Which type of vacuum is best for cleaning your home?

In brief

• Standard corded vacuums are the better performers in the low- to mid-price ranges up to $700.
• You don’t have to spend mega-bucks to get a top-performing corded vac, but you do if you want a top-performing stick vacuum.
• The big names don’t always produce the better machines – Dyson corded vacuums are poor performers – so it pays to check our test results before you splash the cash.
• All the vac types are good on hard floor.
• Robot vacs aren’t currently great at cleaning carpets.
• Robot vacs can be expensive, but you can get decent performing models for between $500 and $1,000.

Stick vs corded – which type of vacuum cleans best in your price range?

The gap in cleaning performance between battery-operated stick vacuum cleaners and standard corded vacuum cleaners has shrunk over the past 5 years.

Previously, stick vacs were only considered an option for spot cleaning. However, improvements in motors and battery efficiencies mean that some stick vacs can now hold their own over their corded siblings, and even be used to clean a whole house. Indeed, Dyson decided 5 years ago to stop developing its standard corded models.

But what does our testing show? And which type should you buy if you’re on a budget?

Standard corded vacuums

Pros

• No limit on run time.
• Large capacity bins.
• Generally cheaper.

Cons

• Can be tricky to manoeuvre.
• Reach is limited to cord length.
• Tend to be bulky and heavy.

Stick battery vacuums

Pros

• Easy to manoeuvre.
• Light and compact.

Cons

• Limited run time, depending on battery capacity.
• Small bins.
• Tend to be more expensive.

Stick and corded vacuums carpet-cleaning scores

In our performance tests, we focus on carpet cleaning. That’s because we no longer test corded vacs on hard floor, as they all perform excellently.

We think the real test of a vacuum is how well it can suck dust and dirt out of carpet pile. We rub a precise amount of dirt into a piece of test carpet and then, using the vacuum’s standard brush head, pass it over the dirt multiple times. Then we weigh the collected dirt, and our cleaning score is calculated as the percentage of the dirt removed.

Here’s the average scores for carpet cleaning for the 40 stick and 55 corded vacuums we’ve tested.

The results show that, if you’re looking for a cheap vacuum under $200, you’re best to go for a corded model – on average, you’ll get better carpet-cleaning performance.

In fact, the average carpet-cleaning score for a low-price corded vacuum is only 2 points lower than the average score for stick vacuums in the mid-price range.

For budgets up to $700, you’re still better off buying a cheaper corded model than a stick vac. And if you decide to spend more on a corded model in that price range, you will be rewarded with better cleaning performance.

The results also show that, if you’re lucky enough to have a larger budget, you can choose either type of vacuum, as the average carpet-cleaning scores for both types are similar in the higher price range.

A closer look at the cleaning data

The trendlines in the graph show that, at most prices, corded vacs give you better cleaning performance.

The graph also shows that the spread of scores for stick vacs is not as wide as it is for corded. So, in general for stick vacs, the more you pay the better you’ll get.

We’ve highlighted some of the outliers on the graph. These can be seen as “good buys” if they’re above the trendline, or products to avoid if they’re below.

For example, the Sauber Pro Pets Bagged Vacuum SJ-100 sits way above the trendline, with a score of 95% for carpet cleaning, combined with a relatively low price of $499. It’s a model we’d certainly recommend on carpet-cleaning performance alone.

For stick vacs, you’d need to spend a whole lot more cash to get anywhere near this performance – the Dyson Gen5detect Absolute is the top-performing stick, with an 89% cleaning score, but a whopping $1,649 price tag.

At the other end of the scale, the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal+ 300280-01 and the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Absolute both languish below the trendline, and both cost over $1,000.

The obvious caveat with all this data is that we are only looking at carpet-cleaning scores. These aren’t the overall scores for these models, which also take into account other parts of our testing, including an ease-of-use assessment, and how well they suck up pet hair.

With any expensive purchase, we recommend you head down to your local store and get hands on with the product. Check its weight, manoeuvrability, buttons and tools.

Also check our full test results on standard and stick vacuum cleaners online, where we give the lowdown of the products’ good and bad points.

What about a robot vacuum?

We can’t compare the results of our robot vacuum tests with those for the stick and corded vacuums, as the tests aren’t the same.

But we can look at the individual robot vacuum tests and see how they performed compared to their price. But first, the pros and cons!

Pros

• Automatic cleaning, docking and charging.
• Compact.
• Can clean under sofas and other hard-to-reach areas.
• Some models have a mopping function.
• Some models have auto-empty stations.
• Apps provide an array of options, including scheduled cleaning and individual room cleaning.

Cons

• Expensive.
• Small bins can require regular emptying, unless you have an auto-emptying model.
• Can get stuck on cables or other objects or under furniture.
• Require setup and mapping of your home.
• Can’t climb stairs!

How we test robot vacs

When we test robot vacs, we scatter sand evenly on an enclosed area of vinyl floor and a section of carpet, then set the bot to run its cleaning cycle for up to 25 minutes. Then we measure the amount of sand collected for both tests.

We also run a corners and edges test, and a 6-minute test, where we embed cat hair into carpet and see how much gets removed.

Looking at the robot vacuum cleaning test results

Looking at the graphed test results, it’s immediately noticeable that robot vacs perform well in our hard-floor test, with most of the results and the trendline near the top.

It’s also apparent that the scores and trendline are much lower for carpet cleaning – robot vacs currently don’t do that good a job on carpet.

Our outlier is the iRobot Roomba i3+, with a test-topping score of 62% for carpet cleaning. But avoid this model if you have pets, as it only scores 40% in our pet-hair test.

For a model that performs well in all three tests, you’ll need to pay top dollar for the iRobot s9+, which scores 99% on hard floor, 90% for pet-hair pickup and 60% for carpet. But you’ll need to spend around $2,879. Ouch!

We also give the robot vacs an overall score, combining results from all three of the tests, along with the corners and edges test.

When we plot these scores, the iRobot Roomba i2 stands out as a good low-price option. It scores 75% overall, only 5% lower than the top-scoring Roomba s9+, yet it’s nearly a quarter of the price at $729.

We can also spot a model that you should probably avoid. The Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni costs nearly $2,000, but only scores 51% overall, with a terrible score of 20% for carpet cleaning.

How to choose a robot vacuum

The results show how important it is to work out what your needs are before you buy a robot vac. Do you have pets? How much carpet or hard floor do you have? Do you want a mopping robot?

Be aware, too, that the test results for robot vacs don’t fully convey the user experience. Most of their functionality is driven by their apps and each manufacturer has a slightly different way of doing things.

We’ve done in-home trials for several robot vac models, which you can read on the Consumer NZ website – they’ll give you a better idea of which robot vac is suitable for your home.

Keep an eye on pricing

The data presented here is based on prices collected at the time of writing. We collect all prices in the market and present an average price.

Often products will go on sale and a price can be significantly different from those we publish. This could push a product above its category’s trendline and make it a good buy, so do your research before making a purchase.

Sites like priceme.co.nz and pricespy.co.nz allow you to track prices for a product over time, and even set up notifications if a product you are interested in drops in price.