Is there such a thing? We've got a Numatic George for the heavy duty stuff but it's a proper lump and not the best for the daily quick once over. We've had a Dyson thing before which was underwhelming and our current Vax pet hair thing has just given up mid-carpet.
So, we need something that'll do a small 3 bed property and cope with laminate floors, thick carpet and Labrador hair. Don't mind spending a bit if it's worth it but if cordless is a flawed premise from the start I'd rather know and just get something else.
We've got a Dyson V10. Great for small jobs, and really does pick stuff up other older vacuums miss. Not sure I'd do the house in one go with it though. I think the battery would last, more of a comfort thing
Some past Dyson cordless models have been rubbish though, especially with battery life.
But when comparing vacuums, just because one runs longer doesn’t mean it's necessarily better. The best one will be the one that picks up the most stuff, and doesn’t run out too soon.
This guy does very thorough reviews
https://www.youtube.com/@VacuumAdvisor/videos
<p style="text-align: left;">We had a Dyson but it wasn't great. Replaced it with a Samsung which appears to be better, though we have no pet hair to contend with.</p>
We got a shark with pet hair attachment. Way way better than the dyson it replaced
they’ve got a summer sale on too. Linky thingy in case it helps out stw. My dad and aunt have shark ones for pet hair purposes and reckon they’re amazing. Waiting on my Dyson giving up so I can replace it with one. I don’t have pets, but my hair falls out a lot!
After speaking to some guys from Shark I bought a corded version of their stick vac. Still very easy to setup, brilliant at handling hair and always powerful
We've tried Shark and Dyson. The Shark needed you to spend as much time cleaning its filter as you spent vacuuming, but both were ineffectual compared with the corded Miele that replaced them.
My Wife insisted on getting a cordless Shark a couple of years ago. I think she meant to buy the handheld one, but got the order wrong and an upright thing turned up. But, it has a lift away bit, so is actually OK for stairs and that kind of think.
But as per my cynical expectations, it just doesn't really have much oomph. It does work, but every so often I give the house a once-over with the Vax corded upright that the Shark was meant to replace and it picks up a ton of stuff that the Shark clearly doesn't touch.
The cordless aspect of the Shark does mean that it's tons more convenient and much easier to get out & give the floor a quick going over, but......I wouldn't say it does a thorough job.
Also.....the filter needs quite frequent cleaning or it just stops dead & the dust collector doesn't have much capacity so gets full really quick.
Thanks folks. Think I'll give Shark a look, may go for corded though based on the above.
Shark, apparently. My OH wants one.
I have about 17 Dysons of varying vintages and costs. The battery life of all of the cordless ones is horsecrap. The corded DC04 (I think it is) is amazing but "too heavy" apparently. It is literally the most powerful UK vacuum cleaner ever released, it sucks harder than Gillian Taylforth in a layby.
After a seperation I got a V10 Dyson and its way better than the V8 we/I used top have. Its got 3 suction levels and all are better than the V8, at full tilt its difficult to push along a rug.
Nothing to compare it to but for me its pretty good, got it from the dyson outlet/refurb store on ebay and saved £50
We have a 13 yo boy who sheds dirt as fast as the golden retriever sheds hair. We have the basic cordless stick Shark which gets used daily on the hard floors downstairs and the corded Miele cylinder is used on the carpets every 1-2 weeks. The Shark wouldn't have the battery life to do the whole house and if we do the hard floors with the Miele they won't need doing again for 2 days instead of 1 day. The Shark gets used for a quick whizz around because it's cordless and convenient so may be the way it's used which means it's not as "good" at cleaning.
Yay for Shark!
Weve got a big one and a wee handheld wand type thing.
Both are great.
Shark sevice really good too. Two problems of my own doing and they sorted me out in quick time, no hassle.
it sucks harder than Gillian Taylforth in a layby.
Big build up to a disappointing punchline
I've always been happy with Dysons, the V10 and newer models are very good, my only complaint is when using it on max power for more than 10 minutes it usually complains the filter needs cleaning (simple enough to do but then you're stuck until the filter dries after rinsing). For sure the battery life would struggle doing a 3 bed house in one go but it's never been an issue for me, I wouldn't want to do the whole house in one go anyway. There are better options for dealing with pet hair but other than that they're better than most alternatives.
