Kärcher Vacuums

In 1950 Alfred Kärcher built Europe's first hot-water high-pressure cleaner, and pressure washers are still what most American buyers know the name for. The company he founded in 1935 is still family-owned, based in Winnenden, Germany since 1939, and has run its North American operations from Aurora, Colorado since 2020. It has made floor-care machines for decades, including an early home robot in 2003, so a stick vacuum is less of a departure than it might look.

The VCN 5 Cordless ($460) is the one Kärcher stick listed here. Kärcher publishes more hard numbers than many stick makers: a 550-watt motor on a 25.2V battery, an H13-class HEPA filter, 83 dB(A), 6.3 pounds without accessories, and up to 71 minutes in Eco against 17 minutes at maximum power. It ships with two floor heads, a universal roller and a separate hard-floor head, plus a pet brush, a pet upholstery attachment, an upholstery roller head, a crevice nozzle, a 2-in-1 dusting brush, a flexible hose and a wall mount, and it lies flat to reach under furniture.

Check two things on paper. The 71-minute figure is for Eco mode only, and carpet or pet hair will usually need the 17-minute maximum setting. A full recharge also takes about 5.5 hours, so a flat battery halfway through a big clean ends the session for the afternoon. Kärcher's product page gives no warranty term or dust-bin volume, so ask the retailer before buying.