The Best Upright Vacuum Cleaners of 2021

Of all the vacuums on this list, the Dyson Animal 2 is the most powerful. During carpet testing, it removed, on average 76.3% of the detritus we laid out for it in a single pass. The Animal 2 is also our highest rated bagless unit. It also has a washable filter, adding to its low-maintenance style.

We tested the Total Package version of the Animal 2, which comes with five attachments and a tote bag to carry them all in. After spending a week with the Dyson Animal 2, we got the sense that it has tons of features, but it’s cumbersome to use. The unit itself tips the scales at 17.6 pounds and with no solid handle on the back, it’s tough to lug up the stairs. Also, the massive ball joint on the Animal 2 makes it difficult to clean under furniture.

Read our full review of the Dyson Animal 2

The Oreck XL2100RHS is a basic, but solid floor cleaner. Its hyper-focused design includes no attachments or hoses to clean countertops or curtains. Weighing in at just over 10 pounds, we found it easy to lift this vacuum onto and up the stairs. Its five-inch profile is low enough to fit under most beds and some couches.

During the cleaning tests, the Oreck picked up 30.25% of the testing dirt per pass. Normally, this would be lower than what we like to see, but the XL2100RHS is so light that we think it’s powerful for its size.

Shark vacuums often get great reviews, online. The Shark Navigator NV352 has received some of the highest praise—over 3,400 five-star reviews on Amazon. Tipping the scales at around 13 pounds, the Navigator is 25% lighter than other Shark models, like the Apex. This makes it much easier to lug upstairs and to maneuver around furniture.

During testing, the Navigator picked up around 38% of the dirt we laid out for it, so be prepared to go over an area at least three times before it’s clean. These results are fairly weak compared to other vacuums in this price range. However, the Navigator makes up for it in its features and warranty.

The Navigator comes with four cleaning attachments, including a two-foot-long crevice tool for those hard-to-reach spots. It’s also backed by a five-year warranty, one of the best in the industry.

The Dyson Ball Multifloor 2 upright vacuum marks a crossroads between the company’s cordless and full-sized efforts. It weighs about 10% less than the Dyson Ball Animal 2 upright and is subsequently about 10% less powerful.

The Multifloor 2 picked up around 64% of the testing dirt we laid out for it, which is well above average, but it lagged behind more powerful Dyson models like the Dyson Animal 2.

This being said, the Multifloor 2 offers a great value: Dyson engineering and attention to detail at a relatively affordable price.

Of all the vacuums we’ve tested, the Shark NV752 TruePet is the best, for pet parents.

During testing, we found that the NV752 picked up around 52%, per pass, of the dirt we laid out for it. Results like these place this Shark in the upper third of all the vacuums we’ve ever tested, the top tier picking up around 70% per pass.

While testing pet hair specifically, the NV752 passed with flying colors. Both its main brush head and the motorized attachment excelled at picking up cat and dog hair. The hose uses a latch system that has a satisfying click, so it’s easy to switch between cleaning the floor and furniture.

Finally, the NV752 is the only vacuum on our list that has the Lift-Away feature, turning the upright into a canister without wheels. This option allows you to more easily clean stairs and under furniture.

That said, it tips the scales at around 17 pounds, so it is on the heavier side. This gripe aside, the NV752 truly is a great vacuum fordealing with pet hair.

胡佛是一个品牌吸尘的同义词。Hoover WindTunnel 2 Whole House Rewind is a prime example of this. It weighs in at a whopping 18 pounds—one of the heaviest vacuums we’ve ever tested. In exchange for all the weight, you get a competent vacuum. Our test results show that the Rewind is powerful, picking up 50% of our dirt mixture in a single pass.

We found its namesake rewind function to be super useful. At a tap of a foot lever, the 25-foot cord automatically gets sucked back into the unit, making storage a cinch.

The Bissell 22543 CleanView Swivel Rewind Pet is for animal lovers. For every purchase of this unit, Bissell donates a portion of the proceeds to animal shelters. As a vacuum, it’s a pretty good entry-level upright that will last a long time. It has a 27-foot long cord that automatically rewinds so it can tackle just about any room.

When we tested its cleaning ability, the Rewind Pet picked up 41.25% of the dirt per pass. It also impressed us with its edge-to-edge cleaning, providing suction all along its brush head.