OneRoof's Ask the Expert is a new weekly series aimed at helping consumers cut through the noise when buying goods and products for their home. It's hard to make a decision when there's so much out there, and the sheer volume of online recommendations is overwhelming. We live in an age of fake reviews, so who better to trust than the people who have the expertise and use these items for a living?
As the holiday season approaches, so do family, friends, and a steady trail of festive crumbs. A cordless stick vacuum could be a game-changer to help you stay on top of the mess.
With so many brands, features, and price points on the market, however, finding the best cordless stick vacuum for your home can be overwhelming. To help narrow it down, we’ve asked some cleaning professionals what they recommend and use in their own homes.
Professional cleaners James Tucker and wife Courtney recently took over the Buzy Bees cleaning franchise for the Waikato and Bay of Plenty region. While they use commercial-grade vacuum cleaners in their business, they use a Dyson V12 in their own home.
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The couple live in a new four-bedroom townhouse, and James says the V12 can do the whole house in one charge.
“We’ve found the charge good. We can run around the whole house, and it’s done. I also like the three settings but if you’re running it on the stronger boost mode the charge does run down faster,” says James.
James Tucker, from Busy Bees Cleaning, with his Dyson V12. Photo / Supplied
“The attachments are good for getting into corners and cleaning the car,” says James.
The V12 offers an intelligent auto mode for optimised power and runtime, an eco-mode for longer cleaning sessions, and a boost mode for short and intensive cleaning. It has a charge of about 60 minutes and weighs 2.2kg. It also offers no-touch bin emptying, although the 0.35L capacity is smaller than some other stick vacuums.
James’ parents use a Samsung stick vacuum. Models like the Samsung Jet 75E are slightly cheaper than Dyson models.
“My parents swear by the Samsung,” says James. “They love it”.
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The Jet 75E also has a battery life of 60 minutes but you can purchase a spare battery, which would give you 120 minutes. The Jet 75E also has a slightly larger dust bin at 0.8L capacity, and the bin is washable. It is also fairly lightweight at 1.66kgs in handheld mode. It comes with attachments, including a turbo action brush, specifically for pet hair, and a 180-degree swivel head. Some reviews have commented that the wall mount system is more complicated than others, however.
Liam Maddren owns Bali Fresh Cleaning based in Auckland’s Ponsonby. His company uses the Tellus commercial brand by Nilfisk, but at home, he uses a Dyson.
“You can get the older models like a Dyson V8 at a reasonable price now,” says Liam.
“It’s the same as phones. With stick vacuums they seem to be bringing out a new model almost every year, but you really don’t need to be upgrading them that often and there’s not a huge difference in the models unless you’re going with the very early models,” says Liam.
The Numatic Henry Quick Cordless Stick Vacuum has a run-time of 70 minutes and a 1L bin capacity. Photo / Supplied
At home, he uses a Dyson V12 but only because he got an upgrade when they switched to a new power provider.
“I’d probably try to stay above the Dyson V10 if you can, as the charge on the newer models does seem to last longer, and I think the suction is slightly better too. They have great attachments as well.”
If people didn’t want a stick vacuum, Liam recommended the Henry vacuum cleaner made by Numatic, which he says sits between a commercial-grade and home-use vacuum cleaner. The brand also does a stick version - the Numatic Henry Quick Cordless Stick. Its run-time is 70 minutes, and it has a 1L bin capacity, but you do have to use a new pod (bag) each time it’s filled. It is also slightly heavier at 3.2kg.
“The Henry is just a good, solid vacuum you can use every day,” says Liam.
Margarita Elefantini, who owns Margarita’s Cleaning Services in Auckland, says most people don’t think enough about how and where they’ll use their vacuum cleaners before they buy them.
“Every house is different because they all have different materials. It’s not just about the cleaning, you need to consider what kind of surfaces you have and how you’ll maintain your tools.”
Elefantini says suction and ease of cleaning are the two most important features to look for in a stick vacuum. “A good vacuum has strong suction, and the vacuum itself is easy to clean. Also, hopefully you don’t need to buy any filters, or the filter is something you can wash at home,” she says.
While brands like Dyson are popular, she’s not entirely convinced they’re the best fit for everyone. “The Dyson is good, but you can’t vacuum a full house with it. It’s good for smaller homes or quick jobs, but not for bigger homes or places with pets or children,” she says.
She recommends buyers consider how they’ll use their vacuum, from carpets and floors to curtains and skirting boards. “People just use the vacuum for the floor, which is very limited. You can use it to brush curtains, window frames, under cushions and sofas. The attachments are there for a reason, but most people never use them.”
Gardenia Fitosa, from Las Marias Cleaning in Queenstown, says the type of vacuum cleaner really depends on how much people want to spend. She uses the Nilfisk commercial-grade vacuums and believes the Nilfisk brand is a high-quality vacuum cleaner.
“You can use it every day and it’s quality, and you know it will last,” says Gardenia.
Nilfisk does a stick vacuum. The VU200 Cordless Stick Vacuum. It’s marketed as a grab-and-go option with a spare battery. It offers three cleaning modes eco, standard, turbo and is good for both hard and soft floors. Its run time is 60 mins on eco, 25 mins normal and 12 mins on turbo. It weighs 2.97kg and has a 0.8L dust capacity.
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