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The choice of vacuum cleaners on the market today is vast and its hard to know what is the best vacuum cleaner type to buy!
In your search for the best vacuum cleaner it helps to understand the different types of vacuum that are available and what the pros and cons are of each. You can then zero in on a particular type that is right for you and your circumstances.
Buying Tips
You will want to consider the size of your home and the common types of flooring that you have.
Whether there are pets or allergy sufferers in the home are also important factors that will determine what type of vacuum would best suit your needs.
Then you have to think about your budget, although most types of vacuum have brands that will suit a range of budgets.
Once you decide what type of vacuum you need then your purchasing decision will be easier. This decision will filter the many options down to a smaller range of models to choose from.
So to assist you in the buying process, we have written this article about the different types of vacuum cleaners that are available.
We have identified the advantages and disadvantages of each and clarified the common terminology.
Once you’ve decided the best vacuum cleaner type for your needs, we’d recommend reading our Ultimate Vacuum Buying Guide.
Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $50 to $700
Weight range: 14-21 pounds
Upright vacuums are the traditional vacuum cleaner type we all know and love (well, maybe its a love/ hate thing for many of us). Because of their upright position they are a great option if you don’t want to bend over a lot.
This model of vacuum is one of the most common types in the home in the US, UK and Commonwealth Countries.
However the upright is less common in Continental Europe, where Canister (Cylinder) Vacuum Cleaners are more popular. This is confirmed in a Mintel August 2006 Vacuum Cleaners Market Intelligence Report. The Report found the following regional differences in preferences for vacuum cleaner types in Europe:
- The UK generally preferred upright vacuum cleaners until the early 2000s. However by 2003 suction cleaners (commonly known as canisters/ cylinders) had overtaken upright cleaners in volume sales.
- Continental Europe historically prefers cylinder cleaners.
- Lightweight suction cleaners mounted on a handle with integrated cleaning head (see Stick Cleaners section below) are also found more in Continental Europe than the UK.
A good Upright Vacuum Cleaner will provide the greatest cleaning power for carpets compared to other types but many models can transition for use on hard floors as well.
Upright designs usually involve a rotating brushroll or beater bar, which removes dirt through a combination of sweeping and vibration.
They normally have a single motor that powers both the suction as well as a drive-belt that rotates the brush-roll. However some models, such as Riccar’s Tandem Air Vacuums, have two motors for these separate functions.
As with all types, there are various features that can come with the upright depending on the brand and model and uprights can be found in either bagged (the dirt is collected in a bag) or bagless (dirt collected in a bin) variety.
Summary
- Upright design requires a suitable storage space that is tall enough.
- Main advantage is their strong performance on carpets so best suited to majority carpeted homes with large open spaces to work with.
- Heaviest type of vacuum, consider alternative types if portability up stairs is important.
- Bagless uprights can be expensive, up to $700, bagged models are cheaper, under $300.
Canister Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $50 to $700
Weight range: 8-14 pounds
Canister Vacuum Cleaners (also known as Cylinder Vacuum Cleaners in the UK) are the most common type of vacuum in Europe.
They have the motor and dust collector (which as with uprights can be either bagged or bagless) in a separate unit, usually mounted on wheels, which is connected to the vacuum head by a flexible hose. They are versatile cleaners offering good flexibility and mobility.
Users can attach different floor nozzles for different tasks, and get to those hard to reach areas more easily than with uprights. The vacuum head can easily reach under furniture and vacuuming stairs and vertical surfaces is much easier due to their lighter weight, smaller size and greater reach.
Many cylinder models have power heads as standard or add-on equipment containing the same sort of mechanical beaters as in upright units, making them as efficient on carpets as upright models.
We take a close look at 5 of the best canister models to choose from in our Canister Vacuum Reviews. For pet owners, you can also check out the best canister vacuums for pet hair.
Summary
- Greater portability, manoeuvrability and lighter than uprights for similar cleaning performance
- Users will need to do more bending over than with uprights
- Hose, wand and other attachments do not snap fix to the vacuum so storage can be more cluttered
- Different cleaning style than uprights, which depends on your preference. Hoses and wand can tend to get tangled up more easily than uprights
- Expect to pay the same as a similar performing and featured upright for these models
Stick Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $50 to $700
Weight range: 5-10 pounds
The Stick vacuum is similar to the upright but without any added attachments or accessories and are typically cordless (but you can get corded sticks) with rechargeable batteries.
The obvious advantages that come with this are easier storage, lighter weight and no hassles with moving and plugging in cables.
The disadvantage is that they are generally less powerful than a traditional upright, however top of the range models, such as the Dyson V15 or Omni-Glide provide superb suction performance.
