For quick, regular cleans in a busy household, a stick vacuum cleaner is a good choice if manoeuvrability and easy storage are your priorities. If you have rugs, carpets or more intensive cleaning to do, consider comparing cylinder vacuum cleaners too. In either case, compare noise and cleaning performance under similar usage modes and test conditions. For cordless models, check the battery life as well: a single noise figure isn’t enough to predict how disruptive a vacuum will be in your home.
For quick cleans during the day or in the evening, you’ll want to keep disruption to a minimum without compromising on suction that suits your floors. UFC-Que Choisir points out that reducing noise can involve trade-offs in performance or weight.
You want to be able to grab a cordless vacuum for quick clean-ups, then put it away again with ease. UFC-Que Choisir highlights this everyday convenience as one of the benefits of a stick vacuum cleaner.
How well the vacuum cleans your floor coverings matters more than how easy it is to move around. Compare test results for different surfaces, and consider a cylinder vacuum cleaner rather than relying on the type of brush advertised.
Consider it: for quick, frequent cleans when ease of use and speedy storage are especially important.
Bear in mind: the mode needed for effective cleaning can affect both noise and battery life. Greater sound insulation can also make a vacuum less manoeuvrable, according to UFC-Que Choisir.
Consider it: if intensive cleaning and performance across several types of flooring matter more than the freedom of going cordless.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to plug it in and move its main body and hose around. Noise and cleaning performance still vary by model, so compare them carefully.
For everyday cleaning in a busy household, start with your main needs, then check how well the vacuum performs on your floors and in the mode you’ll actually use.
| Factor | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Noise disturbance | Compare measurements taken using the same test method, and note which suction mode was used. | I clean while other people are around and want to avoid a quieter mode leaving my floors insufficiently clean; around 33% of consumers would prioritise noise disturbance. |
| Performance on different floors | Look for separate results for hard floors and rugs or carpets, and check which brush is included. | I have rugs or several types of flooring at home, so I want to know how well the vacuum cleans each one. Around 27% of consumers would put performance on different floors first. |
| Battery life | For a cordless stick vacuum, match the battery life in the mode you need to the area you want to clean. | If I need to clean several rooms without recharging, the maximum battery life in a different mode isn’t much help; around 20% of consumers would prioritise usable battery life. |
| Manoeuvrability | Check the weight when fully assembled, how balanced it feels in your hand and how easy it is to store. | For frequent quick cleans, I want to be able to take the vacuum out, move it around and put it away without too much effort. Around 20% of consumers would prioritise this ease of use. |
A noise figure on its own doesn’t tell you which mode was used or how well the vacuum cleaned in that mode. UFC-Que Choisir also notes that there can be trade-offs between noise, performance and weight.
Where possible, compare noise and suction in the mode suited to your floors, using the same test method.
These features don’t replace test results for the floor coverings in your home, particularly rugs and carpets.
Look for tests by floor type and check which accessories come with the version you’re considering.
According to UFC-Que Choisir, battery life can vary considerably depending on how a vacuum is used. The maximum figure may not reflect the mode you’ll need.
Check which suction mode the advertised battery life applies to, and whether it’s enough to clean the area you have in mind without recharging.
Choosing a vacuum cleaner isn’t just about how you’ll use it now: the availability of spare parts and consumables may matter throughout its working life.
Check the repairability index for the exact model and find out which parts, filters and bags, if any, you’ll need.
A bagged cylinder vacuum cleaner needs replacement bags; this isn’t a requirement in the same way for a bagless model.
These brands are among those featured in UFC-Que Choisir’s tests of stick vacuum cleaners. A brand’s inclusion in a comparison doesn’t indicate how noisy or effective every model is.
Dyson models feature in UFC-Que Choisir’s comparison of stick vacuum cleaners.
Rowenta stick vacuum cleaners feature in UFC-Que Choisir’s tests.
A Samsung stick vacuum cleaner features in the UFC-Que Choisir tests reviewed.
Several LG models feature in UFC-Que Choisir’s comparison of stick vacuum cleaners.
Shark stick vacuum cleaners feature in UFC-Que Choisir’s tests.
These cordless stick vacuum cleaners are suited to everyday cleaning, where manoeuvrability, the floors you need to clean and battery life all matter. Their advertised specifications alone aren’t enough to rank them by how disruptive they are. Before choosing, compare the mode used and look for measurements taken under similar conditions.
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Worth considering for everyday cleaning on hard floors and rugs, provided you check how well it performs on your floor coverings.
Advertised specifications: 55 KPa, 550 W, up to 55 minutes’ battery life, anti-tangle brush and LED touch screen. Check which mode the battery life applies to and the conditions used to measure noise.
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Worth a look if you clean both floors and rugs and want a cordless vacuum that stands upright on its own.
Advertised specifications: 55 kPa, up to 60 minutes’ battery life, anti-tangle brush and LED display. Match the battery life to the mode used, and look for a comparable noise measurement.
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Worth considering for cleaning rugs and hard floors if its performance on each surface meets your needs.
Advertised specifications: 60.000 Pa, up to 65 minutes’ battery life, anti-tangle brush and LED touch screen. Check the battery life in the mode you’ll use, how manoeuvrable it is fully assembled and the conditions used to measure noise.
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Worth a look if emptying the dust container after everyday cleans is an important factor for you. Check the station’s consumables too.
Advertised specifications: 27 kPa, anti-tangle brush, charging station with automatic emptying and upright self-standing design. Compare noise in the mode you’ll use, and check the weight of the fully assembled vacuum.
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Worth considering for everyday cleaning on rugs and hard floors, after checking the cleaning results for these surfaces.
Advertised specifications: 55000 Pa, up to 45 minutes’ battery life, anti-tangle brush and large dust container. Check which mode this figure applies to, as well as the weight and noise in the configuration you plan to use.
No: a single figure can’t predict how disruptive a vacuum will feel in your home. UFC-Que Choisir highlights potential trade-offs between noise, suction and weight. Compare measurements taken under similar conditions and in similar usage modes.
Look for specific suction results for rugs and carpets before choosing between a stick and cylinder vacuum cleaner. UFC-Que Choisir’s test method for cylinder vacuum cleaners looks, among other things, at the proportion of dust actually removed from a carpet. Simply stating that a model has a motorised brush doesn’t tell you how well it performs.
Check the repairability index for the exact model and find out about any spare parts and consumables you might need. The French Ministry of the Economy publishes this index for vacuum cleaners; on its own, it doesn’t tell you how noisy or effective a vacuum is.
Not necessarily: you can’t work out how much noise will be heard outside your home from a single advertised specification. ADIL de la Loire-Atlantique notes that in France, the duration, frequency and intensity of noise are all taken into account when assessing neighbourhood noise disturbance.
Yes, the bags need replacing as you use the vacuum. Before buying, check which type of bag and filter the model needs. A bagless stick vacuum doesn’t use the same consumables, but its dust container and filters still need maintenance.