Tip of the Day: Buy a reliable vacuum

A reader recently posted the following comment on our vacuums forum: "And quite simply a product that works great but doesn't last can hardly be considered a so called Best Buy."

That person was right, of course. Vacuums can be expensive, so you want one that lasts for years. Warranties aren't the answer. The majority of the upright and canister vacuums we've tested offer a one-year limited warranty that covers defects in materials or workmanship but doesn't include routine repairs.

Some vacuums come with a longer warranty, but wouldn't you rather have a one-year-warranty model that never breaks than a five-year-warranty appliance that you have to haul to the repair shop once or twice a year?

That's where our brand-reliability data for uprights and canisters (available to subscribers) will help you make a wise choice when you buy a new vacuum. This information, from the Annual Product Reliability Survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, is based on the experiences of 135,000 readers who bought a vacuum in the past five years.

Based on this large sample of readers, we know that, in general, canister models have been more repair-prone than uprights, and that Kirby has been among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums. Eureka and Kenmore have also been reliable brands and offer the best combination of performance and price, earning these uprights Best Buy status. Some of the recently tested Hoover uprights offer good performance at an attractive price, but other brands were more reliable.

When you're standing in a store where dozens of different models are on display, shopping for a vacuum can be daunting. You have to not only choose among all the different types but also consider myriad features and the manufacturers' hype, not to mention staying within your budget. It would help if you could test-drive the vacs, but often you can't.

To find the best vacuum for your home, consider how a model did in our latest tests and select a brand with a good repair history to improve your odds of getting a vacuum that will last.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Before you head to the store, watch our exclusive video buying guide for vacuums (above).

Tip of the Day: How to handle door-to-door vacuum-sales reps

In an era when you can buy just about anything with the click of a mouse, door-to-door sales of vacuums seem a quaint anachronism.

But don't be fooled by that image. Door-to-door vacuum sales are big business, with sales reps from Kirby Company moving about $400 million worth of merchandise last year alone. Kirby sells its vacuums to 600 independent distributors nationwide, whose nearly 10,000 sales representatives do in-home demonstrations.

Cleveland-based Kirby sells one model, updating it about every two years. The Kirby Sentria upright (shown; model information is available to subscribers) excelled at cleaning carpets and bare floors in our latest tests and rates very good overall. Kirby is also among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums in our surveys. The MSRP is $1,350, although the distributor has the final word on price.

Kirby's sales methods don't always have the same solid reputation as its vacuums. A Web search will yield many pages filled with stories from disgruntled people about Kirby and alleged scams.

Kirby must be aware of all the chatter—its customer-service policy states that over the last 10 years the manufacturer has adopted a culture of continuous improvement in customer service. The company also requires distributors to sign a contract agreeing to operate legally and ethically. "We can't control every step of the distributor's business, but we have the ultimate power in whether we do business with them," says Rob Shumay, a Kirby spokesman.

"Kirby is extremely interested in customer service. However, not all of its distributors are cut from the same cloth," says Sandra Prebil, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau in Cleveland. "One, two, or three distributors will be really bad. We know that Kirby has stopped shipment to a bad distributor and the company will make good on an order for a distributor who's disappeared. For Kirby, trying to control so many different people is difficult."

Wanting to evaluate the Kirby experience myself, I arranged for an in-home demo through the Kirby Web site. I also called a local rep I found in my yellow pages. In neither case did I identify myself as a Consumer Reports employee. I didn't go into this process intending to buy a new vacuum; I also had an in-home demo from Rainbow, another vacuum company.

Safety Alert: Dirt Devil Kone vacuums

Dirt Devil describes its Kone M0213 handheld vacuum, $45 (and similar M0212, $43), “an elegant, sculptural form that can be left on display.” Our latest tests suggest that you might want to do just that.

Learn more about these vacuums in our Safety Alert and by watching the video (right).

Essential information: Read our brand-new vacuum buying guide, which reveals several standout cleaners and some models to skip.

Dirt Devil vacuum tool recall

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on July 23, 2008, announced the recall of 987,000 tool attachments for Dirt Devil vacuums (shown) because of a laceration-hazard risk. For full details on the recall, read this entry on the Consumer Reports Safety blog.

Essential information: When you're in the market for a new vacuum, read our latest report and visit our vacuum product page, where you'll find our expert buying advice for the different types of vacuums, like those featured in our video shopping guide. And did you know that the vacuum cleaner turned 100 this year?

