Guide · Cleaning · 6 models
Cordless vacuums: weight, attachments, run time and upkeep explained — what the box says and what it means
Every cordless vacuum lists a run time, a voltage, a wattage and a bin size, and none of them means what a buyer assumes. Run time is the lowest setting; voltage does not predict cleaning; the bin fills faster than its litres suggest. This guide decodes the sheet using the makers' own figures and Which?'s testing, then asks the questions about the home you actually have.
Read the sheet in this order
A cordless vacuum’s specification sheet is written to be compared with other vacuums’ sheets, not with your flat. Read it in the order that matches how the machine is used: weight, because you hold it; run time by mode, because you clean at full power more than makers assume; bin and filter, because you empty and wash them; dock, because it has to live somewhere; battery, because it will fade. Suction figures come last, for reasons Which? has tested.
Weight is the weight in your hand
The figure that decides whether a vacuum comes out for a spill or stays in the cupboard is its weight held at arm’s length, and makers quote it three ways: the whole machine ready to use, the machine without the tube, and the handheld unit alone. Bosch quotes all three for the Unlimited 7 — 2.9 kg ready for use, 3.6 kg net, 1.4 kg for the handheld — which is unusually honest. Compare the ready-to-use figure between machines.
2.48 kg — how light a stick gets
Hoover HF500 (HF522STH)
- Weight
- 2.48 kg
- Run time
- 45 min
- Charge time
- 2.5 h
- Bin
- 0.45 L
- Battery
- 22 V Li-ion, removable†
- Motor
- 290 W
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Hoover’s HF500 at 2.48 kg for the cleaner is about as light as a stick with a motorised head gets; Which? puts the average cordless stick at around 3 kg. Above 4 kg — the Shark Stratos is 4.1 — a stick becomes a two-hand tool for skirting boards and stairs.
Strengths
- 2.48 kg — the lightest of the six, and it parks upright without the wall mount
- Anti-tangle brush roll and a 2.5-hour charge
- Three modes: 45 min Auto, 25 Standard, 10 Turbo
Limitations
- 0.45 L bin — the smallest here, emptied after every clean
- Hoover's page does not state the filter type or guarantee
- The Amazon listing is variant 011 of the same code
Good for
- a one-bedroom flat
- someone who finds a 3 kg stick heavy
- hard floors with a rug or two
Look elsewhere if
- a whole-house clean in one charge
- a long-haired dog
Run time: which mode, which tool
honest about high-power run time
Samsung Jet 75E Pet
- Weight
- 2.6 kg
- Run time
- 60 min
- Charge time
- 3.5 h
- Bin
- 0.8 L
- Battery
- 21.6 V Li-ion
- Power consumption (max)
- 550 W
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
The headline run time is the lowest power setting with no motorised brush spinning. Samsung says so plainly: up to 60 minutes on minimum power with a non-motorised tool, 10 to 15 minutes in high power. Numatic quotes 60 minutes low and 16 high for the Henry Quick; Hoover 45 Auto, 25 Standard, 10 Turbo. Shark and Dyson quote the eco or non-motorised figure alone. Which? tested at maximum power and got 7 to 35 minutes.
What this means for a home: a one-bedroom flat is cleaned in a quarter of an hour on a middle setting, and every current stick manages that. A house with carpet throughout wants full power for most of it, and no single battery here delivers Which?’s 42-minute average home at full power. The honest options are a second battery (Bosch, Henry Quick) or a corded vacuum for the weekly clean and a cordless for the daily one.
Strengths
- 2-in-1 station: stands on the floor or hangs on the wall — no drilling needed
- 0.8 L washable bin and washable filter
- 10-year parts guarantee on the motor
Limitations
- 86 dB(A) — the loudest stated figure of the six
- 60 minutes is the minimum-power figure; Samsung quotes 10–15 minutes in high power
- Which? ranks Samsung's replacement batteries the dearest
Good for
- renters who cannot drill
- hard floors and a pet
- a two-bedroom flat
Look elsewhere if
- a home office where the vacuum runs during calls
- deep carpet on high power for more than a quarter of an hour
Bin and filter: the jobs you actually do
A bin figure is the volume empty; hair and fluff fill it faster than dust. Bins in cordless sticks run from 0.3 to 1 litre; the small ones (Hoover’s 0.45 L) are emptied after every clean, the big ones (Henry Quick’s 1 L pod) weekly. Which? notes that a clogged filter costs more performance than a weak motor, so the filter question is not whether it is HEPA but whether you will clean it.
pods instead of a bin and filter
Henry Quick (HEN.100)
- Weight
- 3.2 kg
- Run time
- 60 min
- Charge time
- 2.5 h
- Bin
- 1 L
- Battery
- 25.2 V, detachable — charges on or off the machine
- Height
- 122 cm
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Three answers exist. Wash it: most sticks (Samsung, Hoover’s HF9, Shark) have a washable filter that dries overnight. Do not wash it: Bosch’s Unlimited cleans its lifetime cartridge by turning a knob. Throw it away: the Henry Quick uses sealed pods that hold the dust and the filter together — no dust cloud, no washing, a running cost in pods.
