The Best Vacuum Under $100 – Ultimate 2018 List

When you need cleaning on the cheap, you need the best vacuum under $100 in your corner. This price range has some challenges (obviously), but overall you can still find some good value while saving a boat load of money. Seriously, who needs an $800 vacuum? Is it really that much better?

Maybe, maybe not. But these cheap vacuums will get you pretty far for you money. So check out our list of the best cheap vacuums!

The Best Vacuum Under $100 – Reviews

5. Anker HomeVac Duo 2-in-1 Cordless – The Dark Horse

best vacuum under 100Anker is not one of the most well known brands of vacuum like Dyson, Hoover and Bissell. But they sure do put out a fantastic product! This Anker HomeVac is all that and a bag of chips compared to even more expensive brands.


Anker is not your typical vacuum company. In fact, vacuums aren’t even what Anker is known for. They are a global company that specializes in portable batteries and chargers. So think of things like portable phone and tablet charges. The HomeVac is a spin for them, but they were able to incorporate their specialty into it…. quality battery!

The biggest benefit of the HomeVac is the long battery life on this portable (and rechargeble) vacuum. Most high end vacuums last between 15-20 minutes tops. And that’s if their lucky. The HomeVac vacuum works in “full power” mode for a solid 24 minutes before you’ll see any fade. That’s over 20% better! If you switch to eco-mode, you’ll get a full 60 minutes of juice before anything fades.

So if you really need a quick picker upper type vacuum and you love cordless for under $100, think of going a different route than the standard players.

Pros

Great battery life

2-in-1 feature of handheld

HEPA filtration

Can turn off motor brush

18-month warranty

Cons

Not for full & deep cleaning

Tough to find replacement parts

Doesn’t stand well on dock

 

The other excellent feature on this HomeVac is the quick transition to become a handheld vacuum for stairs and furniture. With only a push of a button, the inner portion of the vacuum (the part with the battery and dust bin) pop off with a nice handle so you can bring it with you. You can quickly pick up the cheerios the kids dropped on the couch or the dog hair trapped on the stairs.

The Ankler HomeVac does have a brush to use on low carpet, but it works better on hardwood and tiles floors. The suction power is decent for a vacuum (good for a cordless), but not that great compared to a conventional vacuum. The battery is the limiting factor on how much power you can generate.

Some extra features that we liked are the folding handle for better storage, the LED lights on front (which are surprisingly bright), the washable filters and the easy mounting charging station.

Some things we don’t like about the HomeVac are the lack of replacement products. That’s been the biggest knock on Ankler with this vacuum. If it breaks, you’ll basically need to buy a new one. Also, the suction isn’t the best we’ve seen for cordless vacuums, but it’s decent. And the maneuverability on this vacuum is surprisingly bad given how small the head is.

You can see more on the Ankler HomeVac here on Amazon.

 

4. Bissell PowerEdge Pet 81L2T – Best Laminate Floor Vacuum Under $100

best vacuum under 100This Bissell is a great option for hardwood floors. The PowerEdge has a lot of great features and is a strong contender, but it does have solid limitations that you need to be aware of. The PowerEdge has made a few of our other tops lists here and here.

The PowerEdge has a unique V-shape design which is a new design for hardwood floor vacuums. The basic concept is the outer portion of the V is designed to suck up smaller particles. Then the stationary brushes push bigger particles toward the center of the V where the suction is stronger. This allows you to make fewer passes around the bare floor and clean more effectively.

To add to the attractive design is the easy maneuverability of this vacuum. It’s got the swivel head design that we all love to push around effortlessly. And with a near law-flat design you can fit underneath most furniture in a breeze. Plus that V design even allows for better cleaning around furniture legs! Talk about unique features.

If you are a pet owner, this vacuum is one of the most beneficial for you. Chances are you have some hardwood, laminate or tile floor in your home somewhere (at the very least the kitchen). This vacuum is your pet hair magnet on those types of floors. Like we said, it won’t work well on carpet, but it’s an absolute beast on bare floors!

Pros

Excellent on hardwood/tile

Excellent on pet hair removal

Swivel steering

Lay-flat and ergonomic design

Cons

Terrible on carpet

Shorter power cord

No attachments/hose

 

Of the 5,000 Amazon reviews,  about 2/3rds of people rate this Bissell at 5 stars! They love the simplicity and ease of use most. Plus it’s a bagless design which makes emptying the canister a breeze. And most people have found this vacuum to work even better than advertised on pet hair!

