Can A Cordless Vacuum Replace A Corded?
You’re looking for that new vacuum cleaner to replace your latest corded model that has given up the ghost and you can see lots of shiny cordless models available. You start to wonder can a cordless vacuum replace a corded?
If so you’ve come to the right place as we were in the exact same position not very long ago and have been surprised by what we’ve found. The short answer is that yes absolutely a cordless vacuum can replace a corded model but there are some things you need to consider.
To help us look at this question in more detail we’ll look at the following:
- Performance on Various Surfaces
- Suction
- Power
- Convenience
We are in a position to address this issue as we recently bought a Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vacuum cleaner. This was initially supposed to act as a backup to our Henry HVR160-11 cylinder corded vacuum cleaner. However, within a few uses the Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vacuum cleaner ended being our main model in the house simply because it was so effective yet far more convenient.
Can A Cordless Vacuum Replace A Corded?
| Performance Area | Corded Henry HVR160-11 vs. Cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead |
|---|---|
| Carpet | Even |
| Hard Floor | Even |
| Wooden Floor | Even |
| Stairs | Cordless |
| Suction | Even |
| Power | Corded |
| Convenience | Cordless |
| Capacity | Corded |
To understand whether a cordless vacuum could replace a corded lets take a look at peformance across a range of floor types. We’ve compared how the Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vacuum cleaner and the Henry HVR160-11 corded vacuum cleaner perform in picking up a palm-full of cous cous across a range of different floor types.
Carpet
Corded – Carpet: Before 
Corded – Carpet: After
Cordless – Carpet: Before 
Cordless – Carpet: After
As most of our first floor and the stairs are covered in carpet, performance on this surface has been a key factor in deciding which vacuum cleaner to use regularly. What we’ve found is that the Dyson V7 Motorhead cleans our carpets just as well as the Henry HVR160-11 corded vacuum. You cannot tell the difference once they are through which did the job. Though if anything the Dyson V7 Motorhead perhaps managed to get the job done in a slightly quicker manner. However, it’s difficult to say conclusively as we did not time how long each took to sweep up the cous cous and the amount was not measured.
Hard Floor
Corded – Hard Floor: Before 
Corded – Hard Floor: After
Cordless – Hard Floor: Before 
Cordless – Hard Floor: After
Our kitchen is tiled making it a perfect hard floor to check how well the cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead performs against the Henry HVR160-11 corded model. Once again we see that the Dyson V7 Motorhead performs excellently when compared with its corded counterpart on the hard floor. The cous cous was picked up efficiently by both models with no clear winner in terms of effectiveness and ease.
Wooden Floor
Corded Wooden Floor: Before 
Corded Wooden Floor: After
Cordless Wooden Floor: Before 
Cordless Wooden Floor: After
On wooden laminate floor both the Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless vacuum and Henry HVR160-11 corded vacuum made light work of picking up cous cous from our wooden laminate floor. Once again though they both peformed excellently, the Dyson motorised brushhead perhaps gave it the edge as it collected the cous cous with slightly less effort on our part.
Stairs
Corded – Stairs 
Cordless – Stairs
When it came to the stairs no cous cous test was performed however, generally both the cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead and the corded Henry HVR160-11 perform well in terms of cleaning. The difference however comes in terms of how easy it is to actually use the vacuum cleaners on the stairs. The cordless Dyson is super easy to use as it is relatively light compared to the Henry which at some point needed to be moved up the stairs.
Suction
When it comes to assessing the suction of the vacuum cleaners, our view is that they both offer very good suction that can get through all kinds of jobs.
Perhaps the main difference is that with the Henry HVR160-11 there is no limit to how much we can go back over the same spot and dig deeper as its powered by the mains. The Dyson V7 Motorhead on the other hand has two suction modes (i) maximum and (ii) high. The maximum suction designed for tougher jobs can only last 6 minutes whilst the high suction can go up to 20 minutes.
Though it must be noted we typically find we can clean our entire 3 bed home on a single charge. Nonetheless should you ever have to do some cleaning that could take much longer than 20 odd minutes you may find you have to recharge with the cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead. It must be noted though that there are other cordless models available that can offer longer battery runs.
Power
When it comes to power the corded models will clearly win as they have no limitations in terms of life span. With our corded Henry HVR160-11 we can use it for as long as the job takes whilst with the cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead we always have to keep in mind how much battery power is left. There are some cordless models that will clearly indicate how much power is left. Nonetheless in terms of power, cordless models can certainly not act as a like for like replacement for corded vacuum cleaners.
Convenience
In order to keep a home or premises as clean as possible, it helps if the vacuum cleaner is quick and convenient to use. This is one area where based on our experience we feel cordless models have a clear advantage over their corded counterparts. With our Dyson V7 Motorhead we don’t have to worry about heading to the garage or storage cupboard and then finding a suitable plug point. We simply pick it up and as long as we remembered to charge it, get going.
Capacity
Capacity is another area where corded models tend to have a clear advantage over cordless models. The fact is of course, you still get dust bin capacity with a cordless but it typically a small fraction of what you can find on a corded model.
This is certainly the case when we compare our Dyson V7 Motorhead cordless model which has a 0.4 litre bin capacity, to our Henry HVR160-11 corded blessed with 6 litres. Nonetheless the cordless models can still get the job done, it will just mean you need to empty the dust bin a lot more frequently than you would with a corded model.
The major advantage with cordless models is that they tend to be bagless meaning you don’t have to worry about stocking up on replacement bags.
Conclusion: Can A Cordless Vacuum Replace A Corded?
So overall – can a cordless vacuum replace a corded? Based on our experience, we believe that a cordless vacuum can definitely replace a corded model. If you find the right cordless model for you then it can certainly take the place of a corded unit.
In terms of performance across various floors we’ve found that our cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead does just as well, if not better in some cases, as our Henry HVR160-11. There are some areas where corded models will have a clear advantage such as not relying on battery power and bin capacity. However, overall cordless models also have some unique advantages such as their convenience and lightweight nature.
All in all, we’ve found our cordless Dyson V7 Motorhead has relegated our Henry HVR160-11 to the position of very able back up.