We cover 5 of the latest models of stick vacuum cleaners in our Best Lightweight Vacuum Reviews. Furthermore, our Shark vs Dyson cordless vacuum review covers the latest models from both of these popular brands.
Summary
- Lightweight and typically cordless battery powered for ultra portability
- Reduced performance compared to uprights or canisters so better suited for hard floors although can be used on carpets
- Can be a good option for those with limited strength or as a second cleaner for quick clean ups
Handheld Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $20 to $200
Weight range: 4-5 pounds
These mini-vacuums offer a handy solution for smaller jobs. They can be corded or cordless battery powered, and their size and weight means they can be used quickly for spot cleaning in the house whether it be food scraps on the couch or ridding the mattress of dust mites.
Moreover, they are an excellent choice for a car vacuum cleaner that could even be taken away on road trips to clean on the go. Some battery-powered handheld vacuums are wet/dry rated providing greater versatility to their use.
However, it is usually necessary to partially disassemble the unit and clean it after picking up wet materials, to avoid developing unpleasant odors.
Having one of these around the home as a supplemental vacuum cleaner can save you the time involved in pulling your main unit out of the cupboard. Some of these units offer superb value for money as we have shown in our Best Hand Vacuum Reviews.
Summary
- Good supplemental cleaning tool
- Corded or cordless models available depending on your requirements and budget
- Excellent for use as a car vacuum cleaner
- More expensive models offer high suction power with extended battery life
Convertible Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $50 to $500
Weight range: 9-14 pounds
This type of vacuum cleaner are often referred to as a 2-in-1 or even 3-in-1 as they can change from one type of vacuum into another. Some models convert from a stick to a handheld vacuum like the Hoover Air Cordless 2-in-1 pictured above.
Alternatively, the Shark Rotator and Navigator Lift-Away vacuums convert from an upright vacuum into a canister vacuum.
These models offer great flexibility for handling a large variety of cleaning needs.
Robot Vacuum Cleaners
Price Range: $50 to $1000
Weight range: less than 10 pounds
The rise of the machines is upon us! Robot vacuum cleaners have been steadily growing since their entry into the market in the early 2000s and their market share is forecast by many consumer reports to grow significantly in the coming years as their sophistication continues to develop.
These machines move autonomously while collecting surface dust and debris into a dustbin. These units navigate around furniture and come back to a docking station to charge their batteries, and a few are able to empty their dust containers into the dock as well.
Most models are equipped with motorized brushes and a vacuum motor to collect dust and debris.
Robot vacuum cleaners have popular manufacturers such as iRobot with their Roomba range and Neato with their Botvacs that are unique to this type of vacuum.
However more well known appliance manufacturers such as Samsung and Dyson have also entered the robot vacuum market and make good quality units.
These units are a great time saver as they can supplement regular vacuuming, reducing the frequency of pulling out your more powerful unit.
We look at 3 of the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market in our Robot Vacuum Reviews. In addition, we gave our verdict and review of the best brands of robot vacuum cleaner in this article.
Summary
- Supplemental vacuum cleaner, battery-powered with docking station, cordless.
- Sensor-controlled, automated via scheduling feature, various cleaning modes and other features depending on your budget
- Can clean both carpets and bare floors
- May require supervising and preparation of rooms prior to cleaning to be effective, e.g. removing loose items from the floor that could be sucked up by the bots
Conclusion
The most popular types of vacuum cleaner have been detailed in this article.
More types exist, but are more specialist, for example wet/ dry vacuums, water filter vacuums, hybrid vacuums, cyclone vacuums, central vacuum systems and backpack vacuums to name a few.
We have covered some of these in separate articles and intend to cover them all eventually here at Home Vacuum Zone (follow the links above for more information). However the types of vacuum that we have detailed in this article should serve the vast majority of the vacuuming public.
There are factors other than type that you must also consider when buying a vacuum.
This is where our Ultimate Vacuum Buying Guide comes in, which will take you through all of the other considerations including bagged v bagless and filtration. The guide considers many other things such as whether you have pets at home or need a vacuum for allergies and asthma.
By aligning your specific circumstances to the main advantages of the particular type of vacuum cleaner it should take a lot of the hard work out of the selection process. It is then a case of choosing a brand and model that fits your budget and our other reviews can help with this.
Happy hunting!
I like that you point out that it is important to think about anything that could cause dust or hair in your house. I know that many of my friends and family have dogs that shed, which means they need to have a good vacuum to help suck all the hair up. Perhaps it would be good to talk with people who are in the same situation as you and ask them what kind they use.