Vacuum Cleaner Ratings
Vacuum Cleaner Ratings By Type
Vacuum cleaners come in basically two classifications: Canister and Upright models. Consumer Reports put a number of popular models to their paces to test and evaluate their cleaning effectiveness. The judging criterion used was as following:
- Carpets
- Bare Floors
- Tool Airflow
- Noise
- Emissions
- Handling
- Pet Hair
The goal was to determine real-world use of vacuums and how well they performed functions you and I would use on a daily basis. After all the testing was concluded, this is how they racked and stacked.
Canister Vacuum Ratings
#1 Kenmore Intuition 28014
The vacuum Consumer Reports gave the title “Recommends” goes the Kenmore Intuition 28014. Priced around $600, this Kenmore model has a manual pile-height adjustment, retractable cord, brush on/off switch, HEPA filtration and full-bag indicator. The Intuition weighs in at 26 lbs.
The Kenmore Intuition scored ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good’ in all categories except handling, which was rated “Good”.
#2 Electrolux Oxygen EL6988
The Electrolux Oxygen EL6988 is a bag-equipped model and weighs 22 pounds. The Electrolux Oxygen canister has a brush on/off switch, manual pile-height adjustment, retractable cord, full-bag indicator, and HEPA filtration.
The Electrolux Oxygen scored “Excellent” on carpet, pet, bare floors and emissions. It was rated “Very Good” on tool air flow and “Good” on noise and handling. Prices for the Oxygen range from $325 – $430
#3 Kenmore Progressive 27514 — “BEST BUY”
Kenmore Progressive is dust bag model. Like the other rated models, the Kenmore canister has a brush on/off switch, manual pile-height adjustment, retractable cord, full-bag indicator, and HEPA filtration.
The Progressive was rated “Excellent” for pet hair, bare floors and, emissions. “Very Good” on carpets. And “Good” on noise, tool air flow, and handling. Total weight is 21 lbs. and the cost runs around $300. As noted, this is a CR Best Buy.
Upright Vacuum Cleaner Ratings
#1 Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900.
Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition is a bag model. The WindTunnel upright is self-propelled. You can manually select carpet height adjustments, full-bag indicator, brush on/off switch, and has a HEPA filter.
The Hoover WindTunnel was rated “Excellent” on carpet, bare floors, emissions and tool air flow and “Very Good” for pet hair. It rated “Good” for handling and “Fair” for noise. The WindTunnel clocks in at 21 lbs. Prices ranged from around $200 – $209. This unit is a “Recommended” buy.
#2 Hoover Platinum Bagged UH30010COM
Hoover also garnered the second spot in the Upright category with the Platinum Bagged model. This is a much lighter vacuum, weighing only 13 pounds. That’s the good news, the bad – it doesn’t accept tools. It does have a full-bag indicator and HEPA filtration system.
The Hoover Platinum Bagged was rated “Excellent on carpet, pet hairs and bare floors. It was rated “Very Good” for emissions and handling. Noise was rated “Good”. Prices seem to vary greatly for this model and ranged from around $300 – up to $450.
#3 – Kenmore Progressive 35922 — “BEST BUY”
The Kenmore Progressive 35922 made it into the tight race for the top 3 but walked away with the coveted Best Buy title for upright vacuums.
The Progressive is bag-equipped with a manual pile-height adjustment range. It also has a full-bag indicator and a brush on/off switch. The Progressive treats the air with a built-in HEPA filter and weighs 21 lbs
For the ratings, the Kenmore Progressive 35922 was given an “Excellent” for pet hair, bare floors and emissions. Judged as “Very Good” for carpet and tool air flow, and “Good” for tool air flow and handling.
This rounds out the Top Three vacuums for canister and upright models. It should be noted that customer satisfaction does not always coincide with testing results. Regardless of the pains Consumer Reports goes through to thoroughly evaluate models, owner opinion is often contrary to what’s deemed as the best in vacuum cleaner ratings.