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Buying a good vacuum was one of those boring-but-necessary adulting chores (like going to the dentist or getting my car’s oil changed) that I knew I should do but kept putting off. Frankly, I didn’t think I could afford one. I got by with a cheap vac that was heavy and loud, didn’t suck up anything all that well, and died within a few short years. In 2014, with a toddler and two cats mucking up my apartment, I finally decided it was time to make the investment. I upgraded to a Miele canister vacuum, and I’ll never go back.

My old vacuum lugged around the apartment and roared like a motorcycle. By contrast, my Miele maneuvers elegantly around furniture, emitting a pleasant hum. It also cleans much, much better. The air feels cleaner, and there’s less dust. And there’s virtually none of that unwholesome grit that accumulates on the surfaces of New York City apartments.

Praised by nearly everyone as excellent, this nimble canister vacuum works on any kind of flooring, runs quiet, and should last for decades. This model is great for those with asthma and allergies, but it requires bags.

The Miele cost me about $400, but I’ve had it going on eight years and will likely use it for another decade. Even with the cost of the replacement bags (about $160, total, so far), that’s a much better value than the sub-$200 vac that died on me after a few years.

The robust filtration also turned out to be essential. When my second kid was about 18 months old, she developed rough, inflamed patches of eczema all over her arms and legs that she’d scratch bloody. We discovered she has a major dust mite allergy. At the time I had cheaped out (again! it’s a trend) and was using flimsy, off-brand vacuum bags. Once I switched back to Miele’s bags, her skin calmed way down. (Investing in HEPA air purifiers also helped.)

The reason Miele vacuums filter dust so well is that they use self-closing bags and rubber gaskets throughout the system, to keep dirty air from leaking out of the canister. You can also buy a HEPA filter for Miele vacs, but it’s likely worth it only for people with extreme asthma or allergies.

We’ve tested dozens of plug-in vacuums over the years, and the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 has remained our favorite since 2014.

Miele sells over a dozen different canister vacuums, ranging from roughly $300 to $1,600. You definitely don’t need the most expensive model. The one to get really depends on your floors. I have hardwoods and throw rugs, so I’m good with a basic model. (The one I bought has been discontinued. But it has specs that are very similar to those of this Classic C1 Turbo model.) I don’t even use the cleaning head for carpets. But if you do have carpets, you’ll probably want one with an air-powered turbo brush head, like the Complete C3 Calima, which we recommend in our guide.

All of the Miele canister vacuums basically have the same canister (though some are smaller or larger, and some seal a little better). After years of testing, we’ve found that the biggest differences between lower- and higher-end models are whether they have an electric or air-powered cleaning head, whether they have a crush-proof hose, and how you control the cleaning settings. To help you pick the best model for your needs, we include a Miele canister vacuum cheat sheet in our guide.

I’m not the only Miele superfan at Wirecutter. A lot of my co-workers own these canister vacs and give them high praise (as do many of the industry experts we’ve talked with, including one from a competing brand!). If the price is holding you back, believe me, I get it. But when you’re finally ready to get the right tool for the job, investing in a Miele is totally worth it.

Like I said, we recommend getting the Miele canister vacuum that will work sufficiently for your floors. They’re all good! Here’s why:

Read more in our guide to upright and canister vacuums.

Miele canister vacuums rarely go on sale. Spring is often a good time to buy vacuums, so we look for sales then. Otherwise, look during major holiday sales.

Street price: $800 for the Miele Complete C3 Calima

Best price we’ve ever seen: $600

By doing periodic maintenance—such as cleaning out clogs—you can help your Miele vac to keep running like new for years. My former colleague, vac expert Liam McCabe, goes into detail in this post on how to clean clogs and troubleshoot bigger problems.

Along with changing the bags once they’re full, you’ll also need to occasionally swap out the motor protector and exhaust filters. Miele bags come in boxes of four (along with filters). The company recommends changing the filters after you’ve cycled through four bags or (for some models) after a year.

If someone in your household has allergies, don’t be like me and cheap out on the bags. Miele’s are self-sealing and very thick—part of what makes the vacuums work so well. When I used thinner, 3M bags, not only did my daughter’s eczema get worse, but I noticed there was a lot more dust and grit in my home. The Miele bags are expensive (usually around $17 for four), but they’re worth it if you need the full effect of the good filtration. If you need even more powerful filtration, you can also buy a HEPA filter.

Christine Cyr Clisset is a deputy editor overseeing home coverage for Wirecutter. She previously edited cookbooks and craft books for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and she started reviewing kitchen gear back in 2013. She sews many of her own clothes, which has made her obsessive about high-quality fabrics—whether in a dress or bedsheets.

by Tim Heffernan and Liam McCabe

Pets shed constantly, and the only vacuum that can keep up with all that hair is a robot vacuum, but a good all-around traditional vacuum can also help.

We’ve tested dozens of robot vacuums, and recommend the sturdy, strong, smart-enough Roomba i3 EVO first, followed closely by the super-clever Roborock S4 Max .

by Liam McCabe and Michelle Ma

While any vacuum can clean bare floors, some models make the task a little easier. The most versatile option of these is the Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV352 .

For a dependable, versatile, and affordable cleaner, we prefer a bagless upright, but we have recommendations for other types of vacuums as well.

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