or hair from rugs like some of its competitors (including the Dyson V8 Animal, our runner-up pick). We found that most S11 owners are completely satisfied with the product’s cleaning power, based on an AI-assisted analysis of customer reviews. Additionally, the S11 has a dust sensor, which is surprisingly useful. An LED ring changes color whenever you sweep debris, giving you a visual indication that you are actually vacuuming. It automatically boosts the suction when the mess is big. The S11 works with additional batteries that you can purchase to extend runtime. Furthermore, it can also function as a handheld vacuum.

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Best cordless stick vacuum to buy under budget:

Black+Decker Power series Extreme 20V Max (Vacuum cleaner Under 15000)

We recommend the Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme 20V Max as the least-expensive option if you want a decent cord-free carpet cleaner. In this price range, Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaners under 20000 , it is surprisingly effective at clearing away crumbs and sand from short- and medium-pile rugs. However, pet hair and fine dust aren’t as easy to remove with this vacuum. It also uses the same batteries as other Black+Decker power tools, so spares are abundant and affordable. There are several downsides, including an atrocious dustbin that falls off the vacuum every time you bump it, insufficient stock of replacement filters, and average bare-floor cleaning. Our Powerseries Extreme is often on sale for $150-and at that price, it’s the cheapest choice if you want to pull debris out of your rug instead of just touching the tops of the fibers.

There’s pretty much anything you can find for an even cheaper stick that can be used for fast cleanups. Though we’re not overly thrilled with any of the options we see today, we do have a few leads to help you narrow down your search.

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A pick to upgrade

Dyson V11 Animal

Last update on 2024-04-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

We tested a number of Dyson vacuums, including the Dyson vacuums V15 Detect and Dyson vacuums V11 Animal, and all of them cleaned better than any other cordless vacuum we tested so far. We found them to be even better than some plug-in vacuums we tested.

A Dyson representative told us that its stock status for the remainder of 2023 will be inconsistent, so you might be able to find the V15 Detect. Additionally, it has a number of features that make it a pleasure to use, such as a real-time battery-life display, automatic suction that increases when it senses dirt, a comb built into the carpet-cleaning brush to shred hair tangles, a second brush head for bare floors, a laser headlight to illuminate dust and other hard-to-see debris, and animated maintenance reminders and troubleshooting tips displayed on the vacuum display. There is even a dust-particle counter built into the unit, which represents a feat of engineering and is also somewhat of a gimmick.

Yes, the V15 is an incredibly expensive model. We’re not sure whether the V15 is more reliable than cheaper sticks from Dyson or any other brand because the trigger-style power switch can get uncomfortable during long sessions.

Consider the V11 model, which is slightly more affordable consider Cordless Stick Vacuum Cleaners under 20000 . During the rest of 2023, the V11 Animal variant should be available; it isn’t quite as feature-rich as the V15, but it is still amazing on rugs, and it has an automatic suction-adjustment mode. You might also be able to find the V11 Torque Drive at some retailers; it’s like the V11 Animal, but with a real-time battery-life countdown. In addition to the V11 and V15, you might consider the more expensive, bulkier Dyson Outsize, which has larger bins and wider brushes but performs similarly to the Dyson V11 Outsize and Dyson V15 Outsize.

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Cordless vacuums: are they worth it?

A cordless vacuum can change your life if you’ve ever skipped vacuuming because your heavy, bulky plug-in vacuum is too heavy and cumbersome to use.

There are many cordless vacuum cleaners that are slim, lightweight, stick-style vacuums that are comfortable to use, even on stairs or in small spaces. You simply pick up the vacuum when you have the urge to clean: You don’t have to figure out how to untangle the cord, find an outlet, or deal with tangles and snags. Due to their compact size and often packaged with a wall-mountable dock or a floor stand, cordless vacuum cleaners are often kept out of sight. This lowers the barrier to actually using your vacuum, so you might find yourself using it more often. If you keep your home clean, you’ll breathe fresher air, your floors will be cleaner, and your feet will be cleaner, too.

