Aussies have rated Dyson and Bosch as the top pick in Canstar Blue’s latest stick vacuum ratings, with both brands securing five star results for multiple categories, including features & functionality along with overall satisfaction.
Our review compares stick vacuums on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which stick vacuum they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 1,273 Australians for their feedback on a vacuum they have purchased and used in the last three years.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Not sure which stick vacuum to buy? Check out our buying guide below.
Bosch achieved five star ratings for overall satisfaction, features & functionality, performance and battery & charging performance, along with four star ratings for value for money and three star ratings for design and ease of use.
Bosch is the German appliance giant known for its kitchen and household appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dishwashers and vacuums. Its stick vacuum range includes a number of models that offer features including a generous 40 minute run time, motorised brush with LED lights and an ergonomic 90 degree angle design to reach under couches, tables and those hard to reach spots. The turbospin motor developed in Germany makes Bosch’s stick vacuums lightweight and easy to manoeuvre in a space with suction power to tackle even the toughest dirt.
Well-known stick vacuum brand Dyson achieved a five star rating for overall satisfaction, features & functionality, design and ease of use. Dyson also received a four star rating for performance and three star ratings for value for money and battery & charging performance.
Dyson is another major household name when it comes to appliances, and is often a popular pick for vacuum cleaners. The Dyson V15 Detect particularly stands out with its laser feature that detects and illuminates particles to show you where to clean. For everything else, the brand’s entire cordless stick vacuum range shares many of the same features, such as powerful suction and a hygienic bin emptying system. Other functions like whole-machine filtration and a large dustbin capacity are also common, as is a slightly larger price tag for its range of feature-packed vacuums.
Samsung received a five star rating for features & functionality and four star ratings for all other categories including overall satisfaction, value for money, design, ease of use, performance and battery & charging performance.
Samsung is a South Korean heavyweight dominating the tech world. Its high-end stick vacuum range is currently made up of several ‘Jet’ models, with one of its main features is the HEPA filtration system claimed to capture up to 99.99% of micro dust particles. The Jet Cyclone technology also boasts the ability to work at full power throughout the whole clean, while the Digital Inverter Motor is said to offer up to 200W of suction power on a variety of surfaces. The cheapest Samsung stick vacuum is stated to provide a 40-minute runtime, while the more expensive models can last up to two hours, according to the brand.
Vax achieved a five star rating for value for money and four star ratings for overall satisfaction, features & functionality, design, ease of use, performance and battery & charging performance.
Plenty of brands claim to provide a list of vacuum cleaners that can help easily tackle animal hair, but Vax is one of the few brands to cater a large chunk of its range to cleaning up after your four-legged friends, with most of its cordless vacuums designed for pets. One of the standout features is the Smart Control, which is said to give you a more efficient way of cleaning by displaying exactly how much power you have left. Another key function in some models is the Helix Technology, which the brand claims uses a horizontal cyclone design to make sure the stick vacuum is still performing at its best whenever you’re cleaning in high or low places.
LG received four star ratings for overall satisfaction, features & functionality, design, ease of use, performance and battery & charging performance, with a three star rating for value for money.
‘Life’s good’ with a clean house, which is why South Korean tech and home appliances giant LG has a few cordless handsticks up its sleeve. LG’s handsticks include features such as automatic dust removal, mopping functionality, a store-and-charge station and thumb touch control. Some models add extra versatility with attachments like the Power Drive Mop to vacuum and mop simultaneously, a multi-surface nozzle, a crevice tool for awkward spots, and accessories for pet hair and tricky areas. Cordless vacuums with a Power Drive Nozzle also usually contain a direct drive motor, which rotates the roller as it vacuums to better pick up particles.
Electrolux received a five star rating for battery & charging performance, four star ratings for overall satisfaction, features & functionality, design and ease of use and a three star rating for performance and value for money.
From refrigerators to washing machines, Electrolux is a high-profile appliance brand with an eye-catching range of gadgets to fill the home.Electrolux’s stick vacuum range is packed with plenty of nifty features, such as a self-standing design, a FlexLift sliding mechanism to help clean under low furniture, floor nozzle lights to light up dark hard-to-reach areas, five-step filtration and a washable filter. You can also expect accessories like the three-in-one nozzle that’s designed to pick up hair, dust and dirt from upholstery, as well as the PowerPro fluffy nozzle that’s made for hard floors, containing plush edges to ensure gentle cleaning and supposedly even provides a polishing effect. Keep in mind that the availability of these features and attachments varies between different models.
Hoover received mixed ratings with a five star review for design, four stars for value for money, features & functionality and battery & charging performance, with three star ratings for overall satisfaction, ease of use and performance.
