Hair can be somewhat challenging for some vacuums. Long strands of hair can get caught in brushrolls or clog various components, compromising overall suction performance. Vacuums that are well-suited to deal with this kind of debris should excel in cleaning pet hair while also having removable brushrolls for easy cleaning of hair wraps or vacuum heads with some anti-tangling function.
We've tested over 110 vacuum cleaners, and below are our recommendations for the best vacuums for long hair; if you want further insight to help you pick the best option for your needs, check out our buyer's guide at the bottom of the article. These recommendations are based on their hair cleaning performance on different types of surfaces, their design, and their price. If you're looking for alternatives, look at our list of the best vacuums for pet hair, the best cordless vacuums for pet hair, and the best handheld vacuums for pet hair. If you prefer a more hands-off approach, check out our recommendations for the best robot vacuums for pet hair.
-
Best Vacuum For Long Hair
Vacuum TypeCanisterPet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance8.0User Maintenance8.0House8.9See all our test resultsSmall Apartment8.2The SEBO Airbelt D4 is the best vacuum for long hair that we've tested. The Premium model's ET-1 powerhead not only provides superb pet hair pickup performance on carpeted surfaces, but it's also remarkably easy to clean, with an easily accessible brushroll that makes it a cinch to unwind any tangled hair. As a whole, the vacuum feels incredibly robust, with a canister body made of high-grade plastic surrounded by a fabric-lined cushion so that it won't mark up your walls if you bump into them. It's also very easy to maintain, with large, easily removable dirtbags and filters that can last for years before you replace them. It's a good option if you're sensitive to allergens, with a multi-stage S-Class filtration system that does a good job of locking in allergens.
On the downside, while this vacuum is very powerful, its standard multi-surface floorhead can struggle with large amounts of bulky debris; you'll need to lift the head and let the vacuum's powerful motor do the work in this kind of situation. There's also no getting around the fact that this is a bulky, heavy machine. Finally, it can be hard to find from major retailers; thankfully, you can find it directly on SEBO's website.
-
Best Upper Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair
Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance8.0User Maintenance7.0House7.4See all our test resultsSmall Apartment8.7If you want something far more maneuverable and don't need the power of a high-end canister vacuum like the SEBO Airbelt D4, consider the Dyson V15 Detect. This cordless stick vacuum comes with separate floorheads for bare floors and carpets, each of which has removable brushrolls for easier cleaning, as well as built-in anti-tangle combs that can help trap any pet hair. The V15 has no trouble dealing with hair strands on floors and carpeting, while its surface detection system allows it to automatically increase its suction power on carpeted surfaces. It also features an onboard particle sensor, which allows you to estimate allergen quantities within your home.
Unfortunately, this vacuum's all-plastic construction feels flimsy in places, which is a real disappointment for something this expensive. Consider the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra if you're looking for a more durable cordless stick vacuum. The Samsung also comes with a stand-up charging rack/base station that sucks debris from the vacuum's dustbin into an internal dirtbag, so there's no release of dust and debris when emptying the vacuum. That said, compared to the Dyson model's single roller floorhead, the Samsung vacuum's dual-brushroll head is bulky and tangle-prone; the Samsung is also more expensive.
-
Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair
Vacuum TypeUprightPet Hair Pickup9.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance9.0User Maintenance7.5House8.7See all our test resultsSmall Apartment8.4The Dyson Ball Animal 3 is the best vacuum for hair if you prefer using an upright. You don't have the grab-and-go convenience of a cordless model like the Dyson V15 Detect or the go-anywhere range, but it's a much better option for long cleaning sessions that require a lot of power. Its floorhead features a set of built-in plastic vanes that are highly effective in capturing hair before it can get tangled around the brushroll and jam the mechanism. The Extra variant, which sits at the top of the model lineup, even comes with a dedicated pet grooming tool for heavily shedding pets, not to mention a miniature turbo brush for cleaning couches and chairs. It's worth noting that while prices do tend to fluctuate, this model can often be found between $350-400 USD, a price point at which it represents a fairly compelling option over the typically pricier models outlined above.
As a bagless vacuum, emptying out this vacuum's dustbin can release a cloud of dust and debris. If you prioritize the more hygienic means of debris disposal that come with a bagged vacuum, check out the SEBO FELIX. While its ET-1 powerhead doesn't have a set of anti-tangle vanes, it's still remarkably easy to take apart and clean as needed.
-
Best Lower Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair
Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup8.5Pet Hair Furniture Performance7.5User Maintenance7.0House6.9See all our test resultsSmall Apartment8.2The best vacuum cleaner for long hair we've tested in the lower mid-range price bracket is the Dyson V8. This cordless stick vacuum is approaching end-of-life status in Dyson's lineup, but still represents a compelling option for those who don't mind missing out on features versus the Dyson V15 Detect and want something better suited to small spaces than the Dyson Ball Animal 3. It's much cheaper than either model and just as effective when handling hair on various surface types. Its brushroll is easy to remove and clean, and not much hair gets trapped in its floorhead thanks to its built-in hair-trapping vanes.
The vacuum's multi-stage filtration system also does a great job of sealing fine allergens like dust or pet dander, though you will still have to be careful when emptying out its dustbin, which can make a mess. Unfortunately, battery performance lags far behind that of the newer V15. Its suction motor isn't nearly as powerful, and it'll have a harder time dealing with embedded debris, though it's still far from terrible in this regard.
-
Best Budget Vacuum For Long Hair
Vacuum TypeStick/HandheldPet Hair Pickup7.0Pet Hair Furniture Performance6.0User Maintenance7.5House6.7See all our test resultsSmall Apartment7.6Consider the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S if you're after one of the best vacuums for hair at a budget price point that we've tested. It isn't nearly as effective at dealing with pet hair on carpets as the Dyson V8, and its floorhead lacks built-in anti-tangle vanes. That said, it's also much cheaper and still quite easy to maintain, especially when it comes to clearing out hair wraps. The included HEPA filter is effective in trapping allergens, a rare inclusion for a vacuum at this price point. Its max battery life of a little under 45 minutes isn't necessarily class-leading, but it still compares favorably to many other pricier models and is better than most other budget-friendly cordless stick vacuums. Unfortunately, its selection of attachments is pretty limited, as it only comes bundled with a crevice tool.
Notable Mentions
-
Miele Duoflex HX1:
The Miele Duoflex HX1 is a premium cordless vacuum that delivers good hair-pickup performance and has an easily removable brushroll. Its long hair pickup performance is worse than the Dyson V15 Detect, though.
See our review -
Miele Guard L1 Electro:
The Miele Guard L1 Electro is Miele's newest flagship canister vacuum. It has a remarkably powerful suction motor, and its powerhead is very effective when it comes to clearing away hair. That said, unlike the SEBO Airbelt D4, the brushroll on this attachment can't be removed, which can make it a bit of a nuisance to clean.
See our review -
Miele Guard S1 Electro:
The Miele Guard S1 Electro is a more compact alternative to the SEBO Airbelt D4. As with its more expensive stablemate, the Miele Guard L1 Electro, the included powerhead is excellent for dealing with pet hair, but unfortunately the roller brush is fixed in place, which can make removing any stuck-on long hair a bit of a hassle.
See our review -
Dyson Gen5detect:
The Dyson Gen5detect is effectively a replacement for the Dyson V15 Detect, with a slightly more potent suction motor and a built-in crevice tool. It's great for dealing with long hair, but it isn't any more effective than the V15 in this regard, and it does little to justify its much higher price.
See our review -
Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine:
The Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine is Dyson's current cordless flagship. Its anti-tangle floorhead and powerful 315 AW suction motor provide an on-paper advantage to the Dyson V15 Detect, but in the real world, the V16's actual performance is too similar to the V15 to justify the large price difference.
See our review -
Shark Stratos Upright AZ3002:
The Shark Stratos Upright AZ3002 is Shark's flagship corded upright vacuum. It performs well cleaning up long hair, and its brushroll is self-cleaning, resisting hair tangles. However, it doesn't perform quite as well as the Dyson Ball Animal 3 in picking up long hair, and its brushroll isn't removable.
See our review -
SEBO Airbelt K3 Premium:
The SEBO Airbelt K3 Premium is worth a look if you want something slightly smaller and cheaper than the SEBO Airbelt D4. The Premium model is bundled with the same highly effective and easy-to-clean ET-1 powerhead, but the vacuum itself has a shorter range, a weaker motor, and incurs higher recurring costs due to its use of smaller dirtbags.
See our review
Recent Updates
Jul 23, 2026:
We've ensured that all main picks remain available and are the best fit for user needs. We've also added a buyer's guide to this article to simplify your search for a vacuum to deal with long hair.
Apr 21, 2026:
We reorganized the article to clarify differences in product strengths. We reclassified the SEBO Airbelt D4 as the 'Best Vacuum For Long Hair' pick, the Dyson V15 Detect as the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair' pick, the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra as the 'Best Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair' pick, and the Dyson V8 as the 'Best Lower Mid-Range Vacuum For Long Hair' pick. We also added the Miele Guard L1 Electro, Miele Guard S1 Electro, Dyson V16 Piston Animal Submarine, and SEBO AIRBELT K3 Premium to the Notable Mentions.
