CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using Trendy Cordless Stick Vacuum, Citing Fire Hazard
The agency says it has received at least 23 reports of the Inse S6P Pro and S6T vacuums igniting, melting, smoking, or overheating
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The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging consumers to stop using the Inse S6P Pro and S6T Cordless Stick Vacuums immediately, warning that the vacuums’ lithium-ion battery packs can overheat and ignite while they are charging or being used. The vacuums were sold on Amazon from May 2020 to January 2025 for about $170.
“This is a life-and-death warning about a trendy product that was sold on Amazon, and it’s backed up by nearly two dozen reports from consumers,” says William Wallace, CR’s director of safety advocacy. “The battery in these cordless stick vacuums can catch fire, explode, and burn down your home. Anyone with one of these vacuums should immediately stop using it and follow local rules on how to throw it out safely.”
The CPSC describes the Inse S6P Pro and S6T Cordless Stick Vacuums as made of metal with blue and black plastic components, with the word “insé” printed on the body. To see if your vacuum is one of the models the CPSC has issued a safety warning against, check for the model number on a silver sticker located underneath the removable lithium-ion battery pack or underneath the vacuum’s brush head.
The CPSC says it has received 23 reports of these Inse stick vacuums igniting, melting, smoking, or overheating, with at least 10 reports of fires. According to the agency, one of the product’s importers, Shenzhen Ainuo Home Furnishings, of China, has not agreed to an acceptable recall remedy for consumers. It also said the products’ manufacturers have been unresponsive to CPSC’s request for information and its requests for a recall.
“While we appreciate the CPSC alerting the public to the danger, it’s outrageous that the companies involved haven’t agreed to carry out a recall, which is the most effective way to get unsafe products out of people’s homes,” says CR’s Wallace. “The manufacturer should face steep fines if it fails to report a defect to the CPSC in a timely manner, as required by federal law. For its part, Amazon should be accountable for allowing these vacuums to be sold on its marketplace in the first place—and step up to lead a recall since the manufacturer is failing to do so.” Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The product does not appear currently on the retailer’s website.
The CPSC advises consumers who own the vacuums to immediately stop using them and dispose of them following local hazardous waste disposal procedures. It urges consumers to refrain from throwing the lithium-ion battery packs into the trash or in any used battery recycling boxes at retail and home improvement stores because damaged, defective, or recalled lithium batteries should be handled differently. It instead recommends following the directions established by your municipal recycling center when disposing of the lithium-ion batteries.
CR-Tested Cordless Stick Vacuums
If you’re looking for a cordless stick vacuum, here are two models that performed well in our tests and that meet or only slightly exceed the Inse vacuum’s moderate price.
For a cordless stick vacuum that’s budget-friendly, the Tineco GO203 VA170200US is the one to choose. It’s the highest-performing vacuum in our ratings under $200. Of course, with a lower price, this vacuum comes with certain limitations: For one, it does just a so-so job at picking up debris from carpets and bare floors. But it’s very quiet and more impressive at cleaning up pet hair and the edges of your home. The vacuum also performs well in our clean emissions test. While basic in its design, this Tineco comes with plenty of convenient features, such as user-replaceable batteries and LED headlights that can illuminate hidden dirt in front of the brush head. Emptying the dustbin is a simple, one-step process, as noted by our testers. It can also be converted into a hand vacuum, which is handy when you need to spot-clean or clean surfaces above your floors.
If you have more flexibility in your budget and don’t have many carpeted surfaces in your home, the Shark Stratos IZ862H is an ideal choice. This vacuum aces our tests in bare-floor cleaning and is equally adept at picking up dirt from the edges of your home where the walls and the floor meet, though its cleaning performance on carpets is only middling. The vacuum has a two-brush roll system designed to make it easier to pick up more debris. It also has a self-cleaning mechanism to help it prevent hair from tangling around the brush roll. The vacuum comes with HEPA filtration, an important feature for those with allergies. The wand of the vacuum is bendable, which makes it easier to maneuver and reach under furniture.
