Stick vacuums get all the attention, and in most cases, they should. Cordless and weighing under 7 pounds, they're easy to maneuver and handle, and they convert into handheld models in seconds. The V15 is Dyson's latest and most expensive stick vacuum. 

Its claim to greatness is a green laser that shoots out the front of the motorized head, which illuminates the dust particles in your path. A sensor inside the vacuum counts the number of particles the V15 is sucking up and tells you the particle sizes on the LCD display. The same sensor automatically adjusts the power level to match how gnarly your floors are. Senior associate reviews editor Adrienne So tested the V15 and says not every user needs to know dust particle size down to the micron, and the dust bin is more finicky than other Dyson stick vacs. But if you have severe allergies or just want the best of the best, it may be the right vacuum for you. 

The next step up from the V15 Detect is the Outsize+, with a cleaner head that's 25 percent wider and a dustbin that's 150 percent (at 0.5 gallons) bigger. It also has twice the run time, coming in at 120 minutes versus 60 minutes. As with the Detect line, it comes with an LCD display (and three cleaning modes) and the Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head. The only downside is that it doesn't automatically adjust suction based on floor type. You'll have to use the included Digital Motorbar XL cleaner head for that. Additional accessories include the hair screw tool, combination tool, crevice tool, mini soft dusting brush, stubborn dirt brush, additional battery, and more.

At almost $1,000, this is one of the most expensive Dysons in the lineup and a lot of money to pay for a vacuum. But it's not for everyone. If you're choosing between this one and the V15 Detect, we recommend the Outsize+ for those who have a large home with a lot of square footage, a variety of floor types, and pets you clean up after often. We're currently testing the Outsize+ and it's worth noting that it's a bit less powerful in suction than the V15 Detect. The Outsize+ offers 220 AW while the V15 Detect packs 230 AW. However, the Outsize+ is still the best option if you want to cover more surface area while vacuuming, all while spending less time emptying the dust bin or charging the battery. 

We didn't recommend the V8 before, because you could usually find the better V10 for around the same price. And while Dyson has released a next-gen version of the V8 for $450, it's easy to find the older version on sale for $300 or less at third-party retailers—making it our best budget pick. It's physically hard to say "$300 vacuum" and "budget" in the same breath, but, like all Dyson stick vacs, it converts into a hand vac, so you save space and money by not needing two separate vacuums. 

It's slightly more powerful than the lower-end V7, which also sells for around $300 these days, and it has a 40-minute run time versus the V7's 30 minutes. If you can find them, Dyson has also put out a myriad of sub-models over the years. The V8 has come in many iterations—Animal Pro+, Absolute, and Absolute Pro, just to name a few. They all include accessories like the crevice, wide brush, dusting brush, directly-driven roller head, and motorized brush attachments. They may be a little harder to find, though.

Dyson's V12 Detect Slim (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is excellent for studio or one-bedroom apartments. At just over 5 pounds and 4 feet, the vacuum is compact, lightweight, and agile. It's great for hard-to-reach crevices and is super easy to store away. Equipped with an LCD screen, you can use it to switch between cleaning modes, check battery life, and view filter and blockage information. It's also the first in Dyson's lineup to have a single power button—meaning you no longer have to hold down a trigger the entire time while vacuuming.

It also comes with a variety of attachments including a crevice tool, a combination tool, a wand tool (to store those two accessories), a hair screw tool, a docking station, and a charger for the removable battery. As with the V15 Detect, you'll also get a Motorbar cleaner head and a Laser Slim Fluffy cleaner head—the latter of which shoots out a green light to help you spot and catch microscopic dust. If you need extra accessories, like an extension hose, mattress tool, or mini dusting brush, you can opt for the V12 Detect Slim Extra or V12 Detect Absolute for the same price.

“At 3.31 pounds, it's so light it feels fake,” says product reviewer Jess Grey. Stick vacs already tend to weigh 7 pounds or less and are prized for being easy to whip around furniture legs and over stairs, but the Micro was so much lighter that, for every small mess of stray coffee grounds and clumps of rabbit fur, Grey reached for the Micro instead of her broom.

Despite the size, it still traps 99.99 percent of microscopic dust and particles as small as 0.3 microns. That's as potent a filter as the $700 V15 packs. “My only complaint would be the size of the dust canister,” says Grey. "It’s a little small and fills up fast, but that’s only because it’s so easy to use you’ll find yourself reaching for it over and over."

Vacuums are typically thought of as carpet-first machines, with any hard-floor capabilities being a fringe benefit. The Omni-Glide, though, is designed first and foremost for hard floors. Its head has two soft rollers and four swiveling casters so that you can push it in any direction. It also differs from other Dyson stick vacs by using a button instead of a trigger to turn on the suck.

Adrienne So gave it 7 out of 10 in her review, but it still became her favorite Dyson vacuum due to how easy it was to maneuver. At only 4 pounds, it's one of the lightest vacuums in the lineup. Its dust bin is small and fills up quickly, though, and it isn't big enough or powerful enough to work well on carpets. If your home is full of deep-pile carpet, skip the Omni-Glide. But if you live in a land of hard flooring, it may be your ideal Dyson.

The Cyclone V10 line is great if you're looking for a step up from the V8 and V7. Dyson no longer sells the V10 Motorized Head model, but you can still purchase the Animal or Absolute—the only difference being that the latter comes with three extra tools including a soft roller cleaner head, fabric and mattress tool, along with an up-top adapter (for hard-to-reach high areas) for $40 more. But we only recommend either of the two if you can find it on sale for $450 or less. 

