The Best Vacuum Cleaner For Whom?
There is more than one. Sorry. That's why you can never get a straight answer as you research vacuum cleaners. The main reason is your home. Different vacuum cleaners have strengths and weaknesses that set them apart from one another. A home with wood floors will probably not benefit from the same vacuum as a home that has wall to wall carpeting. Another reason is that vacuum cleaners are broken down into types or classes (canister, compact canister, upright, lightweight uprights, bagless, bagged, commercial, stick, etc). Sometimes there are only slight differences between 2 vacuum models, so there really isn't a significant difference between model.s.
There's a few brands out there right now that have solid product lines. Sebo and Miele make fantastic upright vacuums. Sebo, Miele, and Bosch make superior canisters vacuums and Oreck as most of you know specialize in lightweight upright models. If you're going to shop by name only, the manufacturers mentioned are a safe bet, but you should at least understand why a vacuum is best for your situation and make sure you select a vacuum that makes sense for you. Don't put the cart before the horse. Figure out what you need before you consider which brand.
The first step in finding the best vacuum cleaner for a consumer is make a decision specific to what type of vacuum cleaner they prefer to use and the surfaces they will be cleaning. Do you have a lot of obstacles in your home that you need to clean around? Is the flooring a mix of carpet and hard surfaces or predominantly hard surface. In these situations a canister vacuum makes the most sense. If you don't like the idea of operating a canister vacuum, then you have just narrowed your choice down to an upright model.
Upright vacuum are generally more convenient and tend to clean carpet better than a canister. That's a general rule, but it's not always the case. An expensive canister will probably outclean an inexpensive upright all day long. At any rate, most consumers prefer upright vacuum cleaners from our experience. Most of you are going to buy an upright vacuum based on our conversation with the the big vacuum company reps and distributors.
Once you have determined which type of vacuum is best for you, it's time to focus on features. Do you have allergies or asthma? Do you require or prefer a lightweight vacuum? What's your price range? Does your home have stairs? Do you have a pet that sheds? These are important questions to ask yourself in the search for the best vacuum. If you walked into a vacuum cleaner store, these are the questions a knowledgable sales associate would ask before making any suggestions. Make yourself a small list of what's important and you will be able to skim through various models and quickly assess which vacuum makes the most sense for you.
One final thoughts on your quest to find the best: Don't get to hung up on just one brand name during your search. Most consumers are only familiar with the brands that are constantly running commercials on the television. Don't confuse great marketing with a great vacuum, or the fact that so and so made a great vacuum 30 years ago. It's probably not made that way anymore. Also, not every vacuum made by the company your familiar with is necessarily very good. The real points we're trying to make here is keep an open mind, do a little homework, and don't settle for the first recognizable vacuum you find.