The best cylinder vacuums deliver powerful suction, whilst still being lightweight and easy to move around. Some of the best vacuum cleaners available today are cylinder designs, with models suited to everything from compact flats to busy family houses. While they may not offer the grab-and-go convenience of a cordless vacuum or the automation of a robot vacuum cleaner, cylinder vacuums continue to impress where it matters most: cleaning performance.
It’s no surprise that professional cleaners regularly rely on cylinder vacuums, and according to cleaning expert and author Laura Mountford, their popularity comes down to both versatility and power. “Cylinder vacuums are lightweight but with heavy duty power, because they focus on pure suction rather than rotating brushes,” says Laura. “Most models come with lots of tools and attachments that can be used to clean all around your home. They are basically the Swiss Army knife of vacuum cleaners – great for vacuuming different surface types, the stairs, getting into tight spaces, sofas, curtains and rugs.”
Drawing on years of experience testing vacuum cleaners, I put a range of cylinder models through their paces to discover which options are really worth your money. Whether you’re after a bagged or bagless design, something suited to allergy sufferers or one of the best pet vacuums for tackling stubborn hair, there’s a cylinder vacuum cleaner to suit every type of household in this round-up.
Read more: Best corded vacuum cleaners, tested by an expert
The best cylinder vacuums for 2026 are:
- Best overall – Miele boost CX1 parquet powerline: £349, Miele.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Morphy Richards MRXCYLINDERFLEX powersphere cylinder vacuum: £79.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for pets – Sebo airbelt E3 premium + boost 2.0: £567.90, Sebo.co.uk
- Best for larger homes – Vacmaster D8 cylinder vacuum cleaner: £99.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for longevity – Henry HVR 160-II vacuum cleaner: £169.99, Amazon.co.uk
Read more: The best handheld vacuums, tried and tested
Miele boost CX1 parquet powerline
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner overall
Why we love it
- Superior suction
- Great manoeuvrability
- Elegant design
- Standard floorhead suits all floor types
Take note
- Bin isn't as large as other cylinder vacuums
There’s a reason Miele vacuums remain perennially popular, with models that last and accessories that work. Bagless and compact, the boost CX1 vacuums are slightly cheaper options in Miele’s lineup, with several varieties to choose from. The best cylinder vacuum I tested, the parquet powerline, is part of the range, and comes with a specialised ‘parquet twister’ head for delicate hard floors.
I loved how quickly this whizzed over my ancient hardwood floors, picking up dirt and debris without any risk of scratching, when using the standard floorhead. We foster cats for a charity, so the house usually looks like several tigers have been shedding their fur on an hourly basis, but Miele’s cylinder vacuum made light work of hair (including my own very long additions), pulling it out of both short and deeper pile carpets with ease.
If I’m being ultra picky, I would love the addition of an anti-hair wrap to the main head and the 1l bin isn’t as large as other vacuums I tested, such as the Dyson cinetic big ball animal 2 (1.7 litres). But aside from these minor quibbles, this cylinder vacuum is lightweight, easy to manoeuvre and gives excellent results.
Key specifications:
Buy now £349, Miele.co.uk
Morphy Richards MRXCYLINDERFLEX powersphere cylinder vacuum
Best: budget cylinder vacuum cleaner
Why we love it
- Adjustable suction power
- Impressive suction for a small vacuum
- Large bin
Take note
- Power button sometimes needs to be pushed in twice to make the vacuum work
- Feels a little bit flimsy
I was very pleasantly surprised with the suction power of the Morphy Richards powersphere cylinder vacuum, which far exceeded what I was expecting from our best budget friendly vacuum. It’s particularly good on hard flooring, where it did an excellent job picking up dust along with larger cereal pieces.
The standard floorhead did a pretty good job on carpets and pet hair, but you have also got the option of the pet turbo tool, which was impressive on upholstery. The only downside here is that the pet head is pretty small and, if you want to use it on carpets, it’s going to take a while. But, apart from the Miele guard L1 cat & dog flex that has a considerably larger pet hair attachment, this is a fairly standard size.
I really appreciated the washable HEPA filter for allergy sufferers and the decent bin capacity, but I did find that the power button sometimes needed to be pushed in twice to make it work.
Key specifications:
Buy now £79.99, Amazon.co.uk
Sebo airbelt E3 premium + boost 2.0
Best: cyclinder vacuum cleaner for pet owners
Why we love it
- Variable power and power boost for difficult cleaning tasks
- Power head is incredibly powerful and sucks up hair easily
- Large bin
- Bumper system to protect walls and furniture
Take note
- Power head is very heavy
- Long hose can be a little unwieldy in small spaces
- Pricey compared to other cylinder vacuums
A Sebo vacuum cleaner is an investment, but when people report that their models are still going strong after 20 years of use, it’s one worth making. This E3 model comes with Sebo’s ET1 electric power head, which absolutely breezed through cat and human hair on my carpets without any tangling in the brushes. It’s one of the best cylinder vacuums on the market for pet owners, in my humble opinion.
