The 5 Best Cordless Stick Vacuums - Winter 2021

By Liam Author

Updated - December 24, 2021

The 5 Best Cordless Stick Vacuums - Winter 2021


When you need a portable and lightweight vacuum, cordless stick vacuums are ideal. Since they don't have a power cord, you don't have to worry about range or managing the cable after you clean. Also, they are easier to move up and down stairs or into different rooms than traditional upright or canister vacuums. People may even prefer how they feel in hand since they are easier to maneuver around the room. However, their battery life may be an issue. They can be an excellent addition to any home as long as you don't mind the lengthy charge time or the short battery life.

Below are the best cordless stick vacuums based on our testing of over 105 vacuum cleaners. The picks were chosen based not only on their performance on different surfaces, but also on their features, battery life, and price. Check out our articles on the best cordless vacuums, the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, and the best vacuums for high-pile carpet for more buying recommendations.

108 Vacuums Tested

  • Store-bought vacuums; no cherry-picked units
  • Easily comparable results
  • No ads; unbiased reviews
  • Supported directly by you via insider access and when you purchase through our affiliate links

Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex IZ163H: Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Bare Floors


We found the Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex IZ163H to be the best cordless stick vacuum for bare floors due to its relatively lightweight construction and pivoting floorhead. For spot cleaning tight spaces, it can be quickly transformed into a handheld vacuum, and it comes with a crevice tool, an upholstery tool, and a hard bristle brush for removing stuck-on debris from surfaces.

It can clean up a wide range of debris on bare floors, including pet hair and bulky materials like cereal, not to mention smaller particles like rice. If you fill up the dirt compartment, you shouldn't notice a noticeable drop in suction performance. It also incurs very low recurring costs due to its bagless design, washable pre-motor, and allergen-trapping HEPA filters. Overall, battery life is decent, with a maximum runtime of 40 minutes on a single charge, though this can drop to just under 10 minutes if you are using it continuously in its high-power "MAX (BOOST)" mode.

This vacuum has quite a few parts that need regular cleaning, but thankfully, they're easily accessible. Also, while you can adjust the brushroll speed depending on the surface you're on, you can't stop it entirely, so the floorhead can occasionally get stuck on rug tassels. Even so, its great bare floor performance and maneuverability make it one of the best bagless vacuum cleaners we've tested.

ALTERNATIVE WITH BETTER BUILD QUALITY: MIELE TRIFLEX HX1


Consider the Miele Triflex HX1 if you're looking for a stick vacuum with a premium build quality. Compared to the Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex IZ163H, this cordless vacuum takes longer to recharge and has a slightly shorter battery life. The vacuum does feel sturdier and comes with a 3-in-1 design that can be used as a stick vacuum, upright vacuum, or handheld vacuum. It also offers a surface-detection feature that automatically adjusts its suction power based on the type of floor you're on or stops the rotation of its brushroll if something gets caught in its floorhead. On bare floors and low- and high-pile carpet, this vacuum performs exceptionally well. Due to its small size, the dustbin must be regularly emptied.

In case you want a vacuum with a larger dustbin and longer battery life, consider the Shark, but consider the Miele if build quality is more important to you.

Dyson V15 Detect: Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Carpet


Among the cordless stick vacuums we tested, the Dyson V15 Detect is the best. From low and high-pile carpet, this cordless stick vacuum works well for getting rid of pet hair, fine debris such as baking soda, and larger materials such as sand. Depending on the type of floor it's on, its surface detection feature adjusts its suction power level automatically. Because the HEPA filter traps allergens as you clean, recurring costs shouldn't be an issue.

For better cleaning of hard-to-reach areas, you can easily convert it to a handheld. It comes with a variety of attachments, including a motorized conical turbo brush, a crevice tool, and a secondary vacuum head with a laser light to help you see small debris on bare floors. The vacuum's maximum battery life of over 70 minutes should be sufficient for cleaning most areas, though this can drop considerably if you run the machine continuously in the maximum suction mode. Real-time battery life can be monitored using the LED display at the back of the vacuum.

This vacuum's strong suction power can, however, make it hard to push and pull on some carpets, and it can drag around lighter rugs. Additionally, its mostly plastic construction feels cheap at times. In spite of this, if you're looking for a stick vacuum that can easily keep your carpets clean, this is a great choice.

CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE: SIMPLICITY S65S


If you want a cordless stick vacuum for less, consider the Simplicity S65S. It doesn't have the Dyson V15 Detect's particulate sensor or automatic suction power adjustment, but it's much cheaper. The parts are also much simpler and require less maintenance. The allergen-trapping HEPA filter is washable, and since it only needs to be replaced every six to twelve months, the recurring costs are low. The vacuum performs well on low-pile carpets, and it does an excellent job of picking up debris on high-pile carpets, but it struggles more with finer material on this surface type. In addition, it comes with only two tools: a crevice tool and a slide-on combination attachment with an upholstery tool at one end and a soft-bristle dusting brush at the other. Since its maximum runtime is a little over 30 minutes, it might not be enough for larger cleaning jobs.

