The Best Cordless Vacuum
Updated February 21st, 2022
Vacuum manufacturers have made it quite difficult to compare different models of cordless vacuums.
Manufacturers provide
- Vacuum power in different units of measurement (airwatts, kPa, voltage, etc.)
- Vacuum battery life in different conditions (cleaner head attached vs not attached, different power settings, etc.)
- Other specifications like vacuum bin size and weight in different units of measurement and/or under different conditions
Our goal for this guide is to simplify comparisons by giving consistent measured data for all of the cordless vacuums we tested.
Power
We measured vacuum power in terms of airflow and suction.
We measured airflow (CFM)
- At the cleaner head of the vacuum
- On its highest power setting
We measured suction (inches of water lift)
- At the main body of the vacuum
- On its highest power setting
Here are our test results:
| CFM | in. | |
|---|---|---|
| Dyson V11 Outsize | 53 | 120 |
| Dyson V11 Torque Drive | 51 | 120 |
| Dyson V10 Absolute | 45 | 92 |
| LG CordZero A9 Ultimate | 45 | 70 |
| Tineco Pure ONE S12 | 43 | 100 |
| Dyson V10 Motorhead | 42 | 92 |
| B+D BSV2020P | 42 | 24 |
| Dyson V8 Absolute | 40 | 72 |
| Tineco A11 Master | 39 | 90 |
| Dyson V7 Animal | 37 | 72 |
| Moosoo K17 | 36 | 40 |
| Roborock H6 | 35 | 124 |
| Shark ION P50 | 32 | 78 |
| Hoover Linx Signature | 31 | NA |
| Shark Rocket IX140 | 31 | 50 |
| Bissell Adapt Ion XRT | 30 | NA |
| Shark ION F80 IF281 | 30 | 84 |
| Shark ION X40 | 30 | 84 |
| Hoover ONEPWR Blade+ | 29 | 16 |
| Shark Rocket Pet Pro | 29 | 44 |
| B+D HSVB420J | 26 | NA |
| Shark SV1106 | 26 | NA |
| Bissell ICONPet | 25 | 38 |
| Bissell ICONPet Pro | 25 | 38 |
| Bissell AirRam 1984 | 25 | NA |
Battery life
We measured battery life
- with a cleaner head attached to the vacuum and
- with it running on its highest power setting
This describes how most consumers will use most of these vacuums most of the time - most consumers will primarily use them with a cleaner head attached and on high power, as performance drops off dramatically switching from high to lower power modes on most models.
Only a few models we tested offer adequate performance on lower power settings. Those models are listed in a separate table below.
Additional context
Note that we’ve included each vacuum’s performance in our carpet deep clean testing to add context to the battery life test results below.
Our carpet deep clean testing involved pushing the vacuum back and forth three times over an area of carpet embedded with 30g of fine debris. The tables below show how much of the 30g of debris was picked up by the vacuum in this test.
All models running on high power:
| Grams | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|
| Dyson V11 Torque Drive | 24 | 12.5 |
| Dyson V11 Outsize | 24 | 14 |
| Tineco Pure ONE S12 | 24 | 10.5 |
| Dyson V10 Absolute | 23 | 6 |
| Dyson V8 Absolute | 22 | 8.5 |
| Shark Rocket Pet Pro | 22 | 14 |
| Dyson V7 Animal | 21 | 7.5 |
| Dyson V10 Motorhead | 21 | 8.5 |
| Roborock H6 | 21 | 10 |
| Shark Rocket IX140 | 21 | 16.5 |
| Tineco A11 Master | 21 | 12.5 |
| LG CordZero A9 Ultimate | 21 | 7 |
| Hoover ONEPWR Blade+ | 19 | 14.5 |
| B+D BSV2020P | 18 | 14.5 |
| Hoover Linx Signature | 16 | 20 |
| Moosoo K17 | 16 | 16 |
| Shark Ion F80 | 15 | 17 |
| Shark ION X40 | 15 | 17 |
| Shark SV1106 | 14 | 13 |
| Bissell ICONPet | 14 | 18.5 |
| Bissell ICONPet Pro | 14 | 16.5 |
| B+D HSVB420J | 13 | 24.5 |
| Bissell AirRam 1984 | 12 | 48 |
| Shark ION P50 | 12 | 23.5 |
| Bissell Adapt Ion XRT | 7 | 16 |
Models that get good performance on lower power:
| Grams | Minutes | |
|---|---|---|
| Dyson V11 Torque Drive (medium power) | 20 | 25.5 |
| Dyson V11 Outsize (medium power) | 20 | 23.5 |
| Roborock H6 (medium power) | 20 | 22 |
| Shark Rocket IX140 (non-boost) | 19 | 31 |
| Shark Rocket Pet Pro (non-boost) | 20 | 19.5 |
| LG CordZero A9 Ultimate (medium power) | 19 | 13 |
| Tineco Pure ONE S12 (auto mode estimate) | 23 | 24 |
Bin Size
We measured bin size up to the bin’s maximum fill line. Below are the measured values for all of the cordless vacuums we tested.
