Pretend you're buying a car -- do some research!
Mar 28 '00
Many of us truly have no idea how to buy a vacuum cleaner. Most of us think we know, but we make broad assumptions that really have no basis in reality. We like to look at the newspaper advertisements on Sunday, see a bunch of cleaners, and see all sorts of options, such as on-board attachments, how many amps the cleaner has, what kind of filtration system it has, whether it is bagless or not, etc. and would like to believe that we can make a decision based on those ads. These advertised options are nice, but are far from the most important feature you should be considering in your purchase.
Airflow design
The single most important feature to look out for in any vacuum cleaner can be summed up in one word -- airflow.
The first thing to keep in mind is that all the power in the world can’t and won’t suck dirt through an opening the size of the thickness of a soda straw. Having 100 holes this size in the bottom of a vacuum cleaner means there is so much restricted airflow that you might as well suck the dirt up through a soda straw yourself.
So, how do you know how big the airflow openings are? What you need to do in a store is to look at a display model and turn the unit over so you can look at the bottom of the machine.
Locate the beater brush. This is the part of the unit that spins. The beater brush not only brushes dirt into the carpet but also forces the carpet down at a high-impact and in theory, dirt is pushed into the air and is sucked up by the vacuum pressure.
This is why airflow is so important. If you look behind the beater brush you will notice a series of vents. With a small flashlight you should be able to see how many vents are behind the beater brush and how large those vents are. Some companies will tell you that they have smaller vents to create more suction. This however is a false statement.
In theory, you would want only one large hole between the beater brush and the vacuum bag. However, the manner in which a vacuum cleaner is constructed makes this an impossible task. What you do want is as few vents as possible with as little obstruction between the vents as possible. This may take some serious investigation. The least number of vents you will ever find is two. However, you want to make sure that these two vents are wide enough to allow more than a sheet of paper to pass through. I would rather have a machine with four vents yet be an inch tall than have a machine with two vents and have them be only a quarter-inch tall.
You also want to consider the design of the cleaner. An upright machine produces much more unrestricted airflow than a canister cleaner does. For this reason, uprights have better performance on carpeting. However, a canister cleaner can generate more suction, and for this reason are better if you use the on-board attachments.
Amperage
The more amperage you have the more power theoretically the vacuum will generate. The most amperage you can purchase in a portable vacuum cleaner is twelve. A vacuum motor using six amps will not be as powerful as a vacuum motor that uses twelve amps. Again, having those twelve amps of power does absolutely no good if the air can’t move through the cleaner in an unrestricted manner.
Beater brush design
The next thing to look for is again, at the beater brush. Turn the machine over and look at the rolled brush. The stiffer the brushes are on the roll, the further the carpet can be pushed down into the pad, and the more hidden dirt your cleaner will pick up and carry up and out of your carpet. Obviously the more brushes that are on the roll will mean more and faster contact with the carpeting which will result in a cleaner carpet.
Most cleaners use a standard roll brush, however, some use a contoured brush. Basically the contoured brush is designed for appearance-sake and provides no real difference in cleaning ability.
The brushes themselves come in either nylon or horsehair. The preference for durability is horsehair. These brushes stay longer and straighter over the years compared to nylon. Nylon tends to warp and curl due to friction. You then wind up with less surface contact which translates into a less-clean carpet.
Overall design and construction
You want to purchase a machine that uses ball bearings all over instead of sleeve bearings. Ball bearings tend to last longer and provide less noise than do sleeve bearings. The best way to determine what kind of bearings the vacuum uses is to again, turn the machine over, and try to slide the beater bar (not spin it). If you can slide it and you see a metal sleeve around a rod underneath, then you are looking at a sleeve bearing. Another way to check is to look at the wheels and check to see if you see a sleeve in between the wheels and the pin beneath it. Chances are the machine uses the same kind of bearings throughout.
A machine will provide better edge cleaning performance if the belt is in the middle of the beater bar rather than at the edge.
When you’re looking at the belt, try to avoid a machine with a smooth belt. You will get more efficient use of the belt if it is geared. This keeps the bearings in the motor and the brush cooler and makes them last longer. Also, the belt itself will last longer. A geared belt can last up to five years, while a flat belt generally has to be changed out every year.
The more fans a cleaner motor has, the more powerful the suction it will produce. Most cleaners have only one fan, but if you can find a unit that has two or three, you will encounter much better results. Unfortunately, you’ll have to have access to the machine’s specifications to find out how many fans it has, because there is no way to check from looking at a display model.
Other thoughts
When purchasing a vacuum cleaner, you’re most likely going to get what you pay for. If you buy a $59.00 vacuum cleaner then you’re going to get $59.00 worth of performance. You can do a lot of individual research on the Internet to find out what vacuums come with what specifications. I would avoid relying on the manufacturer’s display stickers and boastings on the box, because you will rarely be given the true story of the performance of the cleaner.
Another option would be to visit a shop those only sells and repairs vacuum cleaners. Unlike big box stores like Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, etc., these people deal only with vacuum cleaners (and maybe sewing machines) and can give you a more biased opinion, which is what you are truly looking for in this case. These people may sell a few brands, but since they also perform repairs, they can give you valuable information about what brands they see more than others, can tell you how various machines are constructed, etc. Vacuum sales and service stores can be an invaluable tool in your product research.
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