In terms of power, the Cyclone V10 gives you 55 percent more suction over the V7, doubles the run time to an hour, and has a dust bin 40 percent larger, so you don't have to run to the trash can as often. It also captures 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 microns and larger, a feature shared with all subsequent Dysons regardless of model or sub-model. WIRED senior editor Michael Calore wrote that the Cyclone V10 "kicks ass" in his 2018 review (8/10, WIRED Recommends). 

Stick vacuums are small and convenient to store, but they're not always the most convenient to use. If you find yourself perpetually straining your back by trying to vacuum spider webs off the crown molding or squeeze your V7 around the couch, a canister vacuum will give you more maneuverability. You only have to wield a thin suction tube, as long as you don't mind periodically repositioning the canister. Dyson's Cinetic technology means there are no filters to wash or replace, and it still has HEPA-grade filtration for capturing allergens and most particulates.

The Ball Animal 2 is three times more powerful than the V7. Upright corded vacuums are the strongest performers, but you can't convert them into hand vacs as you can with stick vacs. The star of the Ball Animal 2 is a powered, tangle-resistant attachment that uses counter-rotating brush heads to dig pet hair and fur out of thick carpets. 

It also comes with two typical attachments—a long, narrow one and a wide scrubber for general use around the house. Adrienne So received one of these as a wedding gift and has used it every week for over a decade. The sub-model, called the Total Clean, comes with nine attachments for $600. It's tough to recommend at that price, so stick with the regular Ball Animal 2. The Ball Animal 3, however, is the latest version. We have yet to test it, but it comes with more powerful suction, increased bin capacity, and a Motorbar cleaner head (for picking up long hair and pet hair).

Dyson's Origin is a good choice if you don't need all the attachments that usually come included with other upright vacuums, and it occasionally pops up for sale in the $200 range. It's almost as powerful as the Ball Animal 2, and it comes with a stair tool and a combination brush nozzle—that's it. If you want more power than a stick vac, don't mind a cord, and can't justify the price of the Ball Animal 2, the Multi Floor Origin is a solid vac.

The V7 has fallen from our budget recommendation because the better V8 has moved into its price point, but occasionally the V7 is on sale around $200 or less. Gear reviewer Michael McCole really liked the Dyson V7 when he tested it back in 2017 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It's still a great vacuum, but the V7 shows its age—you'll need to recharge it every 30 minutes, and it doesn't have the suction power of newer models.

Certain sub-models of the V7, such as the Animal and Allergy, advertise that they filter 99.97 percent of particles 0.3 microns and larger, which trap the most obnoxious particulates and allergens floating around indoors. Other sub-models include the Absolute, Fluffy, and Motorhead, which differ mostly with the attachments included. The V7 has been on the chopping block for a while, but Dyson continues to sell this good bargain through a few limited stores, including the Dyson Outlet on eBay.

You'll come across a ton of other Dyson vacuums we didn't mention above (for good reason). Avoid the V11 and the Cinetic Big Ball upright.

Adrienne So called the V11 a "dream vac" in her review (8/10, WIRED Recommends), but, like a dream, it now exists only in memory. Dyson discontinued the V11 as subsequent top-of-the-line models dethroned it. Even if you find it for sale for $700, you may as well pay the same money for a newer V15.

The Cinetic Big Ball upright is just too expensive for what you get. So you don't have to wash or replace filters. Is that worth $700? No. If you really want filterless technology, get the Cinetic canister version for $300 less. Dyson's technical specifications also say the Cinetic upright has about 40 percent less suction than any of Dyson's other upright corded vacs.

Dyson doesn't stick to chronological order when naming its stick vacuum models. Sometimes it skips numbers, and sometimes it'll introduce a lower number as a later model than a higher number. For example, Dyson introduced the V15 immediately after the V11, and then the V12 after the V15. In the broadest sense, the numbers seem to loosely grow larger with each passing release—the V11 is newer than the V10, and the V10 is newer than the V8. But Dyson's naming system is cryptic enough that even we can't predict what the subsequent model will be.

Dyson also has a lot of sub-models, because its naming scheme isn't confusing enough. Each one has a different number of included tool attachments and accessories. Every model (V7, V8, V10, V11, V15, etc.) seems to introduce new sub-models, so the list just keeps growing, and then there are discontinued sub-models that show up as old stock on websites, typically on sale.

Detect isn't exactly a sub-model, but rather part of the name of the V15 Detect and V12 Detect Slim. It refers to the laser detection system that measures particle size and count to customize suction power.

Absolute is usually the king-of-the-hill version with the most attachments. We can't list them all, because they vary based on parent model, but expect a variety of brush nozzles, crevice attachments, and motorized roller heads to scrub tough grit off hard floors and out of deep-pile carpets.

Allergy used to mean that it came with an upgraded filter that traps 99.99 percent of bacteria and dust so it expels cleaner air than regular models, but after the V7 all Dyson stick vacs started including the upgraded filters. It's largely a legacy designation now, and it hasn't been used on newer models.

Motorhead sounds fancy, but it's the low-end sub-model that comes with a motorized head, a couple of basic brush and crevice tools, and that's about it. Mostly a holdover from the V7 days. Dyson has found other names for basic sub-models.

Origin, Fluffy, and Animal come with relatively few attachments. The Fluffy and Animal doesn't come with any unique attachments particular to usefulness in cleaning up after pets; it's just become shorthand for "base model with fewer attachments." The same is true for the Origin, although its name makes more sense.

Dyson isn't above combining sub-model names too. Basically, the more names Dyson slaps onto a model, the more attachments it comes with. For example, the V8 Animal Pro comes with more stuff than the Animal, but the Animal Pro+ comes with even more than that.