Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

This article will examine the best cordless vacuum options for cleaning carpets.

Ten years ago, I wouldn’t recommend using a cord-free vacuum on this surface because these machines back then lacked power.

But that’s not the case with advancements in cordless vacuum technology.

The latest cordless vacuums can pick up embedded dirt, and the only limitation is their range – how long can it run or sustain deep cleaning performance.

And we’ll look at the best options for cleaning carpets.

An overview of the Best Cordless Vacuum for Carpet

Contents

  • 1 Best Premium Options
  • 2 Best Mid-Priced Options
  • 3 Best Budget Options
  • 4 How to Choose the Best Cordless Vacuum on Carpet?
  • 5 Best Overall: Dyson V15 Detect
  • 6 Best Mid-Priced Option: Shark Vertex Cordless
  • 7 Lots of Tools: Tineco Pure One S12
  • 8 Super-Sized Cordless Stick Vacuum: Dyson V11 Outsize
  • 9 Value-for-Money: Tineco A11
  • 10 Airflow Comparison
  • 11 Cleaning Performance Comparison
  • 12 Run Time Comparison
  • 13 Noise Comparison
  • 14 Do cordless vacuums work on carpet?
  • 15 Can Dyson cordless vacuum be used on carpet?
  • 16 Why is the Dyson hard to push on carpet?

When I started this blog more than ten years ago, cordless vacuums weren’t as popular as it is today.

Older products suffer from power fade, short run time, and lack of cleaning performance.

But newer variants are better than ever before at picking up debris on this surface.

Most premium options have excellent airflow and enough suction for the task.

I’ve spent many hours testing every one of these products, so this is more than a round-up post.

The options I’ll share here are byproducts of testing and data gathering. And not randomly selecting popular options on Amazon.

I spent many days testing test products in cleaning performance, filtration, etc.

There are products I might have missed, but the ones you see here are stuff I’ve tried.

Some of them I’ve used in my home for cleaning chores, so the information you’ll see here are anecdotes from personal experience.

You won’t see any fluff in this comparison.

Best Premium Options

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

These cordless vacuums provide the best cleaning performance on this surface.

However, these are also the most costly options above $500, approaching $1,000 depending on where you purchase.

Most of the options in this list are high airflow cord-free vacuums, one of the primary considerations during the selection process (more below).

The Dyson V15 Detect is, without a doubt, the best cordless vacuum for cleaning carpets.

It has the best balance between debris pick up and range, enabling consumers to clean carpets exclusively without using the max setting.

It’s an underrated factor since this helps preserve the battery’s lifespan.

Best Premium: Dyson V15 Detect

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 73 CFM.
  • Dust bin size: 0.77 liters
  • Fog Test: No Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 100%
  • Weight: 6.8 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 84:19 mins.
  • Recharge: 4.5 hrs.
  • Battery: 3600 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 80.8 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: No

Upright Cordless: Lupe Pure Cordless

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 43.06 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 1.0 liters
  • Fog Test: Some Leaks
  • Sand on hard floor: 99.82%
  • Deep Cleaning: 99.9%
  • Weight: 10.14 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 60 mins.
  • Recharge: 3.5 hrs.
  • Battery: 9 Murata high drain, high capacity Li-ion
  • Noise: 81.7 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: Yes

Lots of Tools: Tineco Pure One S12

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 61.72 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 0.6 liters
  • Fog Test: Some Leaks
  • Sand on hard floor: 99.9%
  • Deep Cleaning: 98.3%
  • Weight: 6.6 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 51:21 mins. x 2
  • Recharge: 4.5 hrs.
  • Battery: 2500 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 70.4 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: No

Super-Sized Cordless Stick: Dyson V11 Outsize

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 66.65 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 1.89 liters
  • Fog Test: No Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 100%
  • Weight: 7.85 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 85:24 mins.
  • Recharge: 4.5 hrs.
  • Battery: 3600 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 78.8 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: No

Best Mid-Priced Options

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

The options above will be the best for pure cleaning performance but are the most expensive options available.

This next tier is excellent for folks who don’t want to spend premium dollars on a cordless vacuum.

One compromise, though, is that these options don’t clean as well as the high-end tier.

Another concession is the shorter run time since these cordless vacuums use smaller batteries.

