R65

But the Riccar r65 has variable suction

Loved those, I sold a ton of Riccar lightweight vacs and could toss one in as a closer on the sale when the no tools question came up

Riccar R65 with the pet & upholstery tool. It's much less expensive than the Dyson and does a better job imo. It's HEPA filtered. It comes with a charging stand which is really nice. It's just an all around great vacuum.

Riccar makes a stick that is absolutely insane. I think it’s a bit more expensive than this but I’ve seen it handle stuff that normal canisters couldn’t

The miele / Riccar stick vacs are definitely a step up but still not what i’d consider BIFL. Just the nature of taking batteries kind of limits their lifespan. You can get replacements, but they cost money and aren’t covered under warranty after a period (which is when they die, lol)

Also, cordless is convenient in the short term but they are pretty much made to be disposable. The batteries deteriorate and they tend to be made out of cheaper plastic and break quicker. If you just absolutely needed a stick / cordless the only two I could recommend are the Riccar stick (forgot exact model) or the Miele Triflex.

Stick vacs are generally garbage but I would argue the Miele Triflex or the Riccar R65 are better than any stick vac that Dyson has ever produced. My source is that it’s my job to repair vacuums.

For the most part yes. In my opinion the only two decent cordless vacs are the Miele Triflex and the Riccar one (can’t remember name). Even then, I would recommend a corded canister or even corded upright before I’d recommend a stick vac. In my experience most stick vacs are not made to last longer than a year or maybe two. Just by nature of having a battery they are disposable, and they tend to be cheaply made. You also don’t get the benefits of a bag

I would recommend the R65 Riccar cordless stick vacuum. It allows you to change the suction speed. I believe they are priced around $300 and can get parts for them easily if you ever need them. I will say they aren't meant to be a whole house vacuum with pets, but will do great on area rugs and stairs with pet hair.

I bought a riccar r65 6 weeks ago and I’m constantly getting blockage notifications, within 2 minutes of using it, the pet hair is clogged where the stick meets the canister. It was working great and suddenly it’s completely useless to me! Any tips? The place I purchased it from is not responding to my customer support requests. It was a $500 vacuum here in Canada and I’m so upset!!

Another poster in another thread told me to check the top filter, I had only been cleaning out the metal filter. Any way sure enough I cleaned that out and the vacuum is working perfectly again! Phew!!