Best Overall
Dyson Gen5detect Cordless Vacuum
- Ease of Setup5/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- Maneuverability5/5
- Ease of Emptying4.8/5
- Portability4.8/5
- This powerful vacuum works well on every surface in the home and maneuvers easily with one hand thanks to a flexible head.
This powerful vacuum works well on every surface in the home and maneuvers easily with one hand thanks to a flexible head.
- Tech features like the LED display likely drive up the price without being essential.
Tech features like the LED display likely drive up the price without being essential.
After plenty of testing, our top Dyson pick is the Gen5detect. It’s incredibly quiet, with a level of noise that ranges from 75-82 decibels, depending on the setting. For comparison, the World Health Organization recommends around 75 decibels as the preferred volume for children listening to personal devices. We could carry on a phone conversation with the vacuum running. Its battery-life is also solid; we recorded just over 51 minutes of continuous use on its lowest setting, although Dyson says it can last up to 70 minutes.
Of course, none of these stats would matter if the vacuum didn’t perform well. During testing it picked up debris ranging in size from crushed cereal to coffee grounds quickly and without spreading it everywhere on hardwood, grouted tile, and stairs. It gathered hair even faster and with fewer swipes, which would make this a great pick for pet owners. The vacuum was particularly effective on medium- and high-pile carpet, with both the debris and hair cleaned up in around half the time it took to clean the harder floor surfaces, and most times we only needed one pass to get the majority of the carpet clean. We found the hair tool was best for carpets, while the cleaner head worked best for hard floors.
We also found it incredibly easy to maneuver. Users can turn the head of the vacuum 180 degrees while keeping the handle aligned with the user’s body, which is especially useful when navigating stairs. Because of how flexible the vacuum is, we rarely needed to use the included attachments, only reaching for the crevice tool when cleaning on the stairs, around corners, and on higher areas like shelves. It could reach mostly anywhere with just a flick of the wrist, and transitioned from hard flooring to carpet with incredible ease. It also did quite well around table legs and other furniture barriers. As with most Dyson models, it turns into a handheld model with one click.
The vacuum does come with a high price tag, even for Dyson, and although we didn’t run into many issues while testing, there are a few other drawbacks worth noting. At around 7.72 pounds, it’s light enough to carry up and down stairs, but can feel heavy if used for a long time on higher surfaces. While it was incredibly easy to remove and clean the dustbin, some hair did get caught in the cleaner head and needed to be removed by hand. And though the LCD digital display is certainly cutting edge (it displays particles collected, real time volume, and an after-clean summary), it likely raises the price and won’t be something all users absolutely need.
All things considered, it’s truly a powerful vacuum that, during testing, cleaned a living room in under four minutes and worked well with one pass-through on the majority of surfaces and debris-types.
Product Details: Weight: 7.72 pounds | Dustbin Capacity: 0.2 gallons | Battery Life: 51 minutes and 28 seconds on low setting, 12 minutes and 42 seconds on high setting | Accessories: Digital motorbar cleaner head, fluffy optic cleaner head, combination tool, hair screw tool, built-in dusting and crevice tool, charger, wall dock
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best for Hard Floors
Dyson Omni-Glide Cordless Vacuum
- Ease of Setup4.5/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- Maneuverability5/5
- Ease of Emptying2.5/5
- Portability4.8/5
- This lightweight option can move sideways and lay entirely flat for incredibly smooth maneuverability around and underneath furniture.
This lightweight option can move sideways and lay entirely flat for incredibly smooth maneuverability around and underneath furniture.
- Its low battery life and small dustbin mean you’ll have to charge and empty frequently.
Its low battery life and small dustbin mean you’ll have to charge and empty frequently.
It’s not surprising the Omni-Glide + was the best Dyson vacuum for hard floors, as that’s what it’s designed for. The large, square head is covered in soft nylon to capture larger pieces of debris on hard surfaces, while anti-static carbon filaments work to remove fine dust in either a forward or backward motion. The vacuum also has the ability to move sideways, with four 360-degree castors that allow it to fit perfectly into corners and around obstacles. This kind of functionality is perfect for tile surfaces in kitchens and bathrooms with more immobile obstacles like toilets or fridges. It can also lie completely flat on the ground while cleaning to move underneath dressers, beds, vanities, and more.
