Getting Started

A rough-and-tumble market is driving new designs and features as the once humble vacuum cleaner goes high-tech. But we've found that high-priced, feature-laden machines don't necessarily clean better. You'll find many strong performers for $400 or less. Use our vacuum cleaner guide to find the best model for your home.

Carpets top the list of critical cleaning chores, an area where upright models have traditionally excelled. But you may prefer a canister or a central vacuum for other cleaning. Within types, check our Ratings of canister (available to subscribers) and upright (available to subscribers) models for a powerful model, one that performed well in our airflow tests. Here's what else to go by when shopping:

Some vacuums are easier than others to push, pull, and carry. See which feels best at the store. Many of the heavier upright vacuums do not score well in our handling tests.

The noisiest vacuums we tested produced 85 decibels or more, the level at which we recommend hearing protection. Canister vacuums as a group tend to be quieter.

Types

Before you buy a new vacuum, learn about the different types on the market. While one type might have features that appeal to you, it might not fit your budget or your lifestyle.

This traditional design is still the most popular. Uprights tend to cost less than canister vacuums.

Uprights generally provide a wider cleaning swath than canisters, and they tend to be better at deep-cleaning carpets. Most are also easier to store.

You must drag the entire machine back and forth for most floor and carpet cleaning. The top performers we tested weigh 20 pounds or more, although many competent machines are much lighter. Uprights also tend to be noisier than canisters overall.

The best ones clean carpets just about as well as uprights. (Pet owners note: The uprights and canisters that did best at regular cleaning also tended to excel at picking up cat and dog fur.)

Canisters tend to be better than uprights for cleaning bare floors, drapes, upholstery, and under furniture, and they're easier to handle on stairs. Most are quieter, and you mostly need to move only the hose and powerhead, not the entire machine.

The entire vacuum tends to be heavier and bulkier than an upright, and the hose and wand make a canister harder to store.

Although they're convenient, central vacuums are pricey, and they typically require professional installation.

They're even easier to use than a canister. You carry only the hose and powerhead, and there's no vacuum body to pull along. Central vacuums tend to be relatively quiet, and they don't need to be emptied frequently.

Their 30-foot hose can be cumbersome and takes up storage space. And there's no place to store cleaning tools while you work.

These miniature electric models come with or without a power cord.

They're handy for light, quick surface cleaning on short-pile carpets and bare floors.

They lack the power and capacity of full-sized models.

Think of these more as expensive novelties than practical appliances.

do the grunge work while you relax. In uncluttered rooms, a robotic vacuum can fill in between regular vacuuming sessions.

They're time-consuming to set up and run, and they tended to miss edges and corners in our tests. Some also tended to close doors behind them, locking themselves in a room.

Features

Some vacuum cleaner features improve performance or take some of the drudgery out of cleaning. But don't be dazzled by gadgets.

Think twice about splurging on extra cleaning tools. Most vacuums come with a narrow tool for crevices, a small upholstery brush, and a round brush for dusting. On canister vacuums, a power nozzle cleans carpets more thoroughly than a simple suction nozzle. These basic tools should suffice for most cleaning jobs. Others may include: tools that combine features of two tools, such as upholstery tools and dusting brushes; bare-floor tools and wall brushes to clean hard surfaces; and wands and stretch hoses to extend the reach of attachments.

This is the manufacturer's estimate of the combined length of the suction hose and all the hose-extension attachments provided with the machine.

Some upright vacuums and canisters use bags, some collect dirt in a bin. Bag-type vacuums tend to hold more dirt, and emptying them releases less dust into the air. An indicator that tells you when the bag or bin is full reminds you to empty the dirt before it impairs cleaning. With bagless vacuums you can save money by not having to buy bags, but they still use filters that need to be periodically cleaned and replaced. And to capture the fine-dirt particles, these models must use a filter (such as a HEPA filter), which can need regular cleaning or replacement. Replacement filters tend to be significantly more expensive than bags. Another caveat: Emptying the dustbin and cleaning a filter can be messy, and handling it can expose you to dust and other allergens.

These include equipment and features that can help when cleaning hardwood, vinyl, and other uncarpeted floor surfaces. Most common are an on/off switch for the vacuum's brush (see below); Other options include a bare-floor setting, which is usually a very low-height setting for uncovered floors.

Also known as the roller brush, it is found underneath the machine. This roller has bristles attached to it and spans the width of the base. It spins when the machine is on and dislodges dirt, dust, and grit from the carpet so that the airflow can pick it up easily. Some models have a switch to turn the brush agitator off when cleaning bare floors; a rotating brush on a bare floor can move dirt and debris around before it can be sucked up. The switch also makes it less likely that throw rugs, bedspreads, and the like will inadvertently become tangled in the roller brush. And it eliminates any hazard should the vacuum tip over while you have the hose extended.

This feature adjusts the height of the machine to a carpet's pile height to allow for easy movement and thorough cleaning. Adjustments are automatic on some models, but we prefer manual control.

Found on only a few models, this feature can detect when the vacuum is no longer picking up dirt. However, as our tests have demonstrated, that doesn't necessarily mean there's no dirt or debris left to be picked up.

A switch that is located on the handle or where your foot can activate it is more convenient than one on the body of the vacuum.

Models with this feature (including most uprights and some canisters) can pick up debris under the entire area of the cleaning head. That's useful when cleaning wall-to-wall carpeting--the vacuum can clean right up to where the carpet meets the wall.

A growing number of vacuums are claimed to do a better-than-standard job of filtering out fine particles that may pass through the machine and escape into the air through the exhaust, either through the bag or a separate filter. Micron filters can provide a higher level of filtration than standard models, but not as high as high-efficiency particulate-air (HEPA) filtration. HEPA filtration might benefit someone with asthma. It provides the highest level of vacuum-cleaner filtration. In our tests, models with a HEPA filter have been very effective at reducing emissions. However, some models that don't have HEPA filters have performed just as well in our tests, and such vacuums may cost less than HEPA models.

Some models have a feature that alerts the user when the dust bag or container is full, which impairs the vacuum's ability to clean. Some bagless models simply have a clear bin, letting you see when the vacuum is full. Other models have an electronic or mechanical indicator.

A headlight (or headlamp) improves visibility under furniture or in rooms without direct light. It's all but standard on most upright models and is positioned on the power head on some canister vacuums.

This serves to protect a vacuum's blower motor from jamming, overheating, or electrically overloading.

A feature common in canisters, not uprights, you can rewind a retractable cord with a slight tug or the push of a button. Most machines have an electrical cord of at least 20 feet; some cords are longer than 30 feet, which we think is a plus. A cord-release clip, found mostly on upright models, not canisters, allows the entire cord to be released at once, rather than one wrap at a time.

This feature typically uses a transmission and drive system to assist the pushing and pulling of the vacuum, thereby requiring little effort by the user. However, it typically adds weight that can make some vacuums very heavy and difficult to carry or use on stairs.

Lets you reduce the flow of air through the hose, which can be helpful when cleaning upholstery and curtains.