Choosing A New Vacuum Cleaner

By ROBERTA CANNON

In my dreams, a perfect vacuum cleaner would roll itself out of the closet once a week, vacuum my entire apartment, empty its own bag and quietly return itself to its rightful spot. It would be a sleek upright or canister model and reduce my hands-on cleaning hours so that I could do more-enjoyable activities.

My vacuum reality is a Sears Kenmore cannister that I haul out of the closet every other week or so, plug in and proceed to clean my carpeting, hardwood floors and sofa. It does its job, and I can’t complain, except my lower back occasionally does.

I’ve never given much thought to buying a vacuum cleaner because I historically go for the one that fits my budget and gets the job done.

After talking with Bob Crane Jr., president of Crane Appliance with stores in East Falmouth, Vineyard Haven and Orleans, I have completely changed my viewpoint on the importance of choosing the appropriate vacuum cleaner and the significance of placing value in the brand and type I purchase.

Shopping For That Perfect Vacuum

Crane Appliance offers the in-store experience of helping their customers decide what they need in a vacuum cleaner and the opportunity to see a demonstration of the model you choose before you purchase it.

“We offer a personal experience,” Mr. Crane said. “We ask you quite a few questions about your vacuum habits, and then we recommend the right product for you.”

The company carries the Miele brand solely in all their stores. “The quality is second to none,” said Mr. Crane. “We don’t want customers walking into our store three months later saying my vacuum cleaner is broken, all beat up. The average Miele vacuum cleaner lasts 10 to 12 years.”

He explained that they are built in Germany, and because of their construction, durability and longevity, you could go through two to three other vacuums before having to replace a Miele.

“The average price of a Miele is around $600, so it takes a good sales pitch to get a customer to figure out why they would spend between $600 and $1,200 on a vacuum cleaner,” said Mr. Crane. “Years ago we all knew Electrolux, and again who would buy that expensive vacuum? But you would have a salesman knocking on your door to give you a demonstration and, by the time he left, you were sold on it.”

Ninety percent of the vacuums Crane Appliance sells are lightweight canisters. Miele also make uprights and battery-operated ones. While the average price is $600, Mr. Crane said they carry Miele models that range from $399 to $2,000. The difference in pricing depends on your needs. The cannisters come in two different sizes, and the price also depends on the various accessories that come with them. One example is whether you choose an air-driven head or electric power head.

In addition to providing an in-person purchasing experience, Crane Appliance also services their vacuum cleaners. Mr. Crane explained the need for repair is usually “user-related.” He said the product very rarely fails.

Consumer Reports Ratings 

I was curious about other types of vacuum cleaners, and I decided to go to Consumer Reports.

I perused the reviews about uprights, cannisters, sticks, handheld and robotic models. I had no idea there were so many types, all with their various claims of performance. The sheer amount of information was a bit overwhelming.

To gain an overview of how thoroughly each vacuum cleans, Consumer Reports put the models through their paces, reviewing how they picked up dirt, the amounts of debris the vacuums retained, maneuverability and noise level. They also maneuvered the various vacuums around furniture and rooms to check ease of handling. Their overall comprehensive score included predicted reliability and owner satisfaction surveys.

In June, they published Best Vacuum Cleaners of 2021. They rated 209 vacuum cleaners ranging in cost from under $50 to over $1,500. While the report noted that cordless stick vacuums continued to get better and the robotic vacuums have become more capable, they can’t replace the upright or canister.

Miele, Kenmore, Shark, Hoover, Bissell, Dyson and Tineco were some of the brands reviewed in the testing.

In their results, Consumer Reports provided the pros and cons of each model. While vacuums come in a variety of designs, colors and shapes, Consumer Reports stated the vacuum should fit your cleaning needs.

Top-Rated Vacuum Cleaners

The top-performing bagged canister and bagless canister vacuums for 2021 per Consumer Reports ratings are the Miele complete C3 Marin and the Miele Blizzard CX1.

The Miele Complete C3 Marin bagged canister had perfect marks in almost every test. Their report states, “It’s a champ at bare floors and embedded pet hair but also excels at capturing dust particles.” The powerful airflow made the attachments particularly effective, and it is noticeably quieter than many other models.

The Miele Blizzard CX1 cat and dog bagless cannister also got high marks as one of the best bagless canisters. It received an excellent rating on the bare floors test, although not as well on carpets. This vacuum cleaner would appeal to allergy sufferers because it did well in the emissions testing, releasing little debris back into the atmosphere.

A New Perspective

While I don’t currently need a new vacuum cleaner, I do have a new perspective on what I will look for when I purchase one in the future. With all the online buying I’ve done this past year during the COVID-19 lockdown, I have come to appreciate even more the benefits of buying local. The personal service with purchases and the convenience of having an item replaced or repaired without mailing it back to the manufacturer are worth it.