vacuum-cleaner-advisor.com

Seattle, Washington. (August 10, 2009) A staggering 2.5+ billion dollars was spent on vacuum cleaners in the US in 2008.  And that figure is growing. Almost every household has a vacuum cleaner - some have several - but are consumers getting the short end of the stick when making a purchase?

Have you ever heard “They don’t make ‘em like they used to?”  It’s true, they don’t.  Many of today’s manufacturers develop appliances with planned obsolescence in mind.  Planned obsolescence is essentially building a product to fail after a certain period of time or use.  This is a money-making proposition for the manufacturer as consumers are forced to purchase more often – they may feel they are getting a lower price up-front but they are actually paying over and over again as the products need to be replaced frequently.   

At Vacuum Cleaner Advisor we have found that a huge number of vacuum cleaner consumers are complaining about shoddy workmanship and the very high failure rates of vacuums, and there are more than just a few comments lamenting the old days of the Hoover or Electrolux that was in the family for 20+ years.  Those days are gone, and the consumer needs to do his/her due diligence when making a vacuum cleaner purchase today.  

One danger sign of possible planned obsolescence is a very short warranty period.  Some vacuum cleaners come with a one-year standard warranty while others (typically more expensive and higher quality) have up to 7-year warranties.   But be sure to check on the warranties for motor, parts, and labor – these are sometimes for different periods for a single machine. The longer the warranty, the better the return on your initial investment.

Also, it is very important to read consumer reviews before making a purchase. After more than a year of analyzing thousands of consumer comments from all corners of the web, vacuum-cleaner-advisor.com has found that some reviews are more helpful than others.  Many a consumer touts the brilliance of their new machine shortly after their purchase. Guess what?  Most machines are not “planned” to fail immediately.  One must consider how long the reviewer has had the machine and also pay close attention to reviews that are updated over time. (They do exist).

Additionally, do not rely on the manufacturers marketing hype regarding the vacuum.  Most of us know this but still rely heavily on the product information given to us by the salesman, in the brochure or on the website store. 

And finally, another adage that is often true “You can’t afford to buy cheap”.  The cheap machines will typically fail quicker and thus need to be replaced more often.  This is a general observation but one that should be considered.

With over 400 vacuum cleaner models available in the United States right now, getting the right one for your home or office requires research.  Most consumers don’t have the time to sift though the mass of critical information that’s out there. Vacuum Cleaner Advisor searches the Internet to provide reliable, in-depth vacuum cleaner reviews and ratings, in one place. 

You may want to check out some of the best rated vacuums (rated by multiple consumer review sources) in our vacuum cleaner ratings table.