We’d buy a C3 model, but a C1 isn’t a bad choice if you want to save the money now. Thanks to the long-lasting geared belt and reusable filter, performance shouldn’t decline much over time. Learn more. And they tend to clog less often than upright vacuum cleaners and are easier to unclog as well. For handling, we had 22 testers run each model through a slalom course, simulating a real-life apartment with a tight floor layout to clue us in on a few frustrations and flaws that might annoy owners. The rest of the vacuum cleaner needs to be tightly sealed, too. Upright vacuum cleaners are the best things since, well, vacuum cleaners. Tons of customer reviews, even a bunch of the negative ones, mention that the Navigator Lift-Away is an excellent cleaner. (Their predecessor, the Bissell 9595A, is still widely available, too.) If the air coming out of the vacuum vent was measured as clean by the particle counter, we knew that the vacuum’s HEPA filter was working as claimed. We tested the bagless Miele Blizzard CX1 TurboTeam, and although it’s a good vacuum, it’s not as effective as Miele’s bagged canisters, such as our upgrade pick. has told us that these are excellent vacuum cleaners, and a few technicians have said they’re simply the best you can buy. Although it’s on the heavy side (clocking in at 20 pounds) and light on attachments and additional features, this vacuum is easy to use and powerful to boot, making it a great pick for someone with simple, straightforward cleaning needs. It weighs about 12 pounds, which is much lighter than most full-size upright vacuum cleaners (15 pounds is pretty typical). Our testers vacuumed parts of the ceiling and a medium-pile and high-pile carpet, and they maneuvered the machines into corners and tight spots. Staff writer Joanne Chen, who owns an upright Dyson, said, “It’s so heavy and clumsy to push around it makes me vacuum less often than I should.” Our Miele pick is heavier overall, but most of the weight sits on the floor in the canister body, not on your wrists. This very thorough review on an air-purifier-enthusiast website found a similar Shark to be sealed pretty well, releasing less than 2,000 particles sized 0.5 micron or larger per cubic foot (0.5 micron is about the size of a single grain of talcum powder). It starts with the parts: The canister casing is a lightweight plastic with a rubberlike anti-cracking quality. But unlike our main pick, every inexpensive model we’ve come across needs its belts or filters, or both, replaced at regular intervals to maintain the cleaning performance. Boasting all the essential features and then some, this model from Shark is our number-one pick for an all-around great upright vacuum. The Dyson Ball Multi-Floor 2 upright vacuum has a self-adjusting cleaner head that can gracefully move from carpet to wood, vinyl and tile. During the tests, we lit five matches and sucked up the smoke with the vacuums’ hoses. But most people seem to get accustomed to it after a couple of weeks. Repair technicians tend to love Riccar, Simplicity, and Fuller Brush uprights (all made by Tacony Corporation). We’ve read a couple of accounts of its failing after just a year. One senior citizen writes that they could control the machine with little effort. We really take these insights to heart. If you’re nervous about buying from the wrong source online, buy your Miele in person. Bed Bath & Beyond is another authorized dealer. Long fibers can sometimes plug up the intake or tangle in the brush roller, and then the vacuum cleaner won’t work. Canister or upright vacuum? It’s also a good idea to buy the Navigator Lift-Away from a Shark-authorized retailer to ensure that the company won’t make you jump through hoops if you try to make a warranty claim. However, they cost more than comparable models from other brands, they didn’t clean as well in our tests, and they are much heavier and harder to steer than our favorites (even the “lightweight” model). Even if you don’t have severe reactions to airborne irritants, it’s a good idea to keep your indoor air fresh. That’s because its parts are made to last the lifetime of the machine, whereas most affordable vacuums need fresh filters and belts to keep running well. The Dyson Ball Animal 2 not only automatically adjusts to provide a tight seal on any floor surface but also comes with a turbine tool that extracts and sucks up pet hair without getting clogged, thanks to counter-rotating brush heads instead of a conventional brush bar, which often get tangled with long hair. Photo: Michael Murtaugh, We measured each vacuum’s suction using a specialized gauge and each one’s airflow using an anemometer (above). Given its unique combination of suction and mopping capabilities, it’s perfectly suited for kitchens, entryways, and