Top pick
This stylish, bagged upright vacuum has formidable cleaning power and is adjustable, versatile, and agile. It should last for a decade or two.
For upright fanatics who want it all, the SEBO Felix Premium offers excellent cleaning power and filtration, comfortable handling, and an extra-long warranty. It also has a variety of different designs and functions that you can choose from.
It’s an exceptional cleaner. Whether presented with glitter, fine dust, fur, or cereal, this model hungrily scarfed up more debris than almost any other vacuum we tested. It was the top performer in both the upright and canister categories at picking up sand (only the much heavier, more expensive Riccar Tandem Air Deluxe did better), and it excelled in our baking soda test. While its electric cleaner head struggled with baking soda close to baseboards, its parquet brush, designed for delicate bare wood floors, picked up baking soda in one pass (both parallel and head-on, which is rare).
It comes with two effective, well-designed cleaner heads. The SEBO Felix comes with a motorized cleaner head with a self-propelling brush that helps dig up and agitate dirt and ferret it up into the vacuum. You can adjust the cleaner head to four heights, which helps it work effectively on bare floors and low-pile, medium-pile, and thicker carpets. (Other upright vacuums we tested tended to jam on thicker carpets.)
The Felix also has a warning light that flashes if the height needs to be adjusted or the cleaner head becomes clogged, a convenient feature that most other vacuums we tested lacked. It is particularly easy to remove the brush roll if it does get tangled: It pops out with the click of a button, while other machines require tools and finagling.
The non-motorized parquet brush has soft horsehair bristles designed for delicate wood flooring. Although not quite as flexible and nimble as that of the Miele Complete C3 Calima PowerLine, in our tests, the Felix’s parquet brush worked great at removing baking soda from bare floors and along baseboards where the motorized cleaner head struggled.
It’s comfortable, lightweight, and quiet. The SEBO Felix feels light and comfortable to maneuver. Its self-propelling cleaner head glides smoothly across all types of carpets, rugs, and thresholds. Unlike other machines we tested, the Felix didn’t make wheel tracks or streaks, leaving the carpet in pristine condition.
The height-adjustable handle hugs your hand, making it more comfortable to hold than those of the other uprights we tested. Its cord wrap is located high enough so you don’t have to bend down to bundle up the cord. And its hose storage doubles as a convenient carrying handle, so you can tote the machine sideways, which makes it easier to haul up and down stairs.
It converts to a handheld vacuum, with useful attachments. By removing the hose and attaching one of its two tools, the Felix instantly transforms from an upright floor vacuum into a portable handheld. Its pod detaches and has a comfortable side handle. Our 5-foot-4 tester found the lengthy hose with the included extra-long crevice tool sufficient to reach her 8-foot ceilings.
In addition to the crevice tool, the Felix comes with a triangular dust brush that swivels 360 degrees and is great for both bookshelves, baseboards, and tight corners. While the triangular brush does a great job cleaning fur off of upholstery, you might want to consider getting a turbo brush attachment specifically designed for this purpose. A Wirecutter staffer who has been testing the Felix for about a year has found the turbo brush to be effective for vacuuming her carpeted stairs.
Or you can buy the pet kit, which also includes a pet grooming tool. (SEBO attachments are less expensive than equivalent Miele attachments.)
It’s easy to empty and to change the filters. The Felix’s bag and filters are accessed from the top of the pod, so you don’t have to squat to exchange them (most upright vacuums require you to reach further down to remove clips or press buttons). Its generous 1-gallon bags are slightly larger than those of our canister pick. Our long-term tester, who cleans up after a family of six in a three-story home, reports needing to change the bag every three to four months.
The Felix uses S-class filters, which need to be exchanged only every 10 to 20 bags but filter a tiny bit less particles than HEPA filters.
It’s stylish and can be dressed up. With its curvy, retro shape the Felix looks nicer than most other vacuums we tried. It comes in three colors (red, blue, and white), each with a coordinating patterned “skirt.” The skirt is actually an exhaust filter, and you can purchase additional patterned skirts (flowers, plaid, cheetah print, and geometric designs, among others) to change up your Felix’s look.
It’s durable, with an excellent warranty and great customer service. Service specialists we spoke to generally love the German-made SEBO machines. SEBO is short for Semigewerkliche Bodenpflege (Semi-commercial Floorcare). “From its DNA, it’s a commercial vacuum cleaner company,” said John van Leuven, CEO of SEBO America, explaining that the company was founded in 1978 but only started selling residential machines in 1999.
Based on interviews with vacuum specialists and repair technicians, we have evidence that SEBO models can last for decades with proper care and maintenance. (“Twenty years is not unusual,” Van Leuven told us.)
SEBO also offers the most generous and comprehensive warranties of our picks. Parts and labor are covered for five years and the motor for seven years. The warranty automatically increases to seven years and 10 years respectively, if you register your vacuum with SEBO. (The machine must be purchased from an authorized dealer or directly through SEBO.)
SEBO’s customer service is excellent. When we called, a cordial and knowledgeable agent picked up the phone within the minute and helpfully—and correctly—answered our questions. (Unlike Shark, maker of our budget pick, SEBO can also be reached via email.)
Flaws but not dealbreakers
It’s an upright. The Felix shares its biggest flaws with most other upright machines. Compared to a canister vacuum, it can feel heavy on your hands and wrists, and it lacks an automatic cord rewind.
It’s pricey. We tested upright vacuums ranging from $30 to $1,200. At around $750, the Felix is more expensive than most of the vacuums we tried, but it performed better and should last much longer.
It’s difficult to adjust the handle length. The Felix’s handle height can be adjusted by pulling on a plastic lever on the base, but some of our testers struggled to make it work.
It’s a bit noisy. Due to its powerful motor, this model was noisier than most of the cheaper uprights we tested. (Only the more powerful Riccar and the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra were louder.) If noise is an issue for you, we recommend you opt for one of our canister picks, which tend to be quieter.
It’s not as widely available as other vacuums. You have to order SEBO vacuums from SEBO’s website or buy them online from an authorized dealer. SEBO models aren’t available at major department or big-box stores, so it may be difficult to pick one up in your area (check SEBO’s dealer locator). Note that Amazon and Walmart aren’t authorized dealers; machines bought through those sites won’t come with a warranty.
Though SEBO has more than 400 authorized dealers and service specialists in the US (a little less than Miele, maker of our runner-up canister pick), you may not be able to find one in your area: There are none in Manhattan and only a handful in Brooklyn and Queens, for example. But defective machines can be sent directly to SEBO’s US headquarters in Colorado. SEBO pays for shipping both ways during the warranty period.
