Top 5 compared
The best corded vacuum cleaners
Plugged in, a vacuum never runs flat halfway round the house, however many rooms and stairs there are.
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The top 5 at a glance
One of the first powered vacuum cleaners, patented by Hubert Cecil Booth in 1901, stayed parked outside with its hoses fed in through the windows. Corded machines today come in two main shapes. Uprights push like a lawnmower, with a motorised brush for carpet; cylinders trail behind on wheels while a light wand does the work, which suits stairs and furniture.
Lift-away uprights unclip for the stairs and the sofa. Bags seal the dust in when they’re changed; a bagless bin costs nothing to empty but fills sooner. Watts are the power a motor draws, not its suction, so they’re no way to rank vacuums on their own. For cordless sticks and robots, see our cordless and robot vacuum lists.
What matters
- A long cable, for fewer socket changes.
- A turbo or pet tool for hair on sofas, stairs and the car.
- A weight you’re happy to carry up and down the stairs.
#1Shark Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum with Powered Lift-Away, Pet Model (NZ801UKT)
£150–£200
Two motorised brush-rolls in one DuoClean floorhead take carpet and hard floor in the same pass, and Anti Hair Wrap clears long hair and pet hair off the roller as it cleans, so there’s no cutting it free with scissors.
What owners say: Owners are struck by how much pet hair it lifts from carpets and hard floors alike, and find the bin easy to take off and empty; some find the hose slips out of its clip, and it can feel heavy to push on carpet.
Heads up: Register it with Shark to get the 5-year guarantee, which covers owners in the UK and Ireland.
A closer look: With Powered Lift-Away the pod comes off the upright and the brush-roll keeps turning in the floorhead on the wand, which is how the stairs and the space under the bed get done. The bin holds 0.83 litres, so an empty after each room keeps it going during a moult.
- Clears hair off the roller
- Two brush-rolls in one head
- Brush-roll turns on the wand
- LED headlights
- Seal traps allergens inside
Best for: Pet hair on every floor
- Type
- Upright, lift-away
- Bagged or bagless
- Bagless
- Capacity
- 0.83L
- Power
- 750W
- Cable
- 8m
- Weight
- About 7.3kg
- Turbo or pet tool
- Pet tool
#2Henry HVR160 Bagged Cylinder Vacuum (6L)
£100–£150
A 6-litre bag, a 10m cable and a single switch: Henry trades gadgets for capacity and reach. It first appeared in 1981, and its maker, Numatic, is based in Chard, Somerset.
What owners say: Owners praise the suction on every surface and say one switch is all there is to learn, especially round a home on one level; opinions differ on the weight.
Heads up: It takes HepaFlo bags, so keep a spare pack in the cupboard and a full bag never holds up the cleaning.
A closer look: Henry trails behind on its wheels while the hose and wand do the reaching, so it’s as handy on the stairs and the car seats as on the floor. Each bag closes with a self-seal tab before it comes out, which keeps the dust off hands and carpet when it’s changed.
- Single on/off switch
- Self-seal bag tab
- Crevice and upholstery tools
- First appeared in 1981
Best for: Whole floors without changing sockets
- Type
- Cylinder
- Bagged or bagless
- Bagged
- Capacity
- 6L
- Power
- 620W
- Cable
- 10m
- Weight
- 7.5kg
- Turbo or pet tool
- No
#3Shark Lift-Away Upright Vacuum, Pet Model (NV602UKT)
£150–£200
Shark’s classic Lift-Away upright: the canister unclips from the floorhead to carry up the stairs or onto the sofa, and controls on the handle switch between carpet and hard floor modes.
What owners say: Owners rate the suction on carpets, rugs and hard floors and how well it lifts pet hair, and find it easy on the stairs; opinions split on the weight, and on how easily it turns.
Heads up: Like the NZ801, it carries a 5-year guarantee once registered with Shark.
A closer look: Lifted away, the 1.1-litre canister carries by its handle with the hose and wand, which is how the stairs, the car and the curtains get done. Emptying it after each big room keeps the suction strong while the dog is moulting.
- Carpet and hard floor modes
- Controls on the handle
- Seal traps allergens inside
- Crevice and upholstery tools
Best for: Stairs, sofa and the car
- Type
- Upright, lift-away
- Bagged or bagless
- Bagless
- Capacity
- 1.1L
- Power
- 750W
- Cable
- 8m
- Weight
- 5.25kg
- Turbo or pet tool
- Pet tool
#4Akitas C10T Turbo Bagless Cylinder Vacuum
£75–£100
A bagless cylinder built round its floor tool: a 28cm turbo brush from the German maker Wessel-Werk that combs pet hair out of carpet, with a HEPA filter and a spare pre-filter set in the box.
What owners say: Owners like the strong suction and how well the spinning brush clears pet hair from carpets and hard floors, and find it light and compact; the cord is the sticking point, a little short for some.
A closer look: The bin empties with one button over the dustbin, and the spare pre-filters in the box go in when the first set clogs with hair. The cable is about 6m, so a long hallway or landing may take a socket change.
- HEPA filter
- Spare pre-filters included
- One-button bin release
- Telescopic tube
Best for: Moulting dogs and cats
- Type
- Cylinder
- Bagged or bagless
- Bagless
- Capacity
- 3L
- Power
- 850W
- Cable
- 6m
- Weight
- 4.2kg
- Turbo or pet tool
- 28cm turbo brush
#5Russell Hobbs Compact XS Bagless Cylinder Vacuum (RHCV1611)
£30–£50
Small enough for a narrow cupboard and 3.2kg to carry up the stairs, with a 1.5-litre bin, a cord that winds back in and an 8m cleaning radius. It carries the Quiet Mark for a quieter clean.
What owners say: Owners find it light, easy to use and easy to store, with plenty of suction, and some use it for a whole three-bedroom house; a few say it leaves fine dust behind.
A closer look: The 3-in-1 tool slides between brush, crevice and upholstery heads, so there’s nothing loose to lose. With a 5m cord the plug moves room to room more often than with the bigger machines, and registering it with Russell Hobbs adds a second year to the guarantee.
- Quiet Mark approved
- Cord winds back in
- 3-in-1 multi tool
- Fits a narrow cupboard
- Extra guarantee year if registered
Best for: Flats with little cupboard space
- Type
- Cylinder
- Bagged or bagless
- Bagless
- Capacity
- 1.5L
- Power
- 700W
- Cable
- 5m
- Weight
- 3.2kg
- Turbo or pet tool
- No
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 5.
| Feature | #1Shark NZ801UKT | #2Henry HVR160 | #3Shark NV602UKT | #4Akitas C10T | #5Russell Hobbs Compact XS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Best bagged | Best budget | |||
| Picked Rating | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.7 |
| Price | £150–£200 | £100–£150 | £150–£200 | £75–£100 | £30–£50 |
| Type | Upright, lift-away | Cylinder | Upright, lift-away | Cylinder | Cylinder |
| Bagged or bagless | Bagless | Bagged | Bagless | Bagless | Bagless |
| Capacity | 0.83L | 6L | 1.1L | 3L | 1.5L |
| Power | 750W | 620W | 750W | 850W | 700W |
| Cable | 8m | 10m | 8m | 6m | 5m |
| Weight | About 7.3kg | 7.5kg | 5.25kg | 4.2kg | 3.2kg |
| Turbo or pet tool | Pet tool | No | Pet tool | 28cm turbo brush | No |
| Best for | Pet hair on every floor | Whole floors without changing sockets | Stairs, sofa and the car | Moulting dogs and cats | Flats with little cupboard space |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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