The head has a four-way manual height adjustment for different carpet piles, and you can switch the brush motor off for delicate flooring. Plus there’s adjustable suction and a power boost for ground-in dirt. While the power head attachment is incredibly effective, it’s heavy and can be a little unwieldy to move around, unlike those found on similarly priced vacuums.
Still, the standard attachment is exceptionally good on hard floors, so this is a small price to pay for brilliant results. The integrated crevice and upholstery tools and the dusting brush, combined with the Sebo’s ability to get into edges, makes removing fiddly fine dust and debris a breeze.
Key specifications:
Buy now £540.9, Sebo.co.uk
Vacmaster D8 cylinder vacuum cleaner
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner for larger homes
Why we love it
- Simple to use
- Powerful suction
- Huge bin capacity
Take note
- Can be a little tough to push around on longer pile carpets
- Dust bags aren’t self-sealing
Robust, simply designed and with space to store attachments on board, the Vacmaster D8’s powerful suction and huge bin capacity makes the best cylinder vacuums for larger homes and messy jobs.
Design-wise, the Vacmaster D8 a little basic compared to fancier models like the Miele and Dyson, but that also means it’s incredibly easy to use. It has a simple on / off switch, tough plastic clips on the side to access the filter and vacuum bags, and four wheels that makes it easy to move around and use.
The Vacmaster also has incredibly powerful suction, so much so that I actually found it a little too powerful on longer pile carpets. Fortunately, there’s an air vent on top to reduce the suction power but even with this open, it took a little bit of effort to push. But apart from needing to use a little elbow grease in this situation, there’s not much to dislike about this well-designed cylinder vacuum.
Key specifications:
Buy now £99.99, Amazon.co.uk
Henry HVR 160-II vacuum cleaner
Best: cyclinder vacuum cleaner for longevity
Why we love it
- Solidly built
- Lots of attachments
- Big bin capacity
- Easy to get repaired
Take note
- Struggles with pet hair
Is there any vacuum cleaner design more iconic than the charming smiley face of the Henry vacuum cleaner? It’s not just a pretty face though, the Henry performs reliably and is particularly good on hard flooring. I wouldn’t recommend it for pet owners though, unless you invest in the turbo tool (£34.99, Myhenry.com) as a separate purchase.
With a similar simple design to the Vacmaster D8 cylinder vacuum, the Henry has a large 6l bin and a 10m cord to make both emptying and plugging in far less frequent.
I also really liked the choice of curved and straight extension tubes to make it easier to manoeuvre around in awkward spaces. Overall, this is the best cylinder vacuum for longevity as the design and parts have never changed, so the brand can repair problems easily.
Key specifications:
Buy now £169, Myhenry.com
Bosch series 2 bagless vacuum cleaner
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner for awkward spaces
Why we love it
- Powerful suction
- Easy to move around
- Well balanced
Take note
- Only one accessory tool, which is a bit flimsy
The compact Bosch series 2 bagless vacuum cleaner is another cylinder model that looks fairly innocuous to the eye, but packs a punch when it comes to suction. In fact, before I realised that there is a slider switch on the back of the body as well as on the handle, the suction was so powerful that it started to lift the laminate off the edge of my bathroom floor.
Nonetheless, this suction really came into play when it came to getting dust and debris out of awkward spaces and corners. Even though the included dusting brush is a little flimsy, you’ll still find the suction makes up for this in hard-to-reach corners.
The Bosch was at its most efficient on hard flooring and, much like the Henry, I wouldn’t recommend it for pet owners. But for those with tricky layouts or lots of nooks and crannies, it’s the best cylinder vacuum for these awkward spaces.
Key specifications:
Buy now £99.99, Amazon.co.uk
Miele guard L1 cat & dog flex vacuum cleaner
Best: cyclinder vacuum cleaner for deep cleans
Why we love it
- Powerful on stubborn dirt and pet hair
- Easy to move around
- Four power modes to choose from
Take note
- Would have liked anti-hair wrap in a vacuum designed for pet hair
I never thought I’d coo over a vacuum cleaner but the Miele guard L1 really is a thing of beauty. Clad in obsidian black, it’s beautifully designed with cleverly placed buttons and a range of attachments carried on board the machine.
Fortunately, it’s also not just style over substance. The Miele guard L1 is the best cylinder vacuum for deep cleans, with its powerful turbobrush pulling up stubborn dirt, debris and pet hair with ease.
Although I felt the Sebo just edged it as a pet vacuum, the Miele is also fantastic for pet owners. Although I do wish it had anti-hair wrap technology as you’ll find on one of the heads with the Dyson.
Key specifications:
Buy now £399, Miele.co.uk
Dyson cinetic big ball animal 2 cylinder vacuum cleaner
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner for easy maintenance
Why we love it
- Floorhead adjusts automatically
- Very easy to empty dust bin
- Includes anti-hair wrap turbine tool
Take note
- Pneumatic floorhead isn’t great on pet hair
Dyson’s latest model takes away the need for filters and bags, using cinetic technology that it says can capture the dust that clogs your vacuum. I can’t say how well this will work over months and years, but during testing I was hugely impressed by how well the bin emptied and the lack of any clogging in the pipes and inlets.