| mL | |
|---|---|
| Dyson V11 Outsize | 1500 |
| Shark SV1106 | 600 |
| Shark ION P50 | 600 |
| Hoover Linx Signature | 500 |
| Bissell AirRam 1984 | 500 |
| B+D BSV2020P | 500 |
| Dyson V10 Absolute | 500 |
| Tineco A11 Master | 500 |
| Dyson V11 Torque Drive | 500 |
| Shark Rocket IX140 | 400 |
| Shark Rocket Pet Pro | 400 |
| Tineco Pure ONE S12 | 325 |
| Hoover ONEPWR Blade+ | 300 |
| Bissell ICONPet | 300 |
| Bissell ICONPet Pro | 300 |
| Dyson V7 Animal | 300 |
| Dyson V8 Absolute | 300 |
| Dyson V10 Motorhead | 300 |
| Shark ION X40 | 300 |
| Shark ION F80 | 300 |
| LG CordZero A9 Ultimate | 300 |
| Moosoo K17 | 250 |
| Roborock H6 | 250 |
| Bissell Adapt Ion XRT | 175 |
| B+D HSVB420J | 175 |
Weight
We measured the overall weight (second column) and the weight of each vacuum as you’re holding it in your hand while vacuuming (first column). Below are the measured values for all of the cordless vacuums we tested.
| In hand lb. | Overall lb. | |
|---|---|---|
| B+D HSVB420J | 0.9 | 4.8 |
| Bissell AirRam 1984 | 0.9 | 8 |
| Shark SV1106 | 1.2 | 7 |
| Bissell Adapt Ion XRT | 1.3 | 5.6 |
| Hoover Linx Signature | 1.5 | 7.3 |
| Moosoo K17 | 2.3 | 4.4 |
| Dyson V7 Animal | 2.5 | 5.2 |
| Dyson V8 Absolute | 2.5 | 5.6 |
| Roborock H6 | 2.6 | 5.3 |
| Shark ION P50 | 2.6 | 12.2 |
| Dyson V10 Absolute | 2.7 | 5.8 |
| Dyson V10 Motorhead | 2.7 | 5.4 |
| Tineco A11 Master | 2.8 | 5.3 |
| LG CordZero A9 Ultimate | 3.2 | 5.7 |
| B+D BSV2020P | 3.3 | 6.6 |
| Shark Rocket IX140 | 3.5 | 6.8 |
| Shark ION X40 | 3.5 | 8.2 |
| Shark ION F80 | 3.5 | 8.2 |
| Tineco Pure ONE S12 | 3.6 | 6.7 |
| Shark Rocket Pet Pro | 3.8 | 7.3 |
| Bissell ICONPet | 3.9 | 7.3 |
| Bissell ICONPet Pro | 3.9 | 7.3 |
| Hoover ONEPWR Blade+ | 4.1 | 6.5 |
| Dyson V11 Torque Drive | 4.1 | 6.5 |
| Dyson V11 Outsize | 4.4 | 7.8 |
Top Rated Vacuums
Our recommendations of the best cordless vacuums on the market.
Tineco A11
The Tineco A11 is the best cordless vacuum for most people.
Of the 20+ cordless vacuums we’ve tested so far, it provides the best all-around cleaning performance and battery life for the price.
The A11 doesn’t have the highest airflow or suction. But it provides sufficient airflow and suction for most applications, and to get substantially more airflow and suction you have to buy a considerably more expensive vacuum.
The A11 doesn’t have the best battery life. But it provides sufficient battery life for most applications, and to get substantially better battery life you have to buy a considerably more expensive vacuum.
The bottom line is that the A11 may not provide the absolute best all-around performance, but it gets you close to it at a much more reasonable price than the absolute best performing models (like the Dyson V11). It also outperforms all other similarly priced cordless vacuums (like the Dyson V7 and V8).
