Best cordless vacuum deals for February 2022

• Dyson V7 Fluffy Cordless Stick Vacuum for Hard Floors – $345, was $350
• Tineco Pure One S11 Grey Cordless Vacuum Cleaner — $350, was $400
• Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal Cordless Stick Vacuum — $588, was $600

When you’re shopping for cordless vacuum deals, you’ll quickly notice that many models have similar features that essentially define the category. For example, cordless vacuums run on rechargeable batteries; all models have removeable tubes, cleaning nozzles, and power heads; and most cordless vacuums have clever ways to swivel at the nozzle end to make it much easier than with fixed nozzles to reach into corners, under cupboards, and around furniture. When you change the accessories, you change the cleaning capabilities. More on this below, but you’ll want to use different components to vacuum a child’s car seat than you use to reach spiderwebs in the ceiling corners of rooms in your home.

Charging characteristics can vary significantly between cordless vacuum cleaner brands and even among models of the same brand. Clever ways to empty the cordless vacuum’s dustbin without getting dirty yourself are another hallmark of cordless stick vacuums.

There is one elephant in the room in any discussion of cordless stick vacuums, and that’s Dyson. Dyson defined the modern cordless vacuum and continues to refine and improve them. Earlier Dyson models may not have the suction power, battery life, or air filtration of the later generations, but it’s not unusual to see a new Dyson V7 Cordless Vacuum model that was introduced in 2017 on sale along with newer models. In many cases, the earlier Dyson models are the greatest competition for non-Dyson brands that sell for hundreds of dollars less than the newest Dysons.

But there’s definitely a market for lightweight, non-Dyson-brand cordless stick vacuums that sell for around $100 to $150. Different brand cordless vacuums are often lighter and definitely cost less. But they’re still not Dysons, and you shouldn’t expect the same levels of power, battery life, or longevity. The following are major factors to consider in choosing a cordless vacuum.

Battery life: Cordless stick vacuums typically have a convenient charging dock that hangs on a wall and has a charger power supply that plugs into AC power. Battery life depends on the cleaning power mode you use, but maximum running time ranges from about 30 minutes to more than an hour. Dyson’s V11 Oversize model comes with two removable batteries that can each run for up to one hour. Most cordless vacuums have a battery life indicator that measures the remaining charge in minutes.

Suction or cleaning power: It’s common for cordless vacuums to have an Eco mode for quick, light cleaning on hard surfaces, a Normal mode for most cleaning — typically hard floors and low pile rugs and carpeting — and a Max or Boost mode that increases the power for especially messy or deep debris or medium pile carpeting. The greater the power mode, the less battery time will be available.

Accessories: Cordless stick vacuums can be converted to hand-held mode by unclicking a longer cleaning tube and clicking on a shorter tube or attaching a cleaning nozzle or power head directly to the vacuum. Some vacuums come with both a normal and a narrow power cleaning head — the latter is convenient for smaller, harder jobs because it concentrates the suction and is also good between appliances, such as refrigerators, and walls. Cordless vacuums often include accessory clips that attach to the main cleaning tube so you can keep your most commonly used accessories close at hand.

Air filtering: All cordless vacuums, like other types, do at least minimal air filtering before the sucked-in air exits the appliance. If you’re concerned about allergens, odors, pollutants, or even bacteria in the air, choose a cordless vacuum with HEPA-rated air filtering. HEPA filtering removes up to 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns in size.

How valuable is your time? In terms of convenience and ease of use alone, cordless vacuums earn their keep. For quick messes or sudden spider appearances, grabbing a ready-to-work cordless vacuum off its wall dock charging station is much less cumbersome than rolling a conventional upright vacuum out of a closet, plugging in a power cord, attaching a long hose, and then putting on the nozzle or cleaning head appropriate for the job. In our household, I’ve been able to answer the call to remove a newly discovered spiderweb, get the job done, and put the cordless vac back on its wall charger in less than two minutes. The versatility, ease of use, and convenience of cordless vacuums cannot be overstated.

Like any other small appliance, cordless vacuums last longer when they’re properly maintained. For the most part, all you need to do is remember to empty the dustbin when needed and replace filters for models that use replaceable filters. The category-defining Dyson cordless vacuums are especially sturdy, and you can expect many years of service. Other brands designed with the same general features as Dyson stick vacs should last at least a few years, but in many cases their less-robust components don’t give the same confidence that these non-Dyson models will see decades of service.

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