Compare the Best Vacuum CleanersAugust 2020

There is a huge variety of vacuum cleaners available today. Buyers have a choice between upright and cylinder vacuum cleaners for average cleaning tasks and more specialised hoovers designed to pick up dog hairs or help allergy sufferers.

Finding the right vacuum cleaner may sound daunting but understanding what advantages and disadvantages the different technologies and features provide goes along way in finding the best hoover for your needs.

Upright Vacuum Cleaners

Upright vacuums are ideal for cleaning larger spaces and are particularly suited for cleaning carpeted areas. A rotating brush in the vacuum’s head combs the carpet to loosen dirt and dust. They are also very effective in picking up pet hair. Most models have a carpet height selector to adjust the cleaning head according to the carpet pile.

Uprights allow you to work in a comfortable position without the need to bed over a lot. They are ideal for those with lower back pain. Most models are very easy to manoeuvre and come with a set of tools for corners and stairs. Most upright vacuums are bagless as the bin is more accessible and easier to remove than in cylinder cleaners.

Cylinder Vacuum Cleaners

Cylinder vacuum cleaners are usually smaller and lighter than uprights and therefore easier to move around. They are ideal for smaller spaces and the flexible hose and removable head let you clean corners and hard to reach spaces with ease. Because the distance between the cleaning head and dust bag is longer compared to upright vacuum cleaners, cylinder cleaners require a higher motor power in order to generate the same amount of suction.

Cylinder cleaners can be bagged or bagless. Bagless cleaners will be slightly more expensive but will save you money in the long run.

Wet & Dry Cleaners

Usually aimed for use in workshops, garages and environments that can get dirtier than the average household, wet & dry vacuum cleaners are robust and can handle a variety of cleaning tasks. They can hoover up sawdust, leaves, wet mud and even water.

Wet & dry vacuums are available from a number of manufacturers like Karcher, Vax, deWalt and Bosch. These multi-purpose vacuum cleaners have a robust construction and a large container volume. Filters can usually be washed and tools and accessories are stored within the industrial vacuum cleaners.

Cleaning Efficiency

In a drive to ensure greater energy efficiency, the EU banned vacuum cleaners with a motor power above 1600W in 2014.

It is important that a vacuum cleaner’s power rating is not the only factor affecting the amount of suction it produces.

Less powerful models regularly outperform those with a higher power rating. Design, how full the bag is and how often filters are cleaned all contribute to how good a vacuum clear is at its job.

Look out for independent reviews that measure a vacuum cleaner’s suction power in relation to how full the dust bag or container is to get a better understanding of the suction power it produces.

Attachments & Accessories

Most vacuum cleaners come with a number of accessories to clean upholstery and to reach narrow spaces and corners. Some models car store accessories inside the vacuum cleaner while some cylinder models have a holder attached to the telescopic tube.

Pet accessories

Pet hair can be difficult to remove from carpets are upholstery. To make cleaning after your furry friends easier, pet models are specifically designed to make lifting cat and dog hair easier.

Pet vacuum cleaners come with cleaning heads that include rotating brush bars, sometimes called power tools. They also use strong suction power to tackle even the most stubborn hair.

Vacuum Prices

In total we found 261 vacuums ranging from $40 to $1,400. The average price of a new vacuum cleaner is $325 and the 80% of vacuums are priced between $70 and $723. The cheapest vacuum cleaner that we found is the Dirt Devil SimpliStik at only $41, and the most expensive is the Omega Comfort at $1,400.

Vacuum Brands - Price Range

The highest average vacuum cleaner price out of all brands is Omega vacuum cleaners with an average price of $1,400. Omega vacuum cleaners range in price from $1,400 to $1,400.

The second highest average vacuum price out of all brands is LG vacuum cleaners with an average price of $1,082. LG vacuum cleaners start at $1,082 and their most expensive vacuum costs $1,082.

Kirby vacuum cleaners start at $995 and their most expensive vacuum costs $995. The average price of Kirby vacuum cleaners is $995 which is the third highest average price of all vacuum brands.

Vacuum Brands - Average Ratings

We have analysed 1,415 expert reviews and 47,396 user reviews for vacuum cleaners and used this information to determine the average rating for each brand of vacuum cleaner. The top three vacuum cleaner brands are Miele, Hoover and Bosch. Miele has an average rating of 87%, Hoover has an average rating of 83% and Bosch has an average rating of 83%.