It has been decades since cordless vacuums became popular. They were usually weak cleaners that handled simple jobs like squeezing crumbs or picking hair off of bare floors until a few years ago. Almost any cordless vacuum will work just fine for this purpose if that is what you want it for.  But today, cordless sticks are powerful enough to work as the home’s main vacuum, digging out grit and dust from thick rugs, helping keep up with hairy pets, and having enough battery life to do multiple jobs in a house.

In addition, many cordless stick vacuums can also be turned into handheld vacuum cleaners, so you can use them for above-floor cleaning (cobwebs in upholstered furniture, for example) and vehicle cleaning.

Additionally, cordless vacuums tend to be easy to maintain. There are almost no bags on these vacuums, and their filters and brushes are designed to last for years. Clogs can be eliminated more easily because they come apart at several key points. As a general rule, industry warranties last two years (with some exceptions).

You can’t go back to using a plug-in vacuum once you’ve gotten used to a cordless one. I wish I hadn’t tried the Dyson DC59 (later renamed the Dyson V6), widely considered to be the first cordless vacuum that could replace a plug-in, at least in an apartment. Plug-ins will always seem inconvenient to me since I can’t undo how convenient sticks are. 

The downsides of cordless vacuums compared to corded vacuums. Since cordless vacuums use batteries, they are more expensive and less reliable than plug-in vacuums.

Many new cordless vacuum owners complain that they expected better suction or cleaning power for their money. It will be a challenge to reset your expectations if you’re used to plug-in vacuums.

Additionally, cordless vacuums shouldn’t last as long as plug-in models. The evidence is mounting that batteries in vacuum cleaners (and other small appliances) fail after just a few years, if not sooner. As the packs are expensive and not all manufacturers keep spares in stock, it’s sometimes best to just replace a vacuum that’s only a couple of years old. As with plug-in machines, sticks are also susceptible to mechanical failures, such as clogs, cracks, and other failures. Therefore, opting for a cordless vacuum will result in more waste and more money spent over time.

You might want to consider an alternative if any of these downsides make you uncomfortable, or if you live in a very large home (battery life can be an issue), have sensitive carpeting (cordless vacuums don’t come with gentle cleaning heads), or have severe allergies or asthma (bagged vacuums can help). A wide range of recommendations is available for a wide range of floors, budgets, and handling preferences. You may want to consider robot vacuums, which are much more convenient than stick vacuums and usually cost the same as cordless sticks.

Which is the best cordless vacuum stick for you

Our tests have taken into account specifications, to find out expert and owner reviews, experience with older models from some brands, and reader requests for more than 25 models that are currently on the market. We examined some of the models to find out the what is the best cordless vacuum stick like – the Bissell AirRam, Black+Decker Power series Extreme 20V Max, Dreame T20, Dyson V8 Absolute, Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal, Dyson V11 Outsize, Dyson V11 Torque Drive, Dyson V15 Detect, Dyson Omni-glide, Over the past few years, we’ve tested a variety of products, including the EuDetect, Dyson Omni-glide, Eufy HomeVac S11 Infinity, Eureka Stylus, Hoover OnePwr Evolve Pet, LG CordZero A9 (and the similar A9 Kompressor and All-in-One Auto Empty), Lupe Pure Cordless, Miele Triflex HX1, Roborock H7, Ryobi One+ EverCharge, Samsung Jet 70

Our evaluation was as follows:

• Ability to clean

Our main focus is on carpet-cleaning performance because it is what distinguishes the good vacuums from the just-fine ones. The majority of cordless vacuum cleaners work well on short rugs that have debris like crumbs, grit, and most hair. Since most vacuums have difficulty digging out clingy debris (like dust or embedded hair) from these types of fibers, the real test comes when vacuums are used on longer, denser rugs.

When available, we test the vacuums’ performance on several types of rugs and several types of debris, using various suction settings. By weighing how much sand and baking soda a vacuum can pick up in a 45-gram batch, we test how well it can perform on a loose, low-pile rug as well as a dense, plush, medium-pile rug.

However, there is no substitute for a real-world mess, so I also let the rugs around my house (a mix of all types) get dirty for a few weeks (lots of long cat and human hair, plus toddler crumbs) before I did any real testing. Then I test the top-performing candidates from the first trials.

It is important to perform well on the ground as well. In general, uncarpeted surfaces are completely cleaned after a few passes, but not every model does it on the first or second push. It’s a common problem at every price level when a low-riding cleaning head shovels around big debris like Cheerios and mulch. The brush roll is usually not off on most sticks, making them scatter cat litter and other debris (though a workaround is usually possible, such as using a special brush or removing the cleaning head). A model’s ability to remove powdery debris is also hit-or-miss, especially when the stuff is caught in gaps between floorboards.

The sticks are tested using Cheerios, cat litter, and a thin layer of flour on bare floors. Using a headlight really helps in this test for picking up the flour, dusty debris, and hair. Simply because we are able to see it and are less likely to skip it if we can see it.

Despite what you might think, specs and measurements of raw power cannot tell you much about how well a vacuum performs. A special gauge measures suction on most models, while an anemometer measures airflow on some models. Aside from the advertised cleaning power, we also record the vacuum’s kilopascal (a measure of suction) and air watt (a measure of both suction and airflow). Sometimes, the vacuum’s wattage is the only spec available. There is no way to predict how effective a vacuum will be by looking at any of these figures. There is no question that more suction helps, but there are plenty of models (according to our tests) with relatively weak suction that gathers more debris than those with stronger suction or airflow. There is no doubt that brush roll and cleaning head design has a huge impact on cleaning performance, but it is difficult to quantify their impact.

• Easy to use, comfortable, and convenience

The best stick vacuum cleaner’s ultra-lightweight, slim, and easy-to-maneuver design makes cordless vacuum cleaners great even for tight spaces. Almost anyone can benefit from this feature. This is a great option if you have a tight floor plan with a lot of walls and furniture (as many small apartments have), or if you have to carry your vacuum between floors (and to vacuum the steps in between). It is only a few pounds for the lightest cordless sticks, and with even the heaviest models, they are no heavier than small plug-in uprights.

However, many popular cordless sticks are top-heavy, with most of their weight resting in your hand instead of near the ground. Dyson vacuum cleaners, in particular, have been using trigger-style power switches that need to be squeezed continuously to operate. Those two factors can be uncomfortable at the end of a long cleaning session, and they are particularly painful for people who suffer from chronic wrist, hand, or forearm pain.

As of 2023, plenty of models will have standard toggle switches and better weight distribution. For those who prioritize comfort, you can now get a great cordless machine like the Tineco vacuum / Tineco Pure One S11 that’s relatively easy to handle.

In selecting our picks, we pay close attention to how easy it is to clean with each vacuum; several of our picks rank among the most easily-handled models while also offering good cleaning performance at a reasonable price.

Some other factors we consider are how easy or difficult it is to empty a vacuum’s dust bin; whether it can stand on its own, in a floor stand, or on a wall-mounted dock for storage; and what kinds of extra attachments come with each model.

• Batteries that last long enough

Divide the square footage of your home by 50 to determine the battery life of a cordless vacuum. That’s the time you’ll need (plus or minus a few minutes) to clean your entire place in one session, including a quick sweep through the upholstery and an occasional sweep of the ceiling. To clean 1,150 square feet of apartment in one go would require about 23 minutes of battery life.

Almost no one needs that much runtime. Due to the convenience of cordless vacuums, owners tend to clean in small bursts—maybe when a mess appears, or in one or two rooms at a time—rather than doing a complete housecleaning in one go.

