In a hurry? Best Budget Choice: Hoover Freedom Pets | Best Overall Choice: Dyson V10 Absolute
Vacuuming the house is not one of the most fun things in the world, especially if the vacuum you are using is not the best. You have to hoover over the same part time and time again, it turns itself off and in general, it makes an already annoying chore much worse!
Thankfully, there are many great cordless vacuum cleaners these days and I have been given the chance to test out some of the best cordless stick vacuums in the UK right now.
Going cordless is something many people are not all that keen on doing just yet, but I can tell you before we even look at the vacuums that cordless technology has come on leaps and bounds and one of these will make cleaning the house much easier and also be able to handle anything the kids, the pets, and your partner can throw at it!
The following 5 vacuum cleaners are what I consider to be the best at this moment in time, I am constantly researching new models so this list will probably change in the future.
Contents
- 1 Best Cordless Vacuum for Hard Floors Reviews and Recommendations For 2020
- 2 Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Hard Floors: A Complete Buying Guide
- 3 Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Hard Floors: Final Thoughts
Best Cordless Vacuum for Hard Floors Reviews and Recommendations For 2020
Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute – Best Cordless Vacuum For Hard Floors
You really cannot go wrong with a Dyson and as of right now the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute is the most powerful cordless vacuum cleaner that Dyson is offering. It has that stick style and while it is super powerful, the weight and feel of it was the first thing that impressed me.
The light weight ensures that it is very easy to clean with this. Of course with this great power comes (you thought I was going to say responsibility didn’t you?) a high price tag, but for many the price tag is justifiable.
POWERFUL MOTOR FOR DEEP CLEANING
In our house, we have mainly carpets, but we also have a couple of hardwood floors, so being able to handle both is very important. The first room up for the challenge was the living room and its thick carpet.
The motor in the Dyson V10 which drives the brush bar is very powerful, and it allows the vacuum to get in really deep and the suction power makes sure that even the kid’s breakfast cereal is no match for it
Dyson says that this can pick up 25 percent more dust than their last cordless vacuum and I honestly believe that to be true.
Read More: Dyson V11 Absolute full UK review
We also have two dogs and anyone with pets will tell you pet hair is a major pain to deal with.
The Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute handled pet hair with ease and when it was time to take on the hard floors, even with that super strong suction and brush, it took good care of the floor and in the hallway was able to pick up little stones, bits of mud and the rest of the garden the kids dragged in with them.
I want (actually need) a vacuum cleaner that is really going to allow me to clean the whole house and this one does. To start with, the lightweight design means that you can lift it up and get the corners of the room, the curtains and other higher and hard to reach places.
However, you can also turn this into a handheld vacuum. When it is in this mode, you can then clean the sofas, the beds and even get right into the corners of each room. Any area that is tough to reach and be handled in this mode.
CORDLESS FUNCTIONALITY MEANS LESS TIME CLEANING
What I really loved about using this vacuum cleaner is the way that it made hoovering the house so much easier. That extra power does allow it to get in much deeper and give the floors and other areas a more thorough clean.
Yet as it is so powerful, you do not have to go over the same spots time and time again, making your overall vacuuming time far less.
One of the things that I love about Dyson is the filtration system they use. I have dust allergies and I hated one of our old vacuums that would just kick dust in the air.
You have no worries about that here as it captures 99.97 percent of the dust that it sucks up and even when you have to empty the canister, you never come anywhere close to it.
With respectable battery life, the most powerful suction on the market, and being just generally awesome, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute really is the most powerful cordless vacuum you can buy right now and if you can handle the price, go for it!
Pros
- Up to 60 minutes of fade-free suction power
- Torque drive cleaner head removes 25% more dust from carpets
- Whole machine filtration captures 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns
Cons
- Very expensive
- Trigger operation may not be suitable for some
Shark IF250UKT DuoClean Cordless Stick Vacuum
The Shark IF250UKT DuoClean is one of the most interesting vacuums on this cordless vacuum list! It comes in a few configurations, but the one I am reviewing is the Twin Battery With Pet Power Brush and I actually think this is the best deal, especially if you do have pets.