America takes on spring cleaning

Nearly 77 percent of Americans will undertake some type of spring cleaning this year, according to a recent survey by the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), a cleaning-products trade group. Men and women tackle these seasonal chores, though more women (86 percent) than men (68 percent) tidy up behind furniture, wash windows, clean appliances and floors, and tend to bedclothes/linens.

Not surprisingly, many survey respondents admit to not liking the task, which is nowhere near as fun as that other rite of spring: the start of a new baseball season. Indeed, nearly a third of respondents would pay $100 to hire someone to do their cleaning for them.

I’d have thought that more people would give up household cleaning, but it seems that Americans do like this chore: Only 8 percent of respondents to the SDA’s 2004 spring-cleaning survey described house cleaning as a job they dislike, while 88 percent considered cleaning as important to keeping their families happy, healthy and safe; maintaining a presentable home; or providing a sense of satisfaction when finished.

The benefit to spring cleaning? More than 50 percent of respondents feel a thorough cleaning once a year cuts down on their cleanup work the rest of the time.

Seventy-five percent of those surveyed look for product effectiveness as key in the cleaners they buy (they also like multipurpose cleaners), and they also consider cost and convenience when shopping. They’re  increasingly seeking out green or organic cleaning products, like those recently introduced by Clorox and SC Johnson. See our blog on this industry trend.

Consumer Reports, of course, is here to help you get through these annual—and arduous—chores. Refer to our Spring Cleaning Guide for expert advice on keeping your home and your car looking their best. If you’re in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, read our latest report and watch the video buying guide at right. And for any heavier-duty tasks in the garage, basement, or workshop, learn about wet/dry vacuums.—Cyndi Schoenbrun, Senior Research Analyst

For some vacuums, smaller isn’t better

Got a cramped closet? Some of the latest vacuums Consumer Reports tested for our March 2008 report fold for compact storage, while others meld upright and canister features into one machine. But our vacuum tests show that several brands need to pay more attention to cleaning.

New uprights that fold include the Hoover Fold Away Widepath ($70) and the Electrolux Intensity ($300). We also tested the folding Dyson Stowaway ($500), the brand’s latest canister. Yet only the Electrolux was impressive at cleaning carpets—our toughest test and the type of cleaning vacuums typically do most. Indeed, only three of the latest models we tested were better than mediocre for carpet cleaning.

Our tests of more than 60 uprights and canisters include a new top performer among canister vacs. (See an alphabetized listing below of the vacuums in our Ratings as of the end of February 2008.) We also tested vacuums that claim to kill germs and clean their own filters, among other promises. But some could disappoint you if you value cleaning over gadgetry. Here are the details:

Less-than-magical wands. The new Dirt Devil i M130000 ($250), Dyson DC15 The Ball All Floors ($500), and Panasonic AeroBlast MC-UL975 ($700) uprights have handles you can remove and use as a canister-style wand to clean curtains and battle those dust bunnies beneath the couch. But like most of the newest folding vacs, two of those scored only a good for carpets, and the Dirt Devil scored only fair.

Big claims, middling performance. The AeroBlast includes a unique feature that promises to stretch filter life, among other benefits. (See our blog on the Panasonic AeroBlast.) But our test results belied those claims.

Halo Technologies says its uprights, including the UVX ($400), kill dust mites, flea eggs, and germs using UV light. We didn’t test those claims because the UVX was only so-so at the more primary tasks of cleaning carpets and picking up pet hair. What’s more, it has no hose or tools. (On February 26, 2008, the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recommended that Halo modify or discontinue certain advertising claims for one of its vacuums. Read more here: Download HaloVacuum.pdf)

Clobbered by cat fur. The Electrolux Harmony canister ($300) is the latest to flub our grueling pet-hair test. As with the brand’s TwinClean model, cat hair wound itself around the brush and stopped it—partly because the brush is driven by airflow, rather than by a motor.

A venerable brand has problems. A predecessor company to Hoover was the name on the first widely available electric vac in 1908, and Hoover is still a best seller. While Hoover vacuums are often fine values, our latest survey found more reliable upright brands, including Dyson, a relative newcomer.

Read our expert shopping advice and watch our video buying guide (above) for detailed information on what to look for in your next vacuum. And continue reading this blog to find out which models we’ve tested.