The Shark Vertex is the best mid-priced option with its high-end surface cleaning performance.

It won’t be as good as a V15 Detect with deep cleaning, but it picks up surface debris well.

This variant was my pick in the cordless vacuums on hardwood article because of its unique cleaning nozzle with the soft roller and bristled brush.

Best for Hard Floors: Shark Vertex Cordless

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 53.11 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 1.28 liters
  • Fog Test: No Leaks
  • Fog Test: No Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 94.7%
  • Weight: 9.04 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 36:42 mins.
  • Recharge: 4 hrs.
  • Battery: 25.2-volt 2450 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 76 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: Yes

LG CordZero A9

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 52 CFM.
  • Dust bin size: 0.399 liters
  • Fog Test: Some Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 94.75%
  • Weight: 8.06 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 43 mins. x 2
  • Recharge: 3 to 4 hrs.
  • Battery: 2300 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 79.4 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: Yes

Miele Triflex HX1

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 54.88 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 0.5 liters
  • Fog Test: Heavy Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 94.15%
  • Weight: 8.06 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 62:43 mins.
  • Recharge: 4 hrs.
  • Battery: 2500 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 83.8 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: No

Best Budget Options

Lastly, we’ll look at budget options below $250. 

understand that there are options under $100, but most of these products have inferior build quality, inadequate filtration, and may not last as long.

So I increased the price threshold to accommodate better quality options.

Another issue with really cheap cordless vacuums is the uncertainty that the manufacturer will be around.

It’s the niche with many startup brands, and you’ll notice that most use the same brush or steering component.

The Tineco A11 is the most logical option for me at this price bracket.

It’s one of the best options for cleaning performance on carpets without breaking the bank.

No, it won’t clean like a Dyson, but it’s cheaper and got better results than the Dyson V7 and V8 in many of the cleaning tests.

Value for Money: Tineco A11

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 58 CFM.
  • Dust bin size: 0.6 liters
  • Fog Test: Some Leaks
  • Sand on hard floor: 99.4%
  • Deep Cleaning: 96.45%
  • Weight: 3.74 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 26:44 mins. x 2
  • Recharge: 3.5 – 4 hrs.
  • Battery: 2,000 mAH Li-ion
  • Noise: 75.4 dB
  • Warranty: 2 yrs.
  • Self Standing: No

Above-Average Cleaning: Moosoo K17

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

  • Airflow: 41.31 CFM
  • Dust bin size: 0.5 liters
  • Fog Test: Heavy Leaks
  • Deep Cleaning: 89.4%
  • Weight: 2.79 lbs.
  • Run time: up to 30 mins.
  • Recharge: 4 hrs.
  • Battery: 2200 mAh Li-ion
  • Noise: 71.2 dB
  • Warranty: 1 yr.
  • Self Standing: No

How to Choose the Best Cordless Vacuum on Carpet?

As I’ve said in the cordless vacuum for hardwood article, the criteria for carpets are different.

Whereas high airflow isn’t a requirement on hard floors, it’s more important on this surface, which brings me to the first aspect.

1. High Airflow

One must-have for a good carpet cleaning vacuum is high airflow.

There’s no way around it. Airflow (to those not familiar) is the amount of air that passes through a spot.

High airflow cordless vacuums will do better picking up debris on carpets.

Most of the options you’ll see above are Dysons because these products produce decent airflow.

2. Brush Roll Design

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

The next consideration is brush roll design. Look for a brush roll with stiff bristles or agitating agent that’ll beat on carpet strands to dislodge debris.

Nearly all the options above have this characteristic and pick up most of the debris on this surface.

Another thing to look at is brush roll girth. The thicker the brush, the better it is at debris pick up.

3. Nozzle Seal

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Also, check the seal on the nozzle. The best options have an excellent seal, meaning the nozzle will act as a suction cup.

New Dyson stick vacuums have this property with the adjustable gates, and one negative effect of this is it can be challenging to push.

4. Deep Cleaning/Run Time Ratio

One critical factor in choosing a cordless stick vacuum on carpet is how long it can sustain its deep cleaning performance.

It’s not something review sites talk about, but an important aspect.

This is where Dyson products stand out and why these are my picks.

And the Dyson V15 Detect is the best at deep cleaning in the middle setting, with a 100% score.

