REASONS TO BUY
Simple to maintain
Good filtration
Great at picking up larger material
REASONS TO AVOID
Lacks power
Subpar battery life
Sometimes clogs on high pile carpet
Levoit VortexIQ 40 Review
While this stick vac may not have the most power, it compensates for that with affordability, performance on multiple surfaces, and easy maintenance
The sleek design of the Levoit VortexIQ 40.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
By Rachael Lamore ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ November 28, 2024
Contributions From: Chris Maxcer
Our Verdict
The Levoit VortexIQ 40 is a rare household device that is affordable and yet remains very effective. In the world of stick vacuums, where consumers often get what they pay for, this model competes very well against options that cost 2-3 times as much. Its on-carpet performance in our tests was better than every other cordless stick vacuum we tested that didn't have Dyson in its name. Yeah, that test result surprised us, too. Its great filtration keeps the air in your home cleaner than most vacuums, and it's also super easy to maintain. Because this vacuum performs well over our most important test metrics, it earned the Best Buy award from our test editors. Of course, not all is perfect. Our main gripe is that you need to run it on its higher settings to get the best performance, which sucks up battery life faster than it cleans multiple rooms, much less a whole house. Still, for those on a budget or who have a smaller home, the VortexIQ 40 is one of the most capable low-cost cordless stick vacuums we tested.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The VortexIQ 40 is an impressive machine. Thanks to its intuitive and thoughtful design, we loved how simple it was to break down and clean each component, which is not exactly common among stick vacuums at this price point.
We test and use every component of the cordless vacuums we review, both in our controlled lab environments as well as for take-home sessions.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Carpet Performance
This vacuum is competitive on low-pile carpet, making it a great choice for those with conventional carpeting in their houses or flat area rugs over much of their hard floors.
One of the biggest surprises was the lack of plowing or back plowing with the VortexIQ, which means some won't have to make as many passes over their carpet as they might with the average stick vacuum we tested. Ultimately, it was able to suck up 92% averaged over three test runs. No other vacuum anywhere near its $230 MRSP came close to it, and those that surpassed it cost significantly more.
We were wowed by VortexIQ 40's low-pile cleaning ability during our timed stress tests.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
On high pile carpet, this vacuum performed well but sometimes got clogged. For example, it gobbled up a mind-boggling 62% of sand, rice, and Cheerios in 24 seconds but then bit off a bit more than it could consume in another run, clogging halfway through, which limited it to 47%.
For those willing to go a bit slower for big messes, we think they'll be pleased with its shaggy carpet abilities. In fact, we were astounded at how well this relatively inexpensive Levoit consumed so much sand, rice, and Cheerios on the carpet. For those on a budget with carpet as their priority, this is a stick vac we can recommend.
Hardwood Performance
Overall, again, a very impressive performance. After the near-zero plowing or back plowing on the carpet, we were surprised to see the VortexIQ backplow rice and Cheerios on the hardwood. Our best explanation is that the rear of the cleaner head is low enough to hit rice and plow, but when you add in the friction of carpet, it slides over the debris but skids it along on hard floors.
Even if the rear of the cleaner head is a bit low for effective reverse strokes on hard floors, the forward passes more than makeup for it.
This vacuum may require an additional pass or two for tougher messes, but that's typical for most vacuums, excluding the highest-end models.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Many vacuums struggle with sucking up debris very close to walls, so we test this specifically with coffee grounds. To set up this test, we sprinkled coffee grounds along a wall, then try to capture as much of the coffee as possible by running the vacuum both head-on toward the wall and parallel to it.
The VortexIQ 40 sucked up nearly all the coffee we used in our edge test in both head-on and parallel passes against a wall.
Again, this vacuum kept delighting our editors with its solid performance. This test shows that its head design lets it suck beyond its borders fairly well, letting us clean small nooks and long hallways next to walls. For those with a mix of hard floors and low-pile carpet and rugs, it'll be hard to go wrong with this stick vacuum.
Pet Hair
This Levoit left clumps of hair on both low-pile and high-pile carpets. The addition of long hair in this test led to instant hair wraps, some of which actually caught clumps of pet hair, tying the clumps to the brush roll.
After our astoundingly successful sand, rice, and Cheerios test results, we were slightly disappointed by this vacuum's below-average pet hair performance.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
For households with humans who have short hair, users may be able to achieve a slightly better improvement with shorter pet hair challenges in their own homes.
This Levoit rolled many of the long hair extensions to one side, almost completely covering 1/4 of the brush roll.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Filtration & Suction
Wow. Our testers were astounded at how well this relatively inexpensive cordless vacuum filtered fine particles.
Filtration Particle Count
| Small Particle Count |
|---|
| HEPA Filter |
| Dylos Air Quality Designation |
For those sensitive to allergens, dust, or pet dander, this vacuum is unlikely to cause noticeable issues in air quality in most household environments.
Ease of Use
This model has 5 intensity modes, which are nice for tackling various messes. Additionally, it offers a variable auto mode that detects the level of intensity needed and adjusts accordingly. This lets users vacuum without needing to pay attention to power levels.
The handheld, measuring just over 4 pounds, is a bit heavy, but the cleaner head is easy to push, so we think most homeowners can handle this vacuum without much trouble.
To help determine ease of use, we weigh the handheld portion of each cordless vacuum in our lab.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
This vacuum glides smoothly onto and off terrain changes, rolling easily onto rugs and mats, but it lacks the sort of head swivel that delighted us in other models.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
The head seemed to tilt more than actually turn, but it remained agile enough to maneuver around things like table legs or other small obstacles.
No one wants to deal with needlessly complicated general maintenance, and with this model, you won't have to. An included pictogram clearly outlines how to care for this vacuum, making maintenance incredibly intuitive. It's super simple to disassemble and clean, and there's a dedicated button to release the brush roll for scheduled cleaning.
We recommend cleaning components like the HEPA filter somewhat often to keep everything in working order, and that's also very easy to do. Overall, most people won't have any issues keeping this vacuum primed and ready to go at all times, lending to a higher chance of sustainability with this product.
Levoit only includes two no-frills accessories: a crevice tool and a combination tool. They're basic but effective. We liked how we could attach them at the end of the tube for a long reach as well as at the base for agile hand-held vacuuming.
The crevice tool works as intended.
Credit: Natalie Kafader
Battery
For those with a large home they want to tackle in one go, Levoit's battery life could become annoying.
Requiring users to plan their cleaning sessions with a recharging time in between. Which isn't quick since it takes 3.8 hours to recharge the battery fully.
Should You Buy the Levoit VortexIQ 40?
Somehow, this vacuum effortlessly crosses the intersection of price versus performance, and we believe it's one of the best you can buy, thanks to its overall performance and ease of cleaning. By choosing this model, you won't have to compromise much. Sure, it could have better battery life and more high-tech features, but it may not match the best in terms of pure performance. However, it remains a complete package worthy of any household.
What Other Stick Vacuums Should You Consider?
You'll likely need to make a jump in price to beat the Levoit in terms of performance. The Shark Pet Plus does better on hardwood terrain and has better battery life, but it costs $100 more. If you want to save even more money, the Black+Decker Powerseries+ 20V is a super basic option that still cleans pretty well, as long as you understand its limitations.
—Rachael Lamore and Chris Maxcer
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