Yakko's guide to choosing a vacuum cleaner.

I wrote this with the intention of providing information on every feature that is available out there on the market today. My hope is that those vacuum shoppers out there will find this article useful. And as always, if you have any questions or you want me to research something and add it into this article then please e-mail me and I will do my best to add it in.
I have, as always, created headings so that it is easier to find what you are looking for. This should make for easier referencing.

Bags vs. bagless
If you want a cheap vacuum then get a bagged vacuum. If you want a bagless then get a Dyson, and spend 500 in the process. The Hoover models I owned started to deteriorate over time and the other bagless models I have seen use the same basic technology as the Hoover so I see no reason why they would work any better.
The reason I am so against the 1st and 2nd generation bagless vacuums is because of the filter system they use. For the first month or two the vacuum works perfectly and does not clog, but it does lose a little suction power when the canister fills up. But after the first few months the filter starts to clog at the pore level and there is no way that I know of to properly clean it (both my mother-in-law and I have tried.)
The vacuums that use bags do not have this problem because you trash the old bag and get a new one. The main issue with these vacuums is you spend money on bags over time, which is what the vacuum manufacturers want you to do. You should take the cost of the bags and filters into consideration when buying a vacuum. There are still filters on vacuums with bags, sometimes 3. One of them may be a Hepa filter, which I will talk about later. The problem with vacuums that use bags is that bags cost money over time and that is a consideration when decide on your style of vacuum.

Automatic vs. manual brush height adjustment
There is a problem with the manual height adjustment and it has nothing to do with the engineering of the vacuum, it has to do with the user. A lot of users feel the need to put the brush to the lowest setting. Well it does brush the carpet vigorously but more importantly the brush is getting damaged. After several months of use with the beater brush at a lower setting than necessary, the brush bristles start to bend forwards and become useless. All they do is slide across the carpet surface, not agitating the surface of the carpet like it is designed. It is for this reason that I recommend the automatic height adjustment. I have seen it happen at my old custodial job and it is a little frustrating to use a vacuum when it is in this condition.
The Dyson is the only vacuum that I have used that has the automatic beater brush height adjustment and so far it works perfectly. I highly recommend it.

Canister vs. upright
I feel that for the normal home the upright is the best choice. It is easy to use because it is one whole unit. There is nothing to assemble (unless you use accessories) and nothing to drag around. You just plug it in and you are ready to go. The problem with the upright, when compared to the canister, is space. Uprights take up more space in my closet and for me it gets in the way of my jackets.
I feel that the canister is ideal for apartments and R.V.'s where space is an issue (the Roomba might even be a better option). The canisters can fit at the bottom of the hallway closet very easily with space to spare and they do not interfere with the jackets hanging in the closet.

Automatic running Vacuums vs. traditional vacuums
There are vacuums now that run by themselves. Some you have to start and stop yourself and others run automatically depending on which generation we are talking about. Automatic vacuums should have an advice category all their own in epinions (that will come soon when the leads are given the power to do so). The following is based on my opinion and research. I am talking about this in general, I am not talking about a specific model. I feel that there are six problems with these vacuums in general. The first is you have to clean it out regularly, sometimes daily if you have a messy household. The reason for this is that most of them are small and have a small compartment. The second is the suction power is not that powerful when we are comparing it to a Dyson or other high-end vacuum. The third problem is battery life. But in the next decade battery life will not be that big an issue where as the first two issues will be much more difficult to solve because the problems are physical size issues. The fourth problem is the sensors being used today are very primitive and do not work well in my opinion. In the next couple of years this will be fixed (through optical, blue tooth, Wi-Fi, improved radar, etc; I just do not know and I doubt that R&D really knows what the future truly holds). The fifth problem is cost, these guys are not cheap….yet. And a sixth problem with most of these vacuums (particularly the early models) are these types of vacuums only get the surface dirt and most of these vacuums do not pick up large objects.
If you are considering buying one of these vacuums then please read other people’s reviews on them.
But in my opinion I think they would be perfect for R.V.’s and apartments.
When I read opinions from other users I find that people either love them or hate them. When I see such polarity I get concerned and wonder what is going on (and I do not want to hazard a guess). But if you are considering buying one than I recommend that you find a way to try it out in your home for a few weeks before you buy it.
Now I want to clarify that I am talking in generalities and overtime the automatically running vacuum will be the only vacuum we can buy. This will probably take 20 years to occur but it will be exciting to see what engineers are able to do in such a small device.

