Are expensive vacuum brands worth buying? When are you getting what you’re paying for, and when are you getting ripped off? Quality can vary between vacuum cleaner brands, and sometimes the issue is the design, not the price. Let’s look at which vacuums are worth the money and which never live up to expectation.
Brands that Are Never Worth the Price
Kirby vacuums are not worth their high price tag. For example, the $1,800 Kirby Avalir was rated seventh in the bagged upright category of the Consumer Reports 2016 buyer’s guide, while the eighth place product cost a tenth that price. And no other Kirby vacuum made their top 25 on price, while being one of the most expensive vacuum cleaner brands.
Electrolux is another brand of vacuum cleaner that sells itself as a premium product while failing to meet basic performance standards. Its UltraOne EL bagged canister vacuum cleaner cost a thousand dollars and came in sixth in Consumer Reports 2016 rankings. That sounds good relative to the Miele Complete C3 Marin that cost $1,100 that came in first. However, Kenmore and Panasonic vacuums costing only a third as much ranked better than Electrolux’s best vacuum cleaner. And several $250 Kenmore and Panasonic vacuum cleaners, a quarter of the price of the best scoring Electrolux, were only one and three points lower in the rankings. Is paying four times as much worth it when you get a 3% better vacuum cleaner?
Aerus is a brand of vacuums that few have heard of, but its bagged canister vacuum cleaners cost over a thousand dollars. The $1,500 Guardian Ultra costs as much as three Kenmore Elite vacuums or five Kenmore Progressive vacuums – both of which rated higher than it in Consumer Reports.
Rainbow is another brand of vacuum cleaners with a price tag that screams premium but fails the reality test. The Rainbow E2 did come in fifth in Consumer Reports for 2016 in its bagless canister vacuum category, but at $1,350, you can buy three of the top rated Kenmores or four of the second place Panasonic vacuums for that price.
Brands Worth the Price
Kenmore makes a number of reasonably priced and high quality vacuum cleaners. The Kenmore Elite was the top rated bagged upright vacuum cleaner in 2016according to Consumer Reports while costing $350. If that’s out of your price range, the Kenmore model 31140 came in fourth place at only $200. If you want a bagless canister vacuum, the Kenmore model 22614 came in first place in that category. For bagged canister vacuums, Kenmore Elite took the second place and third place rankings. To top it off, the Kenmore Progressive models were best buy recommendations by Consumer Reports because they were middle of the pack on price while ranking in the top ten in terms of performance.
Eureka has a reputation for quality and reasonable prices. The Boss Smart Vacuum cleaner cost $180 in 2016 while coming in second place in Consumer Reports 2016 buying guide for bagged upright vacuum cleaners. Eureka’s upright vacuum cleaners also had a repair rate lower than more expensive brands like Electrolux, Miele and Dyson. However, its vacuums costing around a hundred dollars have far worse performance.
Brands That Are Too Cheap to Bother Getting
Dirt Devil offers many affordable vacuum cleaners. The Dirt Devil Total Power Cyclonic, for example, cost $80 in 2015. It came in 33rd place in Consumer Reports rankings for bagless upright vacuums. It was average in nearly all categories except a little above average on handling. The Dirt Devil Lift and Go costs $120 and came in 37th, proof you don’t get better quality for the money even within the same brand. That model had problems emitting a trail of dander as it worked and did poorly with pet hair.
General Observations
Canister vacuum cleaners cost more than bagless upright vacuum cleaners across the board. Quality bagged upright vacuum cleaners cost more than the basic bagless upright vacuum cleaners.
And make certain you are doing a direct comparison between vacuum cleaners whether shopping for a specific model or comparing across brands, because not all vacuums come with the same suite of tools. You may pay more for car detailing tools or upholstery cleaning heads that don’t come with some cheaper vacuum cleaners.
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