if you have lots of stairs, canisters can be easier to maneuver, and they tend to do well on floors with hard surfaces, from hardwood to tile.

Almost all full-sized uprights cleaned bare floors quickly and neatly, but carpets remain the toughest challenge for most machines. Top-scoring models deep-cleaned impressively while providing strong airflow through the hose for use with tools.

Although you can't count on them for deep-cleaning carpets, recommended robotic vacuums did best at cleaning surface litter off carpets and bare floors. They were also the easiest to set up, program, and clean.

The best small vacuums tend to be suitable for cleaning carpets, the toughest and most common task, along with bare floors. But none can deep-clean carpets like their larger cousins, so consider them as backup vacs.

Our test results for cordless vacuums include battery charge time, carpet, bare floors, pet hair, and more.

These are handy for light, quick surface cleaning on short-pile carpets and bare floors; some can handle pet hair on upholstery.