for cordless vacs that can actually keep up with golden retriever tumbleweeds, the main thing is suction + brushroll design. a lot of cheaper sticks look sleek but choke on pet hair because the rollers tangle instantly. battery life also matters more than people think. under 30 minutes means you’ll constantly be rushing to finish before it dies. reddit consensus usually circles around dyson and tineco in that mid-to-high price range. dyson is known for raw power and accessories, while tineco gets praise for being quieter and having swappable batteries. a lot of people have been pointing toward reddit vetted too since it compiles top vacuums from across the sub, which saves a ton of scrolling. under $400 you’ll usually be looking at models that are fine for touch-ups, but struggle with deep carpet. closer to $600 gets you into units that feel more like a true replacement for a corded upright. what i’d do: check the rated run time (20 min = light jobs, 40–60 = full house), whether it has an anti-tangle roller, and how expensive filter/roller replacements are. some people on r/vacuumcleaners keep a list of which models actually survive pet households, and there’s also a site where someone compiled top vacuums purely from reddit reviews, so you don’t have to comb through endless threads might be worth skimming since you’ve got that budget flexibility. curious though, do you mostly want it for quick daily runs or do you plan to ditch the corded entirely? that’ll decide whether you want the light stick category or the beefier ones that edge toward $600. More on reddit.com

We have a nice Shark corded vacuum but really wanted a good cordless one for the new house. There will be no carpet anywhere so I already purchased a couple different sized microfiber dusting mops for quick cleaning. Does anyone here have one that actually works good? Every single review I've... More on ranger5g.com

Hello all; first post. Has Choice ever reviewed real hand vacs (not stick vacs)? I could not find one, if they have. I am talking about the kind of small rechargeable power tool (like Ryobi, or Milwaukee) and all the other big names. We have owned a number of these, but now want to get a good one. More on choice.community

Hi, I've tried a lot of cordless vacuums (I'm talking dozens from cheap to expensive). Generally none are as good at thoroughly cleaning carpets as even moderately priced corded vacuums. Only very pricy models come close (dyson v15, gen5, etc) You pay a LOT for the convenience while getting less suction and less longevity/quality regardless of brand. Batteries have an average lifespan of 3 to 5 years. If you want to keep it going longer, look for one with user swappable batteries. Even then, just because the battery can be replaced doesn't mean you'll be able to find replacements. This is especially true for cheapo vacs. All that being said, here's my opinion on your main questions: -Shark vs dyson, I've liked a lot of sharks but none have been quite as good performance wise as the dysons. But I've had better customer support experiences with shark. Reliability is equally iffy on both imo. -Budget and "no-name" options are usually alright for a quick cleaning. But they barely touch embedded dust and hair in carpets. I wouldn't rely on one as my main vac unless I had a carpet-free home. -Swappable batteries can be good in case you want longer runtime, or need to replace them in future. Definitely something to look at. -Fancy attachments are hit or miss for me. I don't use half the ones my dysons come with. The main ones you want are a narrow crevice tool, a brush attachment for furniture and dusting, and a mini motorized brush for stairs/cars/mattresses/hair on sofas. More on reddit.com