You should get the Dyson if you want a better vacuum with long battery life and more attachments, but consider the Simplicity if you want a cordless vacuum that's much cheaper, but still works well on carpets.

Best Budget Cordless Stick Vacuum: Wyze Cordless Vacuum


The Wyze Cordless Vacuum is the best cordless stick vacuum we have tested for those on a budget. This lightweight and easy-to-maneuver cordless vacuum cleaner is very budget-friendly. With the combination upholstery tool/soft-bristle dusting brush and crevice tool, it can easily be converted into a handheld vacuum to help pick up debris in tight corners. Turbo brushes are not included, but you can purchase them from the manufacturer.

A remarkable amount of debris is removed from high-pile carpet by this vacuum when used on low-pile carpet. It works well on bare floors, but very bulky debris can get caught at the dustbin's entrance. On the vacuum's back, there is an LCD touchscreen that lets you change the suction power mode or monitor the battery life, which can vary between 10 minutes and an hour depending on your settings and attachments.

The vacuum, however, doesn't feel particularly sturdy, since its floorhead scratches easily and its dustbin is somewhat fragile. The machine's bagless design and washable allergen-trapping HEPA filter keep recurring costs to a minimum. This is a good option if you're looking for an affordable cordless vacuum that can handle debris on a variety of surfaces.

Notable Mentions

  • The Dyson V7 Animal performs well on carpets, but it doesn't perform as well as the Dyson V15 Detect on any surface. However, it is more portable and easier to maintain than the Dyson V15 Detect. Read our review.
  • Dyson V8 Animal: The Dyson V8 Animal is a cordless stick/handheld vacuum that does not perform as well as the Dyson V15 Detect on any surface type but still does a good job on bare floors and on carpets. Even though it lacks a surface-type adjustment feature, it's less expensive and requires less maintenance. We reviewed it.
  • Dyson V11 Animal: The Dyson V11 Animal is a cordless stick/handheld vacuum. Although it has a very good overall performance, it doesn't perform as well as the Dyson V15 Detect on any surface type. See our review
  • Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute: The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute offers many tools and brushes and performs well on bare floors. Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex is much better built and more maneuverable. Review here.
  • LG CordZero A9 Ultimate: The LG CordZero A9 Ultimate is a cordless stick vacuum that performs extremely well on bare floors. Although it's more difficult to maintain and less well-built than the Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex, it does come with interchangeable batteries. See our review
  • The Roborock H6 Adapt is a cordless stick vacuum that has a longer battery life than the Dyson V15 Detect, and it is lighter. The dirt container is much smaller, and it performs worse on low-pile carpets. Read our review.
  • Shark Vertex Pro: The Shark Vertex Pro is a versatile cordless stick vacuum cleaner with a larger dustbin than the Shark Rocket Pet Pro with MultiFlex IZ163H, along with an LED screen that displays suction and surface modes. The product does not work well on bare floors. See our review
  • The JASHEN V16 is a budget-friendly cordless stick vacuum that delivers superb pet hair cleaning performance and has a floorhead with two interchangeable brush rolls, one for bare floors and one for carpets. On any surface type, it does not perform as well as the Wyze Cordless Vacuum. Read our review.

Recent Updates

  • Dec 22, 2021: Ensured that all main picks are still available and represent the best choice for their particular category.
  • Replace JASHEN V16 with Wyze Cordless Vacuum as 'Best Budget Cordless Stick Vacuum' pick on Nov 24, 2021. Added JASHEN V16 to Notable Mentions, removed Wyze Cordless Vacuum.
  • I verified that all of the main picks were still available and represented the best choices within their respective categories as of October 25, 2021. Wyze Cordless Vacuum is now a noteworthy mention.
  • The 'Cheaper Alternative' pick was added on October 1, 2021. Deleted Simplicity S65S from Notable Mentions. Roborock H6 Adapt and Shark Vertex Pro have been added to Notable Mentions.
  • Sep 03, 2021: Verified that picks for their respective categories were still accurate; recommendations remained the same.

All Reviews

These recommendations are based on what we consider to be the best cordless stick vacuums currently available. We don't just base our results on overall performance, but also on factors like availability, price, and reader feedback.

If you prefer to choose yourself, here is a list of all of our reviews of cordless stick vacuums. Take care not to get overwhelmed by the details. Although there are no perfect vacuums for every use, most are good enough to satisfy most people, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you pay close attention.

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