In 1926, the Hoover vacuum cleaner (initially invented by James Spangler) added a new feature to its bag of household cleaning tricks. This feature was the beater bar.
The beater bar was an innovative and revolutionary vacuum component for its time. This metal bar, with attached bristles, was designed to slot inside the vacuum head and exert a beating action against the carpet.
This would essentially beat the dust out of the rug for easier and more thorough vacuuming.
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Today, however, more and more homeowners are purchasing vacuums without beater bars to clean their carpets. This is for several reasons.
Firstly, more homes are being fitted with hardwood or laminate flooring as opposed to thick carpeting. Beater bars are ineffective and potentially damaging on these types of floors.
Moreover, beater brushes can be too abrasive, even for some types of carpet. Persian rugs, for example, are likely to be damaged by repeated use of a beater bar. They’re also a pain to clean after use.
In this article, we’ll be showing you our selection of the 5 best vacuum cleaners without beater bars.
In a hurry? Bust that dust in record time with our top pick:
Bissell Featherweight Stick Lightweight Bagless Vacuum
- 3-in-1 build for multi-surface compatibility
- Lightweight and easy to handle
- Strong suction
- Easy, bagless waste disposal
- Streamlined for neat storage
- Comes with crevice tool
- 4-color design range
OUR TOP PICK
Bissell’s Featherweight Stick Lightweight Bagless Vacuum is the ultimate solution to getting your hardwood and tile floors clean quickly and painlessly.
The first thing that caught our eye about this vacuum’s build is that it’s essentially a 3-in-1 machine. By removing the stick handle, you can turn this vacuum into a hand-held or stair model.
No more dragging your vacuum painstakingly up the stairs or lugging the entire machine onto the sofa to get rid of crumbs! Not that this vacuum would be difficult to take upstairs in any case - it only weighs 3.8 lbs.
While this vacuum is mostly designed for use on hard flooring, it’s also suitable for cleaning low-pile carpets and rugs.
So, barring deep-pile rugs, this vacuum will be able to handle just about any surface in your home.
And various floor types aren’t the only things this vacuum can work with. This machine can use its powerful suction to blast through varying levels of dust and dirt, from a small sprinkling of crumbs on a kitchen counter to more deeply ingrained grime.
Because the vacuum is bagless, it’s easier to empty than bag-containing competitor models. All you have to do is unclip the chamber and empty it directly over a trash can. Then you can clip back in and be ready to go again!
The streamlined design of the vacuum, combined with the detachability of several of its components, makes this cleaner ideal for out-of-the-way storage.
A crevice tool is also included with the Bissell Featherweight vacuum cleaner, which attaches to the nozzle for those hard-to-reach cleaning tasks.
The Bissell Featherweight is available in 4 beautiful colors, including black, lime, purple, and blue.
The only real drawback we experienced when using this vacuum was that the cord is a little too short. At 15 feet, the cord may be too restrictive for cleaning larger areas from one socket.
Pros:
- 3-in-1 functionality
- Lightweight for ergonomic cleaning
- Intense suction for effective cleaning
- Easy emptying with bagless design
- Streamlined for easy storage
- Crevice tool included
- Available in 4 colors
Cons:
- Restrictive cord length (15 feet)
EDITORS CHOICE
The Miele Compact C1 Powerline Canister Vacuum is one of the best vacuums without a beater bar on the market for dust collection.
The reason the Miele Compact C1 is so good at picking up dust is that it has a high bag capacity of 3.5 liters, combined with a sealed air-clean filter system.
This vacuum has 6 selectable suction speeds, ranging from ‘minimum’ to ‘maximum’. The speeds are labeled with diagrams of surface types around the large, ergonomic rotary dial.
Thanks to its 1200-watt motor, this vacuum is powerful enough to tackle just about any surface, no matter how dusty.
Moreover, the Miele C1 vacuum has an impressive range of 29.5 feet for effortless cleaning over large flooring areas.
Whether you’re working on hard or carpeted floors, this vacuum will perform equally well thanks to its combination low-pile carpet and hard floor nozzle.
The Miele Compact C1 comes with 3 accessories: a dusting brush, a crevice tool, and an upholstery brush.
So, even though this vacuum doesn’t have a beater bar, you can enhance its effectiveness with a combination of the provided accessories.
