Stick Vacuum Cleaners

The big news in the vacuum cleaner market is the rapid development and improvement in the stick vacuum cleaner field. Instead of just being a tool to use for spot cleaning or for cleaning the car or stairs, the newer model stick vacuum cleaners are becoming the go to tool for quick vacuum cleaning.

A stick vacuum cleaner is a cordless battery powered bagless vacuum cleaner. Some quickly convert to a short handheld version to use in the car or on the stairs.

The main drawbacks of stick vacuum cleaners have been their lower suction and short battery life, but that is changing.

For a major household clean you may still prefer to use a barrel or upright vacuum cleaner, but for ease of use and versatility, many now reach for a cordless stick vacuum. With now improved suction time and boost features for the difficult areas they can now be used to clean the whole house.

Before you buy a stick vacuum cleaner consider how and when you would use it. If it will become your main vacuum cleaner and replace a corded type vacuum cleaner, you should look at the more expensive models which, as well as offering better and longer performance, usually have a variety of tools to suit every cleaning situation. If you simply want a stick vacuum cleaner as a convenient extra tool to grab for spot cleaning or for a quick tidy up then a less expensive model might suit.

Performance

Suction Power

Only the latest and more expensive stick vacuum cleaners will have suction power equivalent to a barrel or upright vacuum cleaner. They have higher voltage lithium ion batteries and technologically advanced lightweight motors.

Battery Life

Some offer only 20 minutes of battery life or suction time, but most offer around 40 minutes. If they offer a boost function this will halve the suction time. As further advances are made in batteries and motors this will continue to improve rapidly. This is very much a field where brands are competing to bring out better and better models. The higher voltage batteries, over 18V, will offer better suction time. The new Dyson V10 promises 60 minutes of suction time. Some LG models offer 2 batteries.

Boost or Turbo Feature

Some allow you to boost the suction power for those difficult to clean areas. This usually halves the suction time, but often just a short burst of extra power is what you really need, and might save having to drag out the barrel or upright vacuum to do the job properly.

Ease of Use

Being cordless and lightweight stick vacuum cleaners are very manoeuvrable. The range of tools cover most cleaning applications from cleaning carpet, hard floors, upholstery, stairs, the car, and can have motorised heads, dust brushes, crevice tools and heads especially for pet hair. Some easily convert to a handheld for smaller jobs.

Capacity

The collection chamber of stick vacuum cleaners is much smaller than barrel of upright vacuum cleaners, generally about 0.5 litres, so check the ease of emptying and cleaning the chamber as you will be doing this more often. If you have animals, especially ones who shed a lot, stick vacuum cleaners may not have enough capacity for you. However, because of the convenience of grabbing a cordless stick vacuum cleaner off the wall charger and quickly cleaning the main areas where animal hair gathers, you may find it more useful to do spot cleaning more often.

Charging Time

This varies a lot between brands and models and can be as low as 2 hrs or as much as 16 hrs. Some models include interchangeable batteries, but most have a built in battery which charges in the unit.

Should You Buy A Stick Vacuum Cleaner?

Before you buy a stick vacuum cleaner consider how and when you would use it. If it will become your main vacuum cleaner and replace a corded vacuum cleaner, you should look at the more expensive models which more power and suction and include a variety of tools to suit every cleaning situation. If you simply want a stick vacuum cleaner as a convenient extra tool to grab for spot cleaning or a quick tidy up then a less expensive model might suit.

Things to look for: