Best Black Friday Deals on Vacuums

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To pinpoint this year's best holiday vacuum deals, we scoured store circulars and websites of major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart—on the hunt for sales on CR's top-performing vacuum cleaners.

By and large, we didn't find bargain-basement prices, but many feature-rich models are seeing discounts of up to 40 percent off.

“Typically vacuums with more features cost more, so the holiday sales are a good time to get more for your money,” says Kelly Moomey, CR’s market analyst for vacuums and floor-care products.

If you’ve always wanted a Dyson, we found discounts on Dyson upright and stick vacuums. We also found a great deal on a pricey Miele canister vacuum and some lower-priced Shark uprights and sticks marked down even further. Plus, discounts on top robotic vacuums.

Below, listed in alphabetical order by type—upright, canister, stick, and robotic—are the best deals available now. We will continue to update this list throughout the month, so check back if you don’t see what you’re looking for.

Unsure what type of vacuum you need? Check out our full vacuum ratings and recommendations and read our vacuum cleaner buying guide.

Best Upright Vacuum Deals

Dyson Ball Animal 2
The deal: $300 at Lowe’s, Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Macy’s, and Target
CR’s test results: Dyson Ball Animal 2
You can find this capable vacuum marked down $200 by at least six retailers. The 17-pound Dyson Ball Animal 2 earns a Very Good rating for carpet cleaning. It aces our bare-floor and pet-hair tests, too. Emissions are clean, so this vacuum won’t spew debris back into the room (although emptying the bin can stir up some dust). It comes with attachments that help you get into tight spaces. In our brand reliability survey, Dyson uprights receive Good ratings for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal + Allergy
The deal: $432 at Home Depot, $450 at Walmart, $480 at Wayfair, $500 at Best Buy
CR’s test results: Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal + Allergy Upright
This vacuum usually lists for $700, but now you can get it for hundreds off. Though the Dyson Cinetic Big Ball Animal+Allergy doesn’t earn a CR recommendation, it’s a good choice if your home has bare floors and you have allergies, because it gets top marks on both of those tests. It earns a Very Good rating for cleaning carpet but is only so-so at removing pet hair.

Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M Powered Lift-Away AZ1002
The deal: $300 at Amazon and Bed Bath & Beyond
CR’s test results: Shark APEX DuoClean Zero-M Powered Lift-Away AZ1002
The 17-pound Shark Apex DuoClean Zero-M Powered Lift-Away AZ1002 is bagless and has micro-filtration, as well as a detachable handheld canister and a 30-foot manual-wind cord. This high-end Shark is packed with bells and whistles, yet it underperforms in CR’s most important test: It rates just Good for cleaning carpet, a score that trails many uprights. That said, it cleans bare floors and pet hair especially well, has exceptional suction power, and its emissions are free of debris. This vacuum usually sells for $400.

Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E
The deal: $211 at Amazon, Office Max & Office Depot, and Overstock.com
CR’s test results: Shark Navigator Lift-Away Professional NV356E
The Shark Navigator Professional Lift-Away NV356E earns an Excellent rating for cleaning bare floors and a Very Good rating for cleaning carpet. It’s not the best at cleaning up pet hair, so look elsewhere if you share your home with a furry friend or two. This model is bagless and emissions are clean, but like all bagless vacuums, you have to take care not to release debris when you empty the bin. Suction through the hose isn’t very impressive, so this model isn’t ideal if you often use attachments. At its usual price of $250, this vacuum is already moderately priced, but now you can save $40 on top of that. In our member survey, Shark uprights earn a Very Good rating for predicted reliability and an Excellent rating for owner satisfaction.

Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501
The deal: $220 at JCPenney
CR’s test results: Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away NV501
Usually well-priced at $260, this Shark is an even better deal at $40 off. If your home has mostly bare floors, this one's for you; it earns an Excellent rating in our test for bare floors. It’s not bad on carpets either, earning a Very Good rating in that test. This Shark is easy to maneuver and keeps dirt trapped inside the vacuum. But it’s not the best bet for households with pets. In our tests, it struggles to vacuum pet hair.

Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away NV752
The deal: $275 at Amazon, $280 at Bed Bath & Beyond
We haven’t tested this model, but we expect its performance to be similar to the Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away NV650, which we did test. The 650 is aces at cleaning bare floors and picking up pet hair, earning Excellent ratings on both tests. Cleaning carpet, however, was a bit of a challenge for this upright, so try another model if you have lots of floor coverings. The 752 usually lists for $350.

Best Canister Vacuum Deal

Miele Blizzard Cx1 Cat & Dog
The deal: $599 at Wayfair
CR’s test results: Miele Blizzard CX1 Cat & Dog
Miele vacuums tend to be expensive, and this one usually lists for $900. Still, this bagless canister is one of the best vacuums you can buy, and at $300 less, it’s a very good deal. It earns an Excellent rating on our bare floor and pet hair tests, though it could be better at cleaning carpet. This vacuum also performs well in our emissions tests and doesn’t release debris back into the air of the room you just cleaned. Miele vacuums have a devoted following and in our member survey earn top scores for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

Best Stick Vacuum Deals

Dyson V8 Animal
The deal: $300 at Lowe’s and Best Buy
We haven’t tested the Dyson V8 Animal, but it's similar to the Dyson V8 Absolute, which we have tested. The V8 Absolute aces all our main cleaning tests—carpet, bare floors, and pet hair—and operates quietly and cleanly. It also zooms along the edges of a room, leaving no debris behind. So at $100 off the usual price, you’re getting a good deal. While our members who own Dyson stick vacuums express high satisfaction, they give the brand our lowest rating for predicted reliability.

Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal
The deal: $350 at Best Buy
CR’s test results: Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal
At the usual price of $550, the Dyson Cyclone V10 Animal is a pricey stick vacuum, but you’re saving $200 during this holiday sale. We tested the similar Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute, and it earns an Excellent rating on all three of our major cleaning tests for carpet, bare floors, and pet hair. So if you have a mixture of flooring and pets that shed, you’ve hit the trifecta with this vacuum. One caveat: Dyson stick vacuums take a hit in CR’s reliability survey, earning our lowest rating for predicted reliability.

Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead
The deal: $300 at Amazon and Best Buy
CR’s test results: Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead
The Dyson Cyclone V10 Motorhead is superb on carpets and bare floors, and at getting rid of pet hair. It makes a bit of a racket as you work, but you’ll appreciate the clean emissions. Like the other Dyson models, this one's Overall Score takes a hit because of the brand's Poor reliability ratings. You’re saving $200 off the usual price.

Hoover React Whole Home Advantage BH53210
The deal: $110 at Amazon
CR’s test results: At less than half the usual price of $250, the Hoover React Whole Home Advantage BH53210 is worth a look. If you have a pet and bare floors, this vacuum will serve you well because it aces those tests. It’s also very good at cleaning carpet, and it zips effortlessly along the edges of the walls in our test lab and does so quietly. The one drawback of this Hoover is that it fails to fully contain the debris it sucks up, earning a Poor rating on that test. So bypass this deal if you have allergies.

Shark Ion F80 Cord-Free MultiFlex IF281
The deal: $250 at Amazon, $315 at Macy’s
CR’s test results: This 8.8-pound Shark Ion F80 Cord-Free MultiFlex IF281 tackles pet hair and bare floors with ease but struggles on carpet, so it might not be the best option if you have a lot of rugs in your home. It comes with two batteries, so technically you’re getting twice the cleaning time—in our tests it ran for 24 minutes on one battery charge. This model usually lists for $450.

Shark Rocket HV301
The deal: $150 at JCPenney, $152 at Amazon
CR’s test results: Shark Rocket HV301
This Shark stick vac normally sells for a little less than $200, so you’re saving around $50. Consumer Reports has not tested this model, though we tested a similar model, the Shark Rocket HV302. The Shark Rocket HV302 earns an Excellent rating for pet-hair pickup and does a super job removing surface debris from carpet. It’s also above average at cleaning bare floors. In our member survey, Shark stick vacuums get top marks for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

Shark Rocket Pet Pro IZ162H
The deal: $250 at Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy
CR’s test results: There’s a lot to recommend about the Shark Rocket Pet Pro IZ162H, including its superb performance at cleaning carpet and bare floors, and vanquishing pet hair. It operates quietly, and emissions are clean, so you don’t have to backtrack over areas you already cleaned. But we had to ding this model for its poor performance cleaning along the edges of a room; it earns only a Fair rating on that test. This model usually lists for $300.

Best Robotic Vacuum Deals

For even more robotic vacuum sales, see our full list: Black Friday Deals on Robotic Vacuums.

iRobot Roomba 690
The deal: $249 at Target 
CR’s test results: iRobot Roomba 690
If you’re in the market for a robotic vacuum and you don't mind that it's not the latest model, the 690 is a solid bet. At $249, it's about $100 less than its usual price and costs about as much as the lowest-priced models in our ratings. The average run time for this robotic is 72 minutes, fairly long for a single charge. This sale runs from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30.

iRobot Roomba e5
The deal: $329 plus an extra 15 percent off with a coupon at Kohl’s, $279 at Target 
CR’s test results: iRobot Roomba e5
This high-scoring model usually costs around $500. This model isn’t as “smart” as the top-of-the-line i7+, but it performs well at cleaning carpet and earns an Excellent rating in our bare floor tests. It has an average run time of 56 minutes, typical for robovacs. Shop at Kohl's from Nov. 25 to Nov. 29 to get the sale price, and at Target from Nov. 28 to Nov. 30.

Samsung Powerbot R7040
The deal: $300 at Home Depot and Best Buy
CR’s test results: Powerbot R7040
The Powerbot R7040 is one of the best robotics on the market. It aces our carpet and bare floors tests, and earns an Excellent rating for being easy to use. You can program it by using the Samsung Smart Home app on your smartphone. This sale runs now until the end of November.

Before You Buy

Don't see the model you're interested in listed here? Be sure to check our vacuum ratings to see whether we've tested it before you decide. 

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