Panasonic's AeroBlast makes some odd noises

Manufacturers regularly add all kinds of features to their vacuums to make them work better—at least that’s their goal. One of Panasonic’s latest wrinkles is the "PowerBlast Automatic Filter Cleaning System," found on the AeroBlast MC-UL975 upright vacuum ($700, shown).

When you turn on the vacuum, a series of belching sounds announces that the vacuum is routing air back through the filter. All the commotion is designed to keep this upright from losing suction.

A video ad for the vacuum says the filter-cleaning feature “not only extends the life of your filter, it helps ensure consistent suction, maximizing your cleaning power and making your job as easy as possible.”

But in our tests, fine dust tended to clog the filter, and airflow through the hose did not match that of our top performers.

This 12-amp, HEPA-filter-equipped vacuum is also an unremarkable cleaner—it did no better than mediocre on carpets and even bare floors, a test aced by most other uprights and canisters in our latest report. Also note that the MC-UL975 is a bagless vacuum. Emptying the bin on a bagless model can be a messy, dusty process, especially a concern if you suffer from allergies.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: Read our March 2008 vacuums report, with Ratings of 61 models. If you're in the market for a new vacuum, watch our video buying guide. And celebrate the 100th anniversary of the vacuum.

Dyson DC21 Stowaway: First Look

This compact canister vacuum excels at cleaning bare floors

Price we paid: $500

Date of Consumer Reports full report: March 2008

What it is. The DC21 is a new canister vacuum from Dyson, a company best known for its upright vacuums. This bagless model uses the same Root Cyclone technology as Dyson’s uprights and features a very compact design: The bin is smaller than that on the upright models and mounted 45 degrees to vertical on large wheels.

What we liked. As the name implies, the Stowaway is designed to take up minimal storage space. To store it, you detach the power head and mount it in a holder, coil the hose twice around the canister dirt bin, and place the wand end in a slot on the side. It takes a while to master coiling the hose, but once you do, you’ve got a very svelte unit—folded up it measures about 14 x 11 x 17½ inches, according to the manufacturer. All of the tools, except the bare-floor attachment, store on the unit, and you can even stand the vacuum upright.

In our initial tests, the Stowaway did an excellent job of cleaning bare floors, and its sustained airflow lends itself well to cleaning with the tools. Its emission levels have been extremely low when vacuuming, and this cleaner does not redistribute any dust it collects back into the air. It also comes with a lifetime, maintenance-free HEPA filter.

What we didn’t like. At 23 pounds, the Stowaway is heavy, especially for its small size. The beefy, gunlike grip and telescoping shaft make the wand heavy even without the power head, so using the tool can be fatiguing. Early tests show that its ability to clean carpets is only mediocre.

Our initial take. The DC21 is a worthy choice if storage space is a premium, but if you want a vacuum with outstanding cleaning power, there are better, less-expensive choices.

Essential information: Look for our full report on vacuums in the March 2008 issue of Consumer Reports. Visit our vacuum page, read our free buying advice, and watch our video shopping guide. And celebrate the 100th anniversary of the vacuum cleaner by reading "A Century of Doing America’s Dirty Work."               

A century of doing America’s dirty work

One hundred years ago in Canton, Ohio, James M. Spangler, an asthmatic department-store janitor, attached a broom handle, a sateen pillowcase, and an old fan motor to an empty soapbox, creating what would eventually become a must-have appliance for every U.S. household. Twenty-six million vacuum cleaners were sold in the United States in 2006, generating sales of $4.4 billion.

Motivated by a desire to lessen the cough-inducing dust kicked up by the manual carpet sweeper he used on the job, Spangler continued to tweak his invention. He received a patent for it in 1908 and started the Electric Suction Sweeper Company based in New Berlin, Ohio (now North Canton). A diagram from the patent application is shown here.

Although Spangler’s clever cleaner is crude by today’s standards, back then it impressed his cousin’s husband, William Hoover. A saddle maker and leather merchant, Hoover bought into Spangler’s company, eventually becoming president and changing the name to the familiar Hoover Company in 1922.

Unfortunately, most people weren’t as impressed as Hoover. He improved upon Spangler’s original design, but initial sales were sluggish. Enter the door-to-door salesman. Home demonstrations and 10-day free trials kick-started business.

Vacuum cleaners reached critical mass after World War II, when families moved to wall-to-wall carpeted homes in the suburbs and started raising mess-making baby boomers. As the industry evolved, vacuums became lighter, traded cloth bags for disposable, and came with accessories.

