FIVE Most Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Rated Vacuum Cleaners

[MarkLoomis]

If you've scrolled through one of those best vacuum cleaner, you'd see ratings given to all of the vacuums on performance, noise level, and hose suction.

 

Wonder what those mean? You're in the right place!

 

In this post, we consolidated the most frequently asked questions when buying a vacuum cleaner. You'll learn:

 

• If you should trust vacuum ratings
• If you should buy a cordless stick vacuum
• And MORE!

 

We have quite a lot to go through so let's get started!

 

Question 1: Can The Vacuum Ratings Be Trusted?

 

We've looked at some review pages offering ratings and found the criteria don't cover all the basic considerations when getting a new vacuum cleaner. The scales aren't clear, and the ratings are somewhat random.

 

Again, one of the critical problems with vacuum ratings is the criteria. For example, Consumer Reports rated all vacuums on predicted performance, carpet, bare floors, and hose suction. These categories only highlight cleaning power, completely failing to consider the machine as a full package.

 

And what's predicted performance anyway? The report touched on their testing procedure but failed to mention how predicted performance was defined. It's best not to make assumptions when money is involved.

 

We also noticed that a vacuum was rated in relation to others. For example, Shark Navigator Lift-Away NV360 is a 5 when compared to a Dyson Ball Multi Floor 2 in terms of suction power, but a 7 in other comparisons published by the same reviewer.

 

We recommend taking these vacuum ratings with a grain of salt. It doesn't make sense most of the time. And since it's just subjective, we'd rather look through some reviews to get better-informed.

 

So, we think you should always read at least 5 vacuum cleaner comparisons and 20 verified purchase reviews before considering buying one.

 

 

Question 2: Should I Buy A Cordless Stick Vacuum?

 

If you have a small home that doesn't require much deep cleaning and you have a budget for it, yes!

 

The battery typically lasts 20-25 minutes on bare floors and 7-10 minutes on thick rugs on a full charge. Most cordless vacuums are compact and lightweight, so you can take advantage of the high portability to clean the deep ends of the house.

 

We found most high-end cordless vacuums come with a wide variety of extensions and tools. We specifically recommend one of the top 10 vacuum cleaners from Dyson, the V7, for its reliable performance, ease of use, and wide application range.

 

We can quickly assemble the cleaning tools and extension to reach and clean the ceiling moldings. The charging station is also a nice-to-have addition if you want your cordless vacuum always on standby.

 

However, cordless stick vacuums are expensive. The Dyson V7 costs $400. At the lower end, the Hoover Linx Signature costs $130, approximately the price of Shark's best-rated vacuum cleaners. For 20 minutes of cleaning, the price can be the deal-breaker for a lot of people.

 

Question 3: Is Bagless Better Than Bagged?

 

Type "Best vacuum cleaners in the world" and Google might suggest you get a bagless vacuum cleaner, instead of a bagged one, mostly because of financial upsides.

 

You don't have to replace the dust bag and filter every few months, which might cost you up to $150 annually, especially if you own pets. Pet hairs quickly fill up the dust bag and clog the filter, so you might have to do more replacements and maintenance.

 

However, if you're allergic or simply want to keep the air safe, we recommend getting a bagged vacuum cleaner. All the dust, hair, and fine particles are tightly sealed in the dust bag, which you can simply remove from the canister and straight into the dump.

 

Though frequent replacement of bags and filters will significantly set you back throughout the vacuum's lifetime, it's in your health's best interest to get a bagged vacuum.

 

If you're concerned about the waste's environmental impact, we'd recommend looking into a bagless vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters. The HEPA filter is placed behind the motor trapping 99.97% of fine particles inside, and can be washed and reused every 3-4 months.

 

One of the best vacuum cleaner brands to feature a post-motor HEPA in all of its models is Shark, and we swear by its high-quality. The best thing is you can buy it for as low as $100, so there's little reason not to consider a Shark vacuum.

 

 

Question 4: Is A Robot Vacuum Worth The Extra Bucks?

 

What is a good vacuum strategy? Not doing it yourself. Yes, no one has the time to go through the floor twice a day to remove pet hair and bread crumbs, but everyone demands to have a clean and tidy home.

 

The best solution is delegating the job to a reliable robot vacuum. They don't do deep cleaning in one swoop like manual powerful canister vacuums. Still, they can navigate themselves to the spot and go over it twice or thrice or as many times as you want to get the job done.

We love robot vacuums and recommend them to many pet owners and shop owners who want to keep their floors clean and shiny. It's a one-time deal. You set it up, have it finish the first run to map out its cleaning area, set its home position, and that's it.

 

We specifically recommend the iRobot Roomba 614. In our tests, it picked up debris of most size and shape, traveled smoothly between carpet and bare floor, and rarely got stuck. We had full control over its timing, barrier setting, and progress, though we did little oversight. A good robot will set you back $225-300.

 

However, your home might not be set up for a robot vacuum if you have loose cables, high steps, wet mushy food spills, and black rugs (because they don't reflect the light to the optical sensors the bots use to navigate). They're considered robot hazards.

 

Question 5: What Is The Best Rated Vacuum Cleaner For Pets?

 

Your animal best friends don't need a vacuum. You do.

 

But in all seriousness, you don't need a pet-specific vacuum cleaner. We compared the Pet version with the standard version of vacuum cleaners from a few brands. The only difference was the floor cleaning head.

 

The Pet version was designed so that pet hair won't get stuck in the brush roll, typically replacing the tooth design with a fin design, adding some auto-detangling mechanisms, or a mini front brush. If you remove the Pet cleaning head, it's the standard version. So it might be a better idea to buy an extra floor head.

 

However, if you're dealing with a pet hair crisis, check question 4 on robot vacuums. Ask any expert "What is the best vacuum cleaners on the market for pets," and you'll get the same answer. Delegate your pet's hairy mess (not solid mess) to your robot vacuum.

If you look for a more affordable solution, any non-pet vacuum cleaner, such as a Navigator model, will do a decent job for less than $150.

 

Final Words

 

So, did you catch your question? If not, please email us the question. We love hearing from you.

 

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[rd2rk]

There's another LONG thread on this subject. IIRC, the solution was to check that your OS Drive was Drive0 (zero).

[datacommando]

11 hours ago, MarkLoomis said:

Any suggestions?

Hi,

 

Check this to see if it helps!