Best Canister Vacuum Cleaner

Honestly, this might be the best bagged canister vacuum in the market today. Miele has long since earned their reputation from products that simply work, and their Compact C2 can be a real workhorse in this department. Coming with several attachments, a retractable hose, and strong build quality, the Compact C2 feels about as expensive as it can be.

Suction control with symbols correlating to attachments and an easy-access dial couldn’t be simpler. The parquet floor head tool may be the biggest selling point for hardwood owners—and effectively cleans wood, corners, crevices, and more. A dusting brush, upholstery tool, and crevice nozzle round out the attachments, which can all be held on the Compact C2’s VarioClip. HEPA filtration keeps smaller debris out of the air once the vacuum’s taken care of it, and with a 7-year warranty on the powerful motor, Miele clearly shows their customers that they want their products to remain qualified for years to come.

All of these features do mean that the Miele is one of the most expensive canister models available. The larger motor also means a shorter yet retractable cord, so there may be a few more moments needed to plug into a different outlet than with other vacuums on our list. The suction can also be powerful enough to make maneuvering the hose a little unwieldy.

Despite some who might hesitate to use a bulkier, bagged vacuum in their home, none of these detriments could stop the Miele Compact C2 from delivering on its many promises.

Moreover, for those who are a bit concerned about price, the Compact C1 offers many similar features with a more palatable bottom line.

If you have limited experience with either a bagged vacuum cleaner or a canister vacuum, then there’s no better place to start than Bissell’s ZING model.

The Bissell Zing 4122 is incredibly affordable and very highly rated. Even at such a low price point, Bissell was able to provide a myriad of features to entice skeptics, including  variable suction control, wand, upholstery tool for stairs and carpets, brush tool, and crevice tool.

The major selling point is Bissell’s multi-surface cleaning tool, which takes the place of a standard brush roll. This piece is able to quickly maneuver across carpet and hardwood without damaging either. When it comes to cleaning hardwood floors, using the Bissell ZING is as simple as setting the suction to the desired level and using the cleaning tool.

What’s slightly less obvious about this multi-surface cleaning tool, especially considering the descriptions you’ll find online about this vacuum, is the lack of motorized brush roll. Motorized brush rolls are the most popular and most effective way to clean medium and high pile carpets. When activated, several bristles agitate the carpet and send dirt flying into the air, which can then be sucked into the vacuum. Without this key feature, the Bissell performs below average on carpeted floors. Likewise, the attachments included with purchase feel less than durable, and the 1-year limited warranty essentially means that repairs and maintenance will need to be handled on the consumer end.

Still, there’s a lot to love about the Bissell ZING. Many swear by bagged vacuums for their hygienic nature, and with effective filtration, Bissell’s product doesn’t disappoint. This is also the lightest product on our list by a considerable margin—with some reporting the canister’s weight to be even less than our stated 12.5 pounds.

Pet owners and those with lots of carpets will be less than pleased, but Bissell’s ZING bagged vacuum is aiming for homeowners on a budget that need a hardwood-friendly canister vacuum that simply works. When it comes to those expectations, the Bissell ZING more than exceeds them for the price and even offers a bagless model that’s just as powerful.

In many ways, Kenmore’s 22614 bagless canister vacuum is the antithesis of the Bissell model. Where one draws a focus on hardwood and portability, Kenmore’s choice has one thing in mind: pets.

Kenmore’s included Pet PowerMate tool is a motorized attachment that easily pulls hairs from furniture and stairs. This tool is separate from the upholstery tool, which is just one of the many ways you can get the most out of the powerful suction on this product. The brush roll can also be turned on and off with the push of a button, which can make switching from hardwood floors to higher carpets simple and easy. The HEPA filtration on this product is also effective and a must-have in a pet-friendly canister vacuum. The lower clearance of the main motorized brush also makes getting under furniture easy and effective.

Unfortunately, cleaning under couches will probably require a bit of back-breaking labor, as the hose length on the Kenmore 22614 isn’t as long as some of the other hoses you’ll find. All of the power for the motorized attachments came at the expense of portability as well, so carrying this twenty-pound vacuum up and down staircases in a multi-story house won’t be pleasant.

Instead of going for an all-around feature set like you may find on the Miele or Dyson on this list, Kenmore instead aims exclusively for pet owners and anyone concerned with the state of their carpets. Provided you’re ready for an arm workout and don’t mind bending over once or twice to get under your furniture, you can count on the Kenmore bagless canister to get the job done.

Dyson offers a host of canister, upright, and stick vacuums, but the entry-level Big Ball Canister promises to deliver all of what the company has to offer.

At a surprisingly reasonable price, the Dyson Big Ball canister vacuum offers deep cleaning for floors, with their proprietary suction technology and a carbon fiber turbine tool head that’s as effective as the name implies. Love or hate Dyson; they have no problem making a device that’s as aesthetically beautiful as it is good at its job.

A combination wand and brush tool and stair tool round out the surprisingly low number of included attachments. The stair tool specifically, while not motorized, is effective at getting into the corners of stairs and pulling out trodden-in debris. Combined with the light carbon fiber turbine head, the Dyson Big Ball is quite possibly the most effective canister vacuum on our list for staircases.

While there is no single detriment to Dyson’s canister vacuum, there is a host of smaller nitpicks that can make a difference to buyers that may be torn between this and other products. For instance, the two attachments are effective, but they are not easily stored on the device. This model is also quite bulky and, as is turns out, the motor’s powerful suction carries quite the presence and may scare smaller pets.

Still, HEPA filtration is excellent, and the dirt ejector mechanism takes a lot of the dust cloud issues away that are common with bagless vacuums. A 5-year limited warranty and a convenient self-righting feature solidify the Big Ball as a great option for carpets, stairs, and fans of the brand.