Nov 19, 2025:
We changed a reference from the discontinued Samsung Bespoke Jet to the Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra. We've updated the Notable Mentions, replacing the Miele Triflex HX1 with the better-performing Miele Duoflex HX1.
Jul 14, 2025:
We changed the discontinued Wyze Cordless Vacuum to the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S. We swapped the Notable Mention Miele HX2 Cat & Dog with the better-performing Miele HX1. We also changed the Notable Mention BISSELL CleanView/CleanView Swivel Pet Rewind to the Shark Stratos Upright since it's much more comparable to the Dyson Ball Animal 3.
Feb 17, 2025:
Added the Wyze Cordless Vacuum S to the Notable Mentions. Added the SEBO Felix as an alternative to the Dyson Ball Animal 3.
What To Consider When Choosing A Vacuum For Long Hair
User Maintenance
This is the first thing you should look at in our reviews when it's time to buy a vacuum for long hair. Our User Maintenance test scores a vacuum based on how easy it is to disassemble, clean, and reassemble. One of the subjectively scored metrics in that test is the ease of removing and cleaning a vacuum's brushroll, which is highly relevant when it comes to removing any stuck-on hair.
- <7.5: The vacuum is easy to take apart and reassemble, but there are some problem areas. For floorhead maintenance, this could come down to a brushroll being built into the floorhead, which can drastically complicate the process of removing any tangled hair.
- 7.5-8.5: The vacuum is easy to take apart and reassemble. When it comes to floorhead maintenance specifically, scores in this range are typically given to vacuums with removable brushrolls or some form of self-cleaning feature.
- 8.5-9.5: The vacuum is incredibly easy to take apart and reassemble. Typically, vacuums that score this well in terms of user maintenance have straight suction heads without a brushroll at all; removing hair from bristles is considerably easier than de-tangling a roller brush.
Pet Hair Pickup Performance
This is another thing you should consider when it's time to buy a vacuum for pet hair. While our Pet Hair Pickup test uses short to medium-length hair, this should still provide you with a good idea of how effective a vacuum will be in dealing with long hair. Keep the following in mind when looking at scores:
- 7.5-8.0: The vacuum clears away the majority of pet hair within a single back-and-forth pass, though finer strands remain visible; you'll need a second pass to remove all visible hair.
- 8.0-9.0: Barely any visible hair remains after a single back-and-forth sweep, with any remaining hairs being quite hard to see.
- 9.0-9.5: Effectively no pet hair remains after a single-back and forth sweep.
Floorhead and Brushroll
If you have carpeted floors and pets, a floorhead with an air-driven or motorized roller brush is a must-have. Straight-suction floorheads are better-suited to hard floors.
- Air-driven floorheads (often marketed as 'Turbo' brushes) are generally simpler, lighter, and cheaper, but can also jam on thicker carpets, and are mainly suited for dealing with hair on low to medium-pile rugs and carpets.
- Motorized powerheads are heavier but generally provide superior performance on thicker carpets, with a lower risk of thicker rugs stopping the roller's rotation. Some motorized heads also offer features like height adjustment, making it easier to maneuver on surfaces like shag-pile rugs, as well as automatic brushroll-off functions that prevent overheating or damage if long hair, carpet fibers, or another obstruction completely jams the roller mechanism.
- Straight-suction floorheads can provide some level of surface agitation on very low-pile rugs, but are mainly suited for bare flooring. Their simple design makes them fairly easy to clean, and you won't have to worry about pet hair getting stuck inside and jamming a roller brush's rotation.
If you do spring for a vacuum with a motorized or air-driven floorhead, you'll also need to consider the type of brushroll they're equipped with.
- Bristled brushrolls have stiff bristles to lift away hair and fine debris from carpet, but can fling larger debris around on hard surfaces and cause microscratches on delicate surfaces.
- Soft rollers are better suited for removing debris from bare floors, but don't do much to lift it from carpet fibers.
- Dual rollers combine both soft and stiff bristles on a single floorhead, theoretically allowing for better debris pickup across multiple floor types without having to swap attachments. That said, they aren't found on many vacuums.
- Removable brushrolls make the process of clearing away tangled hair and stuck-on debris considerably easier.
- Self-cleaning brushrolls typically feature vanes or fins that press up against the roller to trap pet hair before it can completely jam the roller's rotation.
All Reviews
Our recommendations are based on what we think are currently the best vacuums for dealing with long hair to buy. We factor in a fairly wide range of factors, including availability, price, and reader feedback.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our vacuum reviews ranked by their pet hair cleaning performance. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no vacuum is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.