Cordless Vacuum Cleaners – A Buyers Guide

The cordless vacuum cleaner is the handy alternative to the corded vacuum. They are easy to-use, have no chords to hold you back and even come at an affordable price! Is it any wonder more and more people are changing to a cordless vacuum? So, if you are tired of dragging your heavy corded vacuum around the house and not being able to reach those nooks and crannies, the cordless vacuum may well be the answer to your problems. Reading our buyers guide will give you the information you need to decide if a cordless vacuum is the right choice for you, and tell you what you should look out for when searching the market.

Only got 5 minutes?

The cordless vacuum has become ever more popular in recent years. When you consider the benefits including the fact they are becoming increasingly more affordable, it is not difficult to see why.

There are three main types of cordless vacuums. Upright, stick and cylinder. The stick is the most common; it has a slim cleaning tube with a detachable handheld. The upright is a bulkier model with a detachable canister and the cylinder is a cylinder on wheels with a flexible cleaning tube.

The price of the cordless vacuum cleaner can vary between £50 and £600. We recommend buying from a well-known brand and suggest a good cordless vacuum will start at around the £150 price mark.

Features

• Bag or bagless. Most cordless vacuums are bagless however, a few do use disposable dust-bags.
• Lift away handheld vacuum. Most cordless vacuums now have handheld cleaners. This is usually a design with which you swap the floor tool for a mini tool or comes as a pullout handheld vacuum.
• Battery life. As battery life varies between models it is worth checking the model is suitable for your needs. The amount of time you can use it before re-charging is dependent on both the battery type and the setting on which you are using it. We recommend a lithium ion battery if you are looking for longer battery life and faster charging.
• Capacity. Cordless vacuums do have a smaller capacity than the corded vacuum, which means they will need emptying more frequently. On average, the cordless model offers a 0.6 litre capacity in comparison to the 2.1 litre capacity offered by the corded model.
• Weight. The average weight of a corded vacuum is 6.4kg; the average weight of a cordless vacuum is just 3kg, less than half the weight of a corded.

Other features to be aware of

• LED lights. Some models offer the feature of LED lights on the head, which are useful for dark corners.
• Self-standing. Not all cordless vacuums are self-standing, some need to be propped up, some sit in a wall-mounted stand and others are to be lay down.
• Power button. Some vacuums require you to hold down a power button as you vacuum. Although not preferable for many, it is designed to save battery life.
• Battery life indicator.

Our Best Pick Cordless Vacuum – In Brief

The cordless vacuum cleaner space is a competitive one, dominated by some major brands including Dyson, Gtech and Shark. For me, Shark stands out as being one of the best, whilst there is no questioning the power, quality and innovating powers of a Dyson they are quite pricey. Then Gtech from using them I find are a a little lacking in power and not the sleekest of designs, albeit usually a cheaper option vs a Shark.

Later I will talk a little more about the Shark IF250UK.

Why Trust Us?

The internet is full of review sites that claim they have bought and rigorously tested every product so they can give you the best buying advice, Tripadvisor has some fake reviews, who do you trust?

Let us be straight from the off, we provide the following, we get a product category or subject area, find out everything you could possibly want to know about it, find some of the best products for sale in the category and combine it all into a concise buyers guide.

If we were buying something that is exactly what we are looking for, we don’t care much for someone’s opinion, we want facts, the best products based on specifications and reviews and it all presented in one place. That is what we provide in our buyer’s guides.

Why buy a cordless vacuum cleaner?

Cordless vacuums are the perfect alternative to the corded upright models. They are lightweight and simple to use but still pack the power you need. They were originally deemed only useful for an extra, quick clean in-between full house cleans; however, they are now replacing the corded vacuum in many homes.

The cordless allows you to clean every inch of your home to ensure it stays flawless.

As it says in the name, the cordless vacuum does not need to be plugged in as they run off a battery. The run-time of the battery does vary between models but are easy to charge. This design along with additional cleaning adaptors that often come with the vacuum makes the machine far more adaptable and flexible for using in tight spaces and hard to reach surfaces.

Several cordless vacuums also come with a handheld unit that detaches from the main vacuum. These are perfect for cleaning upholstery, curtains, stairs and even the car.

