What are the best vacuum cleaners around $100?

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score 2 · Answer 1

Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352

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Top Pro

Excellent value for money

At a price point below $120 it is extremely hard to find a matching competitor to this versatile, powerful, and highly adjustable vacuum cleaner. It's efficient in different cleaning scenarios and the suction power it offers is on par with more expensive units. See More

Top Con

Feels cheap

It isn't made from premium materials and that is very noticeable. Overall, the construction quality could be better. See More

Top Pro

Helpful accessories included

The vacuum ships together with four attachments: 2 crevice tools, a dusting brush, and a tool that helps removing pet hair. See More

Top Con

Not the best choice for pet owners

If it gets too much animal hair, it gets clogged up easily. See More

Top Pro

Fairly long power cord

The power cord is 25 ft. long, allowing to cover a wide area without the need to go from one outlet to another. See More

Top Con

Has a plowing effect

The vacuum tends to push around larger debris instead of cleaning it up. This means a couple of extras passes are needed to get the floor completely clean. See More

Top Pro

Really strong suction

Top Con

No LED headlight

There’s no light in front of the cleaner, which would be handy when cleaning under furniture. See More

Top Pro

Bagless dustbin is easy to empty

There are no bags that you need to replace or clean out. Instead, the dust is collected in a bin that can be quickly emptied. It worth noting that that can create a large dust cloud for a moment. See More

Top Con

There is no height adjustment

You can’t change the height of the vacuum, so it will be hard to do things like cleaning high-pile rugs. See More

Top Pro

Adjustable suction power

It is possible to adjust the suction power with a valve on the handle. This can come in handy when you are, for example, dealing with small or high pile carpets. See More

Top Con

No dustbin sensors

The vacuum will not warn you when it needs to be emptied. You have to keep an eye on that yourself. See More

Top Pro

Filters don't need to be replaced, just washed

The filters are washable and don’t need to be replaced, but you have to remember to wash them once every 1 or 3 months for optimum performance. See More

Top Con

Non-retractable power cord

The power cord doesn’t retract into the unit. See More

Top Pro

Clog-up protection

If the vacuum does clog-up, it will start to suck air through an emergency vent to prevent the motor from burning. See More

Top Con

Suction can be too strong

It could make it very hard to clean rugs because the suction is so strong, even when set to the lowest suction power, that the vacuum is too hard to push and has to be pulled and lifted to clean rugs making it a not-so-easy task. See More

Top Pro

Keeps the air clean

This vacuum is equipped with a HEPA filtration system to keep the air free of allergens and dust particles. The foam filter protects the motor from large dust particles, and the HEPA filter filters the outflowing air from the vacuum, preventing allergens and microscopic dust going back in the air. This is important to allergen-sensitive people, and the air will feel overall fresher after cleaning. See More

Top Pro

Versatile

One of the most standout features of this vacuum is the possibility to detach the canister from the bottom part of the vacuum and just carry it around as a canister unit. This allows to reach and clean spots that would be hard or impossible to get to with a traditional upright cleaner. It comes in particularly handy when cleaning steep stairs or narrow places where it would be hard to maneuver with a full-sized vacuum. See More

Top Pro

Swivel steering

Like more expensive Dyson upright cleaners, this one has a swiveling head to help you get around tight spots and under the furniture. It isn’t as good as on premium models, but still makes the job a lot easier. See More

Top Pro

Easy to carry around

Weighing only 12 pounds, this vacuum cleaner is easy to maneuver and carry around. See More

Specs

Weight:13 lbs

Power source:110 V AC, corded

Bin volume:Not stated

Suction power:Not stated

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score 1 · Answer 2

Hoover Air BH52160PC

Top Pro

Perfect for cleaning cars

As this vacuum cleaner is extremely lightweight (weighing only 2 pounds), compact, and handy, it is perfectly suitable for cleaning car interiors. Additionally, its mouth isn't very large, which helps reaching tricky spots in a car. See More

Top Con

Charging takes a while

Unfortunately, it takes 9 hours to charge the battery, which is twice longer than other alternatives. See More

Top Pro

Consistent power despite the charge level

One of the most significant advantages of this cordless vacuum cleaner is that it gives maximum power no matter what the charge level is. Lots of other vacuum cleaners tend to lose power gradually, once the battery is draining. This consistent power feature is very handy if you use the vacuum for very short periods of time and forget to charge it to full power again. See More

Top Pro

Easy to empty, bagless dust collector

The vacuum is bagless, and the transparent dust collector is easy to empty with only the touch of a button. See More

Top Pro

Good battery life

The vacuum comes with a 20 V Lithium-ion battery pack that is covered by a two-year warranty. The battery can run the vacuum cleaner for 15 minutes and has 3 LED indicator lights that show the power level. See More

Top Pro

Upgradeable battery

There is an option to buy an extended battery pack that runs for 30 minutes. It costs almost the same as the vacuum itself and charges for 12 hours. See More

Top Pro

Comes with cleaning tools

This vacuum cleaner comes with two extra cleaning tools: the crevice tool, for hard-to-reach places, and the brush tool, which removes animal hair and debris. See More

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score 1 · Answer 3

Vacmaster VBV1210

Top Pro

Perfect for heavy jobs

This unit has one of the most powerful motors in its price range, being capable of outputing a maximum of 5 hp of raw power. This immense power allows it to suck up large amounts of liquid, large pieces of sawdust, or even screws. See More

Top Con

Lacks storage for accessories

While the vacuum comes with lots of attachments, there is no convenient way of storing them in the unit itself. See More

Top Pro

Easy to dispose of debris

If you happen to use the vacuum to collect liquid and large debris, it is very straightforward to dispose of them. You don’t have to pick up the unit to pour out the liquid. Instead, you can use a large drain port. See More

Top Pro

Big, yet portable

Weighing 17 pounds, being 18 inches wide, and having a canister that can hold up to 12 gallons of dust, this vacuum is big. But it's also quite portable. It has four 360-degree casters that, once attached, making this unit easy to roll around. Because of its wide footprint, it is very stable and unlikely to tip over. See More

Top Pro

You can turn it into a blower

It can be transformed into a blower and the powerful motor can produce more than 200 mph of wind power to blow leaves or other stuff around. See More

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What are the best vacuum cleaners around $100?

3 Options Considered

Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352

Excellent value for money

Feels cheap

Helpful accessories included

Not the best choice for pet owners

Fairly long power cord

Has a plowing effect

Really strong suction

No LED headlight

Bagless dustbin is easy to empty

There is no height adjustment

Adjustable suction power

No dustbin sensors

Filters don't need to be replaced, just washed

Non-retractable power cord

Clog-up protection

Suction can be too strong

Keeps the air clean

Versatile

Swivel steering

Easy to carry around

Hoover Air BH52160PC

Perfect for cleaning cars

Charging takes a while

Consistent power despite the charge level

Easy to empty, bagless dust collector

Good battery life

Upgradeable battery

Comes with cleaning tools

Vacmaster VBV1210

Perfect for heavy jobs

Lacks storage for accessories

Easy to dispose of debris

Big, yet portable

You can turn it into a blower

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