WE've got 2 of these shark vacuums:
I think they're really good, and better than the Dyson they replaced.
At the moment I'm playing about with a robot vacuum - it lacks the suction of the Shark, but it's major convenient (in the sense, I'm at work now, and in about 25 minutes it's going to clean and dust the floor in the kitchen-diner).
RE the shark - you do need to clean the foam filter about once a fortnight, but it's not onerus.
DrP - i think I like vacuums waaaay too much!
Bought a Shark Cordless Stick the other week (direct from Shark, it was on sale) and it's been very good. I had an old Hoover thing that used really fiddly bags and was starting to show it's age and the new Shark is far better.
Came with a free Car Cleaning Kit as part of the deal.
DrP
WE’ve got 2 of these shark vacuums:
That's the one we've got.
It's a really well designed vacuum, everything seems well thought out, it's well built (sturdy) and the powered stair attachment - not sure what it's called - works much better than the one on the Vax (as that one just spins via the airflow).
But (for carpets at least) the corded Vax picks up loads of stuff that the Shark doesn't touch, as the mains power means it's much more powerful.
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Another vote for Shark, replaced a cordless Dyson which was rubbish. Shark has been night a day better.
Of course a corded vacuum is more powerful, different tool for a different job. I wouldn't replace my Nilfisk in the garage with a cordless vacuum. That said the corded Dyson rarely comes outta now.
We have three cordless ones.
Dyson DC35 - absolutely rubbish, asthmatic would be the best way to describe it.
Shark cordless - not much suction, but the brush head is amazing at picking up pet hair - replaced our old corded Dyson Animal as it was so much better at getting hair out of carpets.
Dyson V8 - the first Dyson I've seen, which is actually half decent. A neighbour was giving it away as broken - just needed a new battery and filter and a clean out. I wouldn't actually pay money for one.
Shark vs Dyson is interesting. Totally different approach to the same problem. Dyson seems to go for loads of suction eg our V8 has loads, but all you really need with suction is enough to get stuff up the tube. No amount of suction can lift pet hair out of a carpet. Sharks have very little suction but amazing brush heads.
but all you really need with suction is enough to get stuff up the tube.
I disagree, if you use the a Dyson V10 etc. on normal power then go back over it on max power it collects a surprising amount more dust. Agree suction power isn't everything when it comes to pet hairs but that's a specific use case
Is there a good cordless one!? None that we've had can do a house on one charge (even our small semi) - possibly when new, but give it a few months and the battery turns to mush! 🙂
Most of the time I think you'd be better off with one of these...
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We've a corded smaller Shark with anti-hair wrap. The anti-hair wrap does work well, even deals with cotton thread (my wife sews). It 'hoovers' well on hard surfaces as the soft pickup roller stops 'bits' being flung away. But, it's not as good as our corded Vax Pet Steerable for picking up cat fluff - it's OK, but the suction power isn't anything like as good.
Pro's and cons, tbh.
I've owned both a Shark handheld and Dyson V10 and I would say Sharks have less suction, but not 'very little'. You're right though, the brush head on the Shark is excellent. If i had to replace it again it'd be another Shark handheld.
🤷🏻♂️ we have a couple of Dysons. An old V8 fluffy bought about a year or so after they came out. It’s had one new battery. Best balance of capability and weight.
And a V12. Not as easy to handle as the V8 but the extra oomph and the easy-change filters make it OK. This has replaced our Dyson DC50 that works fine but we haven’t used since getting handhelds.
Awful things about Dysons:
James Dyson’s politics
Price!
If the filters are not pristine then suction drops off a cliff
To get high suction, the aperture for the cyclone is so small that anything bigger than dust grains blocks it: cardboard; feathers; paper!; bits of masonry…
Anytime a Dyson sucks plaster dust it’s game over until you’ve replaced the filter and scrubbed the innards
Robots are kind of helpful at keeping things in check. We have a Eufy in the kitchen that does its thing each day. Sometimes it gets out to do the adjacent rooms. We also have a Dyson 360 eye. The dumbest ‘smart’ robot vac ever. Might work in a Hollywood show house but struggles with anything like a regular home.