Suction
This is the most important thing to consider.
There are several ways to tell. First is by trial, go and try the vacuum at the store and see how well it picks up corn pops and dust. You can also put your hand under and see how much wind is blown across you hand (not very scientific but it works.) The second is the power rating of the motor. A more powerful motor will suck more….in theory. But if there are a lot of leaks in the suction pipeline, then it will not suck very well. Another way to test the vacuum is to see if there are many air leaks. If there is a lot of leakage then it not sucking up into the bag/canister, it is sucking the dirt back into the air.
The problem with some vacuums is they clog up very easily. If a vacuum clogs at a filter (like the Hoover, see link below) then the suction will “suck”.
Another thing to consider is that if you have a lot of area rugs then you may want to consider a vacuum that has less suction. The vacuums with the higher level of suction like the Dyson will pickup the carpet and can potentially unravel and damage them. Heavy and expensive rugs may not be affected but I do not have experience with those types of rugs. But my cheap area rug is very difficult to use with my Dyson because the suction is so high. If just picks up the rug, unravels part of it, and I have a hard time sliding the Dyson across it. I generally use my Ryobi vacuum instead.
Another consideration is how do filters affect air flow. If the filters are at the end of the air path then it will minimize air resistance overall. If the filters are placed early on in the air path then it can create more air resistance.
In summary
-Check motor Amperage
-Check for air leaks in the hose
-Check the piping system
-See what filters get in the way

Another word about suction and a little of my experience
When I first used my Dyson I was amazed at how much junk was picked up. I just vacuumed a small section of my bedroom by my sliding glass door but the canister had a good layer of dirt on the bottom. After I finished the rest of the bedroom (and picked a lot of dust) I then went ahead and revacuumed my bedroom. I got very little dirt the second time around. A week later I vacuumed this same carpet and I still did not get the same result I got the first time I used this vacuum. This told me that the Hoover was not doing the job it was supposed to be doing which was cleaning the carpet. It was merely cleaning the surface and not much else. Where as the Dyson was cleaning all the way to the bottom of the carpet itself.
The one thing I learned was that the greater the suction level, the deeper the carpet got cleaned. This is true for both carpet cleaners and vacuums. When I operated a commercial carpet cleaner as a custodian I really learned the importance of a high suction cleaner. It not only got the dirt out of the bottom of the carpet but it also got most of the water out of the carpet (this concept holds true for vacuums also.)

Filters
You should have a hepa filter, or equivalent on your vacuum. This reduces the amount of dust the vacuum is going to spit out in the air for you to breath. The Hepa filter on a vacuum reduces the small air bourn particles in the air that the vacuum creates. Some Hepa filters are disposable and need to be replaced periodically (and this costs money), other Hepa filters (like on the Dyson models) do not need to be replaced, they just need to be washed.

Self-propelled vs. manual
Some vacuums come with a self-propelled feature. In reality these upright vacuums were not self-propelled, they would just assist the user in moving forward and backwards. For my old Hoover model every time you pushed or pulled the handle the machine would assist you in moving the vacuum in forwards or backwards respectively. It is a very nice feature that worked and one of the few gimmicks I recommend. But I personally will not buy a vacuum with that feature because I do not need it and I am not paying the extra money for that feature. If you want a totally automatic vacuum then get a Roomba or other automatic vacuum.

