128 C O N S U M E R R E P O R T S B U Y I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 2

QuickGuide VACUUM CLEANERS

Carpets top the list of critical cleaning chores,an area where upright models have traditionallyexcelled. But you may prefer a canister vacuumfor other cleaning, especially on stairs.

Shopping tipSome vacuumsare easier thanothers to push,pull, and carry.See which feelsbest at the store.

What to iooi( for• A vacuum that's easy to push,pull, and carry, so try beforeyou buy• For better deep-cleaning ofcarpets, an upright beats acanister• For cleaning drapes, uphol-stery, on stairs, and underfurniture, a canister is betterthan an upright

What to skip• Splurging on extra cleaningtools, when the basic tools thatcome standard should suffice

Scan this or see how. page 1!

Brand & model

I for most cleaning jobs• Bagless models if you haveasthma or allergies, becauseemptying the dustbin andcleaning a filter is an espe-cially dusty, messy chore

What you'ii payYou'll find strong performersfor as little as $50.

For more buying advice, go toCoti.^umerReporls.org/vacuums

Price Overall score Weight Test results(ib.)

similar models, in small type,Me compiirahle to tested model.

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0 100P I F I G I V G l E

A BAGGED UPRiGHTS Tbese tend to be better for carpets and are easier to store.[ 7 ] 1 Hoover WindTunnel

Anniversary EditionU6485-900 UH50000

0 2 Mieie 5 7210 Tviiist

[ZÏ 3 Kenmore Intuition 31100

0 4 Mieie 5 7260 Cat &0ogQ S Hoover Tempo Widepath

US140-900Q 6 Hoover WindTunnel Max

UH3O6OO0 7 Panasonic MC-UG775

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V A C U U M C L E A N E R S 129

Brand S model Price Overaii score Weigiit Testresuits(ib.)

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A BAGGED UPRIGHTS continued8 H o o v e r P l a t i n u m Bagged j . . .

UH30010COM 1 *' '""9 Kenmore Intuition 31810 350

10 iMieie S 7580 Bolero oo^Swing. Tango °°"

11 Miele S 7280 lazz Salsa 650

12 Eureka Boss Smart Vac „n48701 ! ^'"

13 Sebo Felix Premium 600

14 Panasonic MC-LIG471 150

15 Riccar Supralite RSU .-jr.SimplidlyFreedomF36OO 2 ^ ' ^

16 Riccar Supralite RSL3 -.rnSimplicity Freedom F35OO 2 • '• '"

17 Riccar Brilliance Premium g msimplicity Synchrony Premium

18 Kenmore Progressive Glide „„30100 " "

19 Lindhaus Oiamante 380 900

20 DirtDeviiFeatherlite . nBagged M085590

21 Sebo automatic X5 820

22 Panasonic MC-UG509 300

23 Aerus FreshEra 2 500

24 Royai Eminence MRY975O 600

25 Panasonic MC-UG413 100

26 Cirrus Performance Pet CR99 450

27 Kobienz U610 :: 300

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B BAGLESS UPRIGHTS These trade a bag for a bin but are messier to empty.1 Hoover WindTunnel

T-Series Rewind BaglessUH7O12O UH70110 3

I 2 LG Kompressor Total CareLUV400T

I 3 DYSon DC28 Animal

I 4 Eureiia Airspeed ASIOOOA[ _ ., jswoiA G0J4 «lgoM craigea 100

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130 C O N S U M E R R E P O R T S B U Y I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 2

Brand & model Price Overaii score Weigiit Test resuits(ib.)

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0 5 LG Kompressor LUV3000 6 Hoover Platinum Bagiess

UH7OO15

0 7 LG Kompressor LUV200n 8 Bisseil CieanView Helix

Dirt Devii FeatherliteBagiess M085845 (Target)Siiark Navigator Lift AwayNV352 NV351 (walmarti

HooverWindTunnel PetRewind UH7021O sHoover WindTunnel TSeriesPurely Clean UH7O202 3

Bisseil Momentum 82G71

Kenmore Intuition 31040

Hoover WindTunnel RewindPIUSUH7O2O5 3

Panasonic MC-UL915

Hoover WindTunnel Max

UH70600

Siiark Navigator NV22L

Bisseii Pet Hair Eraser 87B4

87B4-2 (LOÄe's). 87B4-3 (Best Buy)Eiectroiux Nimble EL860211EL86O5ll(LO*e'5)

Bisseii PowerClean 16N5-9

Bisseil Healthy Home 16N5-F

Eureka Whirlwjnd+PetLover 327611Bissen PowerGroom 92L3W

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Ratings Key ©Excellent ©Very good OGood ©Fair ÄPoor

D CR Best Buy These models offer the best combination of performance and price. Ail are recommended.

I bd Recommended These are high-performing models that stand out.

V A C U U M C L E A N E R S 131

Brand S modei Price Overaii score Weigiit Test resuits(Ib.)