The next major change in vacuum technology came in the 1980s, when British inventor James Dyson developed a bagless model. Frustrated by conventional vacuums that lost suction as the bag filled up, Dyson created a machine that used centrifugal force to fling dirt out of the airflow’s path.

The handy vacuum has long been one of the most popular products we review. (The photo here shows a suction test from 1954.) Today, vacuum cleaners come in many shapes, sizes, and types: upright and canister (Ratings are available to subscribers), handheld, wet/dry, stick sweepers, central systems, and robotic.

In keeping with Spangler’s original inspiration, vacuum makers are now pushing asthma and allergen relief along with the usual cleaning as their claims move beyond carpets and floors. It’s worth noting that our recent tests show that those promises sometimes mean less than they suggest.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Essential information: Want to find out more about the latest innovations modern vacuum cleaners offer? Read our free buying advice and watch our video shopping guide.

Best home appliances for the holidays

Unless you're hiring a caterer and a cleaning crew, appliances are essential for preparing for holiday gatherings and tidying up after them. If you need to update your arsenal of small and big appliances, check out this list of some of our best-performing products; they'll make the jobs go easier and give you more time to enjoy yourself.—Helen A.S. Popkin

Best wine chiller to keep your top bottles in tiptop shape
GE Monogram ZDWR240PABS, $1,400
The one-compartment, stainless-steel-edged GE (shown) stores 52 standard-size bottles, runs very quietly, and adjusts to desired temperatures with aplomb. This model is also energy efficient, though there are other fine models that cost far less. Kenmore and other brands are offering small, freestanding units for $300 or so. For more wine chiller-tips, check out our report and updated Ratings (available to subscribers, like all the Ratings below).

Best blender to mix cheer-inducing libations
Braun PowerMax MX2050, $50
This Braun was tops in our tests for smoothies and among the best for crushing ice. Pluses include a glass jar and a removable blade. It’s also less noisy than other models, making it the least intrusive during a cocktail party.

Read up on blenders in our latest report and use the Ratings to find a model that fits your budget.

Best refrigerators to store the fixings for holiday meals and treats
Whirlpool ET1FTEXS[Q], $850
This well-equipped 21-cu.-ft. top-freezer Whirlpool features spillproof shelves and offers excellent energy efficiency and very good temperature performance. It’s also quiet. The eye-level freezer offers easy access, and the fairly wide refrigerator shelves make it easy to reach the back.

Amana AFD2535DE[W], $1,700
This 36-inch-wide bottom-freezer offers French doors at a relatively low price. Other handy features include a pullout bottom freezer drawer, and more usable fridge capacity overall than most others in our tests. Bottom-freezer models are best for putting often-used items at eye level, and they're relatively inexpensive to run.

GE GSH25JFT[WW], $1,000
This full-featured 36-inch-wide side-by-side comes at a relatively low price. Features include touchpad controls with digital display; built-in water dispenser and filter; a freezer light; gallon storage on door; an icemaker and dispenser; pullout shelves/bins; and a temperature-controlled meat/deli bin. Side-by-sides are best for kitchens that can't fit wide-swinging doors.

GE Monogram ZICS360NR[SS], $6,400
This 21-cu.-ft. GE built-in cabinet-depth drawer-type-bottom-freezer is pricey but energy efficient and full of handy features, including touchpad digital controls, spillproof shelves, pullout shelves in the freezer, an icemaker and a water filter, and a freezer light. It’s also available with a stainless-steel look.

For more information on refrigerators, see our latest report, buying advice, and Ratings of bottom-freezers, built-ins. side-by-sides, and top-freezers.

Best food processor and chopper to whip up hors d’oeuvres
KitchenAid KFP710, $80
This medium-capacity food processor was best at slicing and shredding, has easy-to-clean touchpad controls, and is relatively lightweight, making postparty cleanup a snap.

Black & Decker Ergo EHC650, $15
This inexpensive 3-cup chopper was tops at chopping and good for puréeing, making it a handy tool for food preparation.

Read our latest report and use the Ratings help find the right tools for your kitchen.

Best ranges to cook gourmet festival meals
Kenmore (Sears) 9421[2], $530
An excellent basic appliance at a low price, this 30-inch freestanding coil-top electric model (shown) still has plenty of handy features, including a warming drawer, six oven rack positions, and a cooktop that can contain spills. It’s also available in a stylish stainless-steel finish.

