7 Best Vacuums for 2025

The Bissell Featherweight Stick is a game-changer for quick cleanups, packing surprising power into a featherlight frame. Weighing less than six pounds, it’s effortlessly portable and ideal for renters, small apartments, or anyone who dreads lugging around a heavy vacuum. Its dual-action cyclonic suction maintains strong airflow across sealed hard floors and low-pile carpets, making it perfect for grabbing cereal spills, dust bunnies, or pet hair in seconds—no assembly, no hassle.

In real-world testing, the 0.67-liter dirt cup proved sufficient for daily spot cleaning but required frequent emptying during full-room sessions. The included crevice tool stays securely stored, and the ability to convert into a handheld unit made cleaning stairs, car interiors, and furniture seamless. While it struggles on high-pile rugs and lacks adjustable height settings, its nimble floor nozzle glides smoothly on tile and laminate, capturing surface debris with commendable efficiency. It’s not built for deep carpet cleaning, but that’s not its purpose.

Compared to heavier uprights like the Eureka PowerSpeed, the Featherweight excels in portability and simplicity, trading raw power for speed and convenience. It’s the go-to for urban dwellers, seniors, or parents needing a vacuum they can grab in 10 seconds to handle a tracked-in mess. For those prioritizing lightweight agility over deep-cleaning muscle, this Bissell delivers unmatched ease—offering essential functionality at a fraction of the cost of more complex models.

The Shark NV501 stands out with its anti-allergen complete seal technology, making it a breath-of-fresh-air champion for allergy sufferers and asthmatics. Combined with a true HEPA filter, it traps 99.9% of dust, pollen, and microscopic allergens, ensuring they don’t escape back into your home’s air. Its lift-away pod is a revelation—detach it to clean under sofas, up curtains, or along baseboards without wrestling the entire vacuum. This is a machine built for whole-home hygiene, not just surface cleaning.

Performance-wise, the swivel steering delivers buttery-smooth navigation around furniture legs and tight corners, while LED headlights expose hidden pet hair and dust under beds and sofas. The 0.8-quart dust cup handles medium-sized jobs well, though homes with multiple pets may need to empty it mid-session. On carpets, it pulls up embedded debris effectively, and on hard floors, the scatter-free design keeps fine particles from scattering. However, the cord rewind requires manual effort, and the hose has a slight kink tendency.

Against the Eureka PowerSpeed, the NV501 offers superior filtration and versatility, but at a higher weight and price. It’s the ideal pick for families with allergies, pets, or multi-surface homes who value air quality as much as cleanliness. While not the lightest option, its allergy-first engineering and lift-away flexibility make it a top-tier choice—delivering hospital-grade filtration with serious cleaning power to match.

The Eureka WhirlWind redefines what a budget canister vacuum can achieve, blending professional-grade suction with airline-approved portability. At just 8.15 pounds, it floats from room to room, and its telescoping metal wand extends effortlessly for ceiling cobwebs or under-bed reaches. The 2.5L dust container is massive for its class, allowing extended cleaning without constant emptying—ideal for whole-house sessions. With 960 watts of cyclonic power, it maintains strong airflow across carpets, hardwood, and upholstery, all without bags or costly replacements.

During testing, the integrated crevice tool and dusting brush proved game-changing—no more rummaging through drawers for attachments. The swivel steering made it agile on hardwood, and the automatic cord rewind saved precious time. On thick carpets, it required slower passes to pull up deep debris, but on low-pile and sealed floors, it performed flawlessly. The washable filter is a long-term cost saver, though it needs drying time after rinsing to prevent odor.

Compared to stick vacuums like the Bissell Featherweight, the WhirlWind offers greater capacity and sustained suction, but sacrifices instant grab-and-go convenience. It’s the smart pick for apartment dwellers or older adults who want powerful, quiet canister performance without the bulk. For those who value low maintenance and high efficiency, this Eureka delivers premium features without the premium price tag—a rare win in the canister category.

The VOKENE Cordless Vacuum is a sleek powerhouse, delivering 45KPA of suction—a number that rivals far more expensive models. Its 8-in-1 versatility shines in real life: the detachable battery allows handheld use for car seats, while the LED display keeps you informed of runtime and blockages, eliminating guesswork. With up to 45 minutes in Eco mode, it handles multi-room cleaning with ease, and the removable battery means you can charge a spare and never face downtime. This is cordless freedom done right.

