What cordless vacuum cleaners are actually worth buying, but don’t break the bank?

Posted by tenpoundpermole@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 60 comments

I’m in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, as our Henry is just too cumbersome to use in our rather tall, but also rather slim, house.

We are wanting a fairly lightweight cordless vacuum cleaner, but they all seem to be either expensive or crap! Surely there must be one that fits all the below criteria:

Under £150
Actually sucks up dust and cat hair
Has a battery life of ~30 minutes or more

We’ve already asked all of our friends and even tried their vacuum cleaners out but none of them fit the bill - surely one must exit somewhere?! We’ve tried ones by Bosch, Tower, and Vax that were all ~£70 and they just didn’t work for us.

Can any of you recommend one worth buying? No Dyson recs please - I know they’re good but a) they’re expensive and b) fuck that guy. Cheers!

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cloudmountainio@reddit

Henry quick. On sale for £130 in Argos at the moment.

Had mine a year or so. Love it. Charges quickly and picks up my dogs fur fine. I like the little pods as well, easy to empty and keeps the pet smell contained.

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CtrlAltEngage@reddit

How long do the pods last?

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cloudmountainio@reddit

3 weeks maybe? Depends on usage though. I have a big Henry that I use for deep cleaning twice a week, then I just use the Henry as a daily little whizz around.

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Gremlin_1989@reddit

I love mine for a quick hoover. I get my Hetty corded one out for a thorough clean. But the Henry Quick is really good for a general clean. I think I can do my whole house on one charge. But I don't usually do that much at a time.

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magicpea@reddit

How often do you change the bag on the Henry Quick?

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Gremlin_1989@reddit

Not that often, I could probably vacuum more often though. Not sure how long one lasts, it's a while though.

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ToriaLyons@reddit

I've been looking at the Henry - good to hear.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

Breaking the bank is subjective but my Dyson v10 animal lives up to the name.

Does the whole house in a full charge (might need emptying more than once) but it’s so small and light and comes with great attachments such as the hard floor attachment with a green laser to show up all the dust and hairs.

I believe you can pick up a refurbished one (mine came with a brand new battery) for in the £2-300 range.

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Infinite_Soup_932@reddit

We bought a Dyson V11 and I have mixed feelings about. It’s great for a quick vacuum around the dining table or kitchen, but it struggles to pick up a lot of stuff - birch leaves that come in from the garden, small stones in the porch from our shoes, hay from the guinea pigs, hair from cutting the kids’ hair. It’s been quite disappointing frankly.

We have a 20 year old Henry that we use to clean up after the Dyson.

My advice to OP would be to get a Henry for each floor of their house!

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

Seems like your needs are greater than the average intended user.

If you need to vacuum up stones and hay, I’d probably go with something much larger than these small, portable vacuums.

Alternatively, take an extra 30 seconds with a dust pan and brush before you put your vacuum through such abuse 😂

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Infinite_Soup_932@reddit

Maybe. It also struggles to suck up Cheerios from our dining room floor!

A dustpan or a dog would solve that problem 👍

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According-Garage4066@reddit

Puppy pre wash!

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pinolicat@reddit

I would second this. I've been looking into alternatives as our Dyson V10 is a bit broken now (combination of operator error and appliance age) but I just can't find anything that seems like it will do as good a job.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

They’re popular for a reason! Love Dysons tbh.

The blameless fans tho.. absolutely rubbish, need to sell mine asap.

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Amazing-Pomegranate@reddit

Not Shark. I bought one in 2020. Very little use after a couple of years the head broke. Completely not designed to be user serviceable. Found a brand new head on Ebay. Lasted a year again of very minor use then same thing brush head broke.

No idea what to replace it with. None of the reviews give you any idea how well the things are actually built.

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Friendly-Knee7677@reddit

We have tried quite a few non brand ones and found the Shark PowerPro to be best. I think it’s slightly over budget by £10 but you get what you pay for. Battery lasts for way over 30 mins and picks up our cats hair no problem.

