You don’t need to settle for a bad vacuum. Our expert reveals how to pick one that’ll actually make your life easier—and your home a lot cleaner.

Guest: Deputy Director, Editorial Operations & Testing Courtney Schley

Products we recommend:

• Best upright vac: SEBO Felix Premium
• Budget upright vac: Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352
• Best canister vac: SEBO Airbelt K3 Premium
• Another canister vac we love: Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLine
• Best stick vac: Dyson V12 Detect Slim
• Best robot vac: Roborock Q5 Max+
• Budget robot vac: Eufy RoboVac 11S Max
• Courtney loves: Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven TOB-260N1 (and Trader Joe's frozen chocolate croissants!)

Additional Reading:

• The 15 Best Vacuum Cleaners of 2025 
• We Spent a Weekend With Dozens of Vacuum Enthusiasts. Here’s What We Learned. 
• What’s the Best Vacuum for Pet Hair?
• How to Clean a Vacuum Cleaner

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›

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The Wirecutter Show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Keel.Engineering support from Maddy Masiello and Nick Pitman. Episodes are mixed by Catherine Anderson, Efim Shapiro, Rowan Niemisto, Sophia Lanman, and Sonia Herrero. Original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Ittoop, and Diane Wong. Wirecutter’s deputy publisher and general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Frumin is Wirecutter’s editor-in-chief. Hosted by Rosie Guerin, Caira Blackwell and Christine Cyr Clisset.

Find edited transcripts for each episode here: The Wirecutter Show Podcast