Submitted by cowboy_roy t3_11ka7ed in BuyItForLife
I am looking to buy a cordless house vacuum. Live in a small place so battery life isn't the biggest concern. Do I need to go dyson or are some other less expensive brands also pretty good? What do you recommend?
Many if not most cordless vacuums at this point have removable batteries, the bigger concern would be whether the company is still making the same style of battery when it eventually dies. A lot of power tool companies are now making vacuums that use their existing lineup of batteries pretty much guaranteeing that there will be spare batteries to be had for years. The downside is that power tool companies are typically not as good as vacuum companies at making vacuums, but there are some decent offerings out there.
Overall I think you get a way better value in terms of performance and cost with corded vacuums and especially tools, but for many people (myself included) the convenience of cordless tools makes it way easier to get chores done. My corded leaf blower is a much better tool than my cordless one, but I blow the leaves off my deck much more regularly now because there's no setup time with the cordless
Batteries die and I hate that also but a bunch of them are easily replaced.
I pulled a Dyson V6 from the trash and put a new battery in it from ifixit. Works fine and gets heavy use. It is designed to be replaced easily with maybe two screws, so no appliance tech required.
I would not buy a Dyson cordless new, or maybe even used. But I am happy with the one I have.
Bought a refurbished Dyson from their website at a significant discount and the vacuum looked perfectly clean and brand new. Also came with a warranty.
If there is ever a fire at my house I am grabbing my wallet and this appliance when I leave.
I asked a similar question awhile ago, and someone pointed out that most of the small tool makers who use rechargeable batteries for their line of tools also sell cordless vacs. So, if you're already using one manufacturer's cordless drill/yard tools/etc, look into their cordless vac as well.
Can confirm, we have a ryobi handheld vac and its convenient having that in the same battery ecosystem as our tools.
I bought a Lupe for this very reason. The damn thing was pricey, but you can rebuild it from the spare parts they sell directly. https://lupetechnology.com/collections/pure-cordless-spare-parts
Lupe is almost certainly the most BIFL cordless vacuum, they have an incredible spare parts program. I don't know what spare parts are like on Miele's cordless stuff, but I've heard that their cordless vacuums don't perform that well
This is da wae.
I settled on Tineco after much research. It was less expensive than Dyson and had better reviews. Don’t go by brand name; check reviews for the specific model that you want.
Shark
I hate to disappoint you, but cordless is never gonna be BIFL. Why? Batteries. That's why. Batteries will fail.
Welp. Maybe I'm wrong. Lupe seems BIFL.
Dyson cordless v10 and newer seems good. Got it when it first came out in 2018, I use it every day ( hardwood floors and lots of cat fur) and it's still going strong ( batteries didn't lose any power, runs like 50 min on low)
Got a buddy that got the V8 and it seems they have different battery types, since his losses power.
One thing to note, I got the corded Dyson dc23 like 15y ago, still works, and the cordless one cannot compare with it even in max power.
And I paid 750$ for it, because I purchased like 10 vacuums before, and they were all very very crappy, but after I pulled the trigger on a Dyson, I never regretted it. ( For sure they got better with time, but at the time Dyson was the best, and seems to still be up there with the best after so many years)
We’ve had the Dyson Animal V8 for 6 years with no issue. But, I wouldn’t say any cordless is buy for life.
This is a buy it for life sub, so I think it would be appropriate to mention that cordless vacuums are significantly less “buy it for life” than their corded counterparts. Some will argue batteries can be replaced, and they can in some cases, but that doesn’t change the fact that it will take considerably more effort to keep a cordless vacuum going “for life”.
Corded models will be substantially more reliable over the long term, and if you go with a good brand they will even come with long warranties. A Sebo, for example, will come with a 10yr warranty so you’re pretty much guaranteed to get 10years out of it and likely longer. I don’t think there’s a cordless vacuum on the market that you could expect 10years of use, maybe you’ll get there, but it will likely take considerable effort.
This
I just got the Samsung Jet 90 for $350 after rebates from Costco. Unfortunately, that amazing deal is over. It’s Consumer Report’s top cordless stick vacuum of 2023. I’ve only had it a couple days but it is really good. But it didn’t get the best scores on carpet, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you have carpet. The batteries are separate and replaceable, which bodes well for longevity.
LG CordZero has replaceable batteries and has done well for me in a 3 bed house.
Have a Dyson V8 Absolute for 5 years now. As long as you rinse the filters under the sink it works as good as the day we bought it.
Dyson v8 animal used/refurbished
Sharks are apparently not that repairable but mine is going strong for 5 years now. Really I could never use a vacuum without the dual head again. Its just the best vac head possible.
Which shark do you have
Black and decker 20v vacuum $99 solid product
Make sure there’s a battery recycling program for whatever brand/model you end up with. The last thing our landfills need is more batteries.
Personally, battery-powered only makes sense for RV/boat, or some place out of reach of a corded solution.
I tried the cordless approach for convenience, and found it to be a hollow promise (battery powered motors simply don’t perform as well).
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I have a Dyson V15 Detect. It is 100% NOT a BIFL product, but with a bad back, the thing has been a lifesaver. Of the vacuums that were available, it had some of the best suction performance, and this was necessary because I am often vacuuming up hay, which it can handle, but is also light. Functionally, it works very well, the heads are very well designed, and it has extremely good battery life (+ a replaceable battery). Realistically, I expect around 3-6 years of service life from this type of product. If I get more, great. If not, this vacuum will have saved me a lot of back pain over the duration of its lifespan. Lupe is definitely worth consideration as well. (I ultimately went with the V15 due to the weight difference.)
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Cordless shark freestyle upright for 100$. Also have a 30$ Bissell for small stuff at work. Walmart has a bunch of good brands.
Definitely stay away from Walmart if you’re looking for anything BIFL!
You are asking an ignorant question which will lead you down the wrong path. And I'm using ignorant dictionarily, so don't get butthurt.
Hey, no matter how you frame it, there’s an easy way to not be a twat when answering someone’s well intentioned question. Just don’t be a twat.
Why aren't you helping OP if you are so concerned?
Did I make a post here asking anyone for feedback on my assistance? Did you provide OP any assistance? Stop being the white knight of the internet and help OP.
Twat confirmed.
Please eat two portions of polar bear liver.
ladz t1_jb6e9ku wrote
Nothing cordless is BIFL. Batteries are a wear item and are invariably built in to cordless vacuums, rendering them garbage in 5 years unless you're an DIY appliance technician.
If you live in a small space, why not just drag a cord around the small space?