At first glance, this looks like every other stick vacuum that is on the market right now, but this has Shark’s “Flexology” technology.
So while the stick form allows you to get in under the sofas and reach the higher areas, what the Flexology does is allow you to actually flex the stick, meaning you can have it as an upright vacuum, but at different angles. It sounds like the kind of thing you would never use, but it comes in so handy.
DUOCLEAN TECHNOLOGY FOR DOUBLE THE CLEANING POWER
Even with the reasonable price, the Shark IF250UKT DuoClean was able to handle our thick living room carpet. I think this may be why it often appears on these best vacuum type lists.
The technology inside here is Shark’s 2 brush roll design. What is great about this is that it can get smaller bits of rubbish and those big chunks of food that the kids feel are ok to just leave on the floor.
I thought I would have to go over areas a few times with this, but that really was not the case. The brush roll can also deal with hard floors, it may take a couple of goings over for really dirty areas, but I can tell you that the dog hair and other mess that was on there was picked up.
While in its standard mode it is able to do the floors, the drapes, the corners of the room and under things like the sofas and tables. You can change it into a handheld vacuum so that you can do the sofas and the nasty, smelly things that your kids call beds.
The hand vac mode is great for me as the dogs like to sleep in the same areas, one of which is the arm of our sofa. So being able to use it as a hand vac is very handy.
MOTORIZED PET POWER BRUSH
There is one more feature that helps put even more and that is the inclusion of a motorized pet power brush. This makes light work of any kind of dog hair, even if it is welded on there! Trust me, if you have pets, you are going to love this add-on.
You do not have to worry about breathing in a load of dust with this model either as the filtration system is top of the line. Trapping in all that nasty dust makes sure you do not breathe it in. When the canister is full, you hold it over the bin and just push it all out, you never need to touch it!
The other main selling point of this particular bundle is the battery. You get double the battery life with this as it comes with a spare battery. So you can be charging one while using the other. In all honesty, I was able to do the whole house without the battery dying on me, but it is still great to have that backup if I need it.
I was blown away by the Shark IF250UKT DuoClean, it is definitely one of the best Shark vacuums on the market. It has a lot of power, cool attachments and the fact it comes with a bonus battery is a very nice addition.
Pros
- DuoClean cleaning head for excellent performance on carpets and hard floors
- Flexology technology allows you to easily clean hard-to-reach areas
- Very versatile – can convert into a handheld cleaner
Cons
- Dust container needs to emptied frequently
- Needs to be cleaned more often that a bagged vacuum
Vax Blade 32V Cordless Stick Vacuum
I used to swear by Vax, but it has been a while since I used one so I was excited to get the chance to test out their Vax Blade 32V Cordless vacuum cleaner.
At well under 200 pounds, this is one vacuum that is great if you want high power but at a more affordable price. It is a stick style vacuum and I am very pleased with how light Vax have managed to make it. I think this is actually a pretty cool looking vacuum too!
Read More: Vax Air Reach upright review
AS POWERFUL AS A CORDED VACUUM
The big claim that Vax is making with this is that it is as powerful as a corded vacuum. Giving the more modest price point, I was a little unsure of the power this would offer, but I was impressed.
Powering this is what Vax call “Vax Direct Helix Technology”. I am no scientist, but what this means is that it is much more efficient in the way it sucks up dirt, allowing it to give your floors a really good and deep cleaning thanks to the powerful suction.
The day I tested this, my youngest had managed to get more cereal on the floor than in his mouth. I was happy with how it handles this and the rest of the mess from breakfast time.
We have a thick carpet and it got in deep and had no trouble at all. One thing that is really interesting is that where you hold the vacuum, you have a fair bit of control over the way it cleans.
Read More: Full review of the Vax Blade 32v
BOOST MODE FOR EXTREME CLEANING POWER
It has a boost mode which does drain the battery a little more, but this is a super high power mode and ideal for when kids stomp stuff into the carpet or if the dogs have managed to have their hair merge with the sofa!