Now this vacuum isn’t all roses and chocolates. It’s got some drawbacks since it’s on the cheaper side. Obviously, we’ve pointed out the fact about carpets. In addition to that, there are no other attachments or hoses on this vacuum. So even though it’s fantastic at getting around tight spaces, you’ll still run into spots that could use a hose crevice tool and the PowerEdge can’t provide.

The other two big downsides people have noted are the short power cord and the smaller dust cup. The power cord is only 20 feet which is considerably shorter than other vacuums we’ve seen in this range. Most people would prefer seeing a 25+ foot cord to help with those larger rooms. The smaller dust cup isn’t the worst since it’s so simple to empty and keep using in a minute.

If you really only need a vacuum for bare floors, this would be our top choice under $100. It has all you need for those bare floors combined with pet hair removal.

You can see more about the Bissell PowerEdge here on Amazon.

 

3. The Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Upright UH70120

best vacuum under 100Hoover is always in the discussion when talking about “best xyz vacuum” and they’ve earned that right. Hoover is well known for making good vacuums. I know we’ve owned a Hoover at one point and enjoyed it.

The WindTunnel has a lot of great features for the money which is why it was considered a Best Buy of the Year 2014 by the Consumer Reports. Even at the price, it was able to beat out many more expensive brands for that title on Consumer Reports.  The areas that really boosted the WindTunnel are airflow, floor cleaning capability, emission reduction and even pet hair removal. However, it did score an average rating when it comes to noise pollution .

Hoover has already seen the kind of situation that you might be in and as a result, they have an amazing solution that proves to be smart, handy and again powerful in all situations. The WindTunnel has all you need, with its uniquely design body, which is well manufactured in a way it can strongly encounter your problem.

The WindTunnel, which has a solid 4 star rating on Amazon, proving it has all that you need in one vacuum. There are very many customers’ positive view and reviews proofs as to why this vacuum has gotten on my list at position 3.

Some of the best features on this vacuum are simple and easy. It’s steering is incredible with the swivel design that most people love. But because of the ergonomic handle, it’s actually surprisingly easy to control. It has 5 different height adjustments for different length of carpet. This is fantastic and allows customization for nearly everyone. The Windtunnel is surprisingly quiet given how powerful it is. And it even has an auto-rewind cord.

Pros

5 position height adjustment

Auto-rewind cord

8-foot hose with attachments

Great on pet hair

HEPA filter

Cons

Slightly heavy at 16 lbs.

No on/off button for motor brush

 

Combine all that with the unique attachment hose and you’ve got a great vacuum under $100. The hose is 8 feet long which allows even shorter people to reach high ceilings. Then you’ve got the air-powered turbo brush for furniture, the crevice tool for corners, and the dusting brush for hanging drapes. It’s a very versatile design.

With over 8,000 reviews on Amazon, it’s safe to say people know what to expect with this Hoover vacuum. It’s got a long list of positives, but also some drawbacks because of the price. The shorter 25 foot power cord is a little less than we like. Prefer a 30-footer to really extend the reach of this multi-surface vacuum. Also, the dust cup is on the small side which requires frequent emptying. This also isn’t the worst, but slightly annoying.

The other slight negative is the weight. It comes in at a full 16 lbs. It’s not gigantic, but it’s pretty substantial compared to a few other vacuums on this list. It’ll be tough for elderly or weaker people to operate this vacuum given it’s size.

Overall, most reviews have said they really enjoy this cheaper vacuum and would likely buy it again over the more expensive brands like Dyson  or Kenmore. But that’s why it’s on our list!

You can see more on the Hoover WindTunnel here on Amazon.

 

2. The Shark Bag-less & Cordless Navigator Stick SV1106 – The Best Cordless Vacuum Under $100

best vacuum under 100Shark is another brand that most people are familiar with for vacuums. And rightfully so. They’ve proven they are capable of creating a solid and durable vacuum and people notice. This Bag-less Navigator is no different.

The Navigator is a very solid choice for vacuums under $100 and it has a lot of excellent features.

First, it’s cordless (as the name says) which means you can bring it anywhere for a period of time. At only 7.5 lbs, it’s one of the most convenient and lightweight upright vacuums you’ll find. This is a huge plus for a large number of people since they need a lightweight vacuum.

The Shark has a motorized brush that can be turned off, so it can be used on both carpet and bare floors without worry. The brush is powerful enough to really tackle low to medium carpet which is rather impressive for a battery operated vacuum.