Residential vs. commercial/industrial
If you do not work as a custodian then you can just skip this section. Industrial vacuums are not only made better but are far more durable. The typical plastic parts you find in most residential vacuums are not found in industrial vacuums. And I am mostly talking about the internal components and the components on the brush or other moving parts. Instead they are made out of good quality metal or a more durable plastic. The problem is that these vacuums are far more expensive because of the parts used in their construction of the motor and internal workings and sometimes heavier.
The industrial vacuums I worked with as a custodian were great. They typically lasted 5 years, more if we were lucky or creative in our repairs. But during the 5 years they clocked up 20-40 hours a week. No vacuum you can buy at BestBuy is going to survive that type of abuse.
One of the novel industrial vacuum designs I saw was a vacuum that was mounted like a backpack. My custodian liked the design and my room was always swept properly. Definitely something to consider if you or your subordinates spend 6-8 hours a day vacuuming. Just make sure the belt supports the weight on the hips and not the shoulders unless you like to pay into the workers comp system.

Tools and how secure are they on the vacuum?
One of my complaints about the DC07 and my Hoover Wind tunnel is the accessories are not secure. They fixed that with the DC14 though. My advice before you buy is tap the tool lightly and see if they wiggle or fall off. If they move just a little then I would be very suspect about the design. Generally the clamps will wear out with time and fail to hold the accessories very securely. Also, if the accessories are in the back see if they stick out at all. If they do then you can bet they will hit furniture and be kicked by you when you vacuum. A good set of tools should be recessed and secured. Also look at the holding device, if it is a thin piece of metal than you can expect it to loose its grip over time. A hard plastic mount should not have this problem, but it could break if it is designed too thin.

Warranty
My opinion is that you need a minimum of a 2 year warranty. I find that if a tool is going to start to fall apart on me then it will fall apart on me in 12-15 months. If not then it will usually last 5 years or so (once again, my opinion and personal experience). You should also look at the warranty carefully because they often separate “labor” and “parts” as two different things. One can be for 90 days and another for a year. And most companies make you pay for shipping. Just another thing to consider.

Service plans
Unless you know or think you know a product is going to go bad then get a service plan. A service plan basically extends the warranty. Just remember that a company would not offer a service plan if they were going to lose money in the long run so most of the time it is not in your best interest to get one and I almost always recommend against getting one.
The only reason I recommend a service plan is if the product is brand new on the market or if the concept of the product is brand new. I got one for my Logitech wireless controller and I am glad I did because that sucker got returned.

Weight and ergonomics
These two go hand in hand. A heavy vacuum feels light if properly designed so do no just look at the numbers, you need to try it out at the store or friends house. Well designed wheels, handles, etc can make all the difference in the world as far as usability is concerned.

Cost
This is an obvious consideration. If price is not a consideration then go get a Dyson or an industrial version. But if you just want a good vacuum without spending a lot of money than my suggestion is to buy a vacuum with a high quality motor but no extra features. Features like a dirt detector are pretty much gimmicks that get you to buy the vacuum.
Another way to save cost is to buy a bagged vacuum with a cloth bag that surrounds the disposable bag. This can also be a better option in that you do not have to worry about a plastic body falling apart on you. But man are they ugly

Noise
All vacuums will have a fair bit of noise. There is no way to make a silent vacuum but there are ways to reduce it. My suggestion is that if you are noise aversive then you need to go down to Sears/BestBuy and try every vacuum they have yourself, don't rely on another person to tell you how loud a vacuum is. But as a general rule, the better quality the motor is and the less moving parts there are, the quieter the vacuum is. Also strong plastics, good quality construction, and tight fitting parts will also help in noise reduction. Over time cheap plastic bodies will start to rattle more as well as the screws that hold them. And duct tape does not fix everything, I’ve tried.