Hotpoint RGB745WEH[WW], $550
If you prefer a gas range, the 30-inch gas freestanding model Hotpoint offers the most performance for the money. Features include one high-power and one low-power burner, five oven-rack positions, and steel grates.

Use our buying advice and gas and electric range Ratings to see how the tested ranges boiled, simmered, baked, and broiled.

Best microwaves to heat up tasty leftovers the day after
Kenmore (Sears) 6325[2], $110
This space-efficient countertop model is easy to use and excelled in our defrosting test. Its 1.2-cu –ft. capacity make it ideal for thawing a medium-sized holiday bird. Detailed prompts for automated functions are a welcome aid when it comes to a potluck meal made from holiday leftovers.

LG LMV2053[ST], $300
This 2.0-cu.-ft., 1,100-watt model is a very good overall over-the-range oven that’s also a good value. Features include sensor cooking, auto defrost and touchpad controls, and a wire rack. It scored very good at heating evenness and ease of use, excellent at defrosting.

Read our latest report and use our buying advice and Ratings to find the best model for your kitchen.

Best coffeemaker or espresso maker to create a quality cup of joe
Black & Decker SmartBrew DCM2500, $35
This Black & Decker coffeemaker excelled in our tests. Features include a glass carafe and a setting that allows you to set the time the coffee starts brewing—a nice touch if you need that aroma to pop your family out of the turkey fatigue.

Nespresso Essenza C100, $230
If you want a tasty cup of espresso with minimal hassle, the Nespresso C100 (shown) is the machine to buy. While it's relatively inexpensive for a pump-style model, you will have to buy the company's coffee capsules. But, because you don't have loose grounds or filter holders, cleanup is a snap.

Learn more about coffeemakers and espresso machines and see our Ratings of drip, pod, and espresso models.

Best dishwasher to clean party plates and dishes
Kenmore (Sears) 1373[2], $580
This midpriced Kenmore provides excellent cleaning, flexible loading, and quiet running. It also managed to handle our most rigorous test (baked-on brownie mix) well with its normal cycle. That takes the worry and the work out of busy holiday dinners when you don’t have time to load the dishwasher right after the big meal. See our buying advice and read the latest news in “Models that carry the load.” Our Ratings list dozens of models.

Best vacuum cleaners to tidy up after they’ve all gone home
Kenmore (Sears) Progressive With Direct Drive 35922, $300
This all-purpose upright model excelled at cleaning carpets and bare floors, pet-hair pickup, and our emissions test. It’s also good at cleaning with tools, a handy extra for eliminating hard to reach crumbs, pine needles and tinsel.

Kenmore (Sears) Progressive 27514, $300
This canister model is very good at cleaning carpet and excellent at cleaning bare floors. It excelled at keeping emissions low and was very good at picking up pet hair.

Read “Cleaning vs. Allergy Claims” for the latest information on vacuums then use our buying advice and Ratings of uprights and canisters.

Black Friday sales for the home

Sales the day after Thanksgiving—Black Friday—can mean big savings on home items both big and small. Whether you’re talking tools, appliances, or home furnishings, deals are available at the major retail stores as the end-of-year holidays approach.

While Consumer Reports has not tested many of the products listed here, our free buying advice (listed with each section) can help you make wise shopping decisions. Also check out our all-star appliances and kitchen gear, and be a smart shopper when you’re looking for new kitchen and laundry appliances.

Check local store locations for product availability, and note that prices and models are subject to change. (Prices have been rounded up to the nearest dollar.)

For more information on Black Friday deals, visit Black Friday 2007.—Helen A.S. Popkin

• Blenders & Mixers
• Coffeemakers
• Cookware & Cutlery
• Dishwashers
• Food Processors
• Gas & Electric Grills
• Heating, Cooling & Air
• Mattresses & Mattress Toppers
• Microwaves
• Ranges, Cooktops & Ovens
• Refrigerators
• Sewing Machines
• Steam Irons
• Toasters & Toaster Ovens
• Tools & Power Equipment
• Vacuum Cleaners, Wet/Dry Vacs
• Washers & Dryers
• Wine Chillers

Buy the best appliances and kitchen gear

Shopping for appliances and kitchen gear shouldn’t be a race against the clock. You’re going to live with these products for years, so it’s important to choose models that blend performance, value, and brand reliability.

