8 Best Vacuum Cleaners To Buy
1. Dyson V6 Absolute review: The best cordless vacuum cleaner
A super light cordless vacuum cleaner that's brilliant at cleaning carpets and hard floors
Dyson is already well known for cramming a lot of power in a small, compact package. Take a look at the firm's recent Supersonic hairdryer for the latest proof. The Dyson V6 Absolute is just that; light and little enough to get in hard to reach areas, but packing one hell of a punch putting mains-reliant vacuum cleaners to bed.
Not a lot has changed on the outside. That's by no means a bad thing; with Mr Dyson sticking to the tried and tested formula of the trigger grip on the end, with motor on top and battery below. This power trigger, rather than a simple button press, ensures you only drain the battery when needed, even if it is a little trigger happy from time to time. With the centre of gravity around the handle, it's super easy to lift up and clean the ceiling, too. Considering it weighs just 2.7Kg when empty, this may well be the lightest cordless vacuum cleaner that showed up in 2016.
Ease of use
The main way the Absolute differs from Dyson’s other cordless models is the presence of a post-motor filter, as well as the now standard pre-filter. According to Dyson, this prevents up to 99.97% of particles escaping back into the air when cleaning. This should make it more suited to those with dust allergies that can be exacerbated when cleaning, but with no-one on staff being a sufferer it was impossible to verify the claim. The filter unscrews with a twist and is easy to rinse clean.
Unsurprisingly for a handheld vacuum, the V6 Absolute doesn’t have a huge capacity. At 0.4l, you’ll likely have to empty it every time you use it for a full house clean. At least emptying the bin is quick and easy, with a convenient sliding mechanism opening the lid and letting the dirt drop out freely into a rubbish bag. You can’t really trigger the release accidentally, so you don’t have to worry about making a mess.
The pink extension tube clips on and off easily, with terminals sending power from the vacuum to the brush head when you use one of the direct drive attachments. With separate heads for carpets and hard floors, a smaller direct drive head for sofas and stairs, a crevice tool and a multi-function brush tool, the V6 Absolute has more accessories than some full-size vacuums. The larger heads have ball joints, which makes them incredibly articulate when changing direction, and they are all able to get very close to walls and corners, ensuring nothing is missed. The wall-mounted charging station helpfully holds the attachments when you aren’t using them, and doubles as a storage rack for the vacuum itself.
Performance
The Absolute combines Dyson’s V6 digital motor, which spins at an incredible 110,000 revolutions per minute to produce a maximum 100 air watts of suction, with the cyclone technology previously used in the company’s mains-powered vacuums. The 15 cyclones are placed in two radial tiers, which preserves air pressure on its way through the vacuum and helps capture smaller dust particles. When empty, we measured suction at 11kPa, or 19kPa in MAX mode; that’s on par with some of the mains-powered vacuums we reviewed last year. Impressively, this didn’t drop at all while the battery was draining, or when the bin was half or even almost full.
The direct drive cleaner head draws power from the vacuum to spin its brush bars, which push brush bristles deeper into carpets than the manually- or air-driven competition, which should help it remove more dirt. Indeed, it showed in our carpet tests, taking just a single sweep to clean up a cat litter spill. It didn’t kick dirt around the floor, either, collecting it without making further mess.
The hard floor cleaner head was perfect for kitchen spills, picking up fine powders in a single sweep. The floor might not have looked as shiny as it did after the V6 Fluffy’s buffeting brush head had swept it (the cordless Dyson designed specifically for hard floors), but it was unquestionably clean, with no streaks or left-over fine dust. It even gets into crevices without the need to engage MAX mode. You can the see the performance in our baking powder test below, with the before and after shots.
Beyond the typical combination and crevice tools, the mini motorised tool does a fantastic job on sofas and in the car, effectively picking up dust that has had the chance to settle.
