Choosing A New Vacuum Cleaner

Selecting the appropriate vacuum cleaner should be a pretty easy affair shouldn’t it? Aren’t all vacuums about the same? Well, you would think so! It’s a wise idea to research what leading consumer testing groups discovered during their product evaluations.

Consumer Reports did just that and thoroughly tested several popular vacuum cleaners. After putting these machines through their paces, testing on a variety of surfaces and situations, an apparent winner should be discovered. Shouldn’t it? But after all this extensive testing, their findings don’t often jive with customer feedback. Quite often the evaluation team may not score a unit very high but reviews submitted by owners of the product showed a completely different account.

So much for scientific testing!

Although there may be conflicting recommendation as to which is the ‘best’ vacuum cleaner to get, here are some basic tips to think about when you’re out shopping for a new vacuum.

A basic question is how long is the manufacturer’s warranty? Vacuums do need maintenance so a lengthy warranty is also a plus. Especially if you’re investing out a lot of money to purchase a new model.

Some budget-priced vacuums lose their value fast when they encounter frequent breakdowns. That great ‘deal’ isn’t so if it needs to be replaced every year or so.

The hose is something else to consider. Does it stretch out far enough for those extra jobs you want to get done like cleaning the stairs or sweeping out the car? Will it reach the curtain tops? Is it equipped with the attachments you’ll need to do a thorough cleaning job? Crevice cleaners, dust brushes and smaller heads can greatly assist in specialized clean-up tasks.

Do the roller brushes disengaged for bare floors? Rapidly rotating brush heads can scratch the surface of hardwood floors. “Beater brushes” are great for lifting up ground in dust but some vacuums do a poor job of cleaning close to baseboards. A vacuum equipped with an edge cleaner permits you get right next to obstacles.

If you opt for a ‘bag’ vacuum cleaner, make sure your local merchant sells the make and size you’ll need. If not, you’ll have to order them through the mail and that can be a major nuisance. Vacuum cleaner bags are available in a very wide assortment specially made for the
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make and model of your unit. Your local store may have on hand the brand name but be sure they also supply dust bags for your particular model type.

If you opt to forgo the bag-type cleaners, there’s still some replacement costs involved. Many models have filters that need to be changed periodically. A high-end unit may require costly replacement filters too. So you’ll want to find out where these specially-designed filters may be purchased.

There are two basic types of vacuum cleaners: Canister and Upright. Canisters work extremely well on hard floors and stairs, but efficiency varies a lot on carpet. Canisters tend to cost more than an upright and they are not as maneuverable due to their large size and weight. Canisters can be very awkward if your cleaning tasks involve moving the unit upstairs.

Consumer Reports tested canister vacs and their pick went to the Kenmore Intuition 28014. This Kenmore model allows carpet height adjustments, brushes that can be disengaged for bare floors and is also equipped with a full-bag indicator.

The cord on the Intuition is retractable and HEPA filtration for cleaning the air as well. This recommended canister vacuum has a list price around $600 and weighs 26 lbs.

Uprights perform admirably on bare floors, and like canister models, results on carpets are varied. Effective cleaning also requires sufficient power achieved through the hose and attachments.

Consumer Reports tested a number of upright vacuum cleaners and the Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900 edged out the competition in comparison testing. This unit collects dirt and debris with a dust bag.

This Hoover model is self-propelled so moving around the WindTunnel is a piece of cake. It has a HEPA filter, full-bag indicator, and the brushes can be turned off to protect hardwood floors.

Consumer Reports voted the Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition a Recommended Buy. Selling price has a wide range of $180-$280 so comparison shopping is a must.

By: Marcus Perchowski

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Visit our website to read more reviews on the best vacuum cleaners including reports on Bissell vacuum cleaners.

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