What are the Best New Vacuums?

The Shark Pet Perfect II SV780 is everything you want in a hand vacuum. It can easily clear messes and fits easily into corners. It will run for a full 19 minutes, which should give you plenty of time to clean up small messes. The rotating brush rolls help tackle pesky pet hair and can help you spot clean your carpets. The nickel-cadmium battery is replaceable, giving you a vacuum that will last for a while. For an affordable price, this is a great option to stretch out through cleanings and tackle small messes without lugging out the bigger vacuum.

This robotic vacuum is a great competitor to the Roomba, and if you are looking for this type of vacuum, this is the one to choose. It can power through both carpet and bare floors. Unlike most of its competitors that can't fit well into tight corners, this one can thanks to rectangular bumpers. It operates very quietly, so you won't even notice it's there. It can clean for 86 minutes before it needs to charge. This vacuum is the closest of any other robotic vacuum when compared to a full-size upright or canister.

While the Dyson V8 Absolute is a stick vacuum and won't replace the performance of an upright or canister vacuum, it does offer quite a few features. It has powerful suction that makes it a great choice for both bare floors and carpet, and it picks up pet hair like a champ. It's the quietest of the stick vacuums and can run for 21 minutes on a single battery charge, which is quite impressive. It weighs less than six pounds, making it a good choice for stairs and when you just don't want to lug around heavier and fuller size vacuums.

The Miele Complete C3 Marin is a good choice for those who want to splurge a little more on a vacuum and want a bagged canister option. It scores top marks for both bare floors and carpet, and can pick up embedded pet hair and fine dust particles. It's quieter than many other models and the powerful airflow makes the attachments quite effective. The height adjustable electro brush with LEDs makes carpet cleaning a breeze, and there is no need to bend down thanks to plus/minus foot controls.

The Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 works great for both bare floors and carpet cleaning, and is a good option for those with pets. It earns top marks for picking up pet hair and small dust. It also scores well for emissions, although you still need to be careful when emptying this and any other bagless vacuums. It's easy to navigate furniture and other obstacles with the turning radius of this vacuum. The radial root cyclone technology helps capture more microscopic dust for a thorough cleaning.

The Kenmore Elite Pet Friendly 31160 is a good choice if you are looking for an upright with a bag. It has earned top marks for bare floors and has great airflow. Some of the attachments it has include a crevice tool, power roller, and bristle brush. It's great for bare floors, and performs well at removing dirt from carpet and tackling pet hair. The bag makes emptying easier, especially for those with allergies, so dust isn’t released during the process.