I've spent 200+ hours testing vacuums and pitted a $750 Dyson against a $150 budget cordless with a matching green laser – I learned something very surprising

Entryway with white walls, white staircase, black front door, striped dark gray carpet runner and cat in the foreground.

The mere existence of a $150 vacuum begs the question: do we need to be spending hundreds of dollars on a vacuum cleaner?

Dyson's vacuums are notoriously expensive, with high-tech features such as debris detecting green lights to help you spot hidden mess you'd otherwise miss. Dyson has a well-earned reputation of being the best, so can a cheaper vacuum with a similar feature live up to the hype at a fraction of the cost?