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

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