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B BAGLESS UPRIGHTS continued

27 Kenmore Intuition 31811

28 Hoover WindTunnei PetCyclonic UH70085

29 Eiectroiux Versatility EL8505EL8502

30 Bisseil Lift-off Multi-Cyclonic Pet 89Q9 8909-4(Kohl's). 8909-6 (BBB). 18Z6 (Target)

31 Hoover WindTunnei AirUH70400

32 Bissen ProLite Multi Cyclonic17G5 I7G5-2 (Lowe's)

33 Dyson 0C24 Ball All Floors

34 Hoover WindTunnei PetRewind Plus UH70086

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23 © O O O © O ©1 Comes with a mini canister vacuum that accepts tools; we did not test the canister 2 Does not accept tools. 3 The U.S.Consumer Product Safety Commission on May 27,2010, announced the recall of this model due to fire and shock hazards. See theCPSC recall notice for more details.

Brand S modei Price Overall score Test results

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A BAGGED CANISTER

1 Kenmore Intuition 28014

2 iMieleS5281Callisto

3 Eiectroiux OxygenEL6988I1

4 Kenmore Progressive 21514

5 Hoover WindTunnei 536706 Eiectroiux UltraOne

EL707OA

7 Panasonic MC-CG9O2

8 Eiectroiux Ultra5ilencerOeepClean EL70601J ultra-Silencer tjeepClean EL7061II (Lowe's)

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132 C O N S U M E R R E P O R T S B U Y I N G G U I D E 2 0 1 2

Brand & modei

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Price Overall score Testresuits

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A BAGGED CANISTER continued

9 Eiectroiux UltraSilencerDeLux EL7066

10 Panasonic MOCG983

11 Riccar ImmaculatePremier Gusto

12 Mieie S 2181 Titan

13 Mieie S 2121 Olympus

14 Mieie S 2121 Delphi

15 Eiectroiux UltraSilencerGreen EL6984A

16 Eiectroiux UltraSilencerEL6986A

17 Metropolitan ProfessionalsA0M-4PNHSF

18 Aerus Lux Legacy

19 Aerus Lux Guardian Ultra

20 Sebo Air Belt C3.1

21 Sebo Air Belt K3 Volcano

22 Eureita Surtacemax 6833D

23 Eiectroiux ErgospaceEL4100

24 Bissen CleanAlongCanister 48K2

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[^ 1 IG Kompressor LCV900B

[ • ] 2 Hoover Platinum BagiessCanister S3865

3 Rainbow e-seriesE2

4 Hoover Elite Cyclonic S3825

5 Eiectroiux UltraActiveDeepClean EL4300A

6 Hoover Multi-CyclonicSH40060

7 Hoover Zen WhisperSH40080

8 Dirt Devil Vision M082750

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V A C U U M C L E A N E R S 133

Guide to the RatingsOverall score is mainly cleaning, airflow, tiandling, noise, and emissions. Carpet is ability tolift embedded talc and sand trom medium-pile carpet. Bare floors is vacuuming sand withoutdispersing. Tool airflow is ttirough hose with increasing amounts of dust-simulating woodflour. Noise reflects decibel-meter results; models scored Poor mandate hearing protection.Emissions measures release ot small particles with motor on. Handlinq Is ease of pushing,pulling, and carrying. Pet hair is pickup of long hair on medium-pile carpet. Weight is vacuumand onboard tools. Baq costs are per bag. Under canister features, baq denotes whether themodel has a disposable bag. Brush on/off indicates whether there's a switch for the rotatingbrush. Easy on/off refers to a switch that's located on the handle or where your foot canactivate it. Manual-pile adjust changes the height of the machine to a carpet's pile height.Price is approximate retail.

i ost & Least Reliable

Canister vacuums

Fpu/pr ^repairs

Dyson M H M K Ü IKenmcre H H É H

Miele ¡ • ^ • • 0 ]Hoover • ¡ ^ • • • 1 1 1 !

Eiectroiux • • ^ • • • H

Morerepairs

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Upright vacuums

Fewerrepairs

Among canister brands, Dyson and Kenmorewere among the least repair-prone and Eiec-troiux was most repair-prone. Kirby wasamong the least repair-prone brands ofupright vacuums while Simplicity and Ric-car were among the more repair-prone.That's what we found when we asked almost96,000 readers who bought a vacuum be-tween 2007 and 2011 about their experi-ences. The graph shows the percentage ofmodels for each brand that were repairedor had a serious problem. Differences offewer than 4 points aren't meaningful, andwe've adjusted the data to eliminate dif-ferences linked solely to age and usage.Models within a brand may vary, and de-sign or manufacture changes might affectfuture reliability. Still, choosing a brandwith a good repair history can improve yourodds of getting a reliable model.

Source: Annual Product Reliability Survey.Consumer Reports National Research Center.

Morerepairs

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

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