If you're in the market for a new vacuum cleaner, whether an upright model, a canister model or even a central vacuum, you're going to be faced with a huge selection to choose from. It's tough to make a decision without doing some research to find the best vacuum cleaner ratings.
Before you do any research, however, there are a couple of things you should decide:
1. What type best suits your needs - canister, upright or central?
2. What is your budget?
Vacuum cleaners can cost anywhere from under $100 to several thousand, so you really need to have some idea of a budget before you start your search.
And the different types of vacuums each have advantages and disadvantages, so you need to look at how you use it. If you don't want to have to pull out a long hose and cart it from one outlet to another throughout the house, a central vacuum may not be for you.
Or if you hate the thought of changing dirty, dusty bags you might want to look at a bagless model.
There are several ways to find the highest rated vacuums. One of the easiest is to do some research on the internet. Many websites that sell vacuum cleaners, such as Amazon.com, allow people to post reviews of the various models they sell.
This can be a great source of information, since it's coming from people who have used them in "real life", not just in some testing lab.
Another good source of information is Consumer Reports, which reviews various products in their magazine and on their website every month. Because vacuums are a fairly common purchase, they have features on them on a regular basis.
When you're searching on the internet, make sure you read reviews of the manufacturer in general as well as specific models. You want to get an idea of how their service and support is in general in case you ever have a problem.
For example, if you're looking for information about the Miele Solaris S-514 vacuum, search for that model but also search for Miele vaccums in general.
You'll find the most information if you stick to the top 10 brands, such as Dyson, Shark, Oreck, Eureka, Kirby and Hoover. When you start researching lesser known names, you won't find as much information (although you can still often get enough to help you make a decision).