Vacuums with longer battery lives are available, but the price is usually too high. Even though the price of lithium batteries (which power most cordless vacuums) has declined, they are still very expensive, and you can easily overpay for minutes you’ll never use. Some reasonably priced models come with long runtimes, but they are usually too weak to handle rugs well.

Battery life that’s advertised is often close to what’s actually delivered. This is confirmed for each vacuum by running the device without stopping on medium-pile carpeting (these are the most demanding conditions for a battery and should result in the shortest battery life).

There are a few types of battery packs available: built-in (or screw-in) and click-in (or swappable). Since, again, you probably won’t need as much battery life as you think you will, we don’t think this distinction is important for most people.

Some of the best models now come with click-in packs, so you can choose one of those (such as our top pick, the Tineco S11) if you wish. As long as you want, click-in packs provide you with flexibility and allow you to charge them separately from your vacuum. However, they are not guaranteed to be easy to replace, since spare click-in packs have gone out of stock within a year in many cases. A screwdriver is usually necessary to replace built-in packs.

• Trustworthiness

Reliability here refers to day-to-day performance, long-term durability, repairability, ease of maintenance, warranty coverage, and customer service.

The bottom line: Cordless vacuum cleaners are not long-lasting in general. If you keep up with maintenance, you might be lucky to last five years before an expensive or non-repairable part fails. It’s difficult to find reliable statistics about specific models or brands that are prone to problems (although the situation is improving with each passing year). We look at Amazon reviews and other retailers’ ratings to see if there are any obvious design problems or quality-control problems-and we’ve even run an AI-powered analysis on some popular models-but it’s hard to see patterns until the vacuum has been out for a couple of years. All brands offer inconsistent customer service, even when a product is under warranty.

On the plus side, basic maintenance is usually straightforward, and consumable parts like filters and belts last for the life of the vacuum.

On average, a typical cordless vacuum will last from three to five years before needing to be replaced (depending on how much you use it).

• The filtering process

There is not much difference between our picks on this front. As a result of the pandemic, we have not been able to test our monitoring lab, partly because vacuums with poor filtration tend to suffer from other issues. Furthermore, we are not permitted to access our testing facility due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, you can check out Vacuum Wars’ video reviews on filtration. As a general rule, if you have severe allergies or asthma, you should stick to vacuums that collect debris in disposable bags (or vacuums that use water filters).

We recommend: Tineco Pure One S11

Last update on 2024-04-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Our review of stick vacuums has revealed major flaws in nearly every one. Additionally, the Tineco Pure One S11 has a number of flaws, but they’re minor, and the device isn’t bad at any of the most important aspects. Maybe that’s all we can expect from a category of imperfect (but inherently fun to use) products like cordless vacuum cleaners. One of the best aspects of the S11 is its comfortable handling, which is lighter and smoother than most, and does not require continuous squeezing of the trigger, as with Dysons. Featuring a color-coded dust sensor that is unique for a vacuum at this price, the S11 helps you maximize the cleaner’s cleaning power and battery life by letting you focus your attention on the areas of your floor that are actually dirty. Furthermore, the S11 makes removing dust and hair from rugs easier than most of its close competitors, and it does so without scattering debris. You should, however, look elsewhere, such as at Dyson cordless models or even plug-in vacuums if excellent cleaning performance is your top priority.

A lot of other cordless stick vacuums around this price point, including the Dyson V8 animal, weigh more than the Tineco S11. However, the Tineco doesn’t feel heavier than other sticks when you’re using it. Part of the reason is that it has two large wheels on the cleaning head, which help distribute the weight, as well as better weight distribution in the main unit (the part you hold in your hand). Although it does have a trigger-style power switch, it also includes a trigger lock so you don’t need to squeeze the trigger all the time when the vacuum is working (unlike most Dyson models). All of this translates into a more comfortable experience than you get with most sticks at this price, especially over a longer cleaning session.