It’s the only option that picked up this much in this configuration, while the other options are below 100%.

5. Battery Technology

Look for a cordless vacuum with lithium battery technology. Most brands have this, and it’s a non-negotiable, especially for cleaning this surface.

Anything else will be a waste of resources.

Another thing to consider is the detachability of the battery.

My preference would be a detachable battery because it’s easier to replace.

Also, it’s possible to extend the run time by purchasing an extra battery.

The LG CordZero A9 comes with two batteries, doubling the run time.

So you could use the vacuum with another battery recharging. Thus, reducing (or eliminating) any downtime waiting for the battery to charge fully.

6. Budget

How much are you willing to spend on a cordless vacuum. The best options cost more than a corded upright.

It’s a tradeoff consumers should consider between ergonomics and price.

Upright vacuums will deep clean carpet, but most options I’ve seen are bulky and won’t go deep under furniture.

7. Parts Availability

Lastly is the parts availability. I added this because it’s an important aspect to consider.

What if the battery breaks? Can you buy a replacement? Are there aftermarket parts available?

These are the questions you need to answer for the long-term viability of a product.

It’s another reason why I hesitate to recommend new brands because there’s no way of knowing if they’ll be around after two, three, or five years.

Best Overall: Dyson V15 Detect

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Pros

  • Best at cleaning embedded sand (on mid-pile carpet) in the middle setting
  • The new brush roll resists tangles from long hair strands well
  • Decent run time in the middle setting (close to 20 minutes)
  • Easy to empty dustbin (thanks to the hygienic system)
  • Versatile option with its attachments
  • Fully sealed dustbin that didn’t leak during the fog test

Cons

  • Extremely costly
  • Top-heavy design
  • Hard to push on carpet (in the max setting)

The Dyson V15 Detect once again takes the number one spot in this category. Not because of the hype, but it’s what the cleaning results say.

I’ve put all these vacuums through different experiments, and the V15 Detect is the best-performing option (by the numbers).

It picked up 100% in surface and deep cleaning tests, including the embedded sand test using the middle setting.

None of the other options here picked up that much.

Dyson tweaked the standard nozzle, adding combs and protrusions around the bristles, helping it agitate better.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

The redesigned brush and combs also help it resist tangles better.

It got one of the highest scores in the twelve-inch hair wrap test on carpet (98%), making it one of the best cordless options for pet hair.

The V15 Detect retains the same adjustable gates. So consumers can adjust whether to have a full or partial seal, which is essential on this surface.

Also, the torq screw tool provides another tool for cleaning carpet. It’s the best mini turbo brush for picking up hair (even long strands).

One drawback to the V15’s high airflow and the sealed nozzle is it can be hard to push, especially with the gates fully closed.

A workaround would be opening the gates halfway, reducing pick-up but making it easier to move around.

Another is the extremely high cost which isn’t a surprise because of all the technology in this product.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

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Best Mid-Priced Option: Shark Vertex Cordless

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Pros

  • Excellent surface debris pick-up
  • Large capacity dustbin
  • The foldable wand makes it self-standing
  • Best of the bunch at cleaning under the furniture (again, thanks to the foldable tube)
  • Detachable battery

Cons

  • Relatively short run time
  • Not as good as a Dyson V15 at deep cleaning carpet
  • Subpar ergonomics as a handheld

The best mid-priced option on carpet is the Shark Vertex Cordless.

I picked this option over the Dyson V11 Torque Drive and Outsize because it’s much cheaper and there wasn’t much variance with surface debris pick-up.

Yes, these Dyson cordless vacuums will pick up more embedded sand, but the Vertex Cordless has better ergonomics.

Plus, the foldable wand helps it clean under furniture better than any Dyson product here.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

This feature also helps it stand independently without needing a wall-mountable dock.

The Duo Clean nozzle is excellent at picking up surface and above-average on embedded sand (94.7% on mid-pile carpet).

It’s easier to push on carpet than the Dyson V15, giving it a better ergonomic feel.

The large dustbin can hold over a liter of dry dirt, so it doesn’t fill up as quickly, making it a good option inside larger homes.

However, it won’t run as long (under 30 minutes). But consumers can purchase an extra battery from Shark to extend the range.

