Vacuum Cleaner Reviews

If you are in the market for a good upright vacuum you will want to investigate the vacuum cleaners below:

Shark Navigator Lift Away Pro
This machine is similar to the original Shark Navigator Lift Away but it comes with a larger dust canister and a special bare floors cleaning tool. It is easily identified by its white and silver color. The Lift Away Pro is a bagless vacuum that uses a 10 amp motor. It has plenty of features including a long 30 foot power cord, HEPA filtration, a number of tools and attachments, a motor driven brushbar that can be turned off for cleaning bare floors, a portable Lift Away canister, and much more. This upright is getting excellent reviews from consumers and can often be found online for less than 200 USD. The Lift Away Pro is covered by a 5 year warranty.

Hoover UH30010COM
This is a very lightweight, bagged upright that is usually priced between 200 and 300 USD. It has been a consumer favorite for several years and generally gets very good ratings from owners. It has a motorized brushbar but it cannot be turned off. It is therefore effective on carpet but sometimes problematic on bare floors. The package includes a separate canister vacuum that can be used for cleaning stairs or hard to get at areas. This vacuum carries a 6 year warranty.

Dyson DC25 Ball
This is a classic and it has been on the market for years. There is also an "Animal" version which contains a special hand turbine tool for picking up pet hair. Like all Dyson's the DC25 uses cyclonic suction and is bagless. The vacuum is certified asthma friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and it comes with HEPA filtration. The filters are washable so one does not have to buy new filters. It has a telescopic wand that can be used for ceiling cleaning, stair cleaning or getting at other tricky areas. The brushroll is motorized and can be turned on and off, however the power cord is a little short and the dust canister is a little small (both features have been upgraded in the new Dyson DC41). The vacuum carries a 5 year warranty.

Read more about Top Upright Vacuums at vacuum-cleaner-advisor.com

Canister vacuums, or cylinder vacuums as they are sometimes called, differ from uprights in that they have a wheeled canister that is pulled along behind as the hose and nozzle are used to do the vacuuming. The canister contains the motor, bags (if it is a bagged machine), filters, etc. An upright has the motor, bags, nozzle, etc. in a tall upright structure that is pushed along ahead of you via a handle at the top of the vacuum.

Both approaches have their pros and cons and whether one would benefit from either a canister or an upright is very much a function of the vacuuming requirements. Also, it should be pointed out that manufacturers have been attempting to bridge the gap between these two types of vacuums for years and the strengths and weaknesses of each are less pronounced than they used to be.

Canister vacuums tend to be less effective on carpet than uprights. One of the reasons for this is that many canister vacuum heads do not have a brushbar. Some canisters will have special carpet attachments with brushbars but these commonly utilize a brushbar driven by air, an approach that may not be particularly effective if the brushbar encounters a lot of friction. Attachments with motor driven brushbars are sometimes available but these can be expensive. In general uprights outperform canisters on carpet but canisters are the favorite on bare floors.

A large number of uprights now transition fairly well from carpet to hard surfaces by allowing the brushbar to be turned off (typically via a switch or footpedal) and providing a range of different vacuum height adjustments. But not all uprights have these features. If you intend to vacuum both carpets and bare floors you may want to search for these capabilities.

Unlike an upright the canister vacuum also requires that you lug a cylinder behind you as you vacuum and the cylinder can bang into furniture and walls. Other issues with canister vacuums include the fact that they frequently have smaller bags than uprights. Bagged uprights with their larger dirt/dust capacity require less bag changes. Also, canister vacuums can be slightly more expensive than an upright of similar quality.

On the plus side canister vacuums are typically lighter than an upright and they require that you only move the hose and vacuum head when vacuuming a nearby area, unlike an upright where you have to move the entire bulk of the vacuum back and forth. In addition, canisters with their long flexible hose make vacuuming stairs easier although it should be noted than many uprights now come with extendable hoses.

Canister vacuum are sometimes the better choice for those suffering from allergies or asthma because sealed systems (for effective HEPA filtration) can be found on certain canister vacuums but are rare on an upright. Canister vacuums also often have a light and maneuverable nozzle which makes getting under and around furniture easier. Uprights sometimes struggle getting under furniture and into hard to reach places, although many uprights now come with extendable hoses (with attachments like crevice tools, upholstery brushes, dusting brushes, power heads with brushbars, etc.) that solve this very problem.

As one can see there are benefits and drawbacks to each type of vacuum. When deciding which vacuum is best for you make sure to clearly understand your cleaning requirements and preferences first, then match these with the performance and features of each vacuum configuration. Making the right choice will help make cleaning more effective and less of a chore.