even particularly grimy basement floors. It aces our tests for cleaning pet hair and carpet. Bissell CrossWave Cordless Max Multi-Surface Wet Dry Vac, The 8 Best Hardwood Floor Vacuums of 2020, “Ultra-light and Versatile”: MOOSOO Cordless Vacuum, “Powerful Suction”: Shark Freestyle Pro Cordless Vacuum Review. We dismissed this model for its poor maneuverability, annoying, high-pitched whine, and noticeably shoddy quality. (And for severe allergies, HEPA filters can also help, though they’re not a magic bullet.) Most people open the door only a few times per year anyway, so breakage seems unlikely. We also tried out the Big Ball Multi Floor bagless canister vacuum, but it fell short during testing in similar ways to the Ball Animal 2. (You don’t really need a special vacuum for pets, though.). Items like an upholstery brush, pet-hair attachment, and crevice tool can make it much easier to clean hard-to-reach places. Several Wirecutter staff members have bought the Navigator Lift-Away since we started recommending it, and everyone is basically happy with it. Most of the cheaper vacuum cleaners we’ve tested (so far) are too compromised in too many ways for us to throw our word behind them. (You can read a lot more about them in our guide to air purifiers.) It picked up nearly all of the baking soda–sand mixture we sprinkled onto medium-pile carpet, whereas the next-best performer, the Miele Complete C3 Calima, picked up 84 percent. The Miele Complete C3 Calima is the model we’d go with because it’s the most affordable canister in the C2 and C3 series, and in our tests, its air-powered turbo brush was better at picking up debris on short-pile rugs than the more expensive electric heads on other Miele models. Best Upright Vacuum Cleaner Buying Guide. Dyson makes good vacuum cleaners that cost way too much money by current standards. Miele canisters are fantastic vacuum cleaners with excellent filtration and smooth handling, and they run about as quiet as any vacuum. The best self-propelled vacuum cleaner should be the Shark AZ2002, and go for the Hoover U6630-900 if you need a budget-friendly option. Of the 500-plus vacuum cleaners available today, this is the one that … This Hoover features a HEPA filter, which catches 99.7 percent of allergens, as part of its sealed bag system, which alerts the user when it’s time to replace the bag for maximum efficiency. They are sturdy, American-manufactured machines and made to be repaired pretty easily. We’ve collectively looked at over 1,000 different vacuum models; spent hundreds of hours testing more than 80 contenders, in houses and apartments with different floor layouts; interviewed more than a dozen experts, including engineers, repair technicians, and indoor-air-quality specialists; and talked to regular vacuum owners around the country. The motor is also a slow starter, meaning that it gradually revs up to maximum power over a few seconds, rather than turning on at full blast. For example, some vacuums can bunch up area rugs, and others are too heavy or clunky to steer around tight corners. In models with electric cleaning heads, the hose can’t fully rotate at its connection point because the power cord gets in the way. We’ve found that the Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe V360 is currently the easiest to nab for a good deal, so start there. In general, we found the Ball Animal 2 (and all the other Dyson upright vacuums we’ve tried) to be a strain on our arms and wrists by the end of a cleaning session, something other vacuum reviewers have pointed out too. If you’re sensitive to dust and other allergens, you may want to consider a high-end bagged vacuum cleaner. It has a post-motor HEPA filter, and the transfer points are also sealed with rubber gaskets. It has anti-allergen technology and a HEPA filter to trap and contain 99.9 percent of particles, and it comes with pet tools for efficient removal of hair from floors and upholstery. Photo: Sarah Kobos. However, this is as sturdy and effective a vacuum as you can get. Powered by a big 890w motor, … In our fine-debris pick-up test, however, it picked up less sand and baking soda than any of the other upright models we tested. Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. Still, you’d hope that they’d be able to stay in service longer than that, even with improper use. If you’re wanting to invest in a more expensive vacuum, consider this one from Oreck. (As of late 2020, Miele also sells several “HomeCare” variants, which are similar to the rest of the lineup but come with extra attachments and are officially sold only through small-ish retailers.). Bissell CleanView Plus Rewind Vacuum Cleaner, Best for Pet Hair: The Eureka PowerSpeed NEU182A is another popular seller on Amazon. We’ve tested the 1330, 1822, 1831, and 2252. In our fine-debris pick-up test, using either the air-powered turbo head or the electric head, the CX1 sucked up 13 percent less of the sand and baking soda mixture than the Miele Complete C3 Calima or the now-discontinued Miele Compact C2 Electro+. Cleaning performance is also top-notch. There’s also a HEPA inner bag that captures at least 99.97 percent of particles in the air. Plug-in vacuums cost less and last longer than other types of vacuum cleaners with similar cleaning abilities. For example, our Shark pick costs about half as much as our favorite Dyson cordless and is under warranty for much longer. Another highlight is that the Miele C3 is a totally sealed system. The Sebo Automatic X7 Extra is a traditional upright vacuum cleaner – powerful & built to last. The Bissell CleanView Plus Rewind Bagless Upright Vacuum (available at Wayfair) is a more budget-friendly option that may sacrifice a little performance for its lower price, but makes up for it with its unique, highly effective brushroll and lightweight design. Experts discuss various types and brands, including Dyson vacuums, Shark vacuums, Robot vacuums, Handheld vacuums and more. For such pricey vacuum cleaners, they feel a little cheap. If you have high-pile carpeting, you may prefer a Miele model with an electrified cleaning head, such as the Miele Complete C3 Kona. Although it does have two suction levels, they’re both too strong to work on shag carpeting or very light area rugs without choking. That makes it easy to get into the cleaning head, the wand, or the hose to knock any obstructions loose. The 25-foot power cord automatically retracts into the stand when you’re done cleaning, saving users the task of wrapping it up manually. Pet-hair pickup in particular earns wide praise. You can read about some of these, as well as other models we’ve tested in the past, in the Competition. Think of our test results as a rough, rather than an exact, measurement of cleaning performance, due to real-world limitations. The lift-away feature on the NV352 allows this vacuum to get under low-clearance furniture, like this futon. But they work well only on bare floors or short carpet, and none of them have a hose or attachments. We also took apart a few of the vacuums to see how difficult it would be to unclog them. The Miele canister vacuums are among the quietest vacuum cleaners you can buy. Whether you have long pile carpet or wood floors, this vacuum will do a great job and is worth the extra money. In a now-famous Reddit AMA from 2013, vacuum-shop manager and repair technician Brian Driscoll called out the Shark brand as being repair-prone. If you’re used to handling the plastic accordion hose on your upright vacuum cleaner, this component will seem heavy because it has metal parts. Senior editor Harry Sawyers mostly uses a cordless vacuum cleaner at home, but he whips out the Shark when he needs a deeper clean on his rugs. In other words, upright vacuums are far from basic. Snowplowing is an issue with many vacuums. Power and the American Customer Satisfaction Index. With the brush roller turned on (its loudest setting), we measured the vacuum’s volume at about 76 decibels. While any vacuum can clean bare floors, some models make the task a little easier. We tested a similar model (now discontinued), and when the vacuum was on the correct setting, with some effort we were able to push it around in our test on higher-pile carpeting, whereas it was nearly impossible to do so with most other vacuums we tested. ", "This unique vacuum tackles dirt and dust as easily as spills and stains. With these models, you skip the hassle of buying and replacing vacuum bags, but the downside is that some collection bins can be messy to empty and, over time, some fine particles get trapped in the mechanism of the vacuum, impeding performance and suction. We like how the cord comes out of the top of the handle, as opposed to the bottom of the unit, so it’s less likely to tangle or get in your way. And meanwhile, you’ll have a vacuum that’s easier to maintain and use. A vacuum with a fresh bag will offer excellent suction and cleaning power but will require periodic replacement. We found that the cheaper vacuums we tested came apart in fewer places, making it harder to access clogs. If they do clog (which can happen to any vacuum of any type), Miele vacuums come apart at all the major joints, without needing any tools. The main reason we love Miele canister vacuum cleaners is that they’re impressively sturdy, without feeling clunky. Since the cleaning head is relatively narrow and the body is top-heavy, this machine does fall over more easily than some other vacuum cleaners do. Some people find the wand to be a little heavy, especially