The 10 Best Stick Vacuums

Anyone who hates emptying a bin should look at the Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty, since its base empties the dust and charges the battery each time you park it. The head picks up on the push and the pull, and sensors turn up suction on dirtier spots, carpet and edges. It handles pet hair well, and the wand bends to reach under beds. It's heavy to push, and the start button sits away from the grip.

Deep carpet is where the Dyson V15 Detect Plus shines. Cordless Vacuum Guide named it the best overall after it pulled the most dirt from deep carpet, and its sealed bin kept fine dust inside. A green light on the soft floor head shows dust you'd otherwise miss, and a second head with combs that untangle hair handles rugs. Expect far less than the claimed hour on full power. It feels top-heavy, and the price is steep.

For a base that does more than empty the bin, consider the Tineco Pure ONE Station 5. When you dock it, the station also cleans the brush roll, the tube and the filter, and it collects the dirt with no bags to buy. The roller is built to keep hair from wrapping, and a sensor raises power on dirtier patches. The battery comes out. The station is tall and needs a spot near an outlet.

Homes with dogs or cats are the target for the Shark Cordless Pet IY143H. Its brush roll strips long hair off itself as it spins, and the head changes speed when you roll from carpet onto a hard floor. A sealed body and fine filter are built to trap nearly all dust and allergens, and the motor lifts off as a hand vac. The small bin fills quickly with fur, and floor runtime falls short of the claim.

Self-emptying comes at a modest price with the Roborock H60 Hub Ultra-N, whose dock pulls the dirt into a sealed bag that lasts about three months. The battery detaches and is rated for up to 90 minutes, a green light shows fine dust, and toothed rollers cut through wrapped hair. A close sibling cleaned medium carpet well but was weaker on deep carpet and hard floors. The warranty runs just one year.

If you're tired of propping a vac against the wall, the Bissell PowerClean 200W stands up on its own mid-clean. It turns into a hand vac or a long-reach vac for ceilings, and a built-in crevice tool and a pet tool lift hair off furniture. The brush roll resists hair wrap, and the sealed filter keeps dust and dander inside. Turbo mode drains the battery in about 13 minutes, and the bin is small.

Light weight and a low price make the Levoit LVAC-200 an easy grab for quick cleanups. The wand lies flat to reach under a couch or bed, lights on the head show dust, and the brush is built to keep pet hair from tangling. A pet tool and a dusting brush come in the box, and the bin empties with one click. Plan on buying a new filter every three months, and it's for dry messes only.

Light enough for stairs and small apartments, the Eureka ReactiClean NEC410BK suits anyone who finds heavier vacs tiring. The battery pops out, so a spare can stretch a clean or replace a worn pack later. It runs up to 50 minutes in its middle mode, the brush resists pet-hair clogs, and the washable filter keeps running costs down. It's meant for hard floors and low carpet, not thick rugs, and the small bin fills fast.

One vacuum takes three shapes with the Miele Triflex HX1, whose motor mounts in one of three places. Set low, it stands on its own; set high, it reaches under furniture; alone, it's a hand vac. The wide head senses the floor type, the filter is built to last for life, and it's made in Germany. The bin is small, a full charge takes about four hours, and the price is high.

Since it's a corded electric broom, the Bissell Featherweight 2033 has no battery to wear out or wait on. It's light to carry on stairs, and the lower section comes off so the top works as a hand vac, with a crevice tool and a stair nozzle. The clear dirt cup shows when it's full. It has no brush roll, so it won't deep-clean carpet, the cord means moving plugs from room to room, and it's loud.