I put three sub-AU$1,300 stick vacuums with auto-empty docks to the test — here's which one is actually worth your money

(Image credit: Future) Shopping for a premium appliance — like a new cordless vacuum and accompanying auto-empty dock — is no easy task. Before taking the plunge, you need to consider a couple of factors, including your budget, how large (or small) your home is and storage for your new purchase. Bonus points if you have kids or pets and their messes to consider, too.Thankfully, Black Friday 2026 is just around the corner, and it's the perfect time to upgrade or save on a new cordless vacuum and auto-empty station. As a home appliance reviewer, it's my job to assess new products and make recommendations based on my findings — especially in the lead-up to a major deals fest like Cyber Weekend.Over the past three months, I tested three premium cordless vacuum cleaners from major floorcare brands in Australia: Dyson, Shark and Tineco. Dyson and Shark don't need much of an introduction, as leaders (and competitors) in the space. Tineco, on the other hand, has long held its own in the wet-to-dry vacuum realm, and has recently expanded its cordless vacuum lineup.I compared pricing, suction power, docking stations and battery life to inform my final recommendation for those looking for the perfect vacuum pairing this Black Friday. So let's cut to the chase — here's how the Dyson V10 Konical + Auto-Empty Dok, Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty and Tineco Pure One Station A70S Pet compare. Shark Home PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty Shark's PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty vacuum cleaner and dock deliver enhanced suction power, multidirectional cleaning and a tangle-free brush head. Dyson V10 Konical Vacuum Cleaner + Auto-Empty Dok Dyson's V10 Konical vacuum cleaner and Auto-Empty Dok delivers fade-free suction power, can detangle long hairs and fur, and features a new self-cleaning dock for the brand. Tineco Australia Pure One Station A70s Pet Tineco's latest 3-in-1 cordless vacuum and self-cleaning dock is designed for homes with kids and pets, featuring 200 AW suction power, a ClogLess cleaner head, and an advanced filtration system. Price and specifications Image 1 of 3 (Image credit: Dyson) At full price, all three vacuums sit comfortably in the premium category. The most expensive is Tineco's Pure One A70S, priced at AU$1,299. Snug in the middle is Dyson's V10 Konical at AU$999, which leaves the most affordable title to Shark's PowerDetect Speed at AU$799.All three vacuums come with replaceable battery packs and similar attachments — i.e. a crevice tool, a mini upholstery head and an anti-tangle main brush head with LED lights — but there are a few exceptions.The Dyson V10 Konical comes with the brand's signature conical-shaped detangling cleaner head, which is fantastic for sucking up hair and fur more easily. Tineco's A70S has a ClogLess feature on the main cleaning head, which switches the suction port to a larger size based on the debris you're sucking up. Shark's device has reverse cleaning, so it will suck up dust no matter which direction you swipe, and it also comes with a fragrance puck to pop in the dock to keep odour away. Swipe to scroll horizontally Dyson, Shark and Tineco cordless vacuum specs Header Cell - Column 0 Dyson V10 Konical & Auto-Empty Dok Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty Tineco Pure One Station A70S Pet Price AU$999 AU$799 AU$1,299 Weight 1.63kg 3.2kg 4kg Warranty Not specified Not specified 2 years Dimensions (vacuum unit) 113cm × 7.87cm × 20cm 26cm W × 35.5cm D × 114.5cm H Not available Dimensions (when stationed) 118cm × 6.69cm × 17cm 117.5cm H × 26cm W × 45.5cm D Not available Bin size (dock) 2.5L 2L 2.5L Maximum runtime 60 minutes 60 minutes 80 minutes Suction power 150AW 350AW 200AW Suction Power Image 1 of 2 (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Lucy Scotting) When it comes to measuring suction power, most vacuum brands consider either air watts (AW) or revolutions per minute (RPM). The key difference is that air watts measure how much real suction and cleaning power a vacuum cleaner produces, rather than how fast the motor rotates. According to their respective product manuals, each stick vac claims the following air watts measurement for suction power:Dyson: 150AWTineco: 200AWShark: 350AWDyson (150AW) and Tineco (200AW) fall into the standard range for everyday cleaning on hard floors and low-pile rugs. Shark's 350AW rating approaches the territory of heavy-duty deep cleaners, making it exceptionally powerful for thick carpets and stubborn pet hair.On paper, Shark takes the lead — and my real-world testing backed that up. The PowerDetect excelled at lifting fine dust, heavy debris, and embedded dog hair effortlessly.On the other hand, Dyson performed equally well, and when paired with the conical head, the vacuum did a superb job of picking up strands of hair without leaving any tangles in the brush. After reading the specs, I was somewhat surprised that Dyson had claimed less suction power, as there wasn't much of a hugely noticeable difference between it and Shark's performance. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Lucy Scotting)Tineco fell short in this comparison. Despite a 200AW specification, it frequently required boost mode to pick up larger debris, underperforming relative to its rivals during routine cleans.I've used my Tineco Artist S9 wet-dry vacuum for almost a year now, and in my review, I was pleasantly surprised by its great suction power. The S9 could easily suck up any puddle in its path, so I had half-expected that Tineco's vacuum-only entry would receive similar treatment. But I was unfortunately mistaken.In this category, you can't go wrong with either Shark or Dyson's entry, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty details, I'd choose Shark. Combined with its reverse cleaning functionality and heavy-duty grade suction power, Shark's PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty will get the job done.Winner: Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean & EmptyAuto-Empty Dock (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Lucy Scotting)When purchasing a cordless vacuum, a self-cleaning dock isn't essential, but it can also serve as a storage holder and take the hassle out of cleaning the onboard bin after every use. And spoiler alert: I found two of these docks to be quite worthwhile.The only caveat was that the third station — a.k.a. Dyson's Auto-Empty Dok — had a mechanical fault during my test period, and it was largely out of action. Dyson's pillar dock was rather tall, contained storage compartments for the bin and the extra attachments, and unlike the other two stations, it held a very simple dustbag, rather than a solid bin container. If I'm being frank, Dyson's dock was a bit of an eyesore.Sure, my opinion on the black monolith dock might have changed if it actually worked well to suck up and empty debris, but unfortunately I had to cut it out of the running early in this face-off. My colleagues at TechRadar found that it struggled with compact hair pileups and had similar suction issues when trying to empty the handheld bin… so it's unclear whether this is a widespread problem. