Vacuum Cleaner Review

Evaluating vacuum cleaner reviews and comparisons

Upright vacuum cleaners are best for carpet, say reviews, although most upright vacs can also clean bare floors. However, if you mostly have bare floors with just a few rugs, a canister vacuum is a better choice. Canister vacuums are also easier to carry up stairs or to the garage, though they tend to be more expensive than upright vacuum cleaners. See our separate report on canister vacuums for more information.

Consumer Reports performs the best vacuum cleaner testing, and in its latest review, 36 upright vacuums are rated for cleaning ability on carpet and bare floors plus performance with tools, as well as noise, emissions and ease of use. Consumer Reports editors also test how well vacuums can pick up pet hair on carpet. Which? magazine, the U.K. equivalent of Consumer Reports, also tests upright vacuums. Although not all tested vacs are available in the U.S., editors go into great detail about Dyson vacuums, including reliability issues and company response. Consumer Reports and Which? Online are easily the most comprehensive reviewers of vacuum cleaners.

Along the same lines, Australia's Choice magazine tests and compares vacuum cleaners in four separate price categories. The issue with Choice is that most of the vacuum cleaners reviewed aren't available in the U.S. It's still worth a look, though, to see if the model you're considering is included in the latest round of reports.

We found a number of less-formal reviews from The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping and The Independent, a U.K. newspaper. Owner reviews posted to Amazon.com, Viewpoints.com and Epinions.com are very useful when it comes to upright vacuums. Many vacs at Amazon.com have received hundreds of owner-written ratings, giving us a good picture of long-term reliability and ease of use. While it's not yet comprehensive enough to rival large text-based user review sites, ExpoTV.com has some interesting consumer-posted video entries. The big advantage of video is that owners can actually demonstrate features, specs and failure points rather than just describing them.

Are Dyson vacuums really better?

Dyson vacuum cleaners are credited with shaking up the whole market in the last few years. In the past, the UK's Which? magazine has taken Dyson to task for its below-average repair record, which the publication reported after surveying hundreds of Dyson owners. However, the newest Dyson vacuums appear to have improved. In addition, Dyson has upped the warranty for new purchases to a full five years. This five-year warranty also applies to U.S. Dyson vacuum cleaners.

A couple of reviews take a close look at Dyson and its claim to have the best suction. The Wall Street Journal tested a Dyson vacuum alongside competitors, finding that Dyson didn't hold any particular advantage. Consumer Reports puts Dyson to the test with pet hair. The company claims its Animal line, which consists of the DC17 Absolute Animal (*Est. $550) -- along with the DC07, DC14,DC15, and DC25 Animal -- is better at picking up pet hair from upholstery. Consumer Reports tested the Dyson vacuums along with dozens of others on their ability to pick up pet hair from carpet, but Dyson vacuums weren't a particular standout.

However, hundreds of consumer reviews at Amazon.com and Epinions.com highly rate most Dyson vacuums, despite their cost. Although the positive reviews are sprinkled with complaints about heavy weight, awkward controls, hard-to-find replacement parts and breakdowns, most owners say the extra cost was worth it. Reviews are particularly positive for the lightweight Dyson DC18 Slim All Floors (*Est. $400), which owners say is easier to maneuver than previous Dyson uprights. The 16-pound DC18 also does well in professional reviews, earning a Best Buy rating from Which? and nods from Good Housekeeping and The Independent.

And what about Hoover?

Although the Hoover Savvy Bagless Upright U8174-900 (*Est. $160) does well in a video report at Good Housekeeping magazine, owner feedback is consistently poor. The Savvy is supposed to come with a "lifetime" belt that's never supposed to break. Nonetheless, we read many complaints about breaking belts, faulty electronics and poor suction. Reviews on Epinions.com follow the same pattern, and one disappointed customer goes so far as to call the failure-prone lifetime belt a "scam." A sizeable contingent of disgruntled owners say their Savvy Bagless Uprights worked well enough at first but then self-destructed around the one-year mark. Some do say the Savvy is a good value, but you can get higher-rated uprights for less.

The Hoover WindTunnel 2 Extra Reach Bagless Upright U8351-900 (*Est. $290) doesn't fare much better. The vast majority of contributors at Amazon.com give it one star out of five, and owners complain of clogging, poor suction and general quality issues. Hoover's customer service is another sore spot: Several customers say they don't feel the company responded adequately to their complaints. Interestingly, we found much better reviews for a cheaper Hoover vacuum, the Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 (*Est. $60).