We review and rate vacuum cleaners regularly and every once in a while we compile our data and produce lists of the best vacuums that have specific features (bagged, bagless, HEPA, etc) or have excelled in a particular area (pet hair vacuums, etc). The Top Rated Vacuum Cleaners list does not delve into features or particular capabilities but rather is simply a list of very highly consumer-rated vacuum cleaners.
The list criteria are: - Vacuum must have more than 10 consumer ratings - Average ratings must be at least 4.5 stars out of 5
We have reviewed many vacuums so the list is fairly long with 19 vacuums making the cut. Carpet cleaners are not included in the Top Rated Vacuum Cleaners list but upright vacuums, canister vacuums, stick vacuums and handheld vacuums are.
The upright vacuum cleaner category is dominated by Hoover and Dyson with the Bissell Healthy Home 16N5 breaking the trend. The Hoover UH30010COM, the Hoover U5140-900 Tempo Widepath, the Dyson DC25 All-Floors, and the Dyson DC25 Animal are all extremely popular vacuums right now. They get rave reviews on sites like Amazon and Walmart. The Hoovers tend to be much less expensive than the Dysons, but Dyson have a very loyal following and they are said to excel where pet hair is concerned.
In the canister vacuum cleaner category both Miele and Hoover do well. Although, had we reviewed more Miele canisters we would surely have more in this category. Miele are very well-liked by consumers and they frequently rate 4.5 stars or more. The fact that they are quite expensive sometimes limits the amount of consumer input available however.
The big surprise in the canister category is the new Eureka ReadyForce 900A canister vacuum. This unit is very inexpensive (under 60USD) and folks are pleased with its light weight, compact profile and suction power, and as a result they are giving it very high grades. However it is a vacuum for hard surfaces and while it can be used on carpet, it only does an average job. It should also be noted that when a product is very inexpensive consumers may understandably apply grades more liberally (just something to be aware of).
Both the Miele S163 and the Hoover Platinum Linx made the cut in the stick vacuum category. Both are excellent machines but quite different. The Hoover Linx is a bagless and cordless unit (uses rechargeable batteries) while the Miele S163 is a bagged machine with a cord. You may wish to read the reviews to gain a better understanding of these two stick vacs. There is also a newer Miele S168 stick vac but consumer input is very limited at the time of this writing.
Many handheld vacuum cleaners receive disappointing consumer reviews and ratings, but a few models provide superior performance and stand out. All three here stand out and they are also not too hard on the pocketbook (the Bissell and the Eureka are actually quite cheap). The Bissell Pet Hair Eraser has also made our list of Best Pet Hair Vacuums as many folks feel that it does an excellent job on animal hair (it also doesn't hurt that it can be found online for less than 30USD). In addition it is somewhat unique in that it is corded and it comes with HEPA filtration. The Black & Decker PHV1800 is a cordless handheld vacuum cleaner and consumers are pleased with the strong suction and long-lasting charge of the unit.