Types of cordless vacuum cleaners

There are three main types of cordless vacuums.

• Upright
  These are the bulkiest vacuums of the three but usually have a canister that detaches to help flexibility.
• Stick
  The stick vacuum is the most common cordless vacuum. It has a slim cleaning tube for floors and converts into a handheld for other surfaces.
• Cylinder
  Much like older style vacuums, the cylinder vacuum is a cylinder on wheels with a long flexible hoovering tube.

Price

Cordless vacuums vary extensively in price. You can expect to pay anywhere between £50 and £650. To find a decent model you are looking to pay upwards of £150 but don’t be fooled into simply buying a vacuum at the highest price and expecting it to be the best. We recommend you do purchase from a well-known brand and check buyer reviews.

Features

Bag or Bagless

Most cordless vacuums are bagless however; a few do use disposable dust-bags. Whilst dust-bags do hold a larger amount of dust, meaning not having to empty as often, you will need to factor in the cost of replacing dust bags.

Lift away handheld vacuum

Most cordless vacuums now have handheld cleaners. This is usually a design with which you swap the floor tool for a mini tool or comes as a pullout handheld vacuum.

You can also completely remove the cleaning tube on some and replace it with attachments that are perfect for cleaning tight and difficult to reach spaces as well as cars. However, some do not offer this feature and are simply built for floor cleaning purpose so it is a good idea to think about your home and what you will be cleaning before purchase.

Battery Life

As battery life varies between models it is worth checking, the model is suitable for your needs.

The amount of time you can use it before re-charging is dependent on both the battery type and the setting on which you are using it. We recommend a lithium ion battery if you are looking for longer battery life and faster charging.

The run time can vary from around 10 minutes to over an hour and the charging time can vary between 1 and 16 hours. Some do include a spare battery to allow longer cleaning time before charging.

You may notice when comparing models, that some will display ‘max vs standard’ run time. This is to inform you of the run time on high-powered setting as this can drastically cut battery life.

It is again, worth checking buyer’s reviews to ensure the battery life does live up to the claims of the manufacturer.

Capacity

Cordless vacuums do have a smaller capacity than the corded vacuum, which means they will need emptying more frequently. On average, the cordless model offers a 0.6 litre capacity in comparison to the 2.1 litre capacity offered by the corded model. This is due to the fact that the large majority of cordless vacuums are bagless. If you prefer a bagged vacuum there are some cordless available but you will be more limited in choice.

Weight

The average weight of a corded vacuum is 6.4kg; the average weight of a cordless vacuum is just 3kg, less than half the weight of a corded. This makes it the perfect choice for those that struggle moving their vacuum around the home, especially heaving a bulky machine upstairs.

Other features to be aware of

• LED lights. Some models offer the feature of LED lights on the head, which are useful for dark corners.
• Self-standing. Not all cordless vacuums are self-standing, some need to be propped up, some sit in a wall-mounted stand and others are to be lay down.
• Power button. Some vacuums require you to hold down a power button as you vacuum. Although not preferable for many, it is designed to save battery life.
• Battery life indicator.

Corded Vs Cordless

Suction Power

Corded vacuums offer strong consistent suction power as they are plugged into the mains power.

The suction on a cordless vacuum is created by the battery. A good cordless vacuum can have the same suction power as a corded but we recommend one with a lithium battery as others can lose suction as the battery runs down.

Flexibility

Corded vacuums are much heavier than the cordless make them much more difficult to move around the house or use in the car. As they need to be plugged in, you also have to factor in the cable, which means having to not only keep moving it out of the way but also keep changing plug sockets for different areas of the house.

The cordless is much lighter and no wires means the freedom to move around the home with ease, making vacuuming furniture, stairs, crevices and the car much more stress-free. The handheld attachment that comes with most cordless vacuums are also extremely beneficial in flexibility.

Capacity

Corded vacuums hold more dust than the cordless, meaning less exposure to dust for those who suffer with allergies.

Cordless do have a smaller capacity and therefore, will need to be emptied more often.

Run Time

With no battery, the corded vacuum offers unlimited cleaning time.

