Is a High-End Vacuum Worth It?
Pricey brands like Dyson, Miele, and iRobot have devoted fans. But does the performance of their vacuums live up to the companies' reputations?
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One of my favorite memories growing up is of one of my aunts getting a new vacuum cleaner and her husband joking, “She likes it so much she takes it down to the mailbox when she checks the mail.” As with many family stories, it’s apocryphal, but the image of my aunt refusing to part with her vacuum for even a few minutes always makes me laugh.
The type of vacuum she had is lost to me, but there’s no doubt that some people are very attached to their vacuums. We can see this loyalty toward specific brands in CR’s most recent survey of vacuum owners, which captures their feelings about the more than 115,000 upright, canister, stick, and robotic vacuums they collectively own.
Interestingly, some of the vacuum brands with the most loyal followings are also some of the most expensive. So we headed to the labs to see where the brushroll hits the carpet. We did a deep dive into our performance ratings to answer the question: Does your pricey vacuum merit your loyalty? Here’s what we discovered.
The Vacuum Brands You Love Most
We asked CR members how important it was that their next vacuum be from the same brand as their current vacuum. We measure brand loyalty by calculating the percentage who say this is “very important” or “somewhat important” and break that data down by their current vacuum brand.
Topping our list with the highest loyalty rate is Miele. Forty-one percent of Miele owners told us it was “very important” that their next vacuum be another Miele, and 36 percent said it was “somewhat important,” for a total loyalty score of 77 percent. Other brands whose owners were likely to rate brand loyalty as important were Dyson, iRobot, Oreck, Sebo, and Shark, with loyalty scores ranging from 64 percent to 66 percent.
Miele
Brand loyalty: 77 percent
This 125-year-old German manufacturer makes some of the best canister vacuums in our tests and its cordless stick vacuums are top-notch. It has also ventured into the robotic market lately, but so far has not distinguished itself. The prices of the Mieles we test range from $500 to $1,370. It’s the only brand whose canisters earn top rates for both reliability and satisfaction, and Miele corded stick vacuums also rate highly for reliability. And while the Miele Complete C3 Marin earns top marks at about $1,300, there are other vacuums on our best canister list that perform well and cost $500 or less.
Dyson
Brand loyalty: 66 percent
With their unusual mechanicals and styling, Dyson vacuums gained an immediate following when they came on the U.S. market 30 years ago. Dyson models make a good showing in our upright and cordless stick tests. They just introduced a new robotic model—the 360 Vis Nav—that we’ll bring into our labs soon. Despite their cachet, Dyson uprights earn just middling scores for both reliability and satisfaction. Dyson cordless sticks earn subpar scores for reliability, but very good scores for owner satisfaction. The Dysons in our ratings range in price from $350 to $900 but you can find a top-scoring stick or upright vacuum from another brand for less.
Oreck
Brand loyalty: 64 percent
Oreck began making lightweight upright vacuum cleaners for the hotel industry 60 years ago. We have tested six Oreck uprights, and none rose to the level of a recommendation. In fact, the scores are pretty lackluster. In our member surveys, Oreck earns middling scores for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction for upright models that range in price from $300 to $550. It’s not hard to find better—and less expensive—alternatives among top-performing uprights. Despite that, more than half the Oreck owners we surveyed felt it was important their next vacuum be another Oreck. Here is the best from our tests.
iRobot
Brand loyalty: 64 percent
iRobot dominates our robotic vacuum performance ratings. We tested 11 models and they all make our recommended list with prices ranging from $200 to $1,000, which is comparable to other robotics. Differences in features and functionality account for the wide price range (for example, manual operation vs. WiFi connectivity). iRobot robovacs earn very good scores for reliability and average scores for owner satisfaction—only Eufy does better. To compare their performance with other brands, see our list of the top robotic vacuums of the year.
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