But if you can’t dedicate loads of time to researching your purchases, scout our all-star lineup of appliances and kitchen gear below. They’re the top performers from a year's worth of testing at Consumer Reports. Note that models within groups are listed in performance order, and prices for dishwashers, dryers, ranges, refrigerators, and washers are for models with a white finish.

Watch Bob Markovich, editor of the Consumer Reports Home & Yard franchise, present five top-performing appliances on NBC's Today Show, from November 19, 2007.)

(Click on each appliance name below to see models, then learn more about this gear using the links in the "essential information" section.)

• Cooktops & wall ovens
Essential information: Read our buying advice.

• Dishwashers
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and find out which dishwasher detergents work best.

• Gas grills
Essential information: Read our latest report, prepare our easy, delicious grilling recipes, and watch a video buying guide.

• Microwave ovens
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and take our microwave safety quiz.

• Ranges
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice.

• Refrigerators
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and find out how much storage space refrigerators really offer.

• Vacuum cleaners
Essential information: Read our latest report and buying advice and watch a video buying guide.

• Washers & dryers
Essential information: Read our latest report on laundry appliances and buying advice for washers and dryers. Use our washing tips to keep you clothes looking their best, and learn how to avoid dryer fires.

• Wet/dry vacuums
Essential information: Read our latest report.

Tip of the day: Buy the right vacuum

Vacuums are popular with visitors to ConsumerReports.org and readers of Consumer Reports—indeed, "vacuum" is among the most widely searched terms on our Web site. Manufacturers, seeming to have picked up on your interest, continue to introduce new models and new types with myriad bells and whistles and claimed benefits. We'll even be testing one model designed to use ultraviolet light to kill dust mites.

(Consumer Reports has been testing vacs for decades, as illustrated by the circa-1954 photograph shown. In this image, a technician is measuring the suction ability of a vacuum.)
 
Given this crowded market filled with topnotch performers as well as middling models, it's essential to match the type of vacuum you choose to the kind of cleaning you typically do. Below you'll find a description of the common types and the pros and cons of each.

Once you know which style you want, read our latest reports on vacuums and wet/dry models and refer to our Ratings of upright, canister, wet/dry (available to subscribers) to choose the right model for your home. Before you shop, be sure to watch our exclusive video buying guide.

UPRIGHT
Best for deep-cleaning carpets. Most upright vacuums are less expensive and easier to store than canister vacuums.

But you must push and pull the entire machine for most floor and carpet cleaning. When you’re vacuuming on stairs, an upright is less stable than canister models.

Price: $100 to $500 for most models

CANISTER
Best for cleaning bare floors, and stairs, drapes, and upholstery using tools. Canisters are more stable on stairs than uprights. The head fits under furniture, and you move only the head and hose.

But the entire machine tends to be heavier, bulkier, and pricier. Most aren’t as effective on carpets.

Price: $150 to $700 for most models

STICK SWEEPER
Best for light cleaning of carpets, bare floors, and edges. These suctionless sweepers are relatively quiet and have long battery run times.

But they’re not designed to deep-clean carpets, and on bare floors they might scatter debris, such as rice, kitty litter, and other common spills for which they’re designed.

Price: $20 to $80

STICK VACUUM
Best for light-duty cleaning on short-pile carpets and bare floors.

But they have trouble cleaning larger items off carpet and deliver shorter run times than sweepers, and some are no easier to push than full-size vacuums.

Price: $30 to $100

WET/DRY
Best for cleaning heavy dust, remodeling debris, liquids, and other tougher messes.

But dust emissions are high with some models. The largest can be hard to maneuver and store; the cheapest often aren’t very effective. All are noisy.

Price: $30 to $150 for most models

HAND
Best for spot cleanups on carpets and bare floors.

But you need to stoop when using one, and most handhelds lose power quickly, making them suitable only for occasional use.

Price: $20 to $60

ROBOTIC
Best for their novelty and low effort between regular vacuuming in uncluttered rooms.

But they’re expensive as a group and time-consuming to set up and run. In our test, most also tended to miss edges and corners.

Price: $200 to $1,800

CENTRAL SYSTEM
Best for canisterlike cleaning without carrying the body. They tend to be relatively quiet and can be emptied infrequently.

But central vacs are pricey and often require professional installation. The
30-foot hose can be cumbersome and takes up storage space. And there's no
place to carry tools while you work.

