The 5 Best Budget And Cheap Vacuums - Spring 2023 Reviews

The best cheap vacuum we've tested is the Eureka Mighty Mite. Despite its affordable price point, this compact canister vacuum delivers strong performance across a wide variety of surfaces. It easily clears away messes on bare floors and performs well on low and high-pile carpet, even with a basic straight suction floorhead. You can retract the floorhead's bristles to generate a tighter seal against carpeted floors and improve debris pickup. Suction performance remains consistent as its dirtbag fills up, so you won't need to swap in a new one too often. Its dirtbag traps most dust particles, though it still isn't the best choice for allergy sufferers as far as bagged vacuums go, with some variants having vents behind the rear wheels that can bypass any post-motor filtration.

The vacuum itself feels reasonably sturdy, if a little cheap, and has a remarkably simple design that's easy to maintain. It's also small enough to easily store in a closet or a nook between furniture pieces. Its wand, made of two hollow plastic tubes, is quite long and gives you a good amount of added reach, though they can fall out of place if you don't wedge them together tightly enough. You have to wind its power cord back manually, too, which can be annoying.

The BISSELL Featherweight Stick is a great option if you're looking for a highly affordable vacuum that also doesn't weigh very much. It doesn't perform as well as a more conventional vacuum with a more powerful motor, like the Eureka Mighty Mite or BISSELL PowerForce Helix. However, it's remarkably lightweight and compact, making it a good option for elderly users. Its basic design makes it easy to maintain, with the few parts that need regular cleaning being very easy to access. As long as you regularly clean its dust cup filter and pre-motor mesh filter, you won't need to worry about recurring costs either. You can easily reconfigure it into a compact handheld vacuum to clean tight spots by merely removing its handle.

The vacuum is excellent for dealing with pet hair or any other lightweight debris on hard floors, like hardwood or linoleum. However, it can have quite a bit of trouble dealing with heavier material, especially as its dustbin fills up. Its floorhead also lacks a motorized brushroll or even an air-driven turbo brush, so it isn't the best choice if you have a lot of dense carpeting in your home.

The best cheap upright vacuum we've tested is the BISSELL PowerForce Helix. This corded upright isn't as compact or as maneuverable as the Eureka Mighty Mite, but it'll be your first choice if you're looking for impressive carpet cleaning performance at a bargain price. Its floorhead offers five levels of surface type adjustment, which is rare for a vacuum at this price point and allows you to adapt to varying floor types on the fly. It also has a large dirt compartment that doesn't need emptying very frequently. If you're looking for an upright with an even larger dustbin, the Dirt Devil Endura Max is a solid alternative, though it falls short in debris-pickup performance.

Despite the BISSELL's relatively lightweight plastic construction, it can still be a bit of a hassle to maneuver in cluttered areas due to its bulky design and non-articulating floorhead. It also doesn't feel sturdy, with a plastic structure that creaks and flexes while in use. Thankfully, while the vacuum doesn't have a dedicated handheld configuration, you can still clean hard-to-reach areas with its hose, and it comes with an extension wand to give you a bit of added reach, not to mention a hard-bristle brush and a crevice tool.

The BISSELL AeroSlim/TurboSlim is the best cheap handheld vacuum that we've tested. Due to its compact size, it isn't intended for cleaning large areas, even when compared to lightweight options like the BISSELL Featherweight Stick. However, it's a great fit for quick clean-ups. It can be easily stored in most cupboards or cabinets and weighs very little, making it easy to carry from room to room. It also feels well-built, with a fairly dense body made of hard plastic, and is relatively simple to maintain. Since its filters are washable, you won't need to replace them, and recurring costs are minimal. It's very effective in clearing away small debris and pet hair on bare surfaces, like countertops and shelves or hardwood floors, but bulky debris can clog its suction inlet. Its dirt compartment is also tiny and needs frequent emptying.

Unfortunately, battery performance isn't especially impressive, even for a handheld vacuum of this size, as it can only run for about 10 minutes on a charge. It also doesn't have a HEPA filter to seal in allergens like pet dander. If these are both significant issues, the Wyze Handheld Vacuum is a great option, though it's also notably pricier.

If you're comfortable spending a little more on a vacuum than most of the other picks, the Wyze Cordless Vacuum is the best budget vacuum we've tested. While it's more expensive than an entry-level corded model like the Eureka Mighty Mite, the Wyze is still pretty affordable for a vacuum of this type, yet delivers strong performance on a wide variety of surface types, ranging from bare floors to low and high-pile carpet. Its max battery life of about an hour is also fairly good for a cordless vacuum in this price range. There's even a HEPA filter to help seal in fine allergens.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come bundled with a miniature turbo brush tool, which is a bit of a nuisance, as cleaning larger upholstered areas with the provided straight suction tool is somewhat impractical. Thankfully, the manufacturer does offer a turbo brush attachment that you can buy separately. If you're looking for a budget-friendly cordless vacuum that comes with a turbo brush tool included in the box, the JASHEN V16 is a solid choice, even if debris pickup performance lags behind the Wyze due to its weaker suction motor.