Hoover Platinum Bagged Upright with Canister UH30010COM

The Hoover Platinum Bagged Upright with Canister UH30010COM gets very good ratings from professional and user reviewers. This is the lightest upright vacuum covered in this report, weighing less than 13 pounds, and reviewers say it is easy to maneuver and to carry up and down stairs. This simple bagging vacuum doesn't have any tool attachments; instead, it comes with a separate canister vacuum for cleaning upholstery, drapes and basically everything other than carpet. Some users say they find this a handy feature, while others say the canister could be easier to use. Note that you can buy the upright vacuum only as the Hoover Platinum Bagged Upright Vacuum UH30010 (*Est. $200) , but it's harder to find this version in stores.

Reviewers generally agree that this model is great at digging dirt out of carpet, but they are divided over its bare-floor performance. One professional review finds it excellent on bare floors, and another says that its rotating brush -- which cannot be switched off -- tends to scatter dirt across floors rather than picking it up. And like most vacuum cleaners, it gets its share of noise complaints. However, it does include a HEPA filter, and its five-year warranty is very good. If you're willing to trade a little more weight for a lower price tag and on-board accessories, you might prefer the 16-pound Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 (*Est. $80) .

The most reliable review for the Hoover Platinum Bagged Upright UH30010COM comes from ConsumerReports.org, which rates this model, along with 81 other uprights, in a series of rigorous tests. Good Housekeeping also includes the Hoover Platinum in their detailed tests of vacuum cleaners, with testing conducted by professionals as well as ordinary consumers. We found more than 600 owner reviews for this model at Amazon.com and another 70-plus at BestBuy.com, most of them extremely positive.