Good luck choosing OP
I have a Dyson V8 Animal and, as above, it has great suction and I have no complaints – it picks up dog hair and three heads worth of long people hair that seems to get everywhere in the house. At work we have a Gtech Air-ram and it is bobbins – it appears like it is vacuuming stuff up but it leaves loads of stuff behind and I end up going back and forth over the same bits several times to pick them up. I think I am the only person in the planet not to have used a Shark so I cannot comment on them.
This has replaced our Dyson DC50 that works fine but we haven’t used since getting handhelds.
Not picking on you PGP - as I imagine there's a lot of us like this.
We've replaced a perfectly serviceable corded vacuum with one that eats batteries (and the environmental impact of that) and will probably be chucked into landfill in a couple of years as most people won't have a clue that the batteries can be replaced. Just because plugging something in is a bit of a faff.
Just because plugging something in is a bit of a faff
That and it is fairly heavy to lug around. Not designed for smaller, lighter people?
The non-sustainable notion weighs heavy on me. I’m very surprised at the number of machines in the recycling centre skips. A friend threw away a DC01 some years ago. All it needed was a clean out, a new filter, unblocking, and a cheap rubber belt!
We have the Dyson V10 Absolute (just more accessories) which we got from their ebay refurb shop in a sale.
Been well pleased with it, actually lifts everything and copes with greyhound hair (which is a lot lighter and less adhesive than most dogs so may not be representative) but equally performs better than our old DC7 ever did. Got it a year or so ago and wouldn't go back.
My corded Dyson dc24 is about 15 years old. It's currently at the local hoover shop getting fixed. A part has worn that they don't sell so he's hoping to be able to fix it from a donor vac.
I asked about new hoovers when I was there. He suggested some German brand I'd never heard of. He said if your hobby is cleaning vacums get another Dyson. He said they are great hoovers but they need constant cleaning or the motor over works and burns out. I guess if mines lasted this long I must be doing something right or not hoovering enough 🤣
Borrowed my parents battery upright hoover. It was rubbish. Didn't do much and ran out of power half way round.
I have a battery hand held Dyson hoover which I don't use very often. Already had to replace the battery on it. I haven't seen any good reason to buy a battery powered hoover when/if my dc24 dies.
corded meile is the answer. Great machines
corded meile is the answer.
Apart from the fact it isn't cordless.
johndoh
Apart from the fact it isn’t cordless.
Apart from the fact the OP said....
TheFlyingOx
......but if cordless is a flawed premise from the start I’d rather know and just get something else.
😉
Ahhhhh
I've a couple of Dyson cordless - a V6 and a V8. The V6 lives in the garage to do car & general muck out duties. It got re-batteried a couple of years ago with a higher capacity amazon special. I can't really fault it, it'll happily pick up dog hairs from the car interior, sit under the drill while I hack holes in walls and even suck-started the ooni when that once failed to draw. The V8 is great too.
I've also got a DC02 that I bought in 1996 in the garage. That is now relegated to woodworking tool dust extraction duties. That's an impressively robust contraption.
Shame that Dyson himself is an absolute $%^e. Wouldn't buy another of his products as a consequence.
Me mum's a shark fan. But it just seems like an overly-loudly-advertised-at-Wilko's-checkout-JML-special. Do they come with a free TV deflufffer and the combined knife sharpener/sandwich bag incinerator?
@damascus I think I know what one you're talking about and they were very highly rated on here. Manchester Vacs sell them on refurb I think.
The last "what vac" thread probably mentions them.
As said cordless is easier for lugging about, I don't like that you can't lock down the power button on my Dyson like on a power tool (sounds like a mod worth investigating) but that aside it gets used far more than the big one ever did since its less faff.
@squirrelking sebo?