Strengths
- 1 L pod, the biggest capacity here, and emptying is binning a sealed pod — no dust cloud
- Detachable battery charges off the machine; 60 minutes on low
- 3-year guarantee (4 direct), Numatic spares are the cheapest in Which?'s ranking
Limitations
- Pods are a running cost — six in the box, then you buy more
- 16 minutes on high
- 3.2 kg is mid-pack, not light
Good for
- allergy sufferers who hate emptying a bin
- a small house with a landing to charge on
- Henry loyalists
Look elsewhere if
- anyone who wants zero consumables
- a bathroom-cupboard budget that has to stretch to pods
the self-cleaning brush for pets
Shark Stratos (IZ400UK)
- Weight
- 4.1 kg
- Run time
- 60 min
- Charge time
- 3.5 h
- Motor
- 309 W
- Cleaning path
- 25.9 cm
- Brush roll
- Anti Hair Wrap Plus self-cleaning brush-roll
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
The brush roll is the other upkeep item. Hair wraps around plain brush rolls and is cut off with scissors; anti-tangle designs (Hoover’s Anti-Twist, Dyson’s Motorbar) reduce it and Shark’s Anti Hair Wrap Plus is designed to remove hair from itself as it turns. For a long-haired household or a shedding dog that feature is worth more than any suction figure.
Strengths
- Self-cleaning brush roll built for long hair and pet hair
- 60 minutes in eco; five-year guarantee on registration
- Wand folds to stand in a cupboard
Limitations
- 4.1 kg — the heaviest here by more than a kilo
- Shark's page does not state the bin size or the dock
- The Amazon ASIN is the non-Pet IZ400UK; Shark's spec page is for the Pet Pro IZ400UKT
Good for
- a pet that sheds
- carpeted rooms and stairs (it converts to a handheld)
- someone who wants the longest guarantee
Look elsewhere if
- anyone who found a 3 kg stick heavy
- a studio flat
Where it charges
a swappable, shared battery
Bosch Unlimited 7 (BCS711GB)
- Weight
- 2.9 kg
- Run time
- 40 min
- Charge time
- 5 h
- Bin
- 0.3 L†
- Battery
- 18 V, 3.0 Ah, exchangeable (Power for All Alliance)
- Height
- 131.5 cm
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
A cordless vacuum lives on its charger, so the charger decides where the vacuum lives. Wall docks need a drilled wall and a socket behind it; floor stands and parking positions need neither. Samsung’s 2-in-1 station does both; Bosch’s Quick Stand parks the Unlimited anywhere and its battery is a swappable 18 V Power for All pack shared with Bosch’s cordless tools; Hoover’s HF500 parks upright; the Henry Quick’s battery comes off and charges on a shelf.
Strengths
- 18 V Power for All battery — swap it, or share it with Bosch tools
- RotationClean filter: no washing, no drying overnight
- 82 dB(A), the quietest stated figure; 10-year motor guarantee
Limitations
- Five hours to charge — the slowest here
- Bosch's own page contradicts itself on bin size (0.3 or 0.9 L)
- 3.6 kg net, though 2.9 kg as used
Good for
- someone who already owns Power for All tools
- a flat where noise matters
- people who will not wash a filter
Look elsewhere if
- back-to-back cleaning without a second battery
- anyone who wants a full charge over lunch
the wall-dock design
Dyson V8 Advanced
- Weight
- 2.54 kg†
- Run time
- 40 min†
- Charge time
- 5 h†
- Suction
- 130 AW†
- Battery
- 21.6 V†
- Height
- 125.6 cm†
Check price on Amazon.co.uk
Dyson’s V8 Advanced ships with a wall docking station and no floor stand — the classic design, and a real question for a renter with a no-drilling clause, who ends up buying a third-party stand or leaning it in a corner.