Battery life is paramount in any cordless vacuum cleaner, and while Dyson’s best case run time of twenty minutes might seem low versus competing models, considering suction is so much better, you actually spend less time overall vacuuming and that 20-minute limit never really becomes an issue. You also have to think how you use a product like this: you only engage the motor when you're physically vacuuming; with a corded model you generally have the vacuum running all of the time, even when you're not physically vacuuming.
Using one of the motorised brush heads will reduce this to 15 minutes, and engaging the Max mode lowers it further to six minutes total runtime. Max mode is only really necessary for big spills, and isn’t needed for day-to-day cleaning.
Because the docking station doubles as a mains charger, the V6 Absolute should always be fully charged when you come to use it as long as you leave the mains adapter plugged in. However, it’s impossible to tell how much battery you have left when you’re using the vacuum as there’s no power indicator - the vacuum simply shuts down completely when it’s out of charge. It takes around three and a half hours to fully recharge. The good news is that you get full power throughout the charge and suction doesn't drop off as the battery empties.
Conclusion
The V6 Absolute is undeniably expensive; it costs as much as some mains-powered vacuums, but that’s because you could feasibly use it to replace a full-size vacuum. It has a battery that lasts long enough to clean the entire home. Thanks to unparalleled suction and its compact, easy to carry design, you can be sure that your house will be very clean, right into the corners. It isn’t quite as adept at hard floors – that’s what the V6 Fluffy is for, after all – but it still does a better job than any other cordless vacuum out there. If your house is mostly comprised of carpets, this is the cordless cleaner to buy.
Click Here To Learn More About Dyson V6 Absolute Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, 100 W
2. Dyson V8 Absolute review: Still the best cordless vacuum at a price
The Dyson V8 Absolute is still a phenomenal cordless vacuum provided you've got the money for it
Dyson's newest V8 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner refines pretty much everything about the already impressive V6 Absolute, which also wasn't that dissimilar to its predecessor. Dyson isn't reinventing the wheel here, they've already done that in the past, it's just a case of improvement rather than radical changes now. At first glance, it looks exactly the same as the older model, but once you get a little closer you'll start to notice a few differences becoming much more obvious.
The V8 is drastically quieter than the previous V6, making vacuuming a less strenuous task. Dyson claims there's 50% reduction in noise, and while we'll have to take Dyson's word for it, it's definitely noticeably easier on the ears. It's a much lower frequency sound, and while vacuuming is never a silent activity, it's welcome to see the often excessive noise output has been reduced.
The digital motor inside the V8 Absolute has more power. It now runs at 425W, whereas the V6 made do with 325W. The bin, too, is now higher capacity at 0.54 litres to the former’s 0.4 litres.
It’s an important change as the battery capacity of the V8 has now been doubled to 40 minutes of running time. The bigger bin means you’ll be both emptying and charging the V8 far less frequently.
While Dyson would say that 20 minutes on the previous model was plenty for giving the house a quick clean, especially as the trigger power button meant it was only powered on when needed, extra run time is still a great thing to have. If you use the mini motorised tool you’ll get around 25 minutes. For the first time, there's a battery metre too, so you know how much charge is left.
Ease of use
The way you use the V8 hasn’t changed. It still uses a trigger grip with all of the major components positioned close to your hand. This aids the V8’s maneuverability and means cleaning ceilings becomes less tiring as most of the weight is positioned close to your hand.
For a cordless vacuum as expensive as the V8 is, I would have liked if the trigger grip was more comfortable. It’s made from hard plastic and the side of the motor rubs against the top of your thumb, which can become a little uncomfortable. A softer plastic or rubber coating wouldn't have gone amiss and would help with grip, too.
The V8 is still very much a dual-function vacuum, acting as both a handheld and a standard cordless. You’re able to attach the V8’s multitude of accessories either directly to the handheld vacuum or used in combination with the now orange extension tube for vacuuming high or low. It was just as easy to clean the floor as it was to clean bookshelves or dusty ceiling corners.
