Dyson vs Sebo

Which brand to buy

Ten years on motor and parts, plus 7 on labor, covers every Sebo, and owners bring it up in nearly every case they make for the brand. Dyson's longest coverage is 5 years on its corded uprights and canister, and 2 on its cordless machines. That gap describes the two philosophies: Sebo builds bagged, German corded machines meant to be bought once, while Dyson builds bagless machines, most of them cordless.

The overlap is corded uprights and canisters. The upright matchup is the Sebo Felix 1 Premium ($799) against the Dyson Ball Animal 3 ($490). Felix owners like its 180-degree turning head and the detachable handheld unit for stairs, but note manual brush-height adjustment and weight. Ball Animal 3 owners describe it lifting embedded cat fur no previous vacuum touched, for about $300 less, but call it heavy and hard to push on plush carpet. In canisters, the Sebo Airbelt E3 Premium ($1,150) ships with a true electric powerhead that owners say deep-cleans carpet like an upright, and the Airbelt bumper protects baseboards. Its sore points are a short cord and bags that fill fast. Dyson's bagless canister, the Dyson Big Ball Multi Floor, is now discontinued and replaced by the Dyson Big Ball Turbine ($390).

Sebo sells no cordless sticks or handhelds, which is where most of Dyson's range lives, from the Dyson V8 Cyclone ($300) up past the Dyson Gen5outsize ($859).

For an allergy household with serious carpet that wants one machine for a decade or more, Sebo. For cordless convenience, a cheaper pet-hair upright, or no bags, Dyson.

Dyson vs Sebo: common questions