In performance tests, the 7-stage filtration system captured nearly all fine dust, including allergens down to 0.1 microns, making it surprisingly effective for allergy-prone homes. The 1.5L dust cup reduced emptying frequency, and the motorized floorhead handled pet hair on both hardwood and medium-pile carpet without clogging. However, the vacuum body feels slightly top-heavy when using the extension wand, and the brushroll can tangle with long hair without regular maintenance.

Against the Shark NV752, the VOKENE trades some build prestige for superior runtime and modern tech, offering more suction modes and a smarter interface. It’s the perfect match for tech-savvy homeowners who want lightweight, tangle-free cleaning without cords or compromises. With best-in-class runtime and filtration, this VOKENE model punches well above its weight—delivering flagship features at a mid-tier cost.

The Eureka PowerSpeed is a pet owner’s dream, engineered from the ground up to conquer fur, dander, and tracked-in messes with relentless efficiency. Its Pet Turbo Brush agitates deep into carpets, lifting embedded hair and dirt that other vacuums leave behind. At just 10 pounds, it’s easy to carry up stairs, yet it houses a 960-watt motor that delivers consistent suction across thick carpets and sealed hardwood. The 5-height brush roll adjustment ensures optimal contact on any surface, preventing scatter on tile and maximizing agitation on plush rugs.

Real-world testing confirmed its dominance on pet-heavy homes—it cleared a week’s worth of dog hair from a shag rug in a single pass. The 2.6-liter dust cup is one of the largest in its class, reducing emptying frequency significantly. The onboard storage keeps the crevice tool and dusting brush within reach, though the cord is shorter than ideal at 20 feet. On hard floors, Scatter-Free Technology works well, but the lack of a dedicated hard floor mode means you still need to adjust the height manually.

Next to the Bissell CleanView, the PowerSpeed offers better pet tool integration and larger capacity, though it lacks swivel steering. It’s the go-to for homes with shedding pets, where suction power and convenience outweigh maneuverability. For those who battle daily fur tumbleweeds, this Eureka delivers maximum pet-ready performance without breaking the bank—striking a rare balance between power, portability, and price.

The Shark NV752 earns its title as best overall with a brutally effective Pet Power Brush that self-cleans as it spins, preventing hair wrap and maintaining peak performance. Its 2-in-1 powered lift-away pod doesn’t just detach—it keeps the brushroll spinning, so you can deep-clean stairs, sofas, or under beds with full suction power. Combined with HEPA filtration and a complete anti-allergen seal, it’s a fortress against dust, dander, and allergens, capturing 99.9% of particles 0.3 microns or larger. This is a vacuum that cleans both surfaces and air.

In rigorous testing, the LED headlights revealed pet hair hidden in shadowy corners, and the large 0.88-quart dust cup handled entire home cleanings without overflow. The fingertip surface control lets you switch from carpet to hard floor mode instantly, preserving battery life and optimizing suction. It glides over thick rugs with ease, though the 17.5-pound weight makes it tiring for extended upstairs sessions. The hose reach is generous, and accessories click on securely, but the plastic build feels less premium than older Shark models.

Versus the NV501, the NV752 adds powered lift-away and self-cleaning brushroll, making it superior for pet owners. It’s the ultimate all-in-one solution for large homes with pets, allergies, and mixed flooring. While heavier than competitors, its comprehensive feature set and elite pet performance justify the bulk—offering the most complete cleaning experience in its class, blending power, intelligence, and versatility like no other.

The Bissell CleanView Swivel is a maneuverability master, thanks to its ultra-responsive swivel steering that pivots on a dime, making it effortless to navigate around coffee tables, chair legs, and tight hallways. The triple action brush roll doesn’t just spin—it beats, agitates, and lifts, tearing pet hair and ground-in dirt from carpets with surgical precision. The active extension wand is a standout, extending to reach ceiling corners or under cabinets without bending, while the multi-cyclonic system maintains suction by preventing clogs before they start.

In real use, the scatter-free technology truly works—fine sand and cereal stayed contained during pickup on hardwood, a rare win for budget uprights. The easy-empty dirt tank flips open with one button, minimizing mess, though the 0.9-liter capacity fills quickly on pet-heavy days. It transitions smoothly between surfaces, but lacks height adjustment, so it can drag on low-pile areas. The cord is a generous 30 feet, and the onboard tools are accessible, though the wand storage feels flimsy.

Compared to the Eureka PowerSpeed, the CleanView offers superior agility and edge cleaning, but sacrifices onboard pet tool storage. It’s the ideal pick for cluttered homes where tight turns and furniture dodging are daily challenges. With best-in-class steering and modern upgrades, this 2024 model delivers smooth, efficient cleaning—proving that sometimes, the simplest improvements make the biggest difference.