The pneumatic cleaner head adjusts automatically for different floor types and while its performance was great on all surfaces, it didn’t fare well with cat hair at all. There is the option of a tangle free anti-hair wrap turbine tool, although this is on the small side.
There’s a good range of accessories included with Dyson’s big ball vacuum cleaner, although you can only attach one to the main machine (so you’ll need space to store them).
Key specifications:
Buy now £299, Currys.co.uk
Russell Hobbs ATLAS2 PET 2.5l cylinder vacuum cleaner
Best: lightweight cylinder vacuum cleaner
Why we love it
- Incredibly lightweight
- Big bin for its size
- Decent suction
Take note
- It feels a bit flimsy in comparison to some vacuum cleaners
It might be the cheapest vacuum cleaner in our list, but this Russell Hobbs packs a big punch. A generous 2.5 litre bin and 5 metres of cord mean it’s ideal for bigger houses, whilst also being very lightweight and easy to move around.
There’s decent suction with this vacuum and the main floorhead did a good job of pulling up pet hair from carpets, although I did have to remove some from the brushes afterwards.
As with other cylinder vacuums I tested, the pet turbo tool could be bigger, and it will take you a while to clean upholstery or carpets with it. The three-in-one tool covers crevices and upholstery, as well as housing a brush, and is nicely designed, if a little flimsy. But overall, this is a fantastic little lightweight cylinder vacuum.
Key specifications:
Buy now £52.99, Robertdyas.co.uk
Swan x Lynsey cylinder multi-cyclonic pet vacuum cleaner
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner for small flats
Why we love it
- Excels on dust
- Good at vacuuming on laminate and hard flooring
Take note
- Main floorhead can’t cope with pet hair
- Pet tool is very loud
The Swan x Lynsey cylinder vacuum is particularly well suited to laminate and hard flooring, as it excels at picking up dust on these surfaces.
Its suction isn’t as powerful as some of the other similarly priced vacuums I tested, so I wouldn’t recommend it for larger homes. It’s the best cylinder vacuum for small flats though, particularly as these often have hard flooring throughout. It has decent bin size and excellent cord length too, so you won’t have to empty or plug it in very often, if at all, in smaller spaces.
The main floorhead simply couldn’t cope with pet hair, balling it up on carpet rather than suctioning it up, but the included pet tool did remove dander quickly and efficiently.
Key specifications:
Buy now £62.99, Amazon.co.uk
Hoover H-power 300 bagless cylinder vacuum cleaner
Best: cylinder vacuum cleaner for allergies
Why we love it
- Performed well on carpets and hard floors
- Good for allergy sufferers
- Easy to adjust for different cleaning tasks
Take note
- Not effective at tackling pet hair
The Hoover vacuums are, in my experience, a particularly good choice for allergy sufferers and the 300 Bagless is no exception. Not only does it have a washable HEPA H13 filter, but it also has ‘Silver Ion’ technology that Hoover says will help to prevent bacteria building up in the bin. The filter is easy to detach with a simple button, and the one-click bin emptying system means it’s easy to shoot dust and debris straight into the bin rather than it flying up into the air.
I really liked the retractable carrying handle on the body of the vacuum and appreciated the suction adjustment not only on the handle, but also on the floorhead to easily switch between carpet and hard flooring. The two hoses in the box enable you plenty of reach for getting up high and under beds, and it performed well across both carpets and hard floors.
The only let down was when it came to pet hair on carpet, which it really struggled with. For this, you’d be better off either investing in the Sebo or upgrading to the pet version of the Hoover H-power (£89, Amazon.co.uk).
Key specifications:
Buy now £129.99, Amazon.co.uk
Your questions about cylinder vacuums answered
What is the best cylinder vacuum?
The Miele boost CX1 parquet powerline was my best overall cylinder vacuum cleaner, thanks to its ability to handle all the dirt, debris and pet hair I chucked at it. If you’re a pet owner and you have the budget, the Sebo airbelt E3 premium + boost 2.0 and its electric power head will be hard to beat for sheer suction power. Those on a budget won’t go wrong with the compact Morphy Richards MRXCYLINDERFLEX powersphere cylinder vacuum, which I thought had really impressive suction and a decent bin capacity for its price.
How I tested cylinder vacuum cleaners
I put every cylinder vacuum in this guide to the test in my busy family home with two cats, and assessed each one on the following factors:
Which is better, a cylinder or an upright vacuum cleaner?
According to Kiril Natov, carpet and upholstery cleaning technician at Premium Clean, there are pros and cons to both varieties of vacuum:
Cylinder vacuum cleaners
Upright vacuum cleaners
What are the different types of cylinder vacuum?
As well as corded and cordless models, Natov breaks down the key cylinder varieties into four categories:
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Jo Plumridge is an expert product tester with more than 20 years of experience writing for a variety of magazines, websites and books. Her interests centre on interior design, sleep and photography, as well as home and tech products. For her review of cylinder vacuums, each model was tested in her busy family home.
For more tried-and-tested cleaning appliances, check out IndyBest’s guide to the best Shark vacuums and the best Dyson vacuums