Price: $500 to $1,250 with tools; $300 to $750 to install

Vacuum users send mixed messages

I’ve fished since I was in the second grade, and this pastime—call it an obsession—stays with me even when I’m researching and reporting a story for Consumer Reports. While full-time employment does tend to get in the way of my fishing, some of my angling skills are transferable to the writing arena.

Take vacuum cleaners, on which I’m reporting for the October 2007 issue (on sale and online in September). Besides poring over our test results, market studies, and other data, I’ve been casting for information on vacuums all over the Web, looking for your user reviews and questions about this household appliance. Just as I troll our vast customer-relations database for your letters and e-mails about products, I explore the Web to learn what you like and don’t like about the products you use on a regular basis.

I recently landed some interesting results. Our customer-relations department informed me that vacuum cleaners generate more reader calls and mail than any other appliance we test except for washing machines. I was interested to know whether, to paraphrase Sally Field, you really like vacuums.

Here’s where it got interesting. I Googled “hate to vacuum” and “love to vacuum.” The first search generated pages and pages of links summarized by various unkind words about vacuuming. People abhor this chore.

The second phrase also reeled in pages and pages of matches. But in this case, people weren’t discussing  how much they love to vacuum. They were talking specifics, say about a particular brand or model.

What’s all this mean? If the information I saw online is any indicator, while you might find the necessary task of vacuuming unpleasant, anything that makes the job easier seems worth your loyalty.

Before you choose a new vacuum, give it a test ride in the store. Push it around. Lift it as high as you might need to at home. A feel for how a model handles could tell determine whether your “catch” is a keeper or one you throw back.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: For expert advice on choosing a vacuum, see our buying advice and video buyer’s guide. Before you shop, refer to our Ratings for upright and canister vacuums as well as the brand repair history (available to subscribers).

Inside CR Test Labs: Vacuum regularly to avoid allergies

On sweltering days like those that affected huge swaths of the country last week, warnings about ozone levels and harmful particles in the air abound, highlighting concerns about outdoor-air quality.

But if you suffer from allergies, being indoors might not provide any relief, especially when you vacuum. Allergen-related health concerns have spawned an increasing number of claims from vacuum manufacturers, like the ability to filter “99.99% of particles down to .3 microns,” as the Oreck Web site boasts about the XL Titanium Series cleaner.

For our October 2007 report on vacuum cleaners, the project team decided to check some of the latest allergen-trapping claims from manufacturers. Our testers generally count smaller particles from 0.1 to 5 microns as part of their standard vacuum-emissions testing, according to project leader Deborah Wallace. The smaller particles typically get dispersed into the air and are inhaled. For this test, however, they wanted to count larger particles, in the 10- to 25-micron range, which come from pollen, animal dander, and assorted insect parts and feces from dust mites and other tiny critters. To test this size particles, they used an even more sensitive machine, the LASAIR II model 310A.

(All that counting brought me back to when my kids would watch Sesame Street’s The Count. This cheerful vampire delighted not in biting necks but rather in counting everything he happened upon, as he crooned in “The Song of the Count”:

“You know that I am called the Count
Because I really love to count
I could sit and count all day
Sometimes I get carried away . . . ")

Testers enlisted the Dirt Devil Ultra Vision Turbo, Dyson DC14 Complete, and Electrolux Intensity, all of which make allergen-capture claims. They performed the same tests with the Kenmore Progressive With Direct Drive 35922, the top-rated upright from our last report, once with a HEPA dust bag and once with a standard dust bag. (The HEPA bag has allergen-capture claims while the regular bag does not.)

The testers found that while any vacuuming task produces an initial jump in airborne allergens, relatively large and heavy 10- to 25-micron particles immediately fall back to the floor. The Dirt Devil, Dyson, and Electrolux did trap allergens, but that is not surprising since the particles are large. More important is how well the vacuum captured smaller particles; you’ll find those emissions-test results in the October 2007 issue, on sale in September.

The bottom line? Don’t rush out to buy a vacuum that touts extraordinary allergen-trapping powers. Just vacuum regularly as part of an overall allergen-elimination plan.—Ed Perratore

Essential information: For expert advice on choosing a vacuum, see our buying advice and video buyer’s guide. Then refer to our Ratings for upright and canister vacuums (available to subscribers) before you shop. For more on indoor-air quality, use this guide from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.