Our expert stick vacuum reviews cover 50 models to help you decide which is best for you and your budget
We test each vacuum’s performance on hard floors, on carpet and in a car
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The whole point of a stick vacuum is convenience: you can bust it out for a quick clean, then pop it away as soon as you’re done.
Unlike a traditional vacuum, there’s no heavy unit to drag along, no juggling multiple parts and no annoying cord retraction.
But a stick vac that doesn’t work well is the polar opposite of convenient.
A stick vac that doesn’t work well is the polar opposite of convenient
If you’re having to double back to clean up the bits your stick vac didn’t pick up, or you’re going over areas multiple times to get everything, you might as well have hauled out your heavy traditional vac (and saved yourself the purchase price of the stick vac).
Some sticks cost well over $1000, so choosing the right one is something you really don’t want to mess up – otherwise, what’s the point in paying all that money for convenience?
The stick vacs that rated lowest in our tests
Our lab experts reviewed 50 popular models, evaluating key factors like their ability to clean hard floors and carpet, pick up pet hair, and get corners and edges clean.
Our experts found impressive performers, but also some mediocre sticks that deserve the flick
They’ve found some impressive performers in their lab tests, but they also spotted some mediocre sticks that deserve the flick.
The worst stick vac we’ve ever tested, the Acerpure Clean Lite HV312-10W, scored so poorly in 2024 that we had no choice but to give it a Shonky (the award that nobody wants to win).
It received the lowest score ever recorded on our hard floor cleaning test.
The suction inlet clogged almost immediately and struggled to pick up anything at all.
When it did pick up debris, it would drop it back onto the floor when switched off.
It was so bad on hard floors that our tester had to resort to using another vacuum to clean up after it.
The filter clogged so badly that it took five minutes of hitting it against a hard surface to clear it.
Charging $199 for a product that looks and feels cheap, is outperformed by stick vacuums at half the price and actually creates more work for you? You know where to stick that.
Fortunately it’s been discontinued, but it serves as a reminder of how important it is to research a product before buying so you don’t get stuck with a Shonky sucker.
Despite a convenient, lightweight design, this LG stick vac is not a star all-rounder.
CHOICE Expert Rating: 51%
Hard floor score: 83%
Price: $399
It might come as a surprise to see a stick vacuum from LG on the naughty list, considering they’ve become one of the most well-known stick vacuum brands alongside Dyson.
However, CHOICE testing proves time and time again that products from the same brand can have vastly different levels of performance.
This stick actually rates as “very good” when it comes to cleaning hard floors and has a good range of tools, which you can store on the charging stand. It also has a lightweight design, which many would find handy. But unfortunately its performance in the rest of our cleaning tests was lacklustre.
It’s definitely not a good option if you have rooms with carpets or rugs and a four-legged friend
This model received a borderline score for carpet cleaning and it was very poor at picking up pet hair, so it’s definitely not a good option if you have rooms with carpets or rugs and a four-legged friend.
And it costs almost $400. As a quick search of our stick vacuum reviews will tell you, you can get better performing vacuums with CHOICE Expert Ratings in the mid-70s without spending that much cash.
Makita is a brand that’s found more often in the garage than the home, and the performance of this stick vac suggests it should stay there.
If you’re looking for something to clean up pet hair, this isn’t the product for you: our experts gave it a score of just 40% for this test (which they rate as “poor”).
And it was only ‘OK’ for cleaning carpets and hard floors indoors.
The only cleaning job it excelled at was picking up sand and pebbles from a car floor.
Makita products are found more often in garages than homes, and its performance suggests it should stay there
On the plus side, its battery can be used with other tools within the Makita brand range, so while it isn’t a great vacuum for your house, it could be an option for your garage.
The i-Vac Animal is useful for pet hair, but not much else.
CHOICE Expert Rating: 58%
Hard floor score: 47%
Price: $299
While some vacuums that have “pet” or “animal” in their names can’t actually handle fur, this i-Vac does live up to its title.
Our experts say it’s very good for picking up pet hair from carpet, but that’s about the extent of its skills.
It scored a grubby 47% for cleaning hard floors, which is a task that many stick vacs manage with ease. And with such ordinary performance on hard floors, it’s no surprise that it’s also underwhelming on carpet.
Cleaning your floors with such a sucky vacuum will be hard work, but the struggle doesn’t end there: it’s also a pain to empty and clean.
First you need to remove the hand unit from the stick vac, then remove the dust bin from the hand unit, then remove the filter, in order to actually empty the dust bin. It’s exhausting to even read about, let alone do.
Granted, $299 isn’t much for a stick vacuum, but there are plenty of models cheaper than this that scored better overall in our testing, and do an even better job on pet hair.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
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