The power is very, very impressive here. I was actually looking for awkward things to clean, but nothing stumped it. In standard mode, you can do the ceilings, curtains and get right under the sofa. But this can also turn into a handheld vacuum.
I love a hand vac as I always like to give the sofas a going over as well as the beds. This hand vac is great, but Vax has made it so much better by including a really handy wand which allows you to get into the creases of awkward areas and reach those spots that the regular head could not normally reach.
The Vax Blade 32V Cordless has a 45-minute runtime which is very impressive. I find that this is more than enough time to handle the whole house. Of course, if you kick it up into boost mode for a really stubborn area (our hard floor for example) it will drain a little faster.
Once you are done, you hold it over the bin and let it all fall out, even the filters are top quality and allow you to keep them clean so that they can continue to pump out clean air instead of dust.
I feel that the Vax Blade 32V Cordless is one very, very underrated cordless vacuum, especially considering the fact it is coming in at well under 200 pounds. If you want a solid cordless vacuum that offers a lot of power but at a reasonable price, you need to take a closer look at this.
Pros
- 45 minute run time is similar to more expensive machines
- Boost mode to instantly increase power when needed
- Vax Direct Helix Technology – performance is as good as a corded vacuum
Cons
- Smaller capacity than a bagged vacuum
- Needs regular maintenance to keep it working efficiently
Hoover Freedom Pets – Best Budget Cordless Stick Vacuum
I know what you are thinking, Hoover Freedom Pets sounds like the name of some kind of Disney Junior TV show that your kids would watch.
I had never heard of this vacuum before, but I have tested Hoover products so I was excited to get this out of the box and up and running. One thing I have to tell you is that this is the lowest price cordless vacuum cleaner on this list.
As you can see, it is a stick style vacuum (which actually 99/100 cordless vacuums tend to be) so it is great for getting under the sofa and the coffee table and so on.
I think that the main head is nice and thin so most folks will have no trouble getting it into those tighter areas. I will admit, I was not expecting a lot of power at this price point, but I was impressed.
CLEVER DESIGN ALLOWS YOU TO CLEAN ANY SURFACE
It is not just the power of the suction, but the very cleverly designed brush they have used. I have said a few times in this article that I have a thick living room carpet, and the brush they have used is able to get in nice and deep.
I did a couple of walkovers and the carpet was nice and clean. The hardwood floors required a couple of going overs, but once again, I never found any missed little stones or any other kinds of mess.
Read More: Best vacuum cleaner for carpet in the UK
One of the best things about the Hoover Freedom Pets vacuum is the accessories. Like other cordless stick vacs, you can turn this into a handheld vacuum. That is a huge selling point of this as the idea is that it is designed to really work wonders on pet hair.
I do not know what it is about my sofa, but pet hair gets really stuck on one of the arms (probably the kids spilling something sticky now that I think about it), and once converted, this picked up the pet hair very easily.
So if you have some really stubborn areas that you are having a hard time cleaning, you can change it so that it has the Turbo Pet Brush and pick it up that way, I found mashed in cereal and stuff like that was also easily picked up with this.
The fact that it is designed with pet hair in mind also means that they have put in a filtration system that is going to keep all the nasty bacteria inside the canister.
CAN TURN INTO A HAND VAC
Of course, as it can turn into a hand vac, the stairs, beds and other spots are much easier for you to clean. I will say that even when it is in full stick mode, it is light enough that you can lift it up and do the corners of the rooms and the curtains too.
My only little issue with this is the battery life, it is only 25 minutes. I think if you are efficient, you could do your whole house in this time so it is not a huge deal, but it is worth noting.
I really like the Hoover Freedom Pets vacuum cleaner. It is ideal if you want to be as close to that 100 pounds mark as possible. Plus it is designed with pets in mind so if you have dogs, cats or whatever that like to leave hair all over, consider this.