Cordless models do run from battery, therefore, limiting the cleaning time. However, lithium power batteries give a longer run time.

Cordless Vacuum Attachments

There are a large number of accessories and attachments for cordless vacuums that either come with the vacuum or can be bought additionally. Different models offer different attachments. These are a selection of attachments worth considering, for cordless vacuum.

• Crevice tools. These are an attachment that come in a variety of shapes and sizes to allow cleaning in all those nooks and crannies around the home.
• Duster crevice. This attachment has long soft bristles to help dust in crevices.
• Duster brush. Wider than the crevice duster with more and shorter brushes, it helps dust surfaces as it hoovers. Perfect for walls and skirting boards.
• Mattress tool. This is a wide flat attachment to remove dust from a mattress.
• Pet-tool. As it says in the name, this attachment supports cleaning that difficult to remove pet hair from a variety of surfaces.
• Under appliance tool. A long thin reach hose to hoover under your furniture.
• Scrubbing tool. The scrubbing tool has bristles to deep clean dirt from upholstery.

It is worth noting that, with some models, you can save money by buying accessory packs such as ‘deluxe home clean package’ or ‘spring clean package’.

Best Pick Cordless Vacuum Cleaner – Shark IF250UK

Last update on 2024-04-20 / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API / As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

The Shark IF250UK offers fantastic suction, some great features and a decent battery life, making it our best pick.

It comes with a 5-year warranty, although the price is a little higher than some of the competition the peace of mind you get from a 5-year warranty is worth its weight in gold! There are cheaper variants of the Shark cordless vacuum, with less run time, you can also spend more to give you up to 60 minutes. But we feel the 40 minute mark is a good run. Enough to clean your house a few times before having to recharge.

The real standout feature though in our opinion with the Shark IF250UK is the flexology. It allows you to fit the vacuum cleaner under furniture and into gaps not normally possible. But it also means that the vacuum cleaner can halve its size for storage and is counterbalanced to stand up even when folded.

Our Best Budget Vacuum Cleaner – Jashen Cordless Vacuum

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Jashen isn’t a brand that is widely known in the UK, they have however sold a remarkable amount of units and received fantastic feedback.

The Jashen is a vacuum cleaner with 40 minutes run time, it is ideal for keeping on top of your house cleaning. The beauty of a cordless stick vacuum cleaner is that you can grab it and run it over carpets, rugs and floors quickly and easily, they are very handy. Personally I would own this and think of it more of an electric broom than vacuum cleaner. It is great for keeping on top of the house then maybe every few weeks using a proper vacuum cleaner for a deep clean.

This isn’t a model that can be pitted against brands such as Dyson, Gtech or Shark but has it’s place and as a budget model it works really well.

Best of the Rest

Hoover Freedom FD22BR

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The Hoover Freedom is a middle of the road model, whilst hoover were one of the unconditional brands in the vacuum cleaner scene, coining the phrase “I need to hoover up”, they are now a bit slow to the party of cordless stick vacuum cleaners. Brands such as Dyson and Shark are leading in the space and pushing Hoover further down the pecking order.

The Freedom is a great model, with more power than models such as the Jashen and the full functionality of an upright stick and handheld vacuum cleaner along with great accessories. Its battery life is a little limited at 25 minutes, but it is enough to get the entire house vacuumed.

Dyson V7

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Dyson are pioneers in the field of bag less vacuum cleaning. They have a full range of cordless stick vacuum cleaners, many newer than the V7. Whilst they have newer features and improved battery life, the Dyson V7 is still a popular favourite due to its price point and feature set.

For the price I would expect longer than a 30 minute run time, but you aren’t paying for features and battery capacity with a Dyson. You are paying somewhat for the brand, but more importantly the quality and reliability of a Dyson.

Gtech Pro

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Gtech are relatively new players to the market, their adverts feature the founder and inventor Nick Grey, they offer a full range of garden and cleaning products.

Initially they brought out the Air Ram and Multi, if you needed a stick vacuum and a handheld you needed to purchase two different devices. Now with the Gtech Pro you have something that adapts as it always should have done. For the Gtech Pro they have also gone back to the more conventional bagged option, something that some people miss and others hate.

Frequently Asked Questions