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badgersruse@reddit

We love our vyttonix amc22b. Best vacuum we’ve ever had, puts the dyson ball and bosch athlete in the shade.

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Emergency_Drag4831@reddit

Got same and Love it

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romeo__golf@reddit

Just go for an upright corded model. I never feel like the cordless versions are powerful enough or go deep enough into carpet for a proper clean.

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Substantial-Race206@reddit

Totally agree, no cordless no matter which brand is as good as corded and I've tried most of the too brands. Cordless for quick cleanups and spills, corded for deeper clean. Amazing how much the shark corded (and cordless) still picks up after cleaning with Dyson despite carpets looking clean!

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Duesk@reddit

I’ve had a good run with the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum. It cleans different surfaces without changing attachments and has solid battery life. Not flashy, but actually useful day to day.

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knifeeyz1@reddit

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BuyOk5847@reddit

I’ve tried a few and honestly, the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum’s been my favorite. It’s lightweight, has good suction, and I like that it empties itself at the dock. Makes daily cleaning less of a chore. Not the cheapest, but it feels like a decent balance between convenience and power.

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TipAffectionate7331@reddit

I’ve gone through a few cordless ones and settled on the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum. It feels sturdy without being heavy, adjusts suction automatically, and has decent battery life. Not flashy, just reliable. Worth it if you want something easy to grab for daily cleaning without messing around with attachments or cords.

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HelpfulAnybody1128@reddit

Depends what you need most, but I’d pick one that handles multiple surfaces without swapping heads. I use the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum for that reason. It goes from carpet to laminate without fuss and doesn’t lose suction mid-clean. It’s not flashy, just reliable for everyday use and quick cleanups.

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Different_Neat304@reddit

I’ve tried a few that felt underpowered, but the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum surprised me. It tweaks suction depending on the floor type, so I don’t have to switch settings constantly. It’s good for both carpets and hardwood, and the battery doesn’t drop too fast since it only uses full power when needed.

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Single_Mix_1143@reddit

I’ve tried a few, and the Shark PowerDetect Cordless Stick Vacuum has been the most balanced for me. It adjusts suction automatically depending on the floor, which saves battery and still picks up everything. It feels like a good middle ground between performance and convenience without overpaying for bells and whistles.

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m1998xo@reddit

Dyson v10

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my-comp-tips@reddit

We purchased a cordless shark a few years ago. It no longer picks anything up and gets clogged up so easy. Before that we had a Henry. Yes it was bulky, but at least it vacuumed the floor properly. Trying to pursued my wife to get another Henry, but it's a no go.

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WhiskeyWithTheE@reddit

I have a karcher (think of it as an industrial cylinder) just like a henry - and there are some places in the house where it would be difficult to use the cylinder.

Personally don't get rid of Henry - as it's a god send for a real good vacuum that sucks well and sucks up the mess in times of urgency (when your stand alone is battery drained.

But I do recommend the Shark Stratos - it's a really good addition to my cylinder vacuum. It's lightweight and the battery lasts well. You can choose IQ sensos or eco mode or boost mode. With boost mode it sucks really well for a battery, but of course you do expect it to drain quickly in the process.

Whether as a vacuum for the home or a smaller hoover for the stairs and clean up mess in the kitchen. The stratos has done a good job thus far.

Battery 3.5 hours to charge up fully - and Ninja Kitchen UK and Shark are in the same group - so from a warranty point of view - you got it covered if anything goes wrong.

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

We have a shark and it clearly picks up a lot because I have to empty it every time I use it.

Only get about twenty minutes off it though but it's only £50 or so.

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Own_Organization_155@reddit

What shark do you have that’s cordless and £50?

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

https://amzn.eu/d/gnqZ2FZ

Very similar to this but we must have had it a good 5 years or so now.

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Own_Organization_155@reddit

Ooooooo thank you this looks good for my car

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Exact_Setting9562@reddit

Welcome - it works pretty well considering the price and size of it !

