Consumer Reports – September 2019

Product Update

BAGLESS UPRIGHT

0 !DYSON

BALL ANIMAL 2

$500

It’s among the very best in our

tests at cleaning embedded

dirt from carpets, and it excels

on bare floors and at picking

up pet hair. Suction is strong,

and particle emissions are low.

But it’s noisier than average,

the on/off switch location is

inconvenient, and the lack of

low-suction settings makes

cleaning delicates, such as

draperies, difficult.

BAGLESS UPRIGHT

0 !SHARK NAVIGATOR POWERED

LIFT-AWAY NV586 (Target)

$300

This standout Shark, sold

through Target, is one of

the highest-rated midpriced

uprights. It scores Excellent for

bare floors and Very Good

for carpet, and has better

handling and stronger suction

than most of its competitors.

And it features a brush on/off

switch, which minimizes the

dispersal of dirt and protects

the finish on hardwood floors.

BAGGED CANISTER

0 !KENMORE ELITE PET

FRIENDLY ULTRAPLUSH 81714

$400

Uprights are usually more

effective than canister models

at cleaning carpets, but this

Kenmore stood up to sand

and talc like a champ. It also

impresses on bare floors

and with pet hair (as you’d

expect from a model called

Pet Friendly). Suction power

is also a plus. Negatives?

Handling is just average, and

it’s fairly noisy.

BAGGED CANISTER

0 !MIELE

COMPLETE C3 ALIZE

$650

It weighs significantly less

than most full-sized canisters,

but this highly rated bagged

model performs very well

overall. Its Excellent grades

for cleaning bare floors

and for suction are on a par

with the best in our tests. It

posts an Excellent score for

noise, rare for a full-sized

vacuum. This model does not

have a powered brush roll.

CORDED STICK

0 $DIRT DEVIL

POWER STICK SD12530

$80

This corded stick vacuum

delivers best-in-class carpet-

cleaning performance,

dispatching our testers’ messy

mix of sand, dry rice, and

Cheerios with ease. It’s also

effective at cleaning bare

floors, reaching into edges,

and picking up pet hair. Plus,

it‘s quiet and converts to a

hand vac. But it’s not a great

choice for allergy sufferers.

CORDLESS STICK

0 !KENMORE ELITE

COMPLETE 10441

$350

Top ratings in our bare-floor,

edge-cleaning, and pet-

hair tests make this model

a winner. It comes with two

brush rolls, one for carpet

(bristles) and one for bare

floors (soft roller). It has a

charging wall mount with

accessory storage and an LED

dirt sensor, and it converts to

a handheld vacuum. Average

battery run time is 19 minutes.

BEST FOR CARPET

Your wall-to-wall and area rugs will be

tamed by these models. They ate up our

testers’ mix of ground-in grit with ease.

If you’re vacuuming stairs, consider the

canister or, for convenience, the stick.

BEST FOR HARDWOOD FLOORS

Canister vacs are generally better-suited

for bare floors than uprights or sticks,

but all three of these models aced our

bare-floors test, picking up debris neatly,

without scattering it across the surface.

BEST

HANDHELD

VACUUMS

FOR $50

OR LESS

It ’s a pain to haul out

a full-sized vacuum to

clean up snack crumbs

between your sofa

cushions or dog hair from

the back seat of your

car. Those are perfect

tasks for a handheld

vacuum—and these

budget-friendly vacs

can tackle them without

breaking the bank.

Because handheld

vacs aren’t intended

for deep cleaning, we

adjust the tasks in our

tests to match their

typical uses—such as

cleaning up dry messes

quickly and reaching

into tight spots well.

Many of the newly

tested cordless models

have updated, longer-

lasting lithium-ion

batteries, and the run

times for the models

in our tests range from

9 to 30 minutes.

Many models come

with useful accessories.

The Black+Decker

and Eureka at right

come with crevice

tools; the Bissell has a

pet-hair tool.

73 77

76 77

85 77

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POOR EXCELLENT

! 0

RECOMMENDED

$ 0

CR BEST BUY

22 CR.ORG SEPTEMBER 2019