5 Of The Best Cordless Vacuums For Under $200
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A vacuum cleaner is a home essential, and nothing beats the convenience of a cordless vacuum. While these vacuums have limited battery life, they tend to be lightweight and bagless, resulting in easy portability and fewer recurring costs. Most cordless vacuums feature a stick design, although you can get upright cordless vacuums too.
The advantage of cordless stick vacuums is that they can convert into a handheld vacuum, ideal for cleaning furniture, stairs, and car interiors. Modern cordless vacuums can be as powerful as their corded counterparts, although the best ones, like the LG CordZero Cordless Vacuum A939, don't come cheap.
If you want the best of both worlds, use a combination of corded and cordless vacuums. The former can be used for deep cleaning your floors — particularly important if you have pets — while the latter can be pulled out for touch-ups and to spot-clean your home and furniture. If you're on the hunt for an affordable cordless vacuum to do this job, a quick search on Amazon will reveal several options for under $200.
A good cordless vacuum should have a battery life of around 40 minutes and be powerful enough to get pet hair and debris out of carpets and hard floors. We've shortlisted some of the best affordable cordless vacuums on the market based on our own tests, plus recommendations from reputable technology publications.
Orfeld H01 Cordless Vacuum
The Orfeld H01 is a powerful cordless stick vacuum with a suction power of 24,000 Pa. It can be used on hardwood floors and carpets thanks to a two-in-one rolling brush. The brush can rotate 180 degrees sideways and 90 degrees up and down. LED headlights are also included to illuminate darker areas. The wand can be extended from 18 to 24 inches to clean hard-to-reach areas or detached for a handheld vacuum.
In our review, we noted that the extra maneuverability combined with the small profile makes the Orfeld vacuum cleaner a multi-functional tool that can be used to clean your home and your car. The powerful suction can effectively pick up dust and debris, and the lightweight build of 4.6 pounds makes it portable.
The cordless vacuum features a double HEPA filter, and Orfeld includes two extra filters. It also ships with crevice and combination nozzle tools. The vacuum is powered by a 2,000mAh battery with a runtime of 40 minutes, but a full charge can take up to four hours. The battery pack is detachable so you can charge it separately from the vacuum.
The Orfeld H01 has a list price of $140 on Amazon but is currently discounted to $100.
Proscenic P11 Mopping Vacuum
The Proscenic P11 is a cordless stick vacuum with a mopping function. It has a strong suction of 35,000 Pa and works on both hardwood and carpets. The vacuum has a 340-milliliter water tank, and the mop head magnetically attaches to the back of the brush head.
The main unit can swivel 180 degrees, making cleaning corners and around furniture easier. Proscenic also includes a dusting brush and crevice tool, which are useful in the handheld mode. The main unit has an LED touch display that lets you monitor battery levels, switch between three cleaning modes, and notify you of any errors. The brush head features LED lights to reveal hidden debris.
The vacuum features five-layer filtration, including a HEPA filter. The detachable battery can be charged separately or swapped with a fully charged unit. Proscenic also provides a wall mounting unit to stow and charge the vacuum.
In our review, we found that the Proscenic P11 worked like a champ on dry, hardwood floors but wasn't as effective on carpets. The mop head works fine for small spills, but tougher stains are hard to remove. This is possibly due to the fact that the vacuum relies on a gravity drip for the mop head. The advertised battery life is 50 minutes, and we averaged between 45 to 55 minutes of runtime. Using the vacuum on maximum power brings that number down to 10 to 12 minutes.
The Proscenic P11 has a list price of $199.99 on Amazon.
Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095 Cordless Stick Vacuum
Kenmore appliances are still popular, and if you're looking for a cordless vacuum with a flexible wand, consider the Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095. The lightweight vacuum weighs under 6 pounds and works on carpets and hardwood floors. It has two-speed settings, but the suction power of 17,000 Pa is lower than some other options on this list, making this better suited to light cleaning.
You can press a button to flex the wand, making cleaning under sofas and beds easier. It can be converted into a hand vacuum with a two-in-one combination crevice/dusting tool. It also features LED headlights and a display that indicates battery level, charging status, and modes.
The New York Times Wirecutter found that the Kenmore vacuum works equally well on carpet and hard floors, picking up pet hair and debris. They got about 38 minutes of runtime, which is close to the advertised 40 minutes. However, they note that the non-replaceable battery and one-year warranty raise questions about the longevity of this cordless vacuum.
The Kenmore Elite CSV Max DS4095 has a list price of $180 on Amazon but is currently available for $150.
Hoover ONEPWR Evolve Pet Cordless Upright Vacuum
Hoover is a major vacuum cleaner brand, and its ONEPWR Evolve Pet Cordless is part of the ONEPWR range that features interchangeable batteries. The upright cordless vacuum weighs 9 pounds, but Hoover claims that it feels like 2 pounds when you tilt it. It works on carpets and hard floors, while the brush roll is antimicrobial and prevents odors. The brushroll can be turned on or off, which is convenient if you switch from carpets to hardwood floors, preventing debris from scattering while you vacuum.
While the Hoover vacuum features a cordless design, it comes with only a single brush head and no other attachments. Unlike other cordless vacuums, it can't transition to a handheld vacuum, making it suitable solely for cleaning floors. The battery features a run time of 35 minutes, and you can buy an additional battery and swap it when you run out of charge.
RTINGS points out that this vacuum does a great job cleaning pet hair and debris on hard floors and high-pile carpets, including any bulkier material. It's also lightweight and easy to maneuver, but the larger profile makes it difficult to clean under furniture. You might want to avoid this vacuum on low-pile carpets, though, as RTings mentions that the Hoover vacuum struggles on this surface.
The Hoover ONEPWR Evolve Pet Cordless vacuum has a list price of $210 but is currently available for $199.99 on Amazon.
Shark IX141 Pet Cordless Stick Vacuum
The Shark IXI41 Pet Cordless is an affordable stick vacuum cleaner for pet owners. The bristle brush roll features LED lights that light up debris, while the low profile allows it to be used for cleaning under furniture. The Shark cordless vacuum also has a crevice and pet upholstery tools. Like most cordless vacuum cleaners, it can transform into a handheld vacuum for cleaning cars and furniture.
The vacuum weighs 6.9 pounds and can be used for overhead cleaning doors and window frames when combined with the crevice tool. Shark promises 40 minutes of run time, and RTINGS found that to be consistent with their testing. You also have the option to unscrew the battery and buy a replacement pack from Shark if yours degrades over time.
RTings says the Shark IX141 does a decent job of cleaning bare floors like hardwood and vinyl but struggles with removing debris from cracks and crevices. It also has a high-capacity dustbin and easy maneuverability. However, the floorhead isn't self-cleaning like newer vacuums, and there's no HEPA filtration either. A wall mounting unit isn't included, but you can detach the main body and attach it to the floorhead for vertical storage.
The Shark IX141 Pet Cordless Stick vacuum has a list price of $260 but is available for $160 on Amazon.
Our methodology
The cordless vacuums selected for this list are a combination of those we've tested at SlashGear, plus a few from reputable technology publications like RTINGS and The New York Times Wirecutter. Both these websites extensively test products before recommending them to readers.
We picked cordless vacuums that work on both carpet and hard floors but prioritized those that convert into handheld vacuums for spot cleaning. Battery life was another consideration — all the vacuums on this list have a battery life of at least 35 minutes before needing to be recharged.