Aldi just brought out a £60 stick vac — as a vacuum reviewer, these are the cheap alternatives I'd buy instead

When the news reached my ears that Aldi was launching a £60 "Dyson rival" stick vacuum cleaner , my heart sank a bit.

<![CDATA[ <article> <p>When the news reached my ears that <a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/small-appliances/aldi-is-launching-a-cheap-dyson-and-shark-stick-vacuum-rival-soon-and-itll-be-joined-by-a-gbp20-air-fryer">Aldi was launching a £60 "Dyson rival" stick vacuum cleaner</a>, my heart sank a bit. After two years of reviewing stick vacuums, one of the biggest things I learned is that ultra-cheap vacuums are almost always a big old waste of money.</p><p>My rule of thumb with vacuums is that the absolute cheapest you can go is around £150. Listen, I'm sorry. I know that's still a decent chunk of change, and especially for a gadget that no one really enjoys using. But if you want a vacuum that's going to do more than gently brush your carpet while emitting a light breeze of suction, you'll need to absorb the cost. </p><p>Below, I've rounded up my top affordable stick vacuum picks. My #1 choice is the <a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/dreame-r20-cordless-vacuum-review">Dreame R20</a>, which sits right at the top of our <a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/best-cheap-vacuum-cleaner">best budget vacuum</a> ranking and delivers very capable cleaning, a lightweight and maneuverable build, and some bonus advanced features, all for an extremely reasonable price. Shark is also a solid brand to look at — its range is sprawling, and prices fluctuate regularly, but it rarely disappoints on performance, and there's usually a discounted option in the lineup that's worth snapping up. </p><p>Read on for 6 budget vacuum cleaners I'd buy instead of Aldi's newest option. Or, if you're interested in how these picks compare on the wider market, head to my general <a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/best-cordless-vacuum-cleaners">best cordless vacuum</a> guide.</p><h3 class="article-body__section" id="section-brilliant-budget-vacs"><span>Brilliant budget vacs</span></h3> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="bf180cda-9d6f-11f1-a2b1-cbd378503976"> <div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:100.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/t9c4zDUAd6SY8FEAy8o9PR.jpg" alt="Dreame R20 vacuum"></p></div> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Dreame</div> <div class="featured__title">R20 cordless vacuum</div> <div class="stars__reviews"><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" class="chunk rating"><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star half"></span><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="100.0" /><meta itemprop="worstRating" content="0.0" /><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="90" /></span></div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p><p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/dreame-r20-cordless-vacuum-review">Read our full review</a></p></p> </div> <div class="pro-con"><div class="list-pros-wrapper"><h4 class="list-pros-label">Pros</h4><ul class="list-pros"><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Lightweight and manoeuvrable</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Excellent suction performance</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Good selection of tools</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Exceptional battery life</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Very competitive price point</li></ul></div><div class="list-cons-wrapper"><h4 class="list-cons-label">Cons</h4><ul class="list-cons"><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Power trigger is over sensitive</li><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Slightly annoying whiney noise in use</li><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>No low-power mode</li></ul></div></div> </div> </div> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="24e454b6-9d6f-11f1-9269-fdf86583764b"> <div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:100.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hSbR7K885zsTtawwGJXDPf.jpg" alt="Dyson V8"></p></div> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Dyson</div> <div class="featured__title">V8 cordless vacuum</div> <div class="stars__reviews"><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" class="chunk rating"><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="100.0" /><meta itemprop="worstRating" content="0.0" /><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="80" /></span></div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p><p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/reviews/dyson-v8">Read our full review</a></p></p> </div> <div class="pro-con"><div class="list-pros-wrapper"><h4 class="list-pros-label">Pros</h4><ul class="list-pros"><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Affordable for a Dyson </li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Versatile 2-in-1 design</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Well-designed</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Useful attachments</li><li class='list-item list-item-pros'>Still impressive suction</li></ul></div><div class="list-cons-wrapper"><h4 class="list-cons-label">Cons</h4><ul class="list-cons"><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Long recharge time</li><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Small bin</li><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Not as powerful as newer models</li><li class='list-item list-item-cons'>Lacks some useful features</li></ul></div></div> </div> </div> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="73558254-9d70-11f1-b059-97e1addcdd11"> <div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:125.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ufk8u8tzK2ATNRUzzNDywF.jpg" alt="Ultenic cordless stick vacuum"></p></div> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Ultenic</div> <div class="featured__title">U16 Flex Cordless Stick Vacuum</div> <div class="stars__reviews"><span itemprop="reviewRating" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/Rating" class="chunk rating"><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><span class="icon icon-star"> </span><meta itemprop="bestRating" content="100.0" /><meta itemprop="worstRating" content="0.0" /><meta itemprop="ratingValue" content="80" /></span></div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p><p><a href="https://www.techradar.com/home/vacuums/ultenic-u16-flex-cordless-vacuum-review">Read our full review</a></p></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="326c9434-9d71-11f1-8373-0562dd7c9afc"> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shark-Corded-Vacuum-Cleaner-HZ500UK/dp/B08GLFNKRT/" data-model-name="Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner, HZ500UK" data-model-brand="" ><div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:100.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UX8Kw36KYeJdY4jSwCscHk.jpg" alt="Shark Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner, 10m Cord, Purple Hz500uk"></p></div></a> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Shark</div> <div class="featured__title">Corded Stick Vacuum Cleaner, HZ500UK</div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="326c94ac-9d71-11f1-81e8-fd5dc605bc34"> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shark-Auto-Empty-Lightweight-Headlights-BU3521UKTSB/dp/B0F5X43Z7P/" data-model-name="Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum BU3521UKTSB" data-model-brand="" ><div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:100.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6MkrYgEpEF3U7xFATKkhf.jpg" alt="Shark Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, Charging Dock, Bu3521uktsb"></p></div></a> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Shark</div> <div class="featured__title">Clean & Empty Cordless Vacuum BU3521UKTSB</div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="featured_product_block featured_block_standard" data-id="326c951a-9d71-11f1-8c43-457bfa88d770"> <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shark-Cordless-Removable-Anti-Allergen-IZ402UKTSB/dp/B0F5X43L2H/" data-model-name="Stratos Cordless Pet Pro IZ402UKTSB" data-model-brand="" ><div class='product-image-widthsetter'><p class='vanilla-image-block' data-bordeaux-image-check style='padding-top:100.00%';><img style="width: 100%" class="featured_image" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6fRfmky3GEDQWBWfb7CbS7.jpg" alt="Shark Stratos Cordless Pet Pro Stick Vacuum Cleaner, White/navy, Iz402uktsb"></p></div></a> <div class="featured_product_details_wrapper"> <div class="featured_product_title_wrapper"> <div class='featured__brand'>Shark</div> <div class="featured__title">Stratos Cordless Pet Pro IZ402UKTSB</div> </div> <div class="subtitle__description"> <p></p> </div> </div> </div> </article> ]]>