At first glance, the Miele Boost CX1 Parquet stood out for its sleek, modern design and giant disk-like wheels. Assembly was intuitive, as the pieces snap together. While we wouldn't call this 18-pound canister vacuum lightweight, it's on the lighter end for a Miele.

The Boost CX1 boasts high-powered "Vortex" technology with 60 miles-per-hour air suction to effectively capture both fine and coarse particles. We're pleased to report it lives up to its claims. Though we had to place the floorhead on top of the Cheerios (rather than pushing it back and forth while flat on the floor), they were immediately sucked up. On the carpet, it picked up the Cheerios just by pushing the floorhead forward, and the mess was gone within a couple of passes. The pile of crumbs disappeared in a single pass, but it was a little harder to push on carpet than on hard floors.

You can toggle between settings using the dial, and the compact design helps with maneuvering around furniture. We found the dirt canister the easiest to empty of all bagless models we tested — it detaches with a simple lift, and the bottom releases with a squeeze lever to quickly eject the contents.

The Boost CX1 can't be positioned vertically like other canister vacs. However, the floorhead hooks to the base, so you don't have to lean the wand on a wall or place it on the floor during vacuuming breaks. We also appreciate that this vacuum has a HEPA filter, which is considered the gold standard for collecting indoor allergens, like dust and pet dander.

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For under $300, this relatively affordable carpet cleaner checks all the boxes for us: ample tank size, powerful cleaning capability, simple assembly, automatic shampoo release and mixing, and easy to clean. While it's not the lightest of cleaners, it handles like a standard upright vacuum, although its size may not be ideal for those with limited storage space. Dual tanks, a half-gallon dirty water tank and a one-gallon clean water tank, were large enough for our tester to clean upholstery and an 8-by-10-foot rug without emptying or adding more water. We loved being able to add cleaning solution directly into the machine's pre-measured tank for automatic mixing and dispensing. (No trigger, here!) We were also won over by an additional dry-only feature that allows you to push and pull the machine without dispensing water or cleaner to help speed up drying time. A removable nozzle gives easy access to brushes for de-gunking. Overall, we were really impressed by the design and effectiveness of this machine, and believe it's a solid choice for most households.

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This 20-volt handheld vacuum cleaner gets our Best Overall pick for a reason. While its runtime is only 10 to 12 minutes, it handles everyday messes like a champ and has the most powerful suction on our list. Its 15-ounce dustbin and washable filter are removable for easy cleaning right in the sink with a “side door” for quick dirt disposal between vacuuming sessions. It comes with a built-in crevice tool, upholstery brush and features a patented nozzle that pivots to your preferred angle to help clean up high, down low and even in tight spaces. Our tester found it works better on hard surfaces than carpeted areas, though. The compact, lightweight design and attached accessory tools make it easy to store, too. We love that the battery is integrated into the vacuum so you don’t have to store it separately, and the charging base is even mountable so you can store it in a closet out of sight — a huge pro on our list.

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In tests, Shark was clearly a high performer. And although their pet-specific vacuum is slightly more expensive and weighs more, we found it to be a better heavy-duty option for those who regularly vacuum up a lot of hair and other large debris, especially from carpets. It’s equipped with an extra-large capacity canister to hold more debris at a time (super important for pets that shed), a grippy base to attract hair, a self-cleaning brush roll, odor-neutralizing technology (helpful for getting rid of those pet smells), and a HEPA filter. It also has a light to help you spot anything you might otherwise miss.

In tests, the vacuum, which weighs a hefty 15.18 pounds, did a fantastic job cleaning pet hair and of cleaning both full and crushed Cheerios from carpets. On carpets, the machine sucked up every Cheerio in just two passes; it removed all crumbs in a single pass. It struggled a little bit on hardwood — after a few passes, there were still some Cheerios present — though it’s worth noting that the settings aren’t as clear on this model, so this could be attributed to user error.

And although it’s heavy, it does have the same Lift Away canister our top overall and top value picks do. This makes it easier to clean under furniture and other tight spots, but we wouldn’t necessarily recommend this model for large homes with multiple sets of stairs — it’s simply too cumbersome for that kind of cleaning.

