Top Rated Vacuum Cleaners For 2011

My Choices for the Top Rated Vacuum Cleaners for 2011

There’s no such thing as a vacuum cleaner that’s too powerful! I don’t know that I can say I love to vacuum, but I do know that I love the results from a top-quality machine, and am always looking for ways to do the job of cleaning my rugs, furniture, drapes and other areas better, faster and easier. For that reason, I check out the best of the best each year, and here are my top 5 picks for 2011.

1. Eureka Handheld Vacuum, 71B

This is the best little handheld vacuum you’ll ever find. It not only has a ton of power in its little body, it is sleek, and has some amazing features. When Eureka designed the 71B, they must have been thinking of big vacuums, because I have yet to see a handheld with such interesting features. Not only does the Eureka handheld vacuum have a flexible hose attachment with onboard crevice tool that hides neatly in the base when not in use, it has a real roller head for powerful carpet action.

The 71B also has a bagless canister for easy cleaning, and a filter system to keep air quality in your home at its best. An extra long power cord makes getting to any area of your home easy, and it all wraps up neatly in a recessed groove at the base of the machine for snag free storage.

The Eureka 71B makes easy work of stairs, and you can carry it out to your car and have the best looking vehicle on your block without going to the car wash. The flexible hose and crevice tool lets you get under car seats and also cleans stairway crevices, drapes and even gets cobwebs down from the joints of ceilings like a breeze.

The lightweight Eureka vacuum is a joy to use, and defies its small size by offering up massive cleaning power. As one customer on Amazon said: “This vacuum really sucks, but in a good way!”

Read the full review of Eureka 71B here

2. Hoover Wind Tunnel T-Series Rewind Upright Vacuum, Bagless, UH70120

For anyone looking for power, performance and style on a budget, look no further! The WindTunnel really lives up to its name. This cyclone style vacuum with the bagless canister design is powerful and much quieter than you might expect a low-cost, powerful vacuum to be.

A great feature of the Hoover WindTunnel is its retractable cord. When you are ready to put it away, the cord is automatically retracted inside the unit and you won’t have to wind or loop it anywhere ever again. Anyone who has ever gotten tired of winding cords, thrown the vacuum back with the cord looped about its handle, or gotten it caught on other items in the closet will love this feature on the Hoover WindTunnel.

A dial at the base lets you adjust the roller head to 5 different settings for the perfect suction level on any surface from bare floor to plush carpet. There are two filter systems onboard, one with washable easy to clean filters, and the second a permanent HEPA filter for optimum air purification.

I love the attachments that come with the Hoover WindTunnel T-Series. Along with an ultra long flexible hose, there are many tools to use for multiple cleaning chores. It comes with an extension want, crevice tool, upholstery/dust brush, and even a power hand tool.

Read the full review here

3. Shark Navigator Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner, NV22L

The Shark really is an ingenious vacuum. The features match that of the top of the line swivel base style, bagless vacuums at about ¼ the price. From the triple filtration system including a HEPA for improved air quality, and a fully-sealed system to keep the dust from being pumped back out into the room like many vacuums allow, the Shark really is a dirt eating monster that will clean up any surface.

It has some serious suction power too. The shark deep cleans carpets with 12 amps of suction power. You’d think that would mean noisy. I mean, vacuuming is usually a noisy job, but not with the Shark Navigator. This big baby is extremely quiet.

There’s more though. Not only is the triple-filtered canister a great upright vacuum, it also detaches from the roller base and becomes a carry canister so you can move about the house, up stairs and vacuum with ease using the extra long flexible hose with multiple on-board attachments.

The Shark comes with a crevice tool and brush, but there are several extra attachments you can buy including a great pet hair attachment that has its own roller brush inside the head just like a mini-vacuum head instead of a simple suction tool.

You can use the flexible hose with either the canister itself, or with the whole vacuum. It attaches and detaches easily, and the dual-position power switch lets you easily move from floor suction roller head to hand-held hose suction.

Now for a double-power packed reason to choose the Shark Navigator: the swivel base and the motor driven brush head. The base of the Shark Navigator is a floor cleaning powerhouse. The roller head is not your typical belt-driven brush. It is actually driven by a motor for super power when engaged. The base of the roller head swivels on its stem for complete control around corners and around furniture. There’s a lot of bang for the buck with the Shark—it eats dirt alive!

Read the full review here.

4. Hoover LINX Cordless Stick Vacuum

For a really great experience in vacuuming, try this fantastic cordless vacuum. I’m a big fan of cordless, and the Hoover LINX has both power, and function that is often missing from cordless vacuums.

On top of that, this vacuum is super lightweight, so you can take it up and down stairs, or anywhere you need to go, and you won’t need an outlet when you get there.

It’s called a stick vacuum, and it truly does resemble a stick, but it’s a stick with suction power! Because of its slim, trim casing, it’s so lightweight even your younger children can help out with vacuuming chores. Start’em young and let them have fun. The LINX will let them help you keep their home clean and healthy for them.

An easy flip of the switch will let you go from rug to bare floor, and clean any floor surface in your home. The brush is motorized so it glides across even the thickest carpets with ease, and it even has a battery gauge so you can tell when you are getting close to needing a charge up.

Want to save the planet while cleaning your house? The Hoover LINX stick vacuum comes with an Energy Star rated battery charger to make charge-ups eco-friendly and cost saving!

Read the full review here.

5. Hoover Tempo Widepath Upright Vacuum, Bagged, U5140-900

When you need a powerhouse, this is the vacuum to bring into your home. With a 12 amp motor, there’s plenty of suction power, and its 5-position head adjusts to any floor type. What really stands out about the Hoover Widepath is the massive 15-inch roller base. It devours the floor and makes vacuuming short work in even the largest rooms.

The Widepath is a bagged vacuum, but it still has the great filtration system you expect now from the very best vacuums. The Allergen filtration system is fine and captures even the smallest particles such as ragweed and other pollens. It also works to rid your bedding, carpets and other materials from dust mites, a serious allergy trigger, and invisible to the naked eye, but trapped by this great vacuum.

The filters are easy to clean. They just rinse out with water so you can use them over and over again. Very few vacuums can make the claim that they capture 100% of all dust mites, and 99.8% of all other airborne allergens.

There are plenty of attachments to add to the extra wide head of the Widepath. The flexible hose on the side lets you get into tight spots where the head won’t go, and even clean stairs, furniture and drapes with the many onboard attachments. The Hoover Tempo Widepath comes with a dusting brush, crevice tool, a furniture nozzle and something you rarely see—two extension wands. There’s almost nothing this powerful vacuum can’t reach!

In spite of its great size, power and adjustability, the Hoover Tempo is unusually lightweight and easy to carry. If you have pets, severe allergies or just big spaces to clean, you need the Hoover Tempo Widepath. You get all of these great features at a fantastic price.

Read the full review here.

There you have it: My top 5 vacuums for 2011. These great vacuums all have power to spare and come at an extremely reasonable price that is easy on any budget. You can buy more expensive, but you can’t buy better. You may want to check Amazon for the best deal and best price of these vacuums. I am working on individual pages for each of these vacuums, so if you find one you are especially interested in, check it out, or check out all of them to make in-depth comparisons and get the vacuum that is best for your needs.