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Lucy Scotting)As for our other contenders, Tineco's dock was pretty self-explanatory. The dock sat on the spectrum between Dyson's huge pillar and Shark's minimal base, taking up the same floor space as a typical robot vacuum-sized station. It could store the extra attachments on the base, you could clearly see when the bin was full or nearing capacity, and the bright blue/gold colourway was a nice pop of colour in my otherwise dreary entryway.The biggest gripe with Tineco's dock was the rather loud suction noise the dock made when emptying the cordless vacuum. As someone rather sensitive to loud noises, it wasn't necessarily pleasant; however, the dock was super effective in sucking out dust, hair and other debris from the bin. And the dock bin was just as easy to clean out by holding down the lid release and emptying the contents. I did appreciate the larger bin capacity, at 2.5L, and living in a pet hair-covered house, Tineco's station bin could easily go at least a month or so without needing to be emptied. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Lucy Scotting)Shark's dock was just as impressive, if not more so than Tineco, but only by a fraction of a margin. It's minimal, containing only the essential base and bin, compact and taking up the least amount of space, so if you have a smaller home or apartment, the dock won't get in the way. So much so, I moved the dock from our entryway into our small laundry cupboard, and there was still plenty of room to use the appliances or the sink.Comparatively, Shark's dock is not very noisy when suctioning up debris, and I didn't have any issues with sucking up hair or compact debris from the vacuum's onboard bin. Shark's dock also has a quiet switch, which, when pressed, will not empty the contents when the vacuum is on the base.The only niggle I've had so far with Shark's base is that it is not as easy to visually check if the bin is nearing capacity. There is a small indicator on the base; however, it can be easily missed. Aside from that, the bin is 0.5 L smaller than Tineco's and Dyson's, which makes sense due to its size, but it should still hold over a month or so's worth of debris before it needs emptying.Overall, Shark wins again in this category because of its compact size, but largely because its impressive suction power still comes out on top.Winner: Shark PowerDetect Speed Clean & EmptyBattery lifeWhen it comes to battery life, there are a few disclaimers worth noting from the jump. Battery life or maximum run time claims are often made when using the lowest suction setting on any given cordless vacuum, as using a low setting consistently results in a higher runtime. That said, it's not realistic to expect someone to use the lowest setting when vacuuming high-pile carpets or collecting fine crumbs or even just during a regular, everyday clean of your hard floors.On average, most cordless vacuum runtimes fall between 35 and 50 minutes on a medium setting, and even then, most homes (unless you live in an all-carpet mansion) can easily be vacuumed in that amount of time. Better still, if you own a cordless vacuum with a docking station, the base typically acts as a charger, so you won't necessarily need to worry about charging your vacuum before cleaning.So with all of this in mind, when it comes to the three vacuums in question, there's no clear "winner" for battery life. Dyson and Shark claim up to 60 minutes of runtime on a single charge, whereas Tineco claims up to 80 minutes.Regardless, IMO, the true metric to consider is charge time in this instance. Dyson claims 4 hours of charging time, whereas Shark and Tineco suggest 3 hours. While you're not likely to notice between charges thanks to the docking station, it's worth mentioning in the off chance that the battery dies mid-clean. In that rare case, it could be worth considering purchasing another battery pack, which all three brands offer, but after my tests, all three vacuums tie equally when it comes to battery life and charging time.Verdict (Image credit: Shark)When it comes down to the final vacuum in the villa, my top recommendation shouldn't be that surprising. Shark's PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty won out in several of my tests, but when you factor in pricing, suction power and the docking station, the sheer value of Shark's machine pays off in strides.Having said that, Dyson's entry shouldn't be totally dismissed. The Auto-Empty Dok didn't quite impress me; however, that's not to say it's a present issue for every user, and it could work perfectly fine in most homes. Plus, considering Dyson's premium pricing across most of its lineup, finding a cordless vacuum and station combo for AU$999 is hard to beat.And finally, Tineco. I wish the brand could have lived up to the expectations I had, but unfortunately, it did not. With slow suction power and a mid-sized base, I wanted more out of its expensive AU$1,299 price tag, but it unfortunately fell short.So, if you're considering a cordless vacuum and auto-emptying dock this Black Friday, take it from me — Shark's PowerDetect Speed Clean & Empty is seriously worth a look. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Subscribe to Tom's Guide on YouTube and follow us on TikTok. Lucy Scotting is a staff writer for Tom’s Guide Australia, primarily covering lifestyle, streaming and internet-related news. Lucy started her career writing for HR and staffing industry publications, covering emerging tech, business and finance. In her spare time, Lucy can be found watching sci-fi movies, working on her dystopian fiction novel or hanging out with her dog, Fletcher.