Dad’s short answer: Still worth buying, and for a carpet-heavy home still the better machine. A corded vacuum never throttles to save battery, never stops mid-room, and generally gives you more machine for the money because you aren't paying for a battery pack.

Three things a cord still buys you

Sustained power. A corded machine runs at full strength for the entire clean. A cordless one manages its battery, aggressively so on max. On a big carpeted floor that difference shows up in what gets left behind.

No battery to die. Batteries are the most common reason a cordless vacuum gets thrown out in year three. A corded motor usually outlasts everything around it, and there's no cell pack to source when something does go.

Capacity and value. Corded machines have bigger bins, and the money goes into the motor and the brush head rather than into lithium.

What you give up

Convenience, and it isn't a small thing. Plugging in, unplugging, moving between outlets, and a heavier machine. That friction is exactly why cordless took over, and why plenty of people who own both reach for the cordless five days out of seven.

Storage. Uprights are bulky and they don't hang on a wall.

The practical read: if the cord is the reason you don't vacuum, buy cordless and accept the trade. If the cord doesn't bother you, a corded vacuum is more machine for the money and it'll still be running when the cordless is on its second battery.

Dad’s Take: The cord isn't a flaw, it's an unlimited power supply. People forget that when they're shopping.