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

I have a GTech Air Ram, it sucks really hard and gets in close to the edges. Easy to move around and has a long battery life. Easy to empty etc. Not sure how much I paid but it wasn't a huge amount.

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

My nans got one of these. I thought it was very poor and doesn’t hold a candle to my Dyson

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Acrobatic-Ad584@reddit

but they are pricey

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First-Mistake9144@reddit

Pay for what you get. I filled my Dyson right after going over he same areas I did with the g tech

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fatbastard1959@reddit

Get a robot vacuum. They are awesome

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HoobleDoobles@reddit

You can get a decent upright for £70/100. Can recommend one. https://amzn.eu/d/6gulvfj A battery model is really only going to last you about 18months, then the battery dies, it will only last 5 mins, then recharge.
My thought is price for an upright, for 5 yrs, or a battery for 18months.

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coleslawontoast@reddit

Shark

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MegaMolehill@reddit

I’ve got a Dyson cordless and a Miele corded. The Dyson is great for everyday cleaning up after the kids as it’s a pain to drag the other one out all the time. But I wouldn’t want to rely on the Dyson as the Miele is so much more powerful. I think all cordless ones will be limited unless you don’t have any carpets or rugs.

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3a5ty@reddit

I don't recommend shark. We bought it, it's alright, but we still use our corded shark for the heavy lifting.

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Lieffe@reddit

Get yourself to r/VacuumCleaners, there's a whole wealth of resources there.

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cryptonuggets1@reddit

I just bought some cheap Chinese make in Amazon and it’s crap. £125.

I regret not getting the Henry

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dbxp@reddit

A Henry is very much at the cumbersome end of the spectrum, I don't think you have to go all the way to the other end with a cordless stick. A regular wired compact cylinder will be way easier to manoeuvre than a Henry and will likely be more powerful than your average wireless vacuum with none of the issues of batteries wearing out.

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smickie@reddit

Can i help you reframe the problem? I have a henry, which i know is not cordless, however, it is significantly better for two reasons. one is you don't have to hold the button down, and i know that sounds weird, but it is a big deal if you're doing a lengthy hoovering session. and secondly, there's just no worry about the battery whatsoever. so i know you're saying you want a cordless, but is there any reason you can't just have a henry and plug it in the wall when you want a hoover?

I went from hoovering every day to hoovering twice a week, but my twice a week hoovering was significantly better because there was no anxiety when hoovering because I didn't have to worry about the battery or holding the button down.

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WelshhTooky@reddit

A Dog

I kid you not… as soon as it drops, the little shits cleaned it off the floor before the 5 second rule started

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robhaswell@reddit

We have a Shark Stratos, and although it's out of your price range, I can recommend it as a cordless vacuum cleaner. It did develop one fault, but I believe that was because our cleaner was using it to hoover up ash. They replaced it in warranty with a full new unit.

I did do some research on this prior to buying it, and the vacuums subreddit strongly recommended the Henry bagged cordless. I would have gone for it, but my wife vetoed the idea.

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FrostyRydia@reddit

I was gonna Recommend Henry hoover cordless but they are £200 so ignore me. But also check ibaisaic on YouTube. He's from the UK dedicated to hoovers and regular does different reviews etc

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JWills1k92@reddit

Cordless Shark and it's incredible (as is their customer service!)- we have a dog and it's excellent at collecting the hairs, easy to empty etc and the "snap" in the middle function makes getting under cupboards and beds etc perfect!

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blackcloudcat@reddit

I love my cordless Shark!

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No_Preference9093@reddit

Get a shark

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outrage92@reddit

I got the Vax blade 4 a few months ago. Sucks up all the dust/crumbs/cat hairs no problem. Battery last enough for the ground floor of my house (bathroom, kitchen, dining room, lounge). The box is annoying to empty if its very full. Few different attachments. 4/5.

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