Overall, the Shark Vertex Cordless is an excellent mid-priced alternative to a Dyson V15.

It’s much cheaper, reaches deeper under furniture, stand independently, and doubles Dyson’s dustbin capacity.

Consider this product if you don’t mind the shorter run time and slightly inferior deep cleaning performance.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

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Lots of Tools: Tineco Pure One S12

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Pros

  • Excellent performance on carpets (surface and embedded debris)
  • Easy to read display
  • 100-plus minute run time from the two batteries
  • It comes with plenty of tools
  • The longest reach of any cordless stick vacuum I’ve tested

Cons

  • Expensive
  • Subpar steering
  • Some leaks during the fog test

While the Shark Vertex’s design contradicts a Dyson, this next product has many of the same elements.

The Tineco Pure One S12 is similar to the older Dyson V8, both having the same dustbin alignment and trigger.

However, Tineco added some unique elements to their products, namely the mechanical trigger lock and the interactive display.

These two enhancements improve the Pure One S12’s usability.

Not squeezing the trigger eases the pressure on your wrist since there’s no need to squeeze continually.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Another feature unique to Tineco is the sheer number of attachments.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

There are eleven (not including the extension wand and battery).

The variety helps with its versatility above floors.

It has several tools that extend its reach way over 50 inches, helping it clean in tight vertical spots.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

This area behind our bed is a trouble spot for me. None of the cordless stick vacuums I have can reach all the way.

Additionally, it is excellent at picking up debris on carpet, which is why I put it on this list.

It won’t be as good as the Dyson V15 Detect with embedded dirt, but the variance won’t be much.

Also, it comes with two batteries with a max run time of over 100 minutes – tops the list, but that’s with the non-powered tools.

Unfortunately, it won’t steer as well as a Dyson because of the angled, fixed-tube steering mechanism with a limited turning radius.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

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Super-Sized Cordless Stick Vacuum: Dyson V11 Outsize

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Pros

  • Super-sized capacity (1.89-liters)
  • Excellent deep cleaning performance
  • Wide cleaning nozzle covers a lot of ground
  • Lengthy run time
  • Detachable batteries

Cons

  • Extremely top-heavy
  • Expensive option
  • Not very usable as a handheld

Next, we’ll look at a jumbo-sized cordless stick vacuum – the V11 Outsize.

It’s essentially a V11 Torque Drive on steroids with everything super-sized to increase capacity and coverage per pass.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

It has an upright-like 1.89-liter dustbin capacity, more than doubling the V11 Torque Drive’s volume.

The cleaning nozzle is a touch over thirteen inches, helping it cover more real estate per pass.

This stick vacuum is excellent inside large homes with open space because of its size and capacity.

While it cleans well, the extra mass increases its top-heaviness (if that makes sense).

The listed weight may not sound heavy (7.85 pounds), but the increased dustbin, motor, and battery size will add up.

So there’s a multiplier effect with every ounce added with the traditional stick vacuum design.

Also, like the V15 Detect, it’s hard to push on carpet because of its seal.

I wouldn’t recommend this product unless you really need the high dustbin capacity. 

Otherwise, go with the Dyson V11 Torque Drive or V15 Detect.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

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Value-for-Money: Tineco A11

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

Pros

  • Cheaper than any Dyson mid-priced option
  • Excellent surface debris pick up
  • It picks up a high percentage of embedded sand
  • Above-average dustbin capacity
  • Two detachable batteries

Cons

  • Slightly leaked during the fog test
  • Not a very responsive steering

Another Tineco in this list is the A11, one of the least expensive options.

The A11 is one of the best performing cordless stick vacuums in its price bracket.

It’s surprisingly better than the Dyson V7 and V8 on hard floors and carpets.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

The clincher for me is the cheaper cost than the other two.

It has similar features to the Tineco Pure One S12 but without the interactive screen and a smaller standard nozzle.

Unfortunately, it presents the same steering issues as the Pure One S12 since it has the same steering mechanism.

Overall, it’s an excellent product with decent quality. It won’t have the same aftermarket parts availability as Dyson, but Tineco sells those parts, so it’s an excellent long-term alternative to a Dyson.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

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Airflow Comparison

Next, we’ll look at these vacuums far with airflow, an essential metric for carpet cleaning performance.

