For a thorough clean on rugs and carpets, compare suction performance on these surfaces and the brush head supplied, rather than looking at motor power alone. Que Choisir highlights the importance of the vacuum head and tests appliances on different floor types. A cylinder vacuum with or without a bag could be your main appliance, depending on your preference for collecting dust and maintaining the vacuum. If you’re considering a cordless stick vacuum, also check its performance on carpets and the battery life in the mode you’ll use.
If you’ll use your vacuum for regular, thorough cleans rather than just quick touch-ups, look at its performance on textile flooring and the brush designed to clean it. If your home also has hard floors, check which accessories are included.
If you regularly move between rugs, wooden floors and tiles, check how the vacuum head adapts to each surface. Manoeuvrability and easy access to parts that need maintenance also matter if you vacuum often.
Your choice is about what you do after vacuuming as well as the format: replacing a bag, emptying a dust container or recharging a stick vacuum. If you need a main appliance, weigh up these preferences alongside its performance on your floors. For cordless models, check the battery life in the mode you need.
Start by checking performance on the surfaces in your home, then consider dust collection, maintenance and any practical limitations of the format you choose.
| Feature | What to check | My needs |
|---|---|---|
| Cleaning textile flooring | Compare suction tests on rugs or carpets carried out using the same method. If fibres are a concern, look for test results that cover them too, and check which brush head is included. | I want to remove dust from my rugs. If I have pets or lots of fibres to deal with, I also need to check how well it picks them up. |
| Mixed flooring | Check which heads and settings are designed for rugs, wooden floors and other hard flooring. Make sure you know which accessories are actually included with the exact model you’re choosing. | I move between rugs and hard floors, so I want to be able to use a suitable head on each surface. |
| Dust collection and filters | For a bagged model, check the bag reference and how to replace it. For a bagless model, see how the dust container is emptied. Check the manual for access to the filters and how to maintain them. | I’d rather replace a bag than empty a dust container, or vice versa. I also want to be able to carry out the maintenance my model requires. |
| Format and battery life | For a cordless stick vacuum, check the battery life in the mode you’ll use on carpets, not just a figure quoted for a different mode. Whatever the format, check how easily the head moves and how the appliance can be stored. | If I clean my whole home in one go, I need an appliance that can handle the surface I’m cleaning without interrupting the job. |
| Automated cleaning | If you’re considering a robot vacuum as an extra, check whether it can be used on your rugs, how it deals with obstacles and what maintenance it needs. Don’t assume its automated features mean it can deep-clean carpets. | I want to automate some of the upkeep between thorough cleans with my main appliance. |
The figure on its own doesn’t tell you how much dust the appliance will pick up from a rug. Que Choisir also highlights the importance of the vacuum head’s design.
Compare test results on the types of flooring in your home and check which brushes come with the exact model.
A test result for dust on carpets won’t necessarily tell you how well a vacuum picks up fibres or hair.
If that matters to you, look for separate test results on fibres and check that a suitable brush for textile flooring is included.
Maintenance tasks and how often you need to do them vary by appliance. Que Choisir recommends checking the manual for guidance on maintaining the filters.
Before buying, check how easy it is to access the filters and which compatible consumables you’ll need.
Depending on the model, you may need to replace bags, filters or rollers.
Que Choisir generally describes stick vacuums as suitable for quick clean-ups and notes that their battery life and suction are often limited.
Before making one your main appliance, check the model’s results on carpets and how long it runs in the mode you need for your home.
These brand examples can help you find models to look into. They don’t indicate how an entire range performs or whether those models feature in the Joybuy selection below.
The PD82-4ST Pure D8 cylinder vacuum is one of the models featured in Que Choisir’s French comparison.
The Green Force Effitech and Compact Power Parquet cylinder vacuums, with different dust collection systems depending on the model, feature in Que Choisir’s French comparison.
The BGS41PET1 ProAnimal Série 6, a bagless cylinder vacuum, is one of the models featured in Que Choisir’s French comparison.
This selection includes a bagged cylinder vacuum and cordless stick vacuums for homes with rugs and mixed flooring. If you’re choosing a main appliance, check the exact model’s results on carpets and, for stick vacuums, the battery life in the mode you plan to use.
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Worth considering for thorough cleans on rugs and mixed flooring if you’d rather replace a bag than empty a dust container. Check the exact model’s results on carpets, which brush heads are included and the reference for compatible bags.
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Its cordless design makes it easy to move between rugs and hard floors. The product name states that it has an anti-tangle brush and offers up to 65 minutes of battery life. Check the runtime in the mode you’ll use on carpets and its suction performance before making it your main appliance.
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This cordless stick vacuum is worth considering if you switch between rugs and hard floors and want an appliance that’s easy to move around. The stated battery life of up to 55 minutes applies to bare-floor mode. Check the runtime in carpet mode and its results for dust and fibres on the surfaces you plan to clean.
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The advertised emptying station may suit you if you want to handle the dust container less often after vacuuming, but you’ll still need to check the required maintenance. For a thorough clean on carpets, check the model’s suction results and its battery life in Max mode, which differs from the stated runtime in Eco mode.
Look for results showing how well the vacuum picks up dust from rugs or carpets. If pet hair matters to you, look for separate results on fibres too. Que Choisir tests vacuum cleaners on different floor types, so compare results obtained using the same method and check which brush head is supplied.
No. Que Choisir says that suction quality depends, among other things, on useful power and, above all, the design of the vacuum head. If your home has carpets, look at test results for that type of flooring rather than relying on the wattage alone.
They require different tasks: you replace a bag, while you empty a dust container. Filters also need maintenance, as set out in the model’s manual. Check how easy they are to access and which consumables you’ll need before choosing the system that suits you.
ADEME advises putting vacuum dust and waste in household rubbish, preferably in a sealed bag.
In France, the legal guarantee of conformity applies to new, second-hand and refurbished goods sold by a business to a consumer. According to the Ministry of the Economy, the seller must supply goods that match the contract. Keep your proof of purchase and a copy of the product description so you can tell the seller about any discrepancy.