There’s another useful tweak here, where it comes to changing accessories. The release clip has now been moved to the accessory head, whereas it used to be on the extension tube and the main unit. Previously, it meant removing accessories became a juggling act but the operation is now swifter and far easier to complete with just your free hand.
The V8 Absolute comes with a soft roller cleaner head, direct drive cleaner head, mini motorised tool, combination tool and rigid crevice tool, so there’s a tool for basically every cleaning task you can think of. A docking station is included, which can be wall-mounted. This leaves you somewhere to store the V8 when not in use, as well as its accessories, and ensures it’s charged when you need it.
Emptying the bin is a pleasingly simple affair and has also seen further refinements from the V6. You simply need to release the catch at the top and pull upwards, which in turn releases the lid at the bottom to eject the dirt. In the V6, you found that dirt would get trapped in the bin when emptying, typically along the sides due to static. Now, a rubber collar slides down the side of the bin, scraping excess dirt off like a squeegee. It’s a simple but effective change and means you don’t have to manually clean out the inside of the bin.
Performance
If you’ve ever used an electric toothbrush you might have noticed that its motor begins to spin slower as the battery runs down. This isn’t the case with the V8, as with previous models, as a fade-free Lithium-ion battery is used. Whether you’re using it with a fully-charged battery or towards the end, the level of suction remained the same. Suction, too, isn't significantly affected by the level of dirt accumulated in the bin, either.
The V8's increased power amounts to the motor spinning at up to 110,000RPM, the same as on the previous model. Dyson’s rated suction power has increased, however, from 100 air watts to 115 air watts in the new model.
Unfortunately, we weren’t able to test the V8’s suction power using our standard test, which gives out a reading in Kilopascals (kPa). This is because when you create a perfect seal with the V8’s nozzle the motor shuts down automatically after just a second, making it difficult to get an accurate reading of its full suction capabilities. This prevents undue strain on the motor should the pipe become clogged, but means we've had to rely on our more subjective tests.
Needless to say, however, under our tests the Dyson V8 Absolute performed immaculately and just as well as some of the corded cylinder vacuums we’ve tested. The soft roller cleaner head made light work of our hard floor test, cleaning up 95% of the fine powder spill in one sweep and providing a buffeting shine while it went. This was with very little pressure exerted towards the floor, with a bit more force the V8 clears up the entire mess in one go.
The direct-drive cleaner head also performed excellently on our carpet surface, too, collecting the cat litter spill with minimal fuss and with only the occasional loose piece flying off waywardly. The direct-drive head is able to push its bristles deep into your carpet, pulling up fine debris even in the pile.
The direct-drive floor-cleaning head has an articulating ball-joint, which makes it incredibly nimble. Cleaning around chair legs and under cupboards became almost enjoyable as the V8 danced between objects and glided over surfaces aided by the power profile heads. The mini motorised tool made light work of more difficult ground in dirt, too.
For more difficult dirt, the Max power mode switch can enable even higher suction levels but this will drain the battery very quickly, providing just 7 minutes of continuous operation. The switch has been moved from previous models and is now found on the top, making it easier to toggle on and off as needed.
The post-motor filter has also been re-designed, meaning fewer allergens and dirt should be expelled back into the air. I'm fortunate enough to not be afflicted by allergies but during long-periods of vacuuming I never felt like air quality was being affected the same way old vacuums used to leave the air feeling heavy.
Conclusion
The V8 Absolute proved adept at going from hard floors to carpeted areas without any issues, making it a very versatile cleaner and certainly capable of a full-house clean with its improved battery life. You would hope so, too, considering its eye-watering price.
At £499 (now £430) it’s undeniably expensive. Yes, it’s the best cordless vacuum you can buy today, and yes it has some wonderful refinements over the previous V6 Absolute. The V6 Absolute is still on sale, however, and at £235 is still an excellent cordless vacuum. Then there's the V6 Fluffy (found at £269), too, depending on your needs either will save you a considerable amount over the newest model. Unless you absolutely need the best of the best, and have deep pockets, it’s a little difficult to justify the added expense of the V8 Absolute, but it certainly won’t disappoint.