The battery on this Navigator is fairly strong, but not as great as we’ve seen. On bare floors, the battery will last about 17 minutes and on carpet about 12 minutes. This vacuum is obviously meant for quick cleanup and spot checks, not full out cleaning of carpets. T

he battery can take anywhere from 4 to 7 hours to fully charge. And the charging station will double as a storage dock when not using it. Thankfully, it was designed to be constantly plugged in without harming the battery life. So use it when you need it and recharge it anytime you’re not.

Pros

Cordless

Weighs only 7.5 lbs

Rubber wheels

On/off motorized brush

Strong suction for cordless

Cons

Short battery life (17 minutes)

Takes a while to recharge

Cannot do deep cleaning on carpet

Not HEPA rated

Other small but exciting improvements are the rubber wheels to protect your hardwood floors. We typically don’t see those in cheaper vacuums so that’s a nice touch. Also, this Shark has a clever little opening in the front to allow larger debris to flow into the suction panel easily. It’s the little improvements that really count and Shark knocked it out with this cheap vacuum.

Although the Navigator has a lot going for it, there’s some drawbacks on the price. The Stik is not really a full deep cleaning device since it has a relatively short battery life. You’ll still need to buy another vacuum or cleaner if you have a large home and lots of carpet.

Thick carpet also seems to be the Navigators’ Kryptonite. If you have plush, thick carpet this cordless Shark is not for you. It’s also a little noisier that we would prefer for a cordless vacuum. It’s a little louder than it really should be. Combine that with the 1 year warranty (we’d prefer 2) and there’s your list of unfortunate drawbacks. Not the worst things, but noticeable.

Overall, it’s got over 3,000 reviews on Amazon and most are very positive about this vacuum. As long as you keep the drawbacks in your mind an understand what you’re buying, you’ll be happy with this Shark.

You can see more on the Cordless Shark Navigator Stik here on Amazon.

 

1. BISSELL 9595A Vacuum with One Pass

best vacuum under 100At my number 1 on our list is the BISSELL 9595A Vacuum with One Pass – Corded. It’s another popular one for our lists such as this list here. This vacuum has a unique multi-cyclonic kind of technology. This muti-cyclone tech basically separates large particles from smaller ones so they can more effectively be trapped inside the vacuum. The light weighted vacuum insures that no piece of dirt is left behind due to its new innovative brushes which clear the dirt in one pass (hence the name right!).

At the $100 level, some manufacturers make sacrifices in options. Most commonly is having a hose and attachment system to be flexible in cleaning. Thankfully, the OnePass does not make these sacrifices. It has an extension wand, crevice tool, and turbo brush to tackle stairs and furniture.

Let’s be honest, we all want a simple vacuum that gets the job done. the OnePass delivers that and a little more with the innovative design and cheap price tag.

Here’s why you can feel confident trusting this Bissell product: it has over 8,000 reviews on Amazon with 2/3rds of people rating it 5 stars! And 75% of people have given it 4 or more stars! That’s a pretty fantastic rating for a product with 8,000 reviews. It goes to show that other customers are seeing how good this Bissell product is.

Pros

Excellent suction power

Hose w/ attachments

5 adjustable heights

2 year warranty

Washable filters

Cons

Heavier at 15 lbs

No on/off switch for brush

Not HEPA rated

 

Now let’s look at some other fun features of this OnePass 9595A vacum. First, it’s a bagless design with a powerful motor for cleaning. This makes the Bissell very versatile for both carpet and hardwood floors. In addition, it’s got 5 adjustable height settings to even handle high and long carpet. Now you have to manually adjust the height, but that’s to be expected for only $100.

So since it’s the $100 range we’re discussing, we need to highlight the drawbacks. There will be some with every vacuum and this Bissell is no different. First off, it’s a little heavier than most others at a whooping 15 lbs. That doesn’t seem like too much, but when you consider most others we’re talking about weigh less than 10, it becomes noticeable.

The other big challenge with the OnePass is the shorter power cord. It’s a solid 25 feet (which isn’t too short) but we would prefer to see a 30 foot cord. Since this vacuum is pretty good at multiple floor types, it would be nice to have an extra long cord so you can really hit multiple rooms at one time.

The last downfall is the lack of an on/off switch for the motorized beater brush. Bissell claims the height adjustments can accomplish this by moving the brush up high enough on laminate floors, but we’d still prefer to just turn it off.

Overall though, the OnePass is a very solid choice for a good cheap vacuum.

You can see more about the Bissell OnePass 9595A here on Amazon.

 

Overall, we hope you can see that having a great vacuum doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. Sometimes, great things come in cheaper packages if you know where to look. We hope you liked our list of the best vacuum under $100 and if you want to add any more, feel free to comment!

 

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