Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Upright vacuum cleaners are the most popular consumer choice when it comes to vacuum type. Upright vacuum cleaners come in a variety of sizes, bagged or bag-less, price ranges and with varying levels of filtration and durability. We will cover the basic types of upright vacuum cleaners and which of those types might be the best vacuum for your household. Upright vacuum cleaners are generally a good option for homes that have carpet on most of the floors.
Bag-less upright vacuum cleaners are very common in the low price ranges. While there are some bag-less upright vacuum that cover over 200 dollars most of the less expensive upright vacuum are bag-less. Low priced bag-less vacuum cleaners make sense for sense for budget minded consumers who only use a vacuum to clean carpet, have smaller to mid sized homes and do not expect a lot from a vacuum. Most bag-less vacuum cleaners offer very limited filtration. Vacuum bags are typically the first filter debris and dust come in contact with and a good vacuum bag will help reduce some of a vacuum cleaners emissions. If a member of your home has asthma or allergies or your household is host to a small child then we would not recommend a bagless upright vacuum, especially one of the low priced models.
Lightweight vacuum cleaners became very popular when the Oreck vacuum cleaner company began to aggressively market their products. Other vacuum manufacturers started to follow in Orecks footsteps. Nowadays their are lightweight vacuums available from Riccar, Simplicity, Hoover, Royal and Eureka to name a few. Lightweight vacuums like other uprights can vary greatly in quality. Bissell and Eureka make some very low priced bag-less lightweight vacuums that are very popular. We would probably not recommend them but the low price really appeals to a lot of consumers. Riccar, Simplicity and Oreck are generally the three best manufacturers of lightweight vacuum cleaners. The Hoover Platinum is also a very good light weight vacuum option.
Light weight vacuum cleaners are best for homes with a lot of low pile carpets that limited to no pet hair. Because light weight vacuum cleaners need to be light and compact the motors are small when compared to other upright vacuums. Lightweight vacuum motors are also not as powerful so you should not expect an Oreck XL lightweight vacuum to clean your carpet like a Sebo Automatic X4 or a Miele upright vacuum. If weight is a factor or the vacuum will need to be carried upstairs then a good lightweight vacuum cleaner is something we would recommend to a consumer. It is our opinion that a lightweight vacuum that uses vacuum bags is a preference over a bagless model.
Full sized upright vacuum cleaners that use vacuum bags are usually a better choice when compared to bagless or lightweight vacuums in the same price range. This is not always true but it usually is based on all of the vacuums we did a review for or just tested out. We think that some of the best regular size upright vacuum cleaners are made by Miele, Sebo, Royal, Kirby, Windsor and Lindhaus. The upright vacuums made by these companies can cost hundreds of dollars more than just about any other upright vacuum cleaner brand with the exception of the pricier Dyson uprights. If you want a durable upright vacuum cleaner with really good suction, that can handle pet hair effectively and has a low rate of repair then those brands tested very well across the board. The Kirby is ridiculously expensive but we are not trying to tell you it is a best buy just that it is an excellent upright vacuum cleaner when it comes to cleaning carpet and like the other brands mentioned has a very low rate of repair. The other brands are priced alot more reasonably and if you have have 400 plus to spend on an upright these are the the brands that you should be researching.
There are obviously some very low cost upright vacuum cleaners options that are sensible for homes with low pile carpet and where emission are not a concern. Eureka, Sanyo, Samsung, Panasonic and Hoover still make have some moderate to low priced upright vacuums that use vacuum bags that perform very well for the price. If you are not looking to spend much money on an upright vacuum cleaner and you just want something decent in the neighborhood of 100 dollars make sure the upright uses vacuum cleaner bags. Bagged models are a little less trouble and if you will be more likely to maintain the vacuum properly because the average person recognizes that a vacuum cleaner bag is getting full but it just seems like nobody changes the filters in the lower priced vacuums until there is a problem. Sounds a little pessimistic but it is realistic based on our experiences.
Commercial upright vacuums can also vary greatly in quality. If you primarily small to mid sized offices and have to use your own vacuum than an Oreck, Simplicity, Riccar or Sanitiare would be a best best. The commercial version of these light weight vacuums have a heavy duty cord but other than that they are just about the same as the residential models. If you are doing cleaning a more significant facility than we would recommend that you go with a Windsor, Lindhaus or Sebo vacuum cleaner. The commercial and residential models are both suitable for commercial vacuum cleaning. The vacuums made by these brands are more powerful and rugged than the vacuum brands mentioned earlier in the paragraph but they weight a lot more so they do not as easy to transport if you are going from site to site.
Upright Vacuum Reviews
Miele Vacuum Reviews - We compare the highly rated upright vacuum cleaners that make up the Miele S7 product line. The Miele S7 has received some very good vacuum reviews online and in consumer magazines. All of the S7 Miele upright are very high quality and share a number of features.
Sebo Vacuum - Sebo has made some of the best rated upright vacuum cleaners in recent years. The Sebo Automatic X and Felix series are very different types of upright vacuums that are great for homes with pet hair, extremely rugged and well designed.
Kirby Vacuum Review - one of the most recognized vacuum brands in the United States, Kirby vacuum cleaners typically outlast other brands by years and have a very low rate of repair. The Kirby Sentria has been very well received by consumers online. Kirby vacuum cleaners last so long it is not uncommon to see stores selling used models.