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To determine which vacuum would hold the "Best Overall" title, it had to meet three main criteria: multisurface capability, strong suction and good navigation. Ultimately, the Roborock prevailed in all of these categories. In comparison to other models on the market, the Roborock Q5 offers the most features for your money. A user-friendly, approachable app allows for floor plan customizations like setting up no-go zones, invisible walls and cleaning schedules for the whole house or individual rooms. LiDAR navigation results in extremely accurate mapping and therefore a much deeper, more precise clean. Our tester appreciated that the map was visible in 3D and that she could easily add or subtract furniture from the map as well as note if the room had hard flooring or carpet. With a run time of 180 minutes, the vacuum adequately avoids obstacles and maneuvers around furniture with ease. We were impressed with the vacuum's suction abilities, as it successfully picked up crumbs, dirt and human hair, as well as its ability to auto-adjust its suction power to accommodate the surface it's on. However, our tester did find some debris left by the vacuum on the edges of her rugs and floor transitions. As for pet hair, let's just say it's no longer an issue for our dog-owning tester. The Roborock snagged pet hair buried in carpets, tumbleweeds floating on hardwoods and stray bits of food next to the dog bowl. The 470-milliliter (0.47 L) dustbin is one of the smallest of all the vacuums we tested, and our editor found herself emptying it two to four times per job. Overall, we had very few complaints about the Roborock Q5's performance and features. It's noisier than the eufy 11S Max but on par with the noise level of our other top picks.

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From small to large homes with pets, kids, carpet, hard floors and everything in between, Dyson's V15 Detect model is a solid overall cordless vacuum that will satisfy the needs of most households. Plus, the suction power, battery life and bin size are sufficient for this model to serve as your primary vacuum for both quick pickups and whole-house cleans. With suction power up to 230 AW, the V15 Detect is the second most powerful cordless vacuum Dyson offers (just barely behind the V15 Detect Absolute model, our Best Splurge pick). Our tester concluded this is the best vacuum she's ever used. She said, "In the past, I’ve needed an upright vacuum with my stick vacuum at times to get a truly deep clean, and that isn’t the case with this one."

The V15 Detect comes with seven attachments, a charger, docking station and wand clip for attaching to the stick canister that can hold more tools for storage. The Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head is one that sets this model apart from older Dyson models — this cleaner features a green laser that allows you to see microscopic dust on hard floors you might have otherwise missed. All of the cleaner heads work extremely well on human and pet hair on both carpeted and hard floors, meaning hairs don't get wrapped around the roller brushes. This vacuum features eco, auto and boost modes that allow for efficient battery use, especially in auto mode when the vacuum can increase power automatically when it detects heavier dust and debris. While the vacuum performed well on all surfaces, our tester did notice that the auto and boost modes were too powerful on her Ruggable rugs, but switching to eco mode worked well on those thinner rugs. In testing, we found that the battery life lasted for 79 minutes on eco, 40 minutes on auto and 15 on continuous boost mode. At .2 gallons, the dust bin does need emptying frequently, but since the point-and-shoot emptying process is so easy and mess-free, it only takes a couple of seconds and doesn't require touching any of the dust.

Our tester did note a few downsides when using this vacuum. This vacuum does not have a trigger lock or on/off button for continuous vacuuming, so you have to hold down the trigger manually for the entire cleaning session. For a higher-end vacuum, this seems like a feature that should be included, but you can find off-brand accessories on Amazon like this clamp to hack a trigger lock function. At 6.8 lbs, this vacuum is heavier than most of our other recommendations, too, which our tester found a bit more cumbersome to maneuver than the Dyson V8 she previously used. If you have arthritis or mobility issues, one of the lighter models on this list might be a better choice for you. While this vacuum comes with seven attachment tools that all work really well, the docking station and wand clip can only accommodate four storage spots other than the one on the vacuum, so you'll need a box or somewhere to store extra attachments.

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The Shark Navigator ADV is Shark’s bestselling vacuum, and it’s easy to see why. In tests, it expertly tackled messes on both hardwood floors and carpets. Most vacuums needed at least two passes to suck up Cheerios from hardwood, but this model lifted everything in a single pass. Comparatively, it struggled with full Cheerios on carpet, needing a back-and-forth pass, but had no issue with crumbs on either surface. In fact, the vacuum is so powerful that we found it actually propels itself forward if you loosen your grip.

Like other upright vacuums, the Shark Navigator ADV has a hard time reaching under furniture — the canister prevents full reach — but this one has a unique feature that separates it from others: The canister lifts out of the vacuum, so you can use the hose to reach under furniture, high into corners, or more easily clean areas like stairs. It’s an extra step, but one that only requires a single toggle. Because the vacuum is only 12.3 pounds — on the lighter side for upright vacuums — it isn’t all that cumbersome, either.

Overall, we found this vacuum to be worth every penny. It’s powerful and lightweight enough to use as a whole-house vacuum. Plus, it comes with the crevice and brush tools you need, as well as a special anti-allergen technology to block 99.99% of dust and allergens, a feature that we didn’t test, but think could be useful for some.

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This mop can do it all: vacuum, mop and steam. While it didn’t pick up the entire sticky mess on the first pass, it definitely got the job done with a few additional swipes. We like that you can clearly see if you're on steam, area rug or hardwood with the easy-to-read icons on the mop foot. It also had great suction and the mop was easy to fill and clean.

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