It has three speeds, and the handle bends 90°, which looks weird but enables you to clean under the lowest furniture. Every model that you can browse below has been tested extensively by a member of the Ideal Home team either at our test facility or at home, to replicate the environment that they'll be up against once you purchase them.

The anti-tangle feature on the Digital MotorbarTM (the head for carpet cleaning) works as well as offerings from Shark and revealed a huge amount of sunken-in dirt during our at-home tests. It'll amp up in areas where you have a larger amount of dirt and dust, and it's sleek too, with the ability to quickly transform into a handheld model.

Unfortunately, the Wyze feels rather cheaply built, being made mainly from thin, scratch-prone plastic. It's the little things that make this vacuum great, alongside the pet-appropriate level of power and suction. Given it’s one of the most affordable cordless devices on the market - and that it’s so light - we think it is really great value for money.

However, any cordless vacuum with included extra-attachments for upholstery and crevices will likely do a very good job in removing those pesky, embedded pet hairs from around your home. In its favour, the AEG 8000 is extremely light (not much more than half the weight of the Shark) and extremely well-balanced, with simple buttons making it very easy to use.We also have to admit that the Beko doesn't have the bells and whistles of an upmarket Dyson (the V15 Detect Absolute literally has lasers), but it does have an expensive feel to it: it's got a certain no-nonsense, solid quality that we found reassuring, and the crystal-clear LCD screen accurately tells you how long you have left before the battery runs out. And, as you’ll see below, some models offer extra batteries, light-up floor heads and other extras to make cleaning easier than ever before.