Find Here To Learn More About Dyson V8 Absolute Cordless Vacuum
3. Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Dog Powerline review - an upright tank
The Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Dog Powerline is a gigantic vacuum that proves unwieldy
Just one look at the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Dog upright vacuum cleaner and you can tell it means business. That’s just due to the mere fact that it’s about twice as big as an upright like the Gtech AirRam. With the two side-by-side it’s a bit like Arnold Schwarzenegger next to Danny DeVito. To put it into better perspective, the Dynamic U1 measures 1,150x386x264mm and weighs a significant 9.7kg. In contrast, the AirRam measures 1,125x292x258mm and weighs just 3.8kg.
In fairness, owing to its gargantuan size, the Dynamic U1 is a far more effective and versatile cleaner compared to the AirRam, but it’s worth keeping in mind just how large it is, especially if you live in a compact home. But for its size, it is surprisingly nimble, but that’s also like saying the cornering on a tank is surprisingly tight.
You’ll get a considerable workout pushing the Dynamic U1 around, which is made harder for its suction power. When you’re not actively vacuuming, it is slightly easier to move around due to being able to tip it back on its rear wheels rather than having the full head be in contact with the floor as you push, but there’s no getting away from just how large a vacuum this is.
To actually adjust the angle of the main unit, there’s a foot pedal that disengages the lock so it can be tilted back in use. It means the U1 can actually lie completely horizontal with the vacuum head still in contact with the floor so you can vacuum underneath objects such as beds. The rear height of the head will stop you getting under many sofas, however.
The handle has a trigger style grip, which is comfortable to hold and allows you to twist and rotate. The power switch is also located here alongside another switch that activates the electrobrush mechanism on the head. This is designed for more intensive vacuuming scenarios, especially for well trodden in dirt, but it shouldn’t be engaged for deep pile carpets as the motor could potentially pull up the carpet threads. I’ll discuss this more a little later.
Accessories and Range
There’s a separate flexible nozzle you can disengage from the rear of the vacuum, which is attached to a telescopic pole that extends to double its length. It’s a little fiddly to get out initially but you soon get used to it. A good selection of accessories is included, including an upholstery nozzle, crevice nozzle and a dusting brush. Usefully, these are stowed away in the back of the vacuum so they’re easily accessible.
There is also a mini turbobrush for tougher upholstery, such as car seats and, most usefully, carpeted stairs, but unfortunately, there’s nowhere to store this. Due to the sheer size and weight of the Dynamic U1, it’s not the best choice of vacuum if you have a multi-storey house but the telescopic nozzle and turbobrush do help to at least mitigate some of the difficulties. The main vacuum body has a dial that lets you adjust the suction level based on different surfaces needing to be cleaned.
Between the telescopic wand and 10m power cable, you have an operating reach of around 14m, so you don’t have to find another power socket too often. There’s no automatic cable rewind system, so you’ll have to manually wind it around two hooks on the rear. Like the Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet, you can rotate one of the hooks to quickly release the cable when needed. The cable can then be attached to the handle when in use to help keep it out of the way.
Vacuum Bags and Filters
The vacuum bags have a 6l capacity, so these won’t have to be changed that often, either. That’s a good thing, as at around £10.49 for a box of 4, they’re not particularly cheap but they do have some clever features such as charcoal filtration to stop allergens escaping back into the air. You can buy cheaper, non-branded, bags of course if you're not fussy.
To access the dustbag, you need to unclip the front cover of the vacuum, which surprisingly feels a little flimsy. Removing the bag is at least easy and it automatically seals itself once removed so you’re not greeted by a plume of dirt. Air filters are housed inside the main head and remove 99.9% of fine dust before it is exhausted out of the vacuum.