Strengths
- 2.54 kg and a de-tangling brush bar in the lightest Dyson
- Fully sealed filtration; the dock and tools are in the box
- The brand most readers already know how to live with
Limitations
- Two-year guarantee — the shortest here
- Five hours to charge; Dyson's own site would not give us the specification
- Wall dock first: you drill, or buy a stand
Good for
- a small flat with hard floors and a rug
- someone replacing an older Dyson and keeping the habits
- quick daily passes rather than one long clean
Look elsewhere if
- renters who cannot drill and do not want a separate stand
- a long-haired dog and deep carpet on Max for long
The battery in year four
Which? found about a third of capacity gone after roughly 500 charge cycles, which for daily use is two to three years. From then on the question is whether you can buy a battery and what it costs, and here the designs diverge: swappable packs (Bosch, Henry Quick, Hoover’s HF9 and HF500) are a component you replace; built-in packs (Tower’s VL80, for instance) are not. Which? ranks replacement batteries from cheapest (Numatic) to dearest (Samsung). A vacuum with a cheap, available spare is a ten-year purchase; one without is a three-year one.
Suction, last
Makers quote motor watts (Bosch, Shark, Hoover), suction watts (Samsung), air watts (Dyson) or kilopascals (Tower), or nothing, and Which? found no direct link between voltage and cleaning performance. The comparable figures are the ones above. If a specification sheet leads with a big number and a unit you cannot compare, that is a sign to read the rest of the sheet more carefully.
Five questions about your home
- Hard floors or carpet? Hard floors need less power and less run time; carpet throughout needs full power and a second battery or a corded machine.
- Stairs? Every stick here converts to a handheld; weight matters most on stairs.
- Pets or long hair? A self-cleaning or anti-tangle brush roll first.
- Can you drill? If not, a floor stand, a parking position or a detachable battery.
- Who empties it? If the answer is “reluctantly”, buy the biggest bin or the pod system.
Sources
Facts checked 24 September 2026
- Which? — 'Why we got tough on cordless vacuum battery life' — Press material, checked 23 September 2026
- Which? — How to buy the best handheld vacuum cleaner — Press material, checked 24 September 2026
- Hoover — HF500 cordless vacuum HF522STH 001 (product code 39400982) product page — Manufacturer documentation, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Hoover) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- Samsung UK — Jet 75E Pet VS20B75AGR1/EU specifications — Manufacturer documentation, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Samsung) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- Bosch Home UK — Unlimited 7 BCS711GB product page and spec sheet (media3.bsh-group.com/Documents/specsheet/en-GB/BCS711GB.pdf) — Manufacturer documentation, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Bosch) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- Numatic — Henry Quick HEN.100 product page (range page myhenry.com/new-quick, battery page myhenry.com/quick-battery) — Manufacturer documentation, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Henry) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- Shark UK — Stratos Anti Hair Wrap Plus Pet Pro cordless vacuum IZ400UKT (single battery) product page — Manufacturer documentation, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Shark) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- John Lewis — Dyson V8 Advanced (492637-01) product page; dyson.co.uk blocks automated fetches — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
- Amazon.co.uk listing (Dyson) — Retailer listing, checked 23 September 2026
How long does a cordless vacuum really run?
The number on the box is the maker's best case — usually the lowest power setting with a non-motorised tool — and the high-power figure, where given, is a quarter to a third of it: Samsung 60 minutes minimum power and 10 to 15 high, Numatic 60 low and 16 high, Hoover 45 Auto and 10 Turbo. Which? measured 7 to 35 minutes at maximum power across cordless vacuums and reckons an average UK home needs about 42 minutes of continuous cleaning. For a flat, 10 to 15 minutes at full power is usually enough; for a house with carpet throughout, budget for a second battery or a corded machine.
Does voltage or wattage matter?
Which? found no direct link between a vacuum's voltage and its cleaning performance, and makers quote power in incompatible units — motor watts, suction watts, air watts, kPa — or not at all. Compare vacuums on the things that are stated in the same units: weight, run time by mode, bin size, charge time, and what the maker says about the filter and the dock.
Do I have to wall-mount it?
Not with most current sticks: Samsung's station stands on the floor or hangs on the wall, Bosch has a Quick Stand, Hoover's HF500 parks upright, the Henry Quick's battery detaches and charges anywhere. Dyson's V8 ships with a wall dock and nothing to stand it on. Renters who cannot drill should check this before anything else.
How long does the battery last before it fades?
Which? found roughly a third of capacity gone after around 500 charge cycles — a few years of daily use. What matters then is whether a replacement exists and what it costs: Bosch's Unlimited uses an 18 V Power for All pack shared with its tools, Numatic and Hoover sell detachable packs, Dyson sells V8 replacements, and Which? ranks Samsung's spares the dearest. Check the spare's price before buying the vacuum.
Related reading
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Cordless stick vacuums for a flat or small house: six that are light enough, and where each one charges
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