
Running these analyses costs money. Buy through my links to help keep lights on! I may get a small commission.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Reddit Reviews
What's the deal with Vacuum Wars? Their top-five picks for upright vacuums are Shark, Shark, Shark, Shark, and Dyson. I don't see any Vacuum Wars content regarding canister vacuums (e.g., Miele and Sebo). I'm looking to replace my Shark-brand upright because--after about 10 years--there are several small things that would end up being more expensive to fix/replace than to buy a new unit altogether. Second, and more pressing, question: What vacuum should I get? My home is about 70% carpet (including rugs), 30% laminate and tile. We have multiple sets of carpeted stairs, a velvet couch, no pets (yet), lots of furniture requiring a hose and attachment to vacuum under. I am open to a canister vacuum. Budget is less important than performance and longevity. I am also curious about the cost to replace bags and filters on bagged vacuum cleaners versus continuing to go bagless. TIA UPDATE: After a brief discussion with my wife, we opted for the vacuum cleaner currently on markdown at Costco (https://www.costco.com/p/-/shark-navigator-lift-away-upright-vacuum-with-powerfins-hairpro/4000275596?langId=-1). We find it hard to justify spending an additional $1,000 on a vacuum at this time. I feel like we're settling but maybe a Sebo will be in our future. Maybe in a few years. Maybe after another 10 years with our new Shark. Thank you all. At the least, you have instilled a strong sense of vacuum FOMO in me.
The shark navigator from Costco works great!! I clean houses for work and that one is my go to vacuum. Works better and longer than a Dyson. Want a sebo, but can't justify the cost yet.
I have a Shark DuoClean that I love more than I ever thought I would love a manual vacuum. I have the corded version because of the size of our house and how often I need it. Previously owned a Dyson. Hated it after a couple years. The Shark is an upright bagless vacuum that can be reconfigured to make it easy to carry and reach under furniture, get cobwebs off the ceiling, and so on. I’m constantly changing the configuration when vacuuming. Way more useful than I would have predicted. The “Duo Clean” means it works well on carpet and hard floors. We have all hardwood but a few rugs. It has a powered brush attachment that’s great for pet hair on upholstery and various other things. I use this all the time. I also have a handheld with a similar brush. No matter what vacuum you get, I recommend this attachment! It’s similar to [this model](https://a.co/d/bw641XS). Pricey, but they’re often discounted for Black Friday and similar promotions. The older models with comparable features may be cheaper; I’m perfectly happy with the one I bought almost 8 years ago. I’m also pretty happy with our Roomba 860, another that works well with multiple floor types. But it’s also 8 years old and the competition has improved quite a bit. It’s not as quiet as I’d like or as when we first got it. I clean and maintain it frequently.
Well I finally reached my limit with my old Shark upright. Seems I needed to clean the filters after every single vacuum to get any reliable suction. I bit the bullet and bought a new Shark ZD201 Lift-Away with PowerFins. I did my research and decided to get it at my local Lowe's. It was $299 and on the website, if I signed up they gave me a Member Price of $189. Picked it up today for 100 off after taxes. Anyway...easy to put together. I have two carpeted rooms, two room size rugs, a few small rugs by the entrances and otherwise LVP flooring. Three dogs and I vacuum often. And I mean often. I started on a room size area rug. Darn thing filled up the canister. Carpeted room #1-another ful canister. Area rug #2, another full canister. I can not believe how pooly my older vacuum was doing. Wow! I'm shocked! But also so very pleased.
My last one lasted seven years so if I get that out of this one I'll be thrilled.
I have a shark lift away duo clean. And can highly recommend it. Had a Dyson I’d bought in the nineties and that thing sucked the Parket of the Floor. It is still going strong so I gave it to my kid moving out. Consequently I looked into a new Dyson and boy has it fallen since being sold to investors. This shark has been a great alternative. Easy to use and keep clean, and most importantly great results on carpets.
Love our Shark Duo Fins Lift-Away.
I bought a Costco Shark before I got my Kenmore DU3017. It completely died in 3 months with no indication of what had failed so I couldn't even troubleshoot it properly. I was putting off contacting Shark to use their warranty when my dad convinced me to just take it back to Costco even though it was theoretically past their 90 day electronics return policy. Sure enough Costco took it back, and I hope to never have to deal with a new Shark product ever again. Oddly enough my parents have a 2015 Shark NV501 that is still kicking, but that could be because they hate vacuuming and do it probably once every other month.
I have a Shark (don’t remember the model) but it has these “power fins” instead of brushes and they never get tangled with anything.
Forgot to add, it was just under $500 so it’s not a budget vacuum. The suction is next level. I love it so much.
Rankings by Use Case
Top recommendations from others in the same boat
Best for Cleaning stairs

Top pick
SEBO - AIRBELT E3 Premium
Best for Deep cleaning thick carpets

Top pick
SEBO - AIRBELT E3 Premium
Best for Hardwood and delicate floors

Top pick
SEBO - AIRBELT E3 Premium
Best for Heavy pet shedding

Top pick
SEBO - AIRBELT E3 Premium
Best for Long-term durability (buy it for life)

Top pick
Numatic International - Henry Canister Series
Best for Quick daily maintenance

Top pick
Dyson - V15 Detect Series