I used an anemometer to get the results below.

The Dyson V15 Detect has the highest airflow of the bunch here. So it wasn’t surprising that it also got the best results on carpet.

One surprising note is that other options with low airflow numbers did well, namely the Shark Vertex Cordless and the Moosoo K17.

But their scores weren’t as good as Dyson’s options with higher airflow.

Cleaning Performance Comparison

The high airflow of the V15 Detect helped it pick up the most on carpet, with 100% scores on the surface and deep cleaning tests.

What’s impressive with the V15 Detect is how much it picked up in the middle setting – 100%.

None of the other options picked up as much, and most cordless stick vacuums got less than 100% IN THE MAX SETTING.

Only the Dyson V11 Outsize picked up 100% on surface and embedded debris but didn’t get 100% in the middle setting deep cleaning test.

The Lupe Pure is the best non-Dyson option for deep cleaning carpet (99.8%) and surface debris (99.82%).

The Tineco A11 is the best budget cordless vacuum for surface debris, a significant reason why I put this on the list.

Run Time Comparison

Next, we’ll look at how long each variant will run. I timed each using my phone’s stopwatch from fully charged to empty.

The Tineco Pure One S12 lasted the longest (based on tests) at 102 minutes combined from the two batteries.

But that number drops to 75 minutes in the cleaning nozzle.

The LG CordZero A9 had the best results at the nozzle with a combined 86 minutes (two batteries).

However, the Dyson V15 Detect is the best sustained deep cleaning performance at over 17 minutes, where it picked up 100%.

This means it can clean embedded debris on carpet for this long without putting too much stress on the battery.

The V11 Outsize lasted longer at 22 minutes, but it didn’t pick up as much as the V15 Detect.

Noise Comparison

High airflow vacuums will be noisy, especially in the max setting. How noisy? Check the decibel levels in the table below.

It’s no surprise that the noisiest options are Dyson products since these vacuums possess high airflow.

But not all high airflow vacuums are noisy. The Tineco Pure One S12 and Tineco A11 are some of the quieter options available if this is a deal-breaker for you.

Do cordless vacuums work on carpet?

Yes, but with varying degrees of effectiveness. The best options I’ve outlined above must have high airflow to pick up embedded debris.

There are exceptions like the Shark Vertex Cordless and LG Cordzero A9, but these have excellent brush roll designs, offering excellent agitation.

However, you’d want high airflow AND agitation for optimal results.

Can Dyson cordless vacuum be used on carpet?

Yes, especially the latest V-series variants – V10, V11 Torque Drive, V11 Outsize, and V15 Detect.

These models (particularly the V15 Detect) have good airflow and agitation, essentials for excellent carpet cleaning performance.

None of these will match an upright, but these products offer reach and above-floor cleaning versatility not possible with full-sized corded vacuums.

Why is the Dyson hard to push on carpet?

Newer Dyson V-series options have adjustable gates, making them harder to push when fully closed.

One reason is it blocks out air, increasing the “seal” to improve embedded debris pick up, but at the expense of usability since it’s harder to push.

Older variants like the Dyson V8 don’t have this issue since there’s a tiny gap, allowing air to flow through the nozzle (acting as a release valve), reducing the seal.

Best cordless stick vacuum for carpet and hardwood floors

If you own a Dyson V10 or later model, open the gates halfway to rid of this issue, but at the expense of cleaning performance.

Which cordless stick vacuum is best for hardwood floors?

The Samsung Jet 90 Complete is the best vacuum for hardwood floors that we've tested. This cordless stick vacuum can easily handle a wide variety of debris on bare surfaces like hardwood floors, with no significant loss in suction performance as its dustbin fills up.

Can you use a cordless stick vacuum on carpet?

Most cordless stick vacuums work great on hardwood floors, but they may struggle with carpet. And some do great on carpet, but can't seem to manage bare floors.

What is the best stick vacuum for carpet?

Suction performance of the best stick vacuums on carpet.

What is the best stick vacuum cleaner cordless?

The Dyson V15 Detect is the best cordless stick vacuum we've tested. It delivers superb overall performance on bare floors and low and high-pile carpets, though it's worth noting that this vacuum's strong suction force can make it hard to push around on some rugs.