Vacuum Cleaners Is Your Worst Enemy. 8 Ways To Defeat It

The best affordable vacuums


for spring cleaning
We've evaluated over a hundred vacuums in the Reviewed.com labs over the past six
Years, and expensive versions have generally tested well. But if you think it's mad to
Drop $500 on a high-end Miele or Dyson, you can still find great cleaning performance
And convenient features for only a fraction of the price tag.
Because they are the most popular style of vacuum in the U.S., we decided to focus
On bagless upright vacuums which retail for between $50 and $150. While they may be a

All the crucial attachments and features.
Who is going to come out on top?
So we purchased five of the best selling vacuums in major retailers and brought them into
Our labs in Cambridge, MA. There, we put each vacuum through the same rigorous
Evaluations that more expensive models also go through. We evaluated overall debris and dirt
Pickup, ease of use, weight, and noise--and then analyzed the results to find out which
Vacuums you should buy, and which ones you should skip.
Bissell CleanView
BEST OVERALL

It sells for about $90 online and in stores, and our tests showed that the CleanView
Offered the ideal balance of performance and price. While this Bissell didn't excel in
Any one test, it did well across the board.
A certain kind of household--say, pet owners--but the CleanView is a terrific generalist.
In our evaluations, we produce a special dirt mixture that is representative of the dust and debris
That gets monitored through most households. Then, we embed it into a normal carpet--
The same way your feet would push dirt into your carpets in the home. The CleanView
Picked up 43.5 percent of the dirt--that is about average. By comparison, the best
Vacuum we have ever tested only cleaned about 75 percent in one pass.
The CleanView is a Wonderful generalist TWEET IT
We also felt that the included crevice, dusting, and turbo brush accessories are also
Going to satisfy the needs of most households. At 77 dBa, it was louder than more
Expensive models, but among the quietest vacuums we tested at its price.

Retractable cord, nor can it take most of its attachments on board.

However, it cleaned nicely across every other flooring type, had no problem with picking
Up debris, gets good user reviews for reliability and robustness, and costs ten percent
Less than its closest competitor. That's exactly how it got to be our number one choice.
Eureka Airspeed AS3030A

The Eureka Airspeed has two attributes that we love, but also one major flaw that kept
It from becoming the best affordable upright.
First of all, the Airspeed attained the maximum dirt pickup on normal carpet. On normal
Carpeting, this $120 vacuum picked up a whopping 57.5 percent of the dirt mixture we put
Down--that is the best cleaning we've ever measured out of a vacuum that costs under
$300.


Where the Eureka really shines when it comes to cleaning up hair--both human and
pet. That's because the Airspeed has a brushroll cleaner, designed to maintain long hair
From wrapping around the part of the vacuum that spins to agitate dirt out of carpets. We
Tested out this feature on another Eureka vacuum, and found it worked as advertised. If
Your first name is Samson or your last name is Godiva, this Eureka may be a good bet.

zero. Amongst its competitors, it came in dead last for cleaning plush carpets and throw
rugs.
Hoover WindTunnel UH70120
If the thought of wrapping a cable up when you're done cleaning fills you with dread, you
Might want to check out the Hoover WindTunnel Rewind Plus, that comes with a
retractable cord.
In our carpet tests, the WindTunnel picked up almost the exact same amount of dirt as
the CleanView. While it costs $12 more, that higher price tag gets you a cord that winds
Up with the touch of a lever.
It is a huge pain to lug up and down stairs TWEET IT
There's also on-board storage for all the Hoover's attachments, so they will always be at
Hand when you want them--instead of lost in the back of a cupboard.
The downside? These features keep the WindTunnel from breezing through chambers.
That's a full two
pounds heavier than the Bissell. Even worse, there's no carrying handle on the back,
Which means it is a huge pain to lug up and down stairs. Additionally, it struggled with pet hair.

The popular Shark Navigator Lift-Away was the most unusual vacuum we analyzed. Its
Lift-Away feature means that users can detach the engine from the handle, which turns
The device into a pseudo-canister. Unfortunately, you Can't use attachments unless the
Motor is detached, and you have to lug the "canister" around because it does not have
wheels.
Other vacuums cleaned better and cost less TWEET IT
Other features do not come with as many tradeoffs. For instance, automatic height
Adjustment means you can go from cleaning a thick area rug to short-pile carpet without
skipping a beat. This Shark is also the only vacuum in the running which has a swivel joint
From the brush head, which enables the Shark to pivot around furniture and other obstacles.
The Shark's little brush head also helps you reach tight spaces.
However, we feel that the Shark is not as great a value as other vacuums on the list.
Though It's the priciest cleaner we included, it only picked up 38 percent of
Testing dirt we put down to normal carpet. Other vacuums washed better and cost less.

Apartments that feature a variety of floor types. But given its quirks and Higher price, it
Falls into fourth place in our tests.
Rounding out our list of the finest affordable uprights is the Dirt Devil Power Pro.
Retailing for about $50, the Pro Power is the most affordable of our affordable
vacuums.
However, that low price comes at a cost: Generally, the Dirt Devil was only able to get
20 percent of dirt out of normal carpet. Its engine also made 86 dBa of noise--about the
Same as a blender--that made it the loudest vacuum we tested.
The Pro Power may have been the weakest performer, but it checks all the "I want to
save money" boxes. It has a washable filter, it does not require replacement bags, and it
Fits in almost every budget. However, a vacuum is designed to clean your home. That's
Why we recommend spending an extra $40 to get a vacuum that will not leave most dirt
behind.