The filter should be replaced when the indicator timestrip changes colour to red and this is approximately after 50 hours of use. Miele sells different types of filter, including HEPA (£30), Active AirClean (£20) and standard AirClean (£10). The cheapest filter option doesn’t include a timestrip to let you know when it needs replacing, which is a shame. The vacuum model on test included the Active AirClean filter, which is designed to reduce odours and during testing I never noticed any untoward smells. It’s worth factoring the cost of filters alongside the vacuum dustbags as part of the ongoing running costs.
Performance and Use
The suction power of the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Pet is certainly one of its strong points. With an empty bin it managed to generate 24.5kPa of suction power, which on paper doesn’t seem a massive amount for a corded vacuum, but in use, you’re not left wanting. It owes this in part to the weight of the vacuum that keeps it directly pressed against the floor and, when needed, the electrobrush that gets so deep into the carpet you can see faint marks in the tread from where it’s passed over and dug deep into the fibres.
Needless to say, a cat litter spill on medium pile carpet proved no problem at all. Even when I unceremoniously stamped the cat litter deep into the fibres, the electrobrush made light work of it after just a single pass. No cat litter was sprayed about haphazardly, either. Performance on hard surfaces proved just as good. While you need to adjust the suction power according to the surface, there’s no need to adjust the vacuum head in any way, which is convenient. Suction power barely dropped off as the bag became fuller, dropping marginally to 24kPa.
The problems in use with the U1, however, arise due to its sheer size, which I’ve alluded to already. It’s just so large and cumbersome that it becomes tiring to use. The fact that you build up a considerable sweat isn’t helped by the heat generated by the vacuum that is expelled through the exhaust on the top of the head, which seemingly directs it back towards you. It leaves you feeling rather damp after a few minutes of vacuuming.
Use on stairs is difficult due to the size and weight. Just carrying it up staircases is tiring, and you’ll need to get to the next floor or landing to place it down as the footprint of the head is too large to rest it on a step. The size of the head also proves problematic if you have lots of furniture. Trying to navigate between chair legs is overly-tricky. Suction up against skirting is at least surprisingly good and anything left behind can be finished off with the detachable wand.
Conclusion
The size of the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Dog means it’s difficult to recommend for most households. Unless you happen to live in a one-storey studio space with minimalist decor and furniture, you’re likely going to find its size off-putting. I also wouldn't recommend this for anyone who isn't reasonably athletic. This is not a good vacuum for an elderly user, for example. Just storing it away is difficult unless you happen to have a pretty large utility cupboard. Its high initial cost isn’t helped by reasonably high running costs, either.
While the suction and general performance are impressive, the Miele Dynamic U1 Cat&Dog is just too big and heavy and at 1,400W its power efficiency is also poor. While performance isn’t as good, the Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet would be my preference. Not only is it significantly cheaper, with the added bonus of reduced running costs due to using a cyclonic cylinder rather than disposable bags, it’s also far more nimble and more than adequate for cleaning anything but the most industrial of messes.
Read More About Miele Dynamic U1 Cat & Dog, 1500 watts, Red Click Here.
4. Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet review: Transforming upright vacuum
The Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet is an incredibly versatile upright vacuum and great value
Upright vacuums certainly have their benefits. They’re typically more nimble than their cylinder-based cousins and also take up considerably less space when in storage. But on the other hand, they also have their limitations where it comes to vacuuming anything that isn’t at floor-level. In that regard, the Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet is almost the best of both worlds through a clever transformation.
Design
In its standard guise, it’s as conventional an upright as you’re going to see. The Air Lift measures 1.1m in height with a handle at the top to manoeuvre it around, the head pivots and tilts allowing you to get around corners easily but vacuuming under low objects can be a little tricky as the brush head doesn’t extend very far forwards, meaning the cylinder quickly obstructs how far under your furniture you can reach.
That’s where the Air Lift’s stretch hose will come in handy. You can detach it from the main brush head and attach one of the accessories, such as the crevice tool, to reach otherwise unreachable areas. The extendable hose stretches about 1.5m. The release is located at about ankle-height on the main unit, meaning transitioning isn’t the most seamless and you’ll have to bend down to unclip it. Additionally, the handle grip can also be detached from the upright unit and reattached to the hose to provide a better grip and additional, extendible, reach.
