Poor reliability knocks two Hoover canisters off top-picks list

America's biggest vacuum brand may be a winner when it comes to performance and price, but our latest survey of Consumer Reports subscribers put Hoover, as well as the much-pricier Electrolux brand, dead-last when it comes to reliability.

According to reader responses for some 18,361 canister vacuums, Hoover and Electrolux are now the most repair prone brands of canister vacuums. As a result, we've yanked two top-performing Hoover canister vacuums off our recommended models list: The bagged Hoover WindTunnel S3670 (at right) and the bagless Hoover Platinum S3865.

This isn't the first time that brand reliability has put Hoover in Consumer Reports' reliability dog house. Hoover upright vacuums have twice been yanked from our recommended list of models including just last year. Hoover is owned by TTI, which also makes the reliable Dirt Devil brand. Hoover uprights, however, have since improved in our reliability survey, and they now make up nine of our 34 recommended models for bagged and bagless upright vacuums.

If you prefer a canister but want one from a reliable brand consider the Kenmore Progressive 21614. At $300, it's one of our CR Best Buys, with excellent marks in both pet-hair pickup and bare-floor cleaning. Check out our full Ratings and brand-repair surveys of both upright and canister vacuums, along with our buying advice, for a vacuum that cleans without sacrificing reliability.

—Maggie Shader