Upright vacuums might clean up in sales, but the latest canisters are rivaling them in performance. You’ll also find good smaller vacs for smaller messes. But some versions of Dirt Devil’s handheld Kone make some everyday cleaning risky, and we’ve judged them Not Acceptable as a result.

Our latest best vacuum cleaners tests show that Kenmore’s new Intuition 28014 has edged out the Electrolux Oxygen EL6988 as our top-scoring canister. Impressive carpet cleaning and the ability to simply lift the wand out of the power head for bare floors helped it clinch the top spot in our best vacuum cleaners Ratings. A cage that keeps the bag from blocking the exhaust port is also a plus. But at $600 and 26 pounds, it’s pricey and heavy.

Stick vacs, sweepers, and handheld models offer easier carrying and storage for less money. Most we tested weigh under 5 pounds and cost less than $100. Sweepers, which use motorized brushes without suction, and handheld vacuums were also relatively good at whisking away cereal and other spills too small to warrant hauling out your full-sized vac. But most flubbed at least one of our rigorous tests.

Our tests found problems with some versions of Dirt Devil’s best-selling handheld Kone M0213, $45, and the similar Kone M0212, $43. Test samples spewed small particles of sand and broken glass out of their exhaust ports and toward the faces and eyes of our testers. (See Safety Alert.)

Some upright and canister brands are touting easier handling and versatility. You’ll also find robotic vacs that promise to do your cleaning for you, along with models aimed specifically at bare floors or pet hair. But our best vacuum cleaners tests of more than 80 models sucked the air out of some of those promises. Here are the details:

Designs that trump performance
Dyson’s DC24 upright, $400, is a smaller update of its swiveling-ball design. Twisting the handle steers the ball-mounted power head for easy maneuvering. But carpet cleaning was mediocre, and airflow for tools proved meager. Eureka’s Capture+ upright, $170, has a brush that extends to the sides for cleaning edges, though it didn’t stand out on bare floors. And while Bissel’s Pet Hair Eraser upright, $150, delivers the pet-hair pickup it suggests, it was less impressive at other tasks.

Hybrids that disappoint
Kenmore’s Premalite upright, $400, has a handle that detaches and doubles as a tool wand. But the clip that holds it arrived broken on two models and cracked on a third during testing. That can reduce airflow and make the handle release too easily. A removable handle also gives the $60 Shark Transformer stick vac a handheld mode that excelled at carpet cleaning. But it was only fair on carpets with the handle attached and poor at controlling dust emissions in our best vacuum cleaners tests.

“Conveniences” that aren’t
Dirt Devil promotes its Kruz stick vacuum, $100, for cleaning bare floors, but it wasn’t very good at that task and was poor at cleaning edges. The Electrolux Twin Clean canister, $500, had unimpressive airflow despite its spare onboard filter. Hoover’s handheld Sidewinder, $40, has a rotating brush, but was only fair at cleaning carpets and bare floors.

A robot that rebels
Opt for the $350 Roomba 560 and you get a vacuum that roves on its own for 35 to 45 minutes before returning to its charger. But in our best vacuum cleaners tests it was among the worst in our tests at cleaning edges and corners, and sometimes ventured beyond the electronic borders we set up to contain it within rooms.