The November issue of Consumer Reports (CR) hit the newsstands last month and usually I would have an issue with their top picks. That's NOT the case this year as Miele topped both upright and canister categories!
However, some clarification is in order since the number one rated canister has been discontinued recently. The S5 Callisto canister is now the S8 Kona model (pictured) and some design features are greatly improved. The suction power is the same as well as the power nozzle.
The Twist is the number one upright; it is Miele’s base model within the upright series.
Be aware it is CR’s tradition to rate a less expensive model of whatever brand as #1 or a ‘Best Buy’ since it costs less. That may not be the best model for you and that’s where we come in. We know every detail of every Miele model so once you tell us what’s important to you – and what surfaces you’re vacuuming – we’ll help you pick the right model for your needs not just CR's 'best buy'.
Like our store name Vacuum Cleaner Hospital implies, we perform vacuum ‘medicine’ on a variety of patients. Vacuum Sales and Service have always been the bread and butter of the business, yet we’ve branched into other areas such as central vacuums and air purification over the years. When ‘hospital’ is part of your name, you must be able to handle whatever comes your way. That's where local knowledge, experience and a bit of vacuum cleaner wisdom are critical.
David Vandergriff, our service technician, is our longest term employee at over 22 years!
David is the most efficient and thorough vacuum ‘doctor’ that I’ve ever met and I’ve met plenty over the years. He takes great pride in his work and goes the extra mile cleaning up your vacuum cleaner. We’ve heard many times ‘I hardly recognize it’ when we’ve brought the customer’s vac out to the front for pick-up.
Since we are a certified warranty center for Dyson, Miele and Electrolux/Eureka, we see vacs that are relatively new but in need of warranty work and some vacuums that are over 50 years old. When you have the expertise in diagnostics and repair knowledge as long as David, you can see the key to our extremely low return rate. His efforts have produced more than 50,000 satisfied customers over the years (we average over 200 repairs per month). When you drop off your vacuum, you can rest assured it will be repaired properly or assessed as to whether it should be ‘laid to rest’ if it’s not worth repairing. Of course, we can always help you pick out a new vacuum if that is the case.
If you’re wondering how often you should have your vacuum visit the hospital for preventative service, we recommend every 1 - 2 years depending on usage. That way your vacuum cleaner can remain a part of your family for years to come.
What’s the best bagless upright vacuum cleaner? One of the advantages of being a vacuum ‘hospital’ is that we get to see (and hear) every brand being sold in the marketplace and get continuous vacuum reviews from our customers. We also get to see the changing environment of the vacuum cleaner market, vacuum repair, vacuum reliability and the vacuum parts availability. You may be aware that bagless uprights represent the majority of what’s offered in the Big Box Stores (BBS). If you weren’t, that’s great because it means you’re happy with what you’ve bought from us! But we realize that if you’re in the market for a new vacuum, you want to make sure you’re getting the best vacuum for your money so you may dare to look at the BBS offerings or look at the vast array online.
So what will you find in the BBS stores? Hoover, Bissell, Dyson, Dirt Devil and Shark (EuroPro) are the predominant brands these days. Bagged vacuums are scarce in the BBS retail world. As you probably know, we are advocates for bagged vacuums but we do feel the Dyson is the best bagless vacuum on the market. Why? Their relentless attention to engineering the best bagless vacuum cleaner is what motivates them to come up with new offerings every year. They recently introduced the DC50 upright and a small canister DC47 in May and you’ll see a great deal of advertising in the coming months. Dyson’s investment in research & development is impressive. “Every assembly within has new technology. Over 100 engineers contributed and over 1000 prototypes were tested.” For example, the technology of the brush roll is based on the very popular hand vac except the brush motor is located inside the brush roll itself. Not an industry first but still an innovation in its relatively small size brush. A list of the new features is on our VacuumHospital.com Dyson Sales & Service Page. Take a moment and watch this video.
So what shouldn’t you buy? First and foremost, be aware that the Shark vacuum is a poor imitation of Dyson’s cyclone technology (and so is Eureka’s upright for that matter). In addition, Shark makes very few parts available to the independent dealers so if you need a repair we may not be able to order parts for you. You’d have to order it yourself – after you diagnose the problem – and then bring it to us after you’ve waited a week or more to get it. Not an easy path in today’s hurried lifestyle. Weigh that against the confidence in having Vacuum Cleaner Hospital as a Certified Dyson Warranty Center.
The second brand to avoid? It’s a vacuum cleaner by a well-known appliance maker, LG. Already off the shelves at Sears and HH Gregg, it will soon only exist in the virtual world of the Internet BBS websites until LG finally kills it a couple of years from now. That’s speculation on my part but let’s just say Consumer Report’s recent love affair with some of their models didn’t exactly create shelf space for them in the BBS.
I hope this helps you when it comes time to buy a new vacuum. Of course, we’d love it to come from us and we’d be glad to help you when you’re ready. While we can’t carry every top quality brand that exists, we certainly do hand-pick every vacuum that’s in our store.