Materials in the construction
This is a bigger issue than most people think. If you buy a cheap vacuum cleaner then you probably will be buying a cheap, thin plastic body. Now this saves money and is a good purchase if you only vacuum a small apartment once every two weeks. But if you vacuum a 3000 square foot home then you will notice that the plastic was start to rattle more in just a few months. This is because the connections between the plastic panels are getting looser and the screws are no longer holding the unit in place. I have seen this happen twice, once in my own home and once when I worked as a custodian. There was really nothing I could do but tighten up the screws (which only worked for a few minutes) and we started using duct tape to secure the panels together but that only did so much. But once one part of the vacuum starts to vibrate then the whole vacuum starts to vibrate. This increased vibration leads to further break downs. The vacuum at home was replaced in only 2 years (vibrations started at around 4 months) and the vacuum at my work became useless after only 6 months, and this was after several attempts to fix the unit ourselves.

Picking a Brand
I wish I had advice in this area but I do not. From personal experience I have not found one manufacturer to be more reliable than another (except for Dyson of course). I hate Hoover with a passion but other users on Epinions love Hoover. So my opinion is that there really is no key manufacturer that makes consistently high quality products for a low price because the market is highly competitive. You get what you pay.

Is it a low reach?
This is a very important feature for most of us. If you have a lot of furniture that has only a few inches of space between the bottom of the furniture and the floor then you need a low reach vacuum. This means that the head of the vacuum (the part with the brush and the plastic/metal encasing it) is only a couple of inches high. All canister vacuums that I have seen are low reach but not all uprights are. The Dyson DC07 is not and I have trouble using it underneath my coffee table. I am forced to use my Floor Tool to properly clean under it. The Dyson DC14 is a low reach model as is my Mother-in-laws Kenmore Progressive. They both work well under furniture.

Dust sensor
This is one of the most pathetic options in my opinion. The sensors do not work well. I have not personally met anyone that actually stares at the sensor to make sure their carpet is clean, they stare at the carpet to see if it is clean.
Also if you have a powerful enough motor then you do not need to worry about the sensor because you already know your vacuum is working. This is just a useless gimmick that should be avoided.

Clogging
The fact of the matter is that all vacuums clog. This should not be a problem depending on the design. For example, my Mother-in-laws Kenmore Progressive has a very short air pathway so if something does get clogged it can be easily pulled out. My Dyson DC07 has a design that allows you to easily take apart any part of the air shaft that you need to so you can get at the clog. One time I picked up small nails and every time I turned on the vacuum they would rattle in the airshaft. Dyson designed it so that I could take that part of the airshaft apart and remove the nails. Now a days most companies make sure you can easily clean out clogs but do not be afraid to tear apart a demonstration vacuum at your favorite store just to be sure. Or for more fun have the store personnel tear it apart for you.

Attachments
Most vacuums come with the same standard attachments so generally you won't have to worry about this. But there are three additional attachments I know about that I recommend. The first one is a powered roller brush. Usually the brush is powered by suction, not by electricity (if you can get it powered by electric power then please do, it will make a difference.) The powered brush is great for people that have pets and it really does get most of the animal hair. But if the suction is too low then the power brush will stop anytime it encounters resistance making it useless (this is the experience I had with my Hoover).
There are also dry solution carpet cleaner attachments. They work basically the same way baking soda works in cleaning kitchen tools in that it gets rid of a lot of the smells and some stains. But it does not work as well as a good water based carpet cleaner so I advise you to avoid this option.
The third option is a hard floor attachment. There is one for just hard floors and there is another that can work on carpet and hard floors. The ones I own for the Dyson work well and I am happy with both of them.

Does it suck from the sides too?
When you test out the vacuum at the store see how well it cleans against a wall. If it doesn't then avoid it because you will have to pull out the hand tools and clean the wall with those instead (unless you like wasting time.) There are too many vacuums that edge clean well that you should not have to subject yourself to that kind of torture. Cleaning itself is annoying enough.

