2008
Vacuums
Our tests show several standouts
and some big names to skip
U
might clean
up in sales, but the latest canis-
ters are rivaling them in per-
formance. You’ll also find good
smaller vacs for smaller messes. But some
versions of Dirt Devil’s handheld Kone make
some everyday cleaning risky, and we’ve
judged them Not Acceptable as a result.
Our latest tests show that Kenmore’s
new Intuition 28014 has edged out the
Electrolux Oxygen EL6988 as our top-
scoring canister. Impressive carpet clean-
ing and the ability to simply lift the wand
out of the power head for bare floors helped
it clinch the top spot in our Ratings. A
cage that keeps the bag from blocking the
exhaust port is also a plus. But at $600 and
26 pounds, it’s pricey and heavy.
Stick vacs, sweepers, and handheld
models oer easier carrying and storage
for less money. Most we tested weigh un-
der 5 pounds and cost less than $100.
Sweepers, which use motorized brushes
without suction, and handheld vacuums
were also relatively good at whisking away
cereal and other spills too small to warrant
hauling out your full-sized vac. But most
flubbed at least one of our rigorous tests.
Our tests found problems with some
versions of Dirt Devil’s best-selling hand-
held Kone M0213, $45, and the similar Kone
M0212, $43. Test samples spewed sand and
broken glass out of their exhaust ports and
toward the faces and eyes of our testers.
(See Safety Alert on facing page.)
Some upright and canister brands are
touting easier handling and versatility.
You’ll also find robotic vacs that promise
to do your cleaning for you, along with
models aimed specifically at bare floors or
pet hair. But our tests of more than 80
models sucked the air out of some of those
promises. Here are the details:
Designs that trump performance.
Dyson’s DC24 upright, $400, is a smaller
update of its swiveling-ball design. Twist-
ing the handle steers the ball-mounted
power head for easy maneuvering. But
carpet cleaning was mediocre, and airflow
for tools proved meager. Eureka’s Capture+
upright, $170, has a brush that extends to
the sides for cleaning edges, though it
didn’t stand out on bare floors. And while
Bissel’s Pet Hair Eraser upright, $150, de-
livers the pet-hair pickup it suggests, it
was less impressive at other tasks.
Hybrids that disappoint. Kenmore’s
Premalite upright, $400, has a handle
that detaches and doubles as a tool wand.
But the clip that holds it arrived broken on
two models and cracked on a third during
testing. at can reduce airflow and make
the handle release too easily. A removable
handle also gives the $60 Shark Trans-
former stick vac a handheld mode that ex-
celled at carpet cleaning. But it was only
fair on carpets with the handle attached
and poor at controlling dust emissions.
“Conveniences” that aren’t. Dirt
Devil promotes its Kruz stick vacuum,
$100, for cleaning bare floors, but it
wasn’t very good at that task and was
poor at cleaning edges. e Electrolux
Twin Clean canister, $500, had unim-
pressive airflow despite its spare onboard
filter. Hoover’s handheld Sidewinder,
$40, has a rotating brush, but was only
fair at cleaning carpets and bare floors.
A robot that rebels. Opt for the $350
Roomba 560 and you get a vacuum that
roves on its own for 35 to 45 minutes be-
fore returning to its charger. But it was
among the worst in our tests at cleaning
edges and corners, and sometimes ven-
tured beyond the electronic borders we
set up to contain it within rooms.
TOP CANISTER Kenmore’s Intuition 28014, $600, lets you leave the brushes behind for bare floors.
Michael sMith
LAB TESTS
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