"The most informative vacuum cleaner source on the net..."1 800 479 VACS (8227)
"The most informative vacuum cleaner source on the net..."By Ron Pastore
What's the best vacuum cleaner? Maybe a better question would be "What's the best vacuum cleaner for you?". One way to find this out is to use our interactive vacuum cleaner test, which finds the best vacuum for your living situation and price range. There are over 200 vacuums in the market in the US, and just about all of them claim greatness, so who can you trust? The first thing you should look for when buying a vacuum is who you are buying from and why they want to sell you that machine. If you are talking to a salesman with a finely tuned sales pitch, who only sells one type of machine, how can you compare and get non-bias information? The answer is 'You Can't'... Hopefully this guide can help you through the process of weeding through the hype, useless features, and plain old B.S. that will be thrown at you while on your search for the best vacuum cleaner (the best vacuum cleaner for you)...
Take a look at the vacuums available at all your big box stores like: Walmart, Target, KMart, Home Depot, etc.. Any vacuums found at these stores are definitely not the best vacuum cleaner, they are probably a lot closer to being the worst. All these machines reley on 'planned obsoletion' to make money, meaning they are meant to break and be re-bought. The 'plan' is: By the time they break they will be discontinued and the parts will not be available, you'll have to buy a new one. All these big stores know they will make a lot more money by selling more cheap vacuums frequently, then having them last 7-10 years (like a decent product should). This doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of money for a good vacuum either, we sell vacuums for under $200 that will last up to ten years in a household. Quality brands will generally stay out of these stores because they know it will kill their business. Nice machines need to be demonstrated by people who know why they are nice machines. And if these machines are being sold in the big box stores, there isn't anyone qualified to explain why you should buy them, so nobody will buy them. Naturally, we suggest shopping with us, but whoever you go with, make sure they have a broad enough selection to have something that will suit your specific needs.
Overall, the basic rule of thumb is stick with what you are used to. If you grew up using a canister, stick with it. If you grew up using an upright, don't switch either. We find that most of our customers who switch are not happy with their choice. In most cases, canister vacuums will be more powerful because of their size, but can also be more expensive as well. Upright vacuums tend to me more convenient, especially for senior citizens who need something lightweight.
First, realize what your cleaning needs are.. Depending on what you have to clean, how often you clean, and who lives in your house, there will be different amounts you will need to spend. If you have mainly carpets, you need something with an electric powered brush roller to get into the carpets. If you have mainly bare floors, you will need somehting with an extra strong motor to suck the dirt in at the vacuum head (like a Miele). Also, if you have pets that shed, you might want to go one step further and get a vacuum with a 'cog belt' that has teeth. These belts don't break like traditional flat vacuum belts will when your brush get's tangled with pet hair. Some vacuums that have cog belts are the Sebo, Miele, and the Sanitaire S782. Another big factor you should look for when searching for the best vacuum cleaner is the path the dirt takes in the machine. If you are frequently vacuuming up loose coins, pebbles, or other small objects, you will definitely need something with a 'bypass motor". In low end vacuum cleaners the dirt travels through the motor and fan. So something like a loose coin will easily get sucked up and crash right through a motor fan blade. We've done many repairs where this was the case, and almost always the cost of fixing isn't worth it, considering it will probably happen again.
You can start off getting a really great machine, like the ones described above for around $200. After that you are paying for features. Depending on what you want in your vacuum you can go from there. Some of our favorites are the Miele in a canister and the Sebo, Sanitaire or Carpet Pro Commercial Vacuum in an upright. The best thing about Miele is that even at the low end of their price spectrum, you can get the Ultra powerful Miele Motor and cleaning power. Then you add whatever features you like at whatever cost increase your are willing to spend. So you can get an entry level Miele around $200-300, but if you want all 'direct connect' with no wires, electronic transmission, hospital grade HEPA filtration, then you'll be spending around $1000. At that point you are now getting into the range you would spend on a central vacuum system, which is another very wise option for people with allergies because you are removing all the dust from the living area completely, no level of filter can compete with that. People also like to go with central vacuum systems because they maintain their value up to when you sell your home, all the while making the vacuuming process a lot easier.