Top 10 Upright Vacuums

The Kenmore Intuition is a revelation. It combines the hygiene of a bagged vacuum with the convenience of a bagless lift-away. It features a completely sealed HEPA system (rare at this price) and a "No-Touch" bag replacement system that ensures you never see a dust cloud.

The LA502 is a significant upgrade over the Navigator series. It features Shark's "DuoClean" head, which uses a soft front roller to polish hard floors and pull in large debris, combined with a "PowerFins" back roller that digs into carpets.

This is the vacuum that defines the "Powered Lift-Away" category. Unlike standard lift-aways, the brush roll in the head keeps spinning even when you detach the canister, allowing you to deep clean under beds and furniture with motorized agitation.

This is the vacuum you see in hotels for a reason. It weighs only 8 lbs and is virtually indestructible. It uses a "Direct Air" motor design that moves a massive amount of air for deep carpet cleaning. No hose, no tools, no frills—it just cleans carpets faster than anything else.

Dyson claims the strongest suction of any vacuum, and our tests confirm it. The Ball Animal 3 digs deep into carpet fibers to remove embedded sand and dust. The new "tangle-free" cleaner head actually works, slicing through hair before it can wrap.

The Stratos is Shark's flagship. It features "DuoClean" (two brush rolls for polished floors and carpets) and an odor neutralizer cartridge that emits a pleasant scent. It has massive suction (103 CFM) that rivals Dyson.

This vacuum doesn't care about your wrist comfort. It weighs 20 lbs and doesn't swivel. But it has a "Direct Air" motor that moves a colossal amount of air, combined with a separate motor for the brush roll. It is a carpet-cleaning beast.

Bagless vacuums are messy. This Hoover uses HEPA media bags to trap dust cleanly. It's a simple, effective machine with a wide cleaning path and decent tools. It's not refined, but it gets the job done for under $150.

This vacuum is designed from the ground up for pet owners. It features a tangle-free brush roll, a specialized pet hair tool, and a "Febreze" filter to eliminate odors. It's a solid mid-range performer that competes well with the cheaper Sharks.

This is the Honda Civic of vacuums. It's cheap, reliable enough, and gets you from A to B (or dirty to clean). It features a "Triple Action" brush roll that does a surprisingly good job on pet hair. It's loud and plasticky, but for ~$100, you can't complain.