Other vacuums in this price range do not have a dust sensor (or debris detector). In the S11’s main unit, there’s a ring of LEDs that change colors based on how much debris the vacuum is collecting at any given time – when there’s more debris, more of the light ring turns red. (Our upgrade pick has it, but it’s $700.) That gives you a visual cue to spend more time on dirty areas you can’t see by sight alone (as on some rugs) and move on quickly from clean areas. The S11 automatically increases suction when it senses a large mess. Despite our initial reservations in 2020, we’ve grown to love it over time.

Despite its good capabilities, the S11 is not a standout cleaner. Most of our carpet cleaning tests showed similar results to the Dyson V8 when it was running at maximum battery drain suction. The V8 dragged up more embedded hair and dust in real-world testing, but in its default, battery-saving suction mode, it wasn’t as effective. If you ask what is the best cordless stick vacuum for pet hair? Pet hair was more likely to get trapped in S11 caught pet hair off the floor than many other models.

The S11 wasn’t great at bare-floor cleaning. If you have bare floors, the headlight will allow you to spot small materials that might otherwise escape your notice. However, the cleaning head tends to push around larger debris instead of removing it, and the default suction setting may not be powerful enough to remove moderately heavy debris like sand or cat litter-if the dust sensor doesn’t increase the suction on its own, you’ll have to manually increase the suction.

A click-in, swappable battery pack is also used by the Tineco S11, so the only limit to the device’s runtime is the amount of money you’re willing to spend on spare batteries (although, as we’ve pointed out, extra battery life tends to be overrated). With the S11’s single battery, it can run for up to 40 minutes when using the open wand or any other non-motorized attachment, and if the dust sensor never begins to activate the higher speed. Generally, the cleaning time on one charge should be between 25 to 30 minutes. Most reviews mention short battery life, a complaint that can be found with nearly every cordless vacuum. In the reviews we analyzed, 2% of reviewers were unhappy with the battery’s performance; that is much better than the Dyson V8’s 10% failure rate.

A bit of a mystery surrounds the reputation of Tineco Vacuum. In the US, the company is best known for making some decent robot vacuums under the brand EcoVacs, the largest vacuum manufacturer in China (and therefore probably the world). Branches of EcoVacs manufacture vacuums for Shark cordless vacuums (including upgraded versions of their popular Navigator line of plug-in vacuums) and Bissell cordless vacuum, according to publicly available import records (subscription required). Although it has a vast manufacturing operation, the company’s brand presence here in the United States is still relatively small, so we have no idea what kind of customer support or product support we can expect. The company has managed to keep spare parts in stock better in 2023 than it did in previous years, but that’s still a low bar. Our knowledge of EcoVacs’s product quality is not particularly impressive. Its robots break after a short period of time.

One way to improve the S11 is to install a foam pre-filter (tucked into the bottom of the dustbin door) that we think gets dirty quickly. This flaw is not mentioned in many customer reviews but is important to understand. In our opinion, this is due to the S11’s single cyclonic dust separator, so the filter has to capture quite a bit of dust before the stuff passes through the motor — a lot more than filters do on machines with multiple cyclones (such as Dyson models). Cleaning the filter is as easy as running it underwater for a couple of minutes and letting it dry on a window sill for a day or so. Although it’s just one more chore, it’s probably one you’ll have to do more frequently than you would with most vacuums.

Budget pick: Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme 20V Max

Consider the Black+Decker Powerseries Extreme 20V Max if you want a low-cost cordless vacuum that’s good at cleaning rugs and can tolerate an inconvenient design. Both variants are available: the standard blue version we tested, and a pricier purple version with a larger bin and an attachment to remove pet hair from upholstery, but it otherwise works the same way.

Here is the finding for many of you who are finding What is the best cordless stick vacuum for carpeted stairs? Or carpets?

For the price, this Black+Decker is an incredibly effective carpet cleaner. During our tests, the machine collected about the same amount of grit as the Dyson V7 (although far less pet hair and hardly any fine dust), and it beat out many models that cost much more. Although the suction was relatively weak, we’re not sure why it worked so well. The cleaning head gripped the floor in an unusual manner among cordless vacuums-and a totally unique attribute for a vacuum of this price. The Black+Decker can only clean bare floors well, and it struggles with very heavy (mulch) or very light (flour) debris. The Black+Decker is also one of the few stick vacuums that let you shut off the brush roll so hard debris, such as cat litter, won’t get scattered. This lamp isn’t very bright, but its headlight is handy for spotting fine debris.

In spite of the fact that the Power series Extreme’s battery has marginally less run time (12 minutes on the maximum suction setting and about 20 minutes on the middle setting), it’s worth noting since it’s the same battery used by many Black+Decker power tools. You might have spares lying around if you have already invested in that system. Perhaps this feature appeals to you if you are interested in buying a battery-powered system of household tools and appliances. It means plenty of spare batteries should be available for several years.

Poor dustbins that easily fall apart when bumped are the lowest point. Due to its lack of tactile cues for where to align, and its lack of audible click when it was slotted into place, we always struggled to reattach it. Neither the lid nor the handle open to let you dump it out, so you have to pull the filter off by hand (and that can get dusty).

At least compared with other cordless vacuums, we are cautiously optimistic about Black+Decker’s reliability. There are no widespread defects or design problems (apart from the dustbin) as evidenced by our analysis of customer reviews based on more than a year of use.

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Pick an upgrade: Dyson V11 Animal

Upgrade to a Dyson vacuum if you’re willing to pay more for a machine that cleans better than any cordless vacuum (and many plug-in vacuums) we’ve tested. Including the Dyson V11 Animal and the Dyson V15 Detect, these vacuums clean beautifully. By far, they’re the largest players in the rug cleaning market. As for bare floors, both work well, although the V15 comes with a laser-lit, soft-roller cleaning head that is especially excellent. With an automatic suction-adjustment feature, the battery life is ample. Additionally, some models include useful extras, such as an LCD screen that displays how much battery life remains.

Due to supply-chain problems affecting many industries, Dyson has told us that the V15 Detect will be hard to find through at least the remainder of 2023; however, they believe the V11 Animal will be widely available.

Its V11 and V15 vacuums collected an amazing amount of fine dust and hair, even after we’d cleaned the rugs with other vacuums. We’ve only seen the V11 and V15 snag significant amounts of flaky, flaky, or powdery dirt from carpets-the sort of dross you don’t even know exists, but gradually turns your rugs dingy. As someone who has personally owned a V11 for more than two years, we are still amazed and disgusted by how much dust it gathers, week after week.

Our controlled rug-cleaning tests were essentially defeated by the V15 Detect in particular. When running on the V15 Detect’s automatic setting, most of the sand and baking soda that was laid out on low-pile rugs (98%) and medium pile rugs (96%) were picked up. Even the highest power settings on cordless vacuums are rarely enough to clean as well as their lower settings. We laid out debris on both types of rugs as well as the V15, and it picked up 100% of all that debris when we turned up its power setting.

The Dyson V11 ranked second-best in our tests, still outperforming everything else we’ve tried. Despite having the same motor, Dyson says the V15 is stronger because the cyclonic separators have been tuned for more power.

Moreover, both the V11 and V15 feature an Auto mode that automatically adjusts the suction level in different situations to optimize the cleaning ability while preserving battery life as much as possible. Different models work differently: For the V11, the suction automatically changes depending on the floor type, thanks to a brush-resistance sensor. According to the particle counter built into the V15, the suction changes depending on how dirty an area is (more on that in a moment). In addition to the adjustable gates, the carpet-cleaning heads of both vacuums have a few other features to help you control the level of cleaning. It’s possible to close the gates to increase cleaning power, open them to let debris such as breakfast cereal under the head (preventing snowplowing), or set them in between to set them at a certain distance.

