Dad’s short answer: A well-maintained corded vacuum should give you eight to ten years or more. A cordless stick is realistically three to five, and the battery is usually what ends it. Handhelds land in the same range as cordless, for the same reason.

What fails, and in what order

On a cordless, the battery first — nearly always. Runtime shortens, then the machine cuts out under load. The motor is typically fine.

On a corded machine, the brush roll bearings and the belt go before anything else, and both are usually replaceable. After that, the hose at a stress point. The motor is normally the last thing standing, which is why a well-treated corded vacuum can run for a decade.

Across all three types the wear parts are brush rolls, filters, belts and hoses. The good news is those are all serviceable on a machine designed to be serviced.

The parts check that decides it

Before you buy anything, search for its replacement brush roll, filter and — if cordless — battery, and confirm you can get them today. Same rule I apply in every category on this site, and it's the most useful two minutes of pre-purchase research there is.

Some brands keep parts stocked for years; others exit a category and leave owners stranded. A great machine you can't service has an artificially short life.

Generic equivalents exist for popular models and are often perfectly good, but check the seller.

And treat the cord well on a corded machine. Yanking the plug out by the cord is what kills the strain relief, and that's a repair most people won't attempt.

Dad’s Take: Corded outlives cordless by years, and it's the battery, not the motor. Factor that into what you're really paying.