By Scott Nyerges on November 6, 2010 in
We've taken a gander at the recently leaked Kohl's and Sears Black Friday circulars, and both retailers are advertising upright vacuums. Sears lists Hoover, Dyson and Kenmore vacs, while Kohl's has Hoover and Dyson vacs. The latter two manufacturers show up in our report on the best upright vacs, but are any of these Black Friday prices truly a bargain? Read on...
Kohl's lists four Dyson vacuums, among them the Dyson DC25 All Floors vacuum, our pick for a luxury upright vacuum in our report. Dysons have an almost cult-like following among users, who praise their power, maneuverability and allergen control in reviews. However, users also say this Dyson is noisy and note that its on-board tools don't handle corners well. It also ain't cheap. Kohl's is advertising this Dyson vacuum for $378 after an additional 20 percent discount off the sale price of $474.99. That's a pretty decent savings.
The retailer is also advertising the Dyson DC25 Animal -- which is similar to the DC25 All Floors but adds an on-board upholstery brush -- for $399.99. That's a less dramatic discount off the $499 price tag, but is still cheaper than what it retails for at Amazon.com. And like it's bigger sibling, this Dyson vacuum also earns high scores among users.
Sears is also advertising one Dyson vac, the DC14 Telescope Reach All Floors, for half off their regular price of $440. This Dyson is named a runner-up in our report on upright vacuums. Like it's pricier sibling, reviewers like the Dyson DC14's performance and filtration, and they like the long cleaning hose, which extends 17 feet, though some owners complain about noise.
Hoover vacs are cheaper
As we note in our report, Dysons are excellent, but there are other upright vacuums that do a good job at a far cheaper price. Two Hoover vacuums are among the Best Reviewed picks in our report, but Kenmore vacs don't make the cut, and the one Kenmore vacuum that Sears lists receives no reviews on its website. Both Kohl's and Sears advertise Hoover vacs in their Black Friday circulars, but are any of them worth your money?
Sears is offering the self-propelled Hoover WindTunnel upright vacuum for $169.99. Sears lists this vac as normally selling for $229.99, but a quick check of their website shows a price of $187.54, which is just about even with Amazon.com's price. However, user reviews of this vacuum at both sites yields only a so-so average score. Owners like the fact that it's self-propelled and say it's easy to use, but several complain of flimsy plastic parts and suction that deteriorates over time.
Kohl's is advertising an early-bird special on even less expensive Hoover model, the WindTunnel Supreme, for $99.99, a savings of 15 percent off the regular sale price. This vac uses bags and it isn't self-propelled, and it doesn't get very good user reviews at Amazon.com, where users complain about hoses that clog frequently and suction that loses strength over time. Strangely, we couldn't find this model on the Kohl's website, and it's shown in gray, rather than blue as on the Hoover website, leading us to suspect that this may retailer-exclusive model (or an incorrect photo).
The price of the WindTunnel Supreme is hard to beat, but for the same amount of money or a little less, you could get another Hoover vac with similar features, the Tempo Widepath U5140-900 (*Est. $80), named a Best Reviewed pick in our report.