There are multiple submodels of the A11 available but these are the two we recommend:
A11 Hero
The A11 Hero comes with only one battery and doesn't come with a soft roller cleaner head. As such, it's the least expensive A11 you can buy. In terms of airflow, suction, general cleaning performance, etc. it's identical to more expensive submodels like the A11 Master+. It just comes with less accessories and is a different color. If you're looking for the best value option, this is the submodel we recommend.
A11 Master+
The A11 Master+ is more expensive but it comes with an extra battery and a soft roller cleaner head for better hard floor performance. Its standard multi-surface cleaner head (which also comes with the A11 Hero) works fine for hard floors, but if you’re looking for the absolute best performance on hard floors and/or you need the extra runtime provided by an extra battery, this is the submodel we recommend.
February 2022 Update
It appears this A11 submodel is now discontinued. To get the equivalent components that used to be included with the Master+ (the extra battery and soft roller cleaner head), you now have to buy two separate products:
1. The A11 Hero EX - See Price on Amazon
2. The A11 soft roller cleaner head - See Price on Amazon
The A11 Hero EX is identical to the A11 Hero but comes with an extra battery. The soft roller cleaner head is now only sold separately.
The net cost of the A11 Hero EX + A11 soft roller cleaner head is still the same as the cost of the Master+, but for some reason Tineco is no longer including everything in one package with the Master+.
Dyson V11 Outsize
The Dyson V11 Outsize is the best cordless vacuum not accounting for price and value.
No other cordless vacuum we tested offers a better combination of performance and battery life.
No other cordless vacuum we tested cleans more efficiently either. The Outsize has a uniquely wide cleaner head (which is about 25% wider than most other cleaner heads on the market) and a uniquely large dust bin (with a maximum capacity - at 1.5 L - that is about three times that of any other cordless vacuum we tested) which work in tandem to facilitate maximum efficiency while cleaning.
The one major downside for this vacuum is its price. The Outsize is a very expensive cordless vacuum.
But, if you want the best of the best and budget is not a concern, the Dyson V11 Outsize is our recommendation.
Alternative Options
Dyson V7 Fluffy
If you’re on a budget and need a cordless vacuum only for hard floors, the Dyson V7 Fluffy can be a good option.
The V7 Fluffy only comes with a soft roller cleaner head and so it can only clean hard floors (the soft roller head cannot clean carpet), but with its soft roller cleaner head it cleans hard floors very well.
The V7 Fluffy has considerably less battery life, doesn’t come with a swappable battery, and has a smaller bin than the Tineco A11, but if you’re only concerned about cleaning performance and price, it can be a good alternative to the A11 for cleaning hard floors.
Dyson V7 Allergy
The best budget alternative to the Tineco A11 for multi-surface (carpet and hard floor) cleaning is the Dyson V7 Allergy.
It again has less battery life, doesn’t come with a swappable battery, and has a smaller bin than the A11. But, it is often priced lower than the A11. And if you’re only concerned about cleaning performance and price, can be a good alternative to the A11 for cleaning a combination of floor types.
Add a Comment
Have a question or comment? Let us know below.
Comments (5)
A11 Master has been discontinued. A11 Hero does not come with soft roller for hardwood floors. You did not include A11 Tango in your review. A11 Tango appears to be the same as Hero model except it comes with soft roller. Do you concur? Have you reviewed the A11Tango model?
I've now updated my recommendations to address the A11 Master being discontinued. I generally don't recommend the Tango because it's usually cheaper to buy the A11 Hero and soft roller head separately than it is to buy the Tango.
Have you tried the shark vertex? I would love to hear your thoughts on that!
Have you had a chance to test the Dyson V15 Detect yet? I am trying to decide whether to hold out for the Dyson V15 Detect (out of stock most places - costs around $700) or get the Tineco Pure ONE S12 Pro EX from Costco on sale for $500. Your thoughts?
How do the A11 and S11 pure one Spartan compare
I haven't had the chance to test the S11 Pure One Spartan yet, unfortunately, so I cannot really compare its performance to that of the A11.
I found an s11 tango on sale for the same price as the a11 hero ex. I have mostly hardwood floors and furniture and a long haired cat... Which would you buy
I've unfortunately not had the chance to test the S11 Tango yet so I can't really compare it to the A11.