As for its performance, the vacuum cleaned hair incredibly quickly on all of the hard surfaces tested, moving across stairs and floors smoothly and without trouble. It also worked well on smaller debris, although larger objects like popcorn kernels proved difficult—a few shot across the floor and buried themselves in crevices. Most of the time we found changing the head to a different attachment worked when debris proved stubborn, but the large kernels consistently had a few escapes during testing. Still, the Omni Glide+ was lightweight and easy to use, and at half the price of our top pick, would be the best Dyson for spaces with mostly hard floors.
Our biggest concerns during testing were the dustbin and battery life. The dustbin filled up within 20-30 seconds, and while the vacuum did continue to work for a few seconds after, users should expect to empty the bin a few times when cleaning a space. And the dustbin was a little hard to navigate at first, as you have to pull in a way that felt unintuitive to us, and we ended up having to manually pull debris out from the dustbin and vacuum heads.
Battery life is also a bit of an issue, as it only lasted 21 minutes on low, 8 minutes on high. Expect to recharge this Dyson if you have a large space to clean. But consumers with large areas of hardwood in their homes would certainly benefit from many of the vacuum’s features.
Product Details: Weight: 4.18 pounds | Dustbin Capacity: 0.2 Liters | Battery Life: 21 minutes on low, 8 minutes 29 seconds on high | Accessories: Double fluffy cleaner head, mini motorized tool, combination crevice tool, light pipe crevice tool, docking station, charger
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / HENRY WORTOCK
Best for Carpet
Dyson V12 Detect Slim Vacuum
- Effectiveness5/5
- Maneuverability4.5/5
- Ease of Emptying5/5
- Portability5/5
- Noise Level4/5
- This model picks up large pieces of debris as well as buried, hard-to-see dust and hair on carpets.
This model picks up large pieces of debris as well as buried, hard-to-see dust and hair on carpets.
- The dustbin is a little hard to empty, and hair can get stuck inside.
The dustbin is a little hard to empty, and hair can get stuck inside.
The V12 Detect Slim is the best Dyson for carpeted floors because its motorbar cleaner head allows for a deep cleaning beneath the surface on high- and medium-pile carpets. The same head also features hair removal vanes running throughout to prevent hair from getting stuck— an extra-necessary feature for carpets, where fibers and hair are most likely to be buried. The motor increases its suction power when more dust is detected, allowing for a thorough clean in places where visible debris can be easy to miss. Considering that carpet can hide lots of dust and grime, this is a great feature for those with mostly carpeted floors.
While a fine vacuum for carpets, it can be used on hard floors as well, which brings up one of its more interesting features—a laser attached to the cleaner head. That might sound a bit futuristic, but it’s meant to provide more visibility on hard floors to thoroughly clean microscopic particles. The vacuum has single-button power control to navigate the machine with one hand, and features the same LCD screen as our top pick. It also turns into a handheld fairly easily, thanks to a one-button click.
When cleaning with the Dyson V12 Detect Slim, we found that it took a few passes but did quite well on larger pieces of debris like dog kibble. As for hair, it also had some trouble with larger clumps of dog hair, but worked smoothly on the rest. Our least favorite aspect was the dustbin. As with some of the other Dyson models we tested, it can be hard to open the dustbin on the first try as it takes a bit of a learning curve. Additionally, some hair did get stuck in the dustbin and needed to be pulled out.
Even with that dustbin issue, we liked how portable and easy it was to maneuver thanks to its lack of cord. We also found that it felt lightweight, although at 5.2 pounds, it’s actually heavier than some models on the list.
Product Details: Weight: 5.2 pounds | Dustbin Capacity: 0.3 liters | Battery Life: Up to 60 minutes | Accessories: laser slim fluffy cleaner head, motorbar cleaner head, hair screw tool, crevice tool, combination tool, wand clip, docking station, charger
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / DERA BURRESON
Best for Pet Hair
Dyson Outsize+
- Setup5/5
- Effectiveness5/5
- Noise Level4.5/5
- Maneuverability4.5/5
- Ease of Emptying4.9/5
- Those of us with dogs and cats were especially impressed with its ability to remove pet hair from upholstery and furniture.
Those of us with dogs and cats were especially impressed with its ability to remove pet hair from upholstery and furniture.