with the variants that have wiring to power electric cleaning heads. The automatic cord-rewinding mechanism can get stuck in the not-rewound position. The window in the Navigator Lift-Away’s cleaning head makes it easy to locate and identify tangles. Most people can handle the replacement themselves, or you can go to a shop.) It’s got some pretty nice features that will make vacuuming seem less like a chore. But a Miele canister can last so long—20 years, in some cases—that it works out to be an excellent long-term value. review process here. The 20 best Upright Vacuum Cleaners in 2020 ranked based on 2,991 reviews - Find consumer reviews on ProductReview.com.au, Australia's No.1 Opinion Site. Some people don’t like the power switch’s placement on the main assembly instead of at the top of the handle. And, finally: Nobody can guarantee that your particular Miele canister vacuum will last as long as other people’s Miele canister vacuum cleaners. This annoyance is typical of any canister vacuum with an electric cleaning head. We tried all of them out at our test space in Queens, New York, and have been using some of our longstanding picks in our homes for years. We’ve found that the Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 is the easiest to nab for a good deal these days, and it’s the same as the NV352, except for the shape of the handle and the placement of the power button. An upright vacuum cleaner, for the purposes of this article, is a machine that can stand up on its own two legs; so to speak. ", The Spruce uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. *At the time of publishing, the price was $160. We’ve been reporting on and testing vacuum cleaners at Wirecutter since 2011, and we cover everything from robots and handhelds to cordless vacs and plug-ins. Because it’s so powerful, it moves easily, feeling more like it’s self-propelled. Although our main pick, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away, picked up nearly all of the debris, we think the difference won’t be noticeable to most people. We’ve taken pains to make sure that the links in this guide point only to authorized retailers, but you should double-check before you hit the checkout button. Keep carpets clean with this Shark upright vacuum. And the Miele has other features that make it worth the extra money. If you’re willing to upgrade to a vacuum that can clean the heck out of your home and last for decades, buy a Miele C3 canister vacuum cleaner. We’ve noted this throughout the guide. Plenty of non-pet vacuums have that tool, too, including many variants of the Shark Navigator, so you don’t need to go out of your way to find a vacuum cleaner marketed to pet owners. It’s not as jarring. The standard filtration is excellent, and you can even upgrade to HEPA filters if you want. Photo: Michael Hession, If you have trouble using the Navigator Lift-Away on some of your longer carpets or area rugs, open this valve. But the evidence we’ve seen leads us to believe that the Navigator Lift-Away is actually more reliable than most vacuum cleaners in this price range. It has a dual-brush cleaning head that supposedly helps it pick up hair and dusty debris off of bare floors. You’ll often see brands label certain vacuums as “pet” versions. Handling and maneuverability are another bright spot for the Navigator Lift-Away. We left that second box’s far end open, so that the vacuum’s vented air could pass through, but we covered the opening with a high-MERV furnace filter, so no external particles could pass back into it. Over the years, we’ve assembled a spreadsheet of 560 different vacuums (though a chunk of them are now discontinued). "This upright model covers all essential cleaning needs with versatile flair. If you have shag rugs, though, consider the Miele C2 Electro+, which is designed for them. Miele vacs are also canister-style machines, but most people in North America are familiar with uprights. So we used each vacuum to try to suck up a handful of Cheerios and Chex. This reliable, effective, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced bagless upright vacuum cleaner will work well for most people in most … But they’re actually more or less the same as any non-pet vacuum cleaner, just with an additional mini-brush tool for tackling pet hair that’s clinging to upholstery. We came close to recommending the Shark Navigator Swivel Pro NV150 because the dustbin is easy to empty and the handle is comfortable to hold. Dyson plays up its self-righting feature—it can pick itself up when knocked over. If the majority of your vacuuming entails sucking up massive quantities of shedding and dander, you need a model with powerful suction that won’t get clogged up by a couple of hairballs. Our top pick for a plug-in