Best cordless stick vacuums for an apartment: six from 5.2 to 8.1 pounds, on the makers' own run times

The V8 has been Dyson’s entry stick for years, and the reason to buy it over the newer machines is the lack of them: no screen, no laser, no sensor, 5.6 lb, a 0.14-gallon bin, up to 40 minutes on the lower setting and a five-hour charge, all from Dyson’s page. It converts to a handheld for the stairs and the car, and the parts are the parts Dyson has made the longest.

Forty minutes is on low, and the five-hour charge is the slowest here. With no floor sensor it runs at whatever power you set, so on carpet you choose between a short session on high and a long one that does not pull much.

For an apartment with mostly hard floors and a hall closet, it is the sensible Dyson. If your floors are carpet, look at the Shark.

At 5.2 lb it is lighter than the V8 and runs longer: up to 60 minutes by Dyson’s page, with a four-hour charge. The slim fluffy head carries a laser that lights up dust on a hard floor at a low angle, and a piezo sensor counts particles on a screen — both from the listing, which Dyson’s spec table does not spell out, so pending. The Origin trim here ships with fewer tools than the Absolute.

Sixty minutes is eco mode, and the slim head is a hard-floor head; on carpet the V12 is an ordinary stick with a small bin. It costs roughly twice the V8.

For a hard-floor apartment where the dust you cannot see bothers you, it is the one. For carpet throughout, it is the wrong Dyson.

Shark’s spec sheet gives 8.1 lb, a 0.7-quart dust cup — twice the Dyson V8’s — up to 70 minutes in eco mode at the handheld, a six-hour charge, washable pre-motor foam and felt plus a HEPA post-motor filter, 45.7 inches tall and a five-year limited warranty. The PowerDetect part is the sensors: it reads edges, floor type and whether you are pushing or pulling, and adjusts power. The IP1255 is a color variant of the IP1251.

Eight pounds is the heaviest machine here, a two-hand lift up stairs, and six hours is the longest charge. The 70-minute figure is the most optimistic one in the group.

For a carpeted apartment with a pet and a hallway closet tall enough for 46 inches, the bin and the warranty make it the one to live with.

Samsung’s sheet for the VS80F28DMP lists 6 lb, 280 AW — the highest suction figure any maker here publishes — up to 60 minutes, four modes, a 0.5-liter bin on the stick and a 2-liter bag in the Clean Station that empties it when you dock, washable HEPA filtration, 44.9 inches tall with a 9.8-inch brush, and a warranty of two years on the battery and ten on the motor.

The station is the point and the catch. It empties the vacuum without the dust cloud and charges it, and it needs a permanent floor spot with an outlet. The bags are a consumable, and the whole kit is priced like a Dyson V15.

For an allergy household, or anyone who has gone off vacuuming because of the emptying, it is the one. For a closet with no outlet, skip it.

Bissell publishes what others hide: 40 minutes on low and 13 on turbo, a 200 W motor, a removable battery that charges in under three hours, a 0.4-liter tank, a sealed HEPA system, a tangle-free brush, and 7.3 lb. It also stands on its own, so there is no wall dock to drill — the detail that decides it for a renter.

Thirteen minutes on turbo is one rug, and 0.4 liters fills quickly with dog hair. At 7.3 lb it is heavier than both Dysons.

For a first cordless on a budget, pet hair on mostly hard floors and a lease that forbids holes in the wall, it is the practical choice.

Eureka’s page gives 15, 30 and 60 minutes by mode, which is the way every maker should do it; 6.4 lb as a stick and 3.7 as a handheld; 120 AW on max; a 25.9 V battery that charges in three to five hours; a sealed HEPA system; a floor sensor that changes power for you; and a two-year warranty.

Fifteen minutes on max is the short end, the charge can take five hours, and Eureka does not publish the cup size.

For a buyer who reads spec sheets and wants auto-adjusting power without the Shark’s weight or price, it is the one.