Not enough reach still? Then remove the cylinder altogether to use as a corded handheld vacuum cleaner. Trying to hold the cylinder in one hand and the hose in the other can be a little tricky, especially as the cylinder isn’t light. It’s fine for quickly cleaning areas such as ceilings or staircases, however, and helps to make the Air Lift far more versatile. Changing between vacuuming modes can be a little fiddly - with all manner of clips and buttons - but once you get the hang of them, the additional modes are very welcome.
The Air Lift Steerable Pet includes a 3-in-1 tool, which has a brush, crevice and upholstery head. Conveniently, this clips to the side of the Air Lift when not in use, meaning it’s easily accessible. A Turbo Tool is also included, which is a bear-claw like head designed for getting-up more heavily embedded mess such as pet hair. The rubbery claws do well at digging into upholstery to release stubborn dirt.
As the Air Lift isn’t cordless, you do have to contend with the power cable. This measures 10m, so it at least gives you plenty of reach before you have to find another outlet. Disappointingly, there’s no automatic cord rewinder. Instead, you have to manually wind the cable around hooks on the side of the cylinder, which is time-consuming and not particularly elegant. In use, there’s at least a small clip near where you grip the handle in order to get the cable out of your way.
Bin emptying
Emptying the bin is a simple affair. You just lift the cylinder out and then release a clip on the bottom of the bin, which then pops open dropping out the contents of the bin. However, if you happen to pick up a lot of fibre or meshed together hair, you might find these get stuck down the sides and trapped against the filter. I had to manually pluck a lot out, which became a messy affair.
In fairness, doing so isn’t too difficult as the bin disassembles easily, giving you access to the separator and filters. The pre-motor filter can be washed while the post-motor filter should be replaced when it becomes heavily discoloured. A filter kit including both is available for £20 direct from Vax. The bin has a 1.5l capacity, which isn't as large as other (non-detachable) uprights, but as you're meant to be able to also carry the cylinder you probably don't want it to be too large.
Performance
The Air Lift uses multi-cyclonic technology, which ensures there’s no loss of suction regardless of the contents of the bin. Using our suction meter, I found that the Air Lift had 19.5kPa of suction when empty and indeed this was maintained when the bin was at capacity. It’s not the highest score we’ve seen, especially from a corded vacuum but, in testing, it proved more than adequate.
You’re able to toggle on the revolving brush head depending on the surface you’re cleaning. It should be off for hard surfaces and on for carpeted. There’s also a sliding mechanism on the head that opens an air vent to reduce the suction when used on high piled carpets. With the brush head engaged and the air vent cover closed, carpet cleaning was excellent, picking up all manner of spills without a problem.
Particularly pleasing was the fact that our cat litter spill wasn’t sprayed in every direction. With large particle spills, such as cat litter, you’ll want to make sure the air vent is closed, however, as with it open they can and will escape back out. Hard surface cleaning was likewise excellent, with our fine powder spill left practically spotless after just one pass, as usual some was left down the cracks, but a quick pass with the brush tool cleared this up. Used in conjunction with the included accessories, cleaning bookshelves and ceilings was also easy thanks to the extendable hose.
Conclusion
The Vax Air Lift Steerable Pet might not be the most attractive, nor elegant, vacuum cleaner out there but it’s incredibly versatile and great value for money, too. Ideally, it would be a little lighter, as at 6.2kg you do get a bit of a workout in use and I would argue it's not quite as steerable as its name suggests, but its performance was excellent and you also get Vax’s six-year guarantee with it, so it gets our Recommended award.
To Learn More About Vax U84-AL-Pe Air Lift Steerable Pet Vacuum Cleaner - Silver/Blue Find Here.
8 Best Vacuum Cleaners To Buy Part 2
