5 Best Stick Vacuums for Lightweight Cleaning

The performances of most cordless stick vacuums mainly rely on their suction power and different nozzle heads. The Shark IZ462H Vertex, on the other hand, has found a way to manage everything with just a single nozzle head even at a low power setting.

The DuoClean PowerFins employs 2 different brushes in its system: a soft roller and a PowerFins flexible silicone fin roller. The combination of the two makes a new hybrid of nozzle head that can handle both carpet and hard floor surfaces. It runs using 2 modes (Carpet and Hard Floor) in the handle. There is also a Turbo mode you can use via the trigger. But even without a boost, we found the Shark IZ462H Vertex unbelievably capable on all kinds of surfaces. It managed to retrieve almost the same amount of sand we scattered on the floor and carpets. Also, it passed our hair pickup test with no tangled strands of hair spotted around any of the rollers in all the 3 trials we performed. Most of all, we were amazed at how it completely picked up a pile of sand, dirt, and cereals on surfaces in just one pass. All of these things were performed by the Shark IZ462H Vertex without another nozzle head design compared to Tineco and Dyson models.

Using it is also very practical and well-designed to address common struggles users are facing in actual scenarios. Besides the included attachments (crevice, pet multi-tool, and anti-allergen dusting brush), the construction of the body itself is meant to make things feel more convenient. It boasts the new MultiFLEX technology that can bend the wand to easily clean spaces under furniture without you bending to reach the corners. It also allows the handle of the IZ462H Vertex to be folded down for more compact storage. This also removes the need for a dock as it makes it a freestanding unit when not in use.

Stick vacuums are getting more and more futuristic these days and while most of them already have features that are enough to impress you, Pure ONE S12 Plus took everything to the extreme. Even better, it offers the best set of attachments and nozzles. The main highlights are the motorized pet brush, soft roller head, and multitasker direct-drive head which perform well in their respective areas. The nozzle heads mentioned are also one of the rarest sets we tried that was able to completely resist hair tangles in our test. Besides these amazing nozzles, the package also includes a flexible hose extension tool and a filter cleaning tool you won’t see in other models.

Besides its LED-illuminated heads, on the other hand, the feature that completely makes Tineco Pure ONE S12 Plus a threat for other stick vacuums is its smart capabilities. Though you have the option to change the suction setting using the easy-to-use slider, the Auto mode will make it more efficient in the actual cleaning scenario. Here, the system will adjust the speed depending on the need being sensed by the machine. However, unlike the one found in V11 Torque Drive, the Auto mode of Pure ONE S12 Plus is programmed to focus on the amount of debris and not on the kind of surface you are vacuuming. This gives it extra power on whatever surface you will use it. The actions of the Auto mode when sensing debris near the nozzle head can also be seen in the LED display of the unit. It will also notify you of the malfunction issues and the current power level of the battery. It’s also a big plus that it comes with 2 batteries, with each one lasting up to 50 minutes.

While having a big set of attachments and nozzles is a big plus in the vacuum market, Dyson V11 Torque Drive has proved that it can stand out by only relying on its system. It doesn’t have the soft floor roller (though you can buy it separately) of its older sibling V10, but it can deal with all kinds of surfaces with ease. Its secret lies in its Dynamic Load Sensor which is employed by its Auto mode. As mentioned earlier, it adjusts the power of the unit according to the kind of surface detected by the sensor. This, as our experts believe, justifies the absence of the soft roller for hard floors. Instead of changing the nozzles, the system makes adjustments for you. Of course, there is still something better about the soft rollers as they are designed specifically for hard floors. Nonetheless, V11 Torque Drive proved in our test that even with a standard brush nozzle, it could pick up all kinds of debris from sand to hair and cereals on both carpet and hard floor surfaces. And as expected from a brush head, we experienced some tangling hair around the roll. Nonetheless, removing it was not a big issue since the strands caught were not that abundant compared to what happened to the other cheaper models we tested. 

On the other hand, the description states that its battery can last up to 60 minutes but at the lowest setting and using the right attachment, it can go as far as 80 minutes. The speed selection (Eco, Med, Boost, and Auto) can be accessed in the LCD display of the unit. Apart from the settings, the display can also provide other info such as the remaining runtime, filter maintenance reminders, and blockage reports.

While many stick vacuums nowadays are still struggling with common issues like hair tangling and inefficient debris collection, LG found a way to resolve these things through A907GMS CordZero. It comes with everything you need including different types of attachments and nozzles which are some of its biggest assets. This includes the crevice and combination tool attachments, brush roller, soft floor roller, and the new Power Punch nozzle. Each one has its own function and can excel in specific areas. The main highlights of these accessories however are the last two. In our test, the soft floor roller managed to clear the floor completely in a single pass. It picked up sand, cereals, and hair neatly and didn’t miss. Most of all, there was no hair tangling around the roller even when used for long strands. That is the same thing we love about the Power Punch nozzle. Its brushless concept is a unique way of removing hair and dust on upholstery in a more vigorous manner. Using rubber material, the Power Punch creates vibrations on surfaces to disturb dust and other debris.

Apart from the excellent performance of its nozzles and attachments, its filtration system is one of the best. It has 5-stage filtration which effectively separates dust and catches other micron-size particles. It has great sealing and we didn’t see any flaw in its containing performance. Also, cleanup is easy as the filters are washable and removable.

While it is no secret that it is still not the cheapest option on this list, V10 Absolute can beat bigger models. It offers a plethora of attachments and nozzles for different kinds of surfaces such as the brush head, soft roller cleaner head, motorized mini-head, combination tool, crevice tool, and mini soft dusting brush. That being said, it can tackle everything from soft to hard surfaces, but where its performance really excelled in our test was in the latter. It delivered powerful suction power on surfaces and didn’t miss a speck of dust of a single or a piece of medium-sized debris. It is one of the fewest stick vacuums we tried that completely cleared a path in just a single pass. It completely swallowed everything using the soft roller cleaner head. Even for crevices, it managed to pick up heavier dirt and sand with ease. Its battery power is just enough to last for up to 1 hour but since it has 3 suction levels, it might go down to 20 minutes depending on the setting and the motorized head you are using.

Further, despite its lightweight body (especially in handheld form), maneuvering it is a dream. The swivel capability of the heads is also very helpful in getting under furniture as there is just proper control to get the head to turn.