For the V11 and V15, battery life is typically between 30 and 40 minutes depending on the power setting, but usually between nine and 60 minutes. The Dyson models aren’t as powerful as many other cordless vacuums, so it’s an inadequate comparison. In addition to having swappable, click-in batteries, the V11, and V15 models also have spare packs you can use to extend the run time if necessary. The Dyson V11, for example, cost $140 back when it launched, but knockoffs are now available at a lower price if you’re willing to take a chance. Before you purchase a second one, give the single pack a few weeks to see if you’re satisfied with it.

Besides the LCD screen, the V15 and a few other high-end variants (though not the V11 Animal) add even more value to the user experience. In addition to providing a battery life countdown, the screen provides a real-time battery life indicator, which eliminates “range anxiety” associated with not knowing how much time you have left to clean, as well as the rushed feeling that accompanies it. We have not seen any other vacuums with animated maintenance reminders and troubleshooting tips.

What does the V15 add to the V11 that it can do so well for $100 more? At least for some people, it’s worth the money because of its extra features and it’s no worse than the V11 in any positive way. Simply put, this vacuum cleaner is better.

The V15 comes with more suction and better cleaning heads and attachments than the V11, which we’ve already discussed. It includes an anti-tangle comb as well as the same carpet-cleaning head as the V11s. There are no sophisticated features in that comb, just some rough plastic teeth at the back of the head. However, it will passively shred any tangled hair that wraps around the roller, so you won’t have to do it by hand as often. We found no tangles in this brush after six weeks of constant testing.

In addition to testing the V15 with a crevice tool built into the shaft, we also tested a version of the V15 with a sheathed combo-crevice tool (see the photo in the gallery). The tool that was built right into the vacuum was particularly convenient, and it made it even easier than usual to switch between a stick vacuum and a handheld vacuum. There are no other cordless vacuums like this.

Fluffy head is also there. In comparison to the default carpet-cleaning head, the V15 becomes excellent on bare floors, rather than merely “very good.” In addition, the microfiber fabric on the roller is great for gliding easily across wood, tile, linoleum, and other hard surfaces, and it’s more effective at grabbing debris that can be difficult to reach with the stiff-bristled carpet-cleaning head. Dust, for example, can cling to fine particles. Debris that is pebbly, like cat litter, and a snowplough-able size, such as Fruit Loops, is another example.

For over a half-decade, Dyson has been manufacturing a Fluffy head (and many other brands have copied it). You can buy a Fluffy separately if you are purchasing the head separately from your V7 or V8, and it is compatible with the V10 and V11 models. In particular, the Fluffy that comes with the V15 is a beefed-up version of the old one; it is one of the lowest-profile cleaning heads we have found, making it easy to fit under shelves and other furniture.

In addition to the green laser headlight, the V15 Fluffy has a front-mounted LED. Using a headlight on a vacuum is always a good idea, as it can illuminate dust and hair that you cannot see with the naked eye. By indicating where you need to clean and reassuring you that the vacuum is indeed picking up debris, they guide you along your path. It is common for headlights to consist of only white LEDs, and they work well. Is it really necessary for Fluffy’s headlight to be a laser? It is part gimmick, part innovation, in typical Dyson fashion. We found that the laser illuminates debris better in brighter rooms and on lighter floors than the LED headlights we’d previously used. In addition, Dyson’s representatives said that lasers are more compact than LEDs, which made it possible to integrate them in Fluffy’s low-profile chassis as well as position them very low to the ground, at a shallow angle, diffused widely, so the light reflects off more fine debris.

Compared with a standard LED headlight, the laser is a bit out there, but we don’t see any major downsides. It is almost too good at illuminating floors – not just debris, but also un-vacuumable imperfections, such as scratches, dents, and uneven board surfaces, that you might prefer not to see. Cyberpunk green on the laser might also seem odd or uninviting to some. During the Dyson rep’s visit, we learned that Dyson engineers tested other colors but found that green emphasized debris best.