How easy is it to clean?
You need to make sure you cannot only clean out the receptacle but also the hose and tubing. Take the vacuum apart in the store and put it together (or have the salesperson do it for more enjoyment). How easy is it do? You need to ask that question because you will have to do this yourself quite a few times during the life of the machine. Clogs are a normal process and cannot be avoided (unless you like picking up very little object in your home before you vacuum which seems like a waste of time.)

How long is the cord?
Another stupid question but one that needs to be asked. I had to unplug my Hoover for every room that I did. This is normal but it does not have to be. With my Dyson I can cover two rooms with the cord length they give us. Not a feature I have ever cared about but now that I have a vacuum with a long cord I will never buy a vacuum with a short cord again.

Bare floor capable?
Upright vacuums are designed for carpets. Hard floors are generally an after thought. So most vacuums do not work perfectly on hard floors. The reason for this is the beater brush is turned off and the only thing that is working is the suction. So if the suction is not great or the intake design is not good, then you will not have much luck using that vacuum on a hard floor. Also there is nothing agitating the hard floor to get it clean. If you have a lot of hard flooring then I recommend getting a canister with a specialized attachment if one is available. I use the hard floor attachment on my Dyson and that worked the best for me. I did not feel that the upright setting of the Hoover or the Dyson worked well on my hard floor.
A better option is getting a specialized hard floor cleaning unit but there isn’t one out there I can recommend at the moment.

Length of the hose
I am amazed at how important this has become to me. I remember trying to clean out my car with a small hose and having to drag the vacuum halfway into the truck just to clean the vehicle out. With the length of my Dyson I do not have to drag or fight with the body of the vacuum. I am able to easily clean out the entire truck because of the length of the hose is so long. I do not have stairs but I can see how people with stair would want a long hose also.
Another consideration is to get a hose extension. They are only available on select models (like the Hoover Windtunnel) and probably will not be carried at your local store. So a special order might be necessary.

Amperage
The higher the amperage the higher the suction, theoretically. You need to look at the overall design of the vacuum. The things that will decrease suction are length of the tubing, number of filters, and how is the air path sealed. Any one of these will decrease airflow significantly and make a high amperage motor meaningless.

Is weight important?
Weight is not as big a consideration as other would want you to believe. What is more important is how that weight is balanced. If it is resting on cheap wheels and the center of gravity is up high then it will be difficult to push. But if the wheels have a smooth motion to them and the center of gravity is near the floor then it should be an easy vacuum to push. So do not eliminate a vacuum because of its weight, test it out first and see what others have to say about it. Also see if it has an automatic motion setting otherwise known as “self-propelled” (like some of the Hoover Windtunnel models), than it helps you push so the vacuum making the vacuum feel lighter than it really is. So just looking at the number will not always tell you all of the facts, another reason why you need to try out the vacuum yourself.

Take a test drive
Ultimately you need to try out the vacuum before you buy it so you can see if it does what you want it to. Most people do not buy a car without driving it first so neither should you buy a vacuum without testing it out.
My exception to this rule is if the tool is carried by Costco (since they usually make good buying decisions on their products) and if fellow epinion members and personal friends have given it high marks, then I might consider breaking this rule.

Ultimately
I highly recommend you avoid a vacuum with a lot of bells and whistles. Just get one with good suction and a durable construction.

My final tips
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, try out your vacuum before you buy. Most stores will let you do this. Other store patrons may look at you weird but pay no attention to them, they are just jealous. Or better yet yell out at them and tell them the store’s carpet is dirty and they should pick up a vacuum and help.
Look at the air pathway; are there air leaks? Is it way too complicated to be truly effective? Can it be cleaned easily?
Avoid bagless vacuums unless it is a Dyson or a model that doesn’t clog like a Dyson.
Make sure the bagless system does work, most out there do not.
If you go with a bag vacuum keep in mind that that will be an added cost. Filters too will be an added cost.

Other reviews you might be interested in.
Dyson DC 07
Dyson DC 14
Hoover Wind Tunnel
Kenmore progressive
Dyson Floor Tool