Biggest Vacuum Retailers

The biggest vacuum cleaner retailer by number of products currently for sale is eBay. We found 258 current vacuum cleaner offers from eBay. The second biggest retailer is Target with 51 offers. That means eBay is over 5 times bigger than Target when it comes to vacuums. Overstock is the third biggest retailer with 37 current offers.

When Are Most New Vacuum Cleaners Released?

The most common period for new vacuum cleaners to be released in is between November and January. For the latest vacuum cleaner technology you may want to consider waiting until November 2020. Also the price of the current vacuum cleaners may drop off just before the latest models are released in November. 16 new vacuums were released in January 2019 making it the biggest month that year for new vacuum releases. In 2018 most new vacuum cleaners were released in August, with 91 new vacuum cleaners released that month. The biggest month in 2017 for new vacuum cleaner releases was November, with 147 new vacuum cleaners released that month.

How Fast Do Vacuum Prices Drop After Release?

On average vacuums drop in price by 6% in the first 6 months after release.

That means a saving of $20 on a typical $324 new vacuum if you wait 6 months before buying.

Capacities

The space that the product e.g. vacuum cleaner,vacuum cleaner bag has for dust or dirty water.

Across the range of vacuum cleaners, the capacities range from .035L to 450L. The capacities of most vacuum cleaners range from 0L to 2L. The Ecovacs DEEBOT, which sells for $124.56, has the largest capacity and is a 450L dust capacity vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner with the smallest capacity is the iRobot Braava 380t, which is a 0.12L dust capacity vacuum cleaner and is available at $209.00.

Weights

The weight of the vacuum cleaner, including all attachments that fit onto the device.

Across the range of vacuum cleaners, the weights range from 100g to 90kg. The weights of most vacuums range from 3.5kg to 5kg. The Sealey PC477AK1, which is priced at $305.60, has the heaviest weight and is a 39kg heavy vacuum. The vacuum with the lightest weight is the DeWALT DC515N, which is a 100g heavy vacuum cleaner and is priced at $53.99.

Maximum Input Powers

'Maximum Power' measures the power level of the vacuum cleaner, rated in watts.

Comparing all vacuums, the maximum input powers range from 10W to 4,200W. The maximum input powers of most vacuums range from 600W to 800W. The Koblenz WD-9 K, which sells for $81.93, has the highest maximum input power and is a 2,982W vacuum cleaner. The Kärcher KB 5, which can be purchased for $74.79, has the lowest maximum input power and is a 10W vacuum.

Types

The type denotes the design of the vacuum cleaner - whether it is an upright model, a small handheld design, or something different.

Cylinder is the most popular type amongst new vacuum cleaners. We found 1,236 vacuum cleaners that are cylinder vacuums. The second most popular type amongst new vacuums is upright. We found 440 vacuums that are upright vacuums.

Cleaning Types

Way in which device cleans something or itself.

Amongst new vacuum cleaners, the most popular cleaning type is dry. We found 2,056 vacuum cleaners that are dry vacuum cleaners. The second most common cleaning type amongst new vacuum cleaners is wet & dry. We found 212 vacuum cleaners that are wet & dry vacuum cleaners.

Energy Efficiency of Vacuum Cleaners

The Energy Efficiency Class of a vacuum cleaner shows how well it uses energy, and how much is unnecessarily wasted. Products are ranked from G to A++ in terms of how little energy they use compared to the norm.

A is the most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new vacuums. We found 841 vacuums that have an energy efficiency rating of A. B is the second most popular energy efficiency rating amongst new vacuums. We found 135 vacuums that have an energy efficiency rating of B.

Which Are the Cheapest Retailers for Vacuums?

The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying vacuums. For each retailer it shows the total number of vacuums where they currently have a market leading price. The chart below helps you decide which retailer is normally cheapest for buying vacuum cleaners. For each retailer we took all of their prices and looked at what proportion of those prices where the cheapest on the market. The cheapest retailer that we found was eBay. 224 of their vacuum cleaner prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.

Proportion of Vacuum Cleaners for Which Each Retailer is Cheapest?

Assessing how cheap each retailer is for vacuums by counting the number of cheapest prices for that retailer, makes the retailers that offer the greatest number of vacuum prices more likely to offer the greatest number of cheapest prices. The chart below considers the proportion of each retailer's vacuum prices that are the cheapest compared to other retailers. The cheapest retailer that we found using this approach was eBay. 86.8% of their vacuum prices were the cheapest that could be found anywhere.