- It’s quite heavy at almost 17.5 pounds.
It’s quite heavy at almost 17.5 pounds.
The Outsize+ is the best Dyson vacuum for pet hair thanks in large part to its functionality on upholstery and furniture, which is a common problem area for anyone who owns a dog or a cat. In fact, we found that even longer dog hair didn’t become tangled or wrapped around the bristles at all. It works quite well on all surfaces, only needing additional passes on shag or high-pile carpet. We found that it removed about 99% of visible black dog fur and other pet hair on all surfaces with one quick pass around the apartment on a frequent basis.
We also liked its ability to control suction with a touch of a button, as it allowed us to keep cleaning without straining the battery on areas that needed less care. The suction on this model is incredibly powerful—the brand touts its ability to suck dirt in without clogging the filter—and we were able to suck up dirt or hair in corners and hard-to-reach spots simply by hovering the vacuum near the area without any effort at all. The battery life is up to 120 minutes, and the dustbin capacity is a whopping 0.5 gallons, which means you won’t have to keep it emptying when the pet hair begins to pile up.
It features a laser head that lights up smaller, hard-to-see grains of dirt and debris on hardwood floors. Besides the tool for upholstery and the stubborn dirt brush, there didn’t seem to be such a need for the other included accessories. In addition, it’s heavy compared to other models, weighing 17.5 pounds.
Product Details: Weight: 17.5 pounds | Dustbin Capacity: 0.5 gallons | Battery Life: Up to 120 minutes | Accessories: Hair screw tool, combination tool, crevice tool, soft dusting brush, stubborn dirt brush, wand clip, light pipe crevice tool, soft roll cleaner head, extension hose, flexi-crevice tool, grab and go dock, wall charger, battery
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JOHN SOMERALL
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / JOHN SOMERALL
Best for Everyday Use
Dyson V15 Detect
- Effectiveness4.5/5
- Maneuverability4.5/5
- Ease of Emptying5/5
- Portability5/5
- Noise Level3/5
- Effective on both hardwood and carpet, this Dyson with a decent battery life is perfect for those who plan on using their vacuum every day, whether that’s for small messes or home maintenance.
Effective on both hardwood and carpet, this Dyson with a decent battery life is perfect for those who plan on using their vacuum every day, whether that’s for small messes or home maintenance.
- You’ll have to hold the button down for the entirety of your clean.
You’ll have to hold the button down for the entirety of your clean.
This V15 Direct is the best Dyson for everyday use because it’s great for quick, thorough cleanings on a variety of surfaces. Another reason it’s great to have around for daily cleanings is the ease of use—we found it easy to empty the dustbin, easy to move from hardwood to carpet, and easy to attach and detach accessories. It has lots of the features and accessories one comes to expect with Dyson vacuums, including the LCD screen, the laser illuminator for hardwood floors, and the ability to turn into a handheld option.
As for its cleaning prowess, we found that it was great at picking up hair on both tile and hardwood, and had no problems going from each surface. With larger messes, like kibble, it was effective, but the three heights for the deep cleaning brush (which is best for carpets) didn’t make a noticeable difference, and it was fairly loud when at work.
We were most impressed, however, with the hair screw tool on upholstery and furniture. All this considered, it’s definitely the best vacuum for daily maintenance cleanings, smaller messes, and making sure furniture is clear of hair or debris. The battery ran on auto for almost 20 minutes without dying, which is more than adequate time to tackle a spot clean.
While we found that it was easy to maneuver around corners and furniture, it was a top-heavy vacuum that wouldn’t be able to stand up against a wall without tipping. You also need to hold the button down continuously when cleaning, which might not be the end of the world for quick cleans, but is a little frustrating. However, it’s a great option for those that like to do daily cleans, like pet owners and parents, but don’t have a ton of larger messes to contend with on a frequent basis.
Product Details: Weight: 6.83 pounds | Dustbin Capacity: 0.2 gallons | Battery Life: Up to 60 minutes | Accessories: Digital motorbar cleaner head, laser slim fluffy cleaner head, hair screw tool, crevice tool, combination tool, stubborn dirt brush, mini soft dusting brush, wand clip, docking station, charger
- BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK
BETTER HOMES and GARDENS / RACHEL MAREK