Removable zip tie works fine on my V6 when it needs to be locked on (to deflate the paddling pool, obviously).
johndoh
Free MemberAhhhhh
It's not a flawed premise so you were right first time! 🙂
We’ve got an upright cordless Shark - the suction seems fairly feeble, but it does a decent job - and it has headlights! Being cordless it is super convenient to just run around the kitchen and living space after dinner. It is quite neat and tidy too, so picks easily away in a cupboard.
However - the £40 corded, bagged (retro!) Titan from screwfix is probably more effective and not really that much more inconvenient at 10% of the cost. It only suffers with hair (we don’t have pets) and lack of the clever spinny heads and soft attachments that Shark and Dyson come with, plus takes up more storage space.
@hot_fiat yup that's the one! Sebo it is.
I'm surprised Manc Vacs haven't designed their own lockable trigger, seems like a decent idea.
Dyson V10. Been fine for 3 years.
The trigger broke, which was a long take it to bits and rebuild it with a youtube guide.
Not cheap, but has been very convenient
I have a hoover h-free 500, it's ace. It was also really cheap- they're too expensive at RRP but I doubt anyone ever pays that, I paid about a third for a "refurbished" one that was brand new.
Pros- very cheap for the performance, lots of choice when you buy. Battery doesn't last long but it's long enough to do a couple of rooms properly or a house quickly. Very effective at the actual cleaning part, and easy to empty/clean. There's a dog hair attachment available which implies that the normal floor attachment that I have doesn't do great with dog hair I suppose. The inbuilt little brush nozzle is genius- no looking for or losing accessories, just pull off the stick part and it's there. It packs pretty small too.
Cons- bit delicate. Not in normal use but imo vacuums are something you should be able to bash around, so I was a wee bit annoyed with how easily the emptying door broke off (especially since I never ever use the emptying door, it's quicker and easier just to take the whole drum off). And I cracked the drum's attachment as well just by having it fall over, there's just too much sticky-out-ness considering how small the attachment points are. Still works perfectly, just annoying.
So pro #2- they're cheap enough that I bought another one, nicked the battery and the drum and one of the tools I didn't have off it, and sold the rest on ebay for pretty much exactly what I'd paid for hte whole vacuum.
+1 for the hoover
Really light weight so you can do a quick wizz more often.
Minus points are small battery and long charge times, but I detest vaccuming so it works really well for me.
Suction power isn't top tier either, but swings and roundabouts I guess.. . it works for me.
The thought of having a teathered cable just fills me with horror.
Another +1 for Shark cordless - we have the Blade something or other and performance is good without being amazing*, but the convenience coupled to the performance makes the difference. It replaced or rather, has relegated a corded Dyson to the corner of the stairs cupboard** which performed really well but was such hassle to get out, unwind the cord, pick up a little bit, rewind the cord and put away whereas the Shark gets grabbed off its stand and job done.
The other area where it outperforms is stairs, with the pipe off and the smaller brush head it does a way better job than manhandling the full Dyson around - so stairs also get done way more often.
* that said, always amazed by how much it picks up on what we thought was a pretty clean carpet.
** where all it does is gather dust...... boom boom!
We've got one of DrP's Sharks plus a spare battery.
One battery does most of the house. The spare means we've no excuses.
We keep it in the hallway and the convenience means we can mostly just clean what needs cleaning, when it needs cleaning
We too seem to be collectors of vacuums!
The current fleet consists of:
Dyson V15 Detect Absolute
This is the daily 'quick once-over' hoover. It's very good and picks up everything on our mix of carpets and hard flooring.
Sebo Automatic X7
This is the big boy. It's an old-school style upright cylinder complete with bag and it's far and away the most effective at cleaning. Its suction power is amazing. It's quite heavy, but that isn't actually a problem in reality, as its wheels allow it to move very easily - even on carpets.
Miele S5211
A pretty old 'pull-along' bagged model. This is fantastic too. Really good suction power and its bags and filters can be bought nice and cheap on Amazon. This is relegated now to DIY cleanup duties and no amount of abuse will kill it. I've used it to pick up bag-fulls of plaster dust, sawdust, you name it.
If I had to pick only one of the above to have for general house cleaning duties, I'd probably be happy to live with the Sebo, though Mrs Nobbingsford would say the Dyson (due to its lower weight).