Fluffy head isn’t as effective on rugs as it is on carpets — we found it to be terrible in our test on carpets, but that isn’t what it’s designed for. The other is that the heads have to be switched manually. A new head is simply inserted and then slid in (just like switching attachments). Moreover, it’s not particularly elegant since you must store both heads separately, remember where they are stored, and crouch and fumble to replace them. Some vacuums, like those from Lupe and Shark, function with both soft-fabric and stiff-bristle cleaning heads in the same chassis, and it’s a big plus, but the trade-off is bulkiness.)

In addition, the V15 has a particle counter, which is its main highlight. We believe that dust-sensor features are genuinely useful, as they allow you to focus only on dirty areas while preventing battery drain on clean spots.

This was a good idea, but Dyson overdid it. Not only does the V15 sense dust and adjust its suction level according, but it also displays the size and number of particles captured in a bar graph above the battery life estimate. (As tiny as 10 microns, which is smaller than a human hair.) It’s an interesting engineering project, but I’m wondering what it accomplishes in the vacuum cleaner. There’s no way to verify the accuracy of the counter. It doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t? Does knowing that you’ve collected 800,000,000 ultra-tiny particles and 1,500,000 medium-tiny particles really matter? Does quantifying your filth make you feel cleaner? Wouldn’t it be better to have a clear bin for that?

If you’re the type of person who likes to count everything and track everything, then the particle counter is more information for you. (I still don’t know what you would actually do with this info.) Most people will probably ignore it after novelty has worn off most of the time. People who don’t want to know how many hundreds of thousands of dust mite eggs they’ve collected, or who might be driven insane by hunting down the last 10,000 pollen spores that are on a bookshelf at worst, might find it a source of disgust or irritation.

On the V15 Detect and some V11 Torque Drive and Outsize models, the LCD screen displays useful information such as animated maintenance reminders, troubleshooting tips, and a real-time, battery life gauge that reduces anxiety. A bar chart, grouped by size, shows how many particles the vacuum has sucked up during a cleaning session on the V15 display.

The first time I used the V15 personally, we were amazed to learn that it was capable of cleaning my bedroom, which had previously been swept by a Roomba, as it appeared that the dustbin was mostly empty. The next few times I used the V15, I treated the particle count like a video game, trying to squeeze as much vacuum into as we could get a high score. When I captured 1.2 billion tiny particles, I was sick. During a second session, the brush got caught on a small rug in the middle of my work (this can happen with any vacuum), and the particle count reversed, erasing all of my work. After a month or so, I stopped paying attention. My vacuum cleaner has not been used yet to test how well other vacuum cleaners work.

Dyson vacuums have already proven to be impressive, so what could possibly go wrong? Those vacuum cleaners are extraordinarily expensive, especially the V11 and V15. There is no indication that these vacuums will be more durable than other, more affordable cordless vacuums, let alone plug-in vacuums that are just as efficient but cost much less.

The V11 and V15 also have a trigger-style power switch like the cheaper Dyson sticks and sit top-heavy. It is not comfortable to use the switch for long periods of time. As a handheld vacuum, the V11 and V15 are unwieldy and bulky because the triggers do not need to be squeezed as hard and their weight distribution is better. However, the V11 and V15 also have a wide snout and are not as maneuverable as Dyson’s cheaper models.

Maintenance and care for cordless vacuum

It’s wise to maintain the battery health of a cordless vacuum as it’s the most delicate and expensive part. We recommend that you store it (as with any lithium-ion battery) in a cool, dry place and leave the pack half-charged if you don’t intend to use it right away. Additionally, most companies recommend letting the battery pack cool down for a few minutes after use before plugging the vacuum in to recharge.

Despite their cordless nature, cordless vacuums require similar maintenance to any other vacuum. We recommend cleaning the filters at least every few months, untangling the brush roll, cleaning the intake, and unjamming the bearings if necessary.

Also Check: Everything You Need To Know About Gimbal: User’s Guide 2023