Best Affordable Bagless Vacuums Review

We've evaluated a lot of bagless vacuums in the reviewed labs, and expensive models have generally tested well. But if you think it's crazy to drop $500 on a high-end Miele or Dyson, you can still get great carpet cleaning performance, powerful suction, and convenient features, such as easy-to-empty bins and crevice tools for just a fraction of the cost.

Since they're the most popular style of vacuum in the U.S., we decided to focus on bagless upright vacuums that retail for between $50 and $200 rather than a handheld vacuum, a robot vacuum, or a cordless stick vacuum. While they may be a bit louder and heavier than their more expensive counterparts, they tend to come with all the crucial attachments and features to clean your carpet.

So, we purchased the best-selling upright bagless vacuums at major retailers and brought them into our labs. There, we put every bagless vacuum through the same rigorous tests that more expensive models also go through and found the best affordable vacuum cleaner is the Bissell CleanView.

We evaluated the vacuum cleaners for overall dirt and debris pickup, ease of use, weight, and sound—and then, we analyzed the outcomes to find out which are the best cheap vacuums you should buy to help keep your floors clean ones you should skip for cleaning carpets.

Bissell CleanView

The Bissell CleanView 9595A is our general winner. Our tests indicated that the CleanView offered the perfect balance of performance and price. While this Bissell didn't succeed in any one test, it did well across the board. On our list, other vacuums are better suited for a particular type of household—say, pet owners—but the CleanView is a great carpet cleaning generalist.

In our tests, we create a unique dirt mixture that represents the dust and debris that gets tracked through most homes. Then, we embed it into a standard carpet—the same way your feet would push dirt into your carpets at home. The CleanView picked up 43.5 percent of that dirt—which is about the standard. By comparison, the best vacuum we've ever tested only cleaned at around 75 percent in a single pass.

We also felt that the included crevice, dusting, and turbo brush accessories are also going to satisfy most households' desires. At 77 dBa, it was louder than more expensive models, but one of the quietest vacuums we tested at its cost.

The overall best has some flaws: The Bissell CleanView does not have a retractable cord, nor can it carry many of its attachments on board. It also writhed with pet hair and deep pile carpet.

Though, it cleaned well across every other flooring type, had no problem with picking up debris, gets good user reviews for reliability and robustness, and costs ten percent less than its closest competitor. That's exactly how it got to be our number one option.

Pros

• Powerful suction
• Affordable

Cons

• Loud
• Does not have a retractable cable

Hoover WindTunnel UH70120

If the thought of wrapping up a cord when you're through cleaning fills you with dread, you may want to check out the Hoover WindTunnel Rewind Plus, which comes with a retractable cord.

In our carpet tests, the WindTunnel picked up almost the same amount of dirt as the CleanView. While it prices a little more, that higher price tag gets you a cord that winds up automatically with the touch of a lever.

There's also onboard storage for all the Hoover's attachments, so they'll always be at hand when you require them—instead of lost in the back of a closet.

The downside? All these features keep the WindTunnel from breezing over rooms. With everything aboard, this Hoover tips the scales at 17.3 pounds. That's a full two pounds weightier than the Bissell. Even worse, there's no carrying handle on the back, meaning it's a huge pain to lug up and downstairs. Additionally, it struggled with pet hair.

Pros

• Powerful suction
• Retractable cord

Cons

• Heavy—17.3 pounds

Resources and References:

• Benefits of Bagless Vacuums