Hoover is one of the few names synonymous with vacuum cleaners. But compared to other heavyweight brands, the American manufacturer sells its popular range of stick vacs at budget-friendly prices. Hoover’s cordless vacuums generally cost anywhere between the $200 mark and reach up to around $310, making it one of the most affordable stick vacuum brands on the market. Not every appliance from the brand is approved by the Sensitive Choice program, so if you have allergies, it’s best to check before making a purchase.
Kmart’s Anko stick vacuums received a four star rating for value for money and three star ratings for all other categories including overall satisfaction, features & functionality, design, ease of use, performance and battery & charging performance.
The cheap and cheerful department store specialising in homewares has a couple of budget-friendly cordless vacuum cleaners to pick from. But, as with many inexpensive appliances, don’t expect Kmart’s cheaper vacuums to provide the same power, runtime or accessories as higher-end models. The cheapest Kmart cordless stick vacuum packs up to 40 minutes of runtime, and contains a 0.5L bin capacity and 75W worth of power. But what makes it stand out from other stick vacuums is its foldable handle, which can be handy if you’re short on space. The Kmart 2-in-1 Cordless Stick Vacuum is suitable for carpets, hard floors, stairs and upholstery. For a few extra bucks the Kmart Cordless Stick Cleaner features a 100W brushless motor, a motorised floor head with LED lights and packs a little more stamina with a combined 50-minute maximum runtime. It also provides two speed settings as well as a HEPA filter.
Kogan received three star ratings across the board for overall satisfaction, value for money, features & functionality, design, ease of use, performance and battery & charging performance.
Online retailer Kogan sells pretty much anything and everything under the sun, including its own cheaper versions of various appliances. Prices for Kogan’s cordless and corded vacuum cleaners typically start from just under $70 for a 600W corded model and can go up to $300 for some of the brand’s more advanced models. It’s worth keeping in mind that Kogan is usually offering plenty of sales on its own branded range of vacuums, with free shipping also available for some products or Kogan First members. Kogan stick vacuums come with the usual features you would expect from a handstick, such as a HEPA filter, dual suction modes, 60-minute runtime capacity and a dustbin capacity of just under 1L. Some models also include additional accessories.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are several more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
A stick vacuum is an upright vacuum that can operate either cordless or corded. Unlike corded models, cordless vacuums can only run for a certain amount of time before it needs to recharge. It comes with a variety of removable attachments, which you can switch between depending on the type of surface you need to clean. A handstick is a sleeker, lighter and more convenient alternative to the traditional barrel vacuum. It’s also the more powerful and technologically ‘advanced’ sibling to the small, handheld vacuum cleaner. What makes stick vacuums popular is their multi-functionality. These can be easily converted from a full-size upright cordless vacuum to a compact handheld model, by switching out the main floor head for any of the accessories. Some brands now also offer stick vacuums with mopping functionality, adding even more versatility.
Stick vacuums will generally cost from $60 to over $2,000 depending on the brand, model and attachments included with the vacuum. Cheaper models will generally have all the basic features such as a motorised floor head, 600 to 1,000 watt power and a standard vacuum filter. More expensive models will have added features like a HEPA filter, self-detangling capabilities and dust detection technology.
Before settling on a stick vacuum cleaner, there are a few factors to take into account. Here’s what you should consider:
Most stick vacuums will come with the standard attachments such as a motorised floor head, extension tube, dust bin, battery charger and battery pack. If you’re willing to spend a little more money, some models will come with added attachments.
Some of these attachments may include pet hair attachments to help with managing excessive pet hair inside the home, detangling brushes so you don’t constantly have to pull away hair from the brush and a wall-mountable charging dock. Some other attachments may be smaller brushes for stubborn dirt, slimline nozzles for harder to reach spots like in between couch cushions and extendable attachments to vacuum cobwebs in those hard to reach spaces.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Producer Kate King. Kate holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries from QUT majoring in Journalism and Media and Communications, and has written for a number of publications over the past five years.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s stick vacuum cleaner ratings:
Appliances - November 15th
Dragging the household vacuum out, making sure the power cable reaches the car and all the fuss that comes with trying to clean car seats just seems like it belongs in the ‘too hard basket.’ …
– Read more
Appliances - October 11th
They’re two of the biggest names in the vacuuming world – but does Dyson or Hoover offer the best features and value?
– Read more
Appliances - October 2nd
Getting down and dirty with pet fur, long hair and dust is a mess that you’d probably rather sweep under the rug. A bagged vacuum cleaner might be the perfect solution to this problem. Alternative bagless models require …
– Read more
Appliances - May 22nd
The cheapest vacuum cleaner can be found for under $30, but will they really do the job? Compare cheap vacuum cleaners at Canstar Blue.
– Read more
Appliances - February 15th
The latest addition to Samsung’s stick and cordless vacuums range – the Bespoke Jet – has been hailed as lighter, more powerful, and more intuitive than ever. But, is Samsung’s latest cordless vacuum technology all …
– Read more