Pros:
- High capacity (3.5 liters)
- Sealed air clean filter for maximum dust collection
- 6 adjustable speeds for task-oriented cleaning
- Easy-to-use rotary speed dial
- Powerful 1200-watt motor
- 29.5-foot range for convenience
- Crevice tool, dust brush, and upholstery brush included
Cons:
- Not for deep-pile carpets
BEST VALUE
Next up, let’s take a look at the Eureka 3670M Mighty Mite Canister Cleaner.
This vacuum cleaner has excellent multi-surface functionality. This is partly because of its powerful 10-amp suction, which makes this machine suitable for tackling extra-dusty surfaces, and the collection of accessories that comes with it.
When you buy the 3670M, you’ll also get an upholstery brush, a crevice tool, and a dusting brush.
The Eureka 3670M only weighs 9 lbs, making it easier to handle than most heavy-duty competitor models.
This might not be the most lightweight vacuum cleaner on the market, but you’ll certainly have an easier time dragging this vacuum around your home than the 20 lb models you can find in the same price range.
Because the Eureka 3670M uses replaceable dust bags, emptying your vacuum has never been simpler.
Just throw the full bag away and clip a new one into place. No mess or contact with the bag’s contents is necessary.
This vacuum also features a convenient blower port. The blower port lets out a stream of air on command that helps to clear away debris that’s too large to be hoovered up.
For example, you could use the blower function to blow leaves out of the way when vacuuming outside.
This is an excellent feature, but there have been some quality control issues surrounding it, with some customers reporting that the feature doesn’t work at all.
Apart from this one letdown, the Eureka M670M is a handy, high-performing machine that definitely deserves a spot in the top 5 best non-beater-bar vacuum cleaners.
Pros:
- Multi-surface compatibility
- Relatively lightweight (9 lbs)
- Innovative blower port for clearing debris
- Mess-reducing replaceable bag system
- Comes with upholstery nozzle, crevice tool, and dusting brush
Cons:
- Quality control issues surrounding the blower
RUNNER UP
The Makita LXT is a highly convenient, cordless vacuum cleaner model.
Running on an 18-volt lithium battery, this vacuum allows complete freedom of movement along with powerful, effective suction.
The soft-grip handle and total machine weight of 2.7 lbs reduces the likelihood of hand fatigue while cleaning, so even if vacuuming is your least favorite household chore, we’re willing to bet you’ll enjoy it more with this vacuum model.
The Makita LXT also comes with an extension attachment, crevice nozzle, and floor nozzle, so whether you need to extend your reach or get into tiny spaces, the Makita LXT will allow you to do so.
The nozzles can also be foregone altogether if you prefer to use this vacuum as a handheld appliance.
This detachability enhances the already compact design of the Makita LXT for more convenient storage.
The only foreseeable problem with the Makita LXT is that the battery only provides 20 minutes of continuous run time, which may not be enough time for a complete clean of a larger home.
Pros:
- Cordless for freedom of movement
- Powerful suction
- Soft-grip handle for comfort
- Super lightweight (2.7 lbs)
- Handheld functionality for convenience
- Compact, easy storage
Cons:
- Only 20 minutes of run time
RUNNER UP
Finally, we have another Bissell vacuum cleaner for you. This time, we’d like to talk about the Symphony Pet Steam Mop and Steam Vacuum Cleaner!
This vacuum is designed exclusively for tiled or hardwood floors and provides the enormous advantage of allowing users to vacuum, steam, and mop their floors at the same time!
Driven by a powerful 1,100-watt motor, this vacuum works in conjunction with a steam mop system designed to destroy 99.9% of bacteria.
With the addition of Bissell’s scented waters, this vacuum will have your home looking and smelling incredible in no time!
This vacuum also uses a Drop-It tank emptying system. This system means you can empty your vacuum’s tank in seconds without touching any of the contents.
2 kinds of pads are included with the Bissell Symphony Pet vacuum model. The regular, microfiber pads are reusable, while the disposable pads can be thrown away for those messes you’d rather not have to deal with after cleaning.
If you want your vacuum cleaner to do something good for the world as well as your home, this vacuum is a perfect choice.
A portion of revenue from each purchase contributes towards funding for the Bissell Pet Foundation, which rehomes abandoned pets.
However, please be aware that this vacuum is not suitable for use on unsealed hardwood floors. Bissell’s scented waters must also be purchased separately.
Pros:
- Efficient 1,100-watt motor
- Simultaneous vacuuming and steam mopping
- No-contact emptying system
- Disposal pads included for nasty messes
- Purchases contribute towards Bissell Pet Foundation
Cons:
- Not for use on unsealed hard floors
- Scented water sold separately