Gtech AirRam MK2 Cordless Upright
Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Hard Floors: A Complete Buying Guide
Do I really need a cordless vacuum?
Hey, I am right there with you asking this, but the fact is once you have used a cordless vacuum cleaner it really is hard to go back. That is why I wanted to share with you a few of the reasons as to why a cordless vacuum is so great.
There Is No Cable

Of course, this is the easy one to start with, but how many times have you been vacuuming the living room and the power cable has gotten wrapped around your leg?
Even worse, you are vacuuming and then you drop the thing because the power cable is caught around the leg of a chair!
Or what about when you are on a roll and then it turns itself off because you have pulled the plug out of the wall?
Cordless is a million times more convenient!
You Spend Less Time Vacuuming
This is one of my favourite things about cordless vacuum cleaners. The best cable-free vacuum cleaners make your cleaning so much quicker. You can go from room to room and really blitz every single area of your home. The fact that cordless vacuums are much lighter also makes things quicker and easier.
No Area Goes Uncleaned

Four of the vacuums that we have looked at today, literally let you clean every nook and cranny of your house. You could even take them outside and clean your car. Good luck lifting a corded vacuum above your head to get those spider webs out of the corners.
You get so much versatility with a cordless vacuum cleaner. You can go from the living room floor to the sofa to the curtains in no time at all. Not only is your house clean, but you will find that you breathe a lot easier as most of that hidden dust is hoovered up.
There Is The Perfect One For You
Of course, if money is no issue, you go for the Dyson or the Shark. However, cordless vacuum cleaners are not as expensive as you may think.
No matter what your budget is, you are going to find a cordless vacuum cleaner that is right for you. They have really come down in price and some companies like Shark and Vax are offering close to what Dyson is doing but at a much lower price.
So do not think that Dyson is the only manufacturer in town and that you have to pay over £500, as there are many, many lower priced options out there for you to consider.
You Can Do The Whole House Off A Single Charge

I have yet to have any cordless vacuum cleaner die on me while I was in the middle of cleaning. The battery life does vary, but on average you are looking at around 40 minutes.
A few may offer slightly less and some may even come with spare batteries, but I would say 40 minutes is around average. This is more than enough time to do the whole house thanks to how easy a cordless vacuum makes cleaning.
They Take Up Very Little Space
Cordless vacuum cleaners are very compact in their size. Most are a stick style so they can stand anywhere in your home, charging ports can be attached to a wall so they can even be hung somewhere like the kitchen or pantry when they are not in use.
Also having to wrap up the power cable once you have finished vacuuming is a major pain in the rear end, you never have to worry about that with a cordless vacuum.
Fresh Air And Easy Waste Disposal
Ok so this may be the case with other kinds of vacuums these days, but I have yet to come across a cordless vacuum that did not have a smart filtration and waste removal system.
Pumping out fresh air by trapping in close to 100 percent of the dust is the aim of many cordless vacuums, this keeps those annoying allergies at bay! Also emptying the canister is always easy. I have yet to test a cordless vacuum that actually required me to touch the mess I have hoovered up.
Best Cordless Stick Vacuum For Hard Floors: Final Thoughts

This is a really hard choice as they all did a great job. I think that if you can afford it, you should go for the Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute.
It is the most expensive (by a considerable margin), however, it is the most powerful and versatile cordless vacuum cleaner on the market right now. It has a wide range of features that will keep your hard floors looking like new.
The Shark IF250UKT DuoClean gives you Dyson like power, but at a much lower price. However, if you want a more budget-friendly option, I would go for the Vax Blade 32V Cordless. At almost a quarter of the price of the Dyson, it is a fantastic deal.
It has a lot of power, can be a hand vac and the added wand lets you get into those tricky places. The additional accessories are perfect for taking care of hard floors.
I would advise that you look at what you need for your own house when deciding what is the best cordless vacuum for you. Look at that and then consider what your budget is before you purchase. I think that going for one that has some extras like a wand or some kind of tool is always a good way to go as it allows you to do the whole house!