vacuum is an upright, bagless model because it’s the most convenient design with no recurring costs, and most people in North America tend to prefer this type. You may need consider between hundred or thousand products from many store. This reliable, effective, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced bagless upright vacuum cleaner … While it’s a bagged vacuum, it’s super easy to change the bag thanks to a feature that prevents dust from being spilled out. But the nosedive began around the time Miele rebranded the line (it used to be called the S7 series), in late 2014. Photo: Michael Hession, The dust cup on the Shark Navigator Lift-Away (right) detaches via two clips; this requires you to bend down almost to the ground and use both hands to release the clips. The variants come with different combinations of cleaning heads and filters. Vacuum Cleaner Reviews Check out the latest vacuum cleaner reviews and tests from the Good Housekeeping Institute. Here, find our picks for the best options for sale right now. That could be due to user error, like using the vacuum to suck up bits of metal, construction dust, water, or other things that residential vacuums really aren’t meant to clean—they’re very sturdy vacuums, but they are not invincible. We used to recommend the Miele Dynamic U1 line of upright bagged vacuum cleaners, but we’ve watched the owner ratings plummet. Hence the reason why you need to go through this section – to know which features separate the best models from the riffraff. Weighing a mere 10kg, the Eureka Powerspeed packs a lot of heavy-duty cleaning power in such a light body. If you’re looking for a more long-term perspective, some Amazon reviewers have been wonderfully diligent about updating their reviews every year—sometimes into the fourth or fifth year of ownership! We tend to recommend the NV352 because it’s typically the best value at our favorite retailers. The Shark Anti Hair Wrap Upright Vacuum Cleaner with Powered Lift-Away and TruePet NZ801UKT could well be the model for you. We noticed that we got the same results whether or not we used an external microphone. If it wasn’t, we knew that the claims were suspect. With the Shark Navigator Lift-Away guaranteed to last five years on warranty alone, the math proves that paying a little more right now will almost always save you money over time. We also measured each vacuum’s raw suction with a specialized gauge and each one’s airflow with an anemometer. We tested many different Miele canister vacuums, each suited to different types of flooring. This vacuum’s five-year warranty gives us every reason to believe it will last at least that long for most owners. They’re easy to maintain and built to last for a long time (20 years is not uncommon), allowing for a great long-term value in spite of the high purchase price. We’ve looked at hundreds more vacuum cleaners than the ones we’ve talked about in this guide—way too many to list, from brands including Aerus, Bissell, Black+Decker, Dirt Devil, Dyson, Eureka, Electrolux, Hoover, Kenmore, Kirby, Miele, Panasonic, Rainbow, Riccar, Simplicity, Fuller Brush, Maytag, Sebo, and even the now-discontinued lines from LG and Samsung. The C3 Calima is the most affordable model with a turbo brush head in the Miele lineup, and like other Miele vacs, it has a crush-proof hose and a totally sealed body, for better dust control and quieter operation. The appliance also comes with Anti-Allergen Complete Seal Technology and a HEPA filter, which means it traps 99.9 percent of dust and allergens inside the vacuumgreat for people who suffer from allergies. Any vacuum cleaner is fine for pet owners. For example, none of the vacuums could pick up all of the debris from the rugs we were testing on. ", "Because it’s so powerful, this vacuum moves easily, to the point that it feels more like it’s self-propelled. It’s not perfect: The Navigator Lift-Away doesn’t do well on shag carpets (though that’s a common problem), and some people have told us that they think it’s really ugly. A handful of other high-end vacuum cleaners from brands such as Riccar and Sebo are similarly durable, but Miele has a wider service network than either of those competitors, so you’ll usually have more technicians to choose from once your vacuum cleaner needs its inevitable midlife tune-up. But even if it had clogged, the vac comes apart in more places than any of its competitors. Shark Rotator NV752- (Best Bagless Upright Vacuum Overall) When it comes to power, convenience and balance, the Shark Rotator Upright NV752 (Our Best Choice) is one of the best upright bagless vacuum … You can lift away the canister from the unit to clean hard-to-reach areas just by pressing a button. 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