Think of our test results as a rough, rather than an exact, measurement of cleaning performance, due to real-world limitations. (As of early 2022, Miele also sells several HomeCare variants, which are similar to the rest of the lineup but come with extra attachments and are officially sold only through small-ish retailers.). If you have trouble using the Navigator Lift-Away on some of your longer carpets or area rugs, open this valve. It can feel weird to use one at first, since youre pulling a little pod around behind you with a long hose. The NV356 is the pro model with a slightly larger dust cup, and the NV370 is the pro model with the different handle and placement of the power button. Sarah Bogdan has been on the vacuum beat since 2017, first for the Good Housekeeping Institute and now for Wirecutter. Canister or upright vacuum? It has a dual-brush cleaning head that supposedly helps it pick up hair and dusty debris off of bare floors. Most of the cheaper vacuum cleaners weve tested (so far) are too compromised in too many ways for us to throw our word behind them. Dyson makes good plug-in vacuum cleaners that cost way too much money by current standards. Get instructions now.
Privacy Policy | Weve been reporting on and testing vacuum cleaners at Wirecutter since 2011, and we cover everything from robots and handhelds to cordless vacs and plug-ins. HEPA Filter Compatible with Shark Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (100-Pack), HEPA Filter Compatible with Shark Navigator Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (50-Pack), 6.75 in. On the bottom of your box, you should see the model number near the bar code. Miele canisters are also among the quietest vacuums anywhere. Your product's model number is listed on the front cover of your instruction booklet. And it operates at more of a midrange hum than a high-pitched whine, so its not as grating to listen to over time. Offer cannot be applied to any prior purchases. He enjoys visiting factories and learning about regulatory loopholes, and has flooded our testing area only three times. Our testers vacuumed parts of the ceiling and a medium-pile and high-pile carpet, and they maneuvered the machines into corners and tight spots. Long fibers can sometimes plug up the intake or tangle in the brush roller, and then the vacuum cleaner wont work. *Offer valid for new SharkNinja email subscribers only. The Miele canister vacuums also have a handy auto-rewinding power cord, which is a really convenient feature compared with most upright vacuum cleaners manual cord hooks. If youre sold on the idea of a high-end bagged vacuum but not a canister vacuum, we love the Sebo Felix upright. This very thorough review on an air-purifier-enthusiast website found a similar Shark to be sealed pretty well, releasing less than 2,000 particles sized 0.5 micron or larger per cubic foot (0.5 micron is about the size of a single grain of talcum powder). Cleaning performance is also top-notch. Another highlight is that the Miele C3 is a totally sealed system. We understand why people tend to avoid this style, but these particular vacuum cleaners are so good that we think most people can become comfortable with the style. But unlike our main pick, every inexpensive model weve come across needs its belts or filters, or both, replaced at regular intervals to maintain the cleaning performance. The Navigator Lift-Away comes with an ample set of accessories, all of which attach to the pull-out wand. But even if it had clogged, the vac comes apart in more places than any of its competitors. The vacuums vent faced a second sealed box, to which we attached a particle counter (the same AeroTrak 9306 that we test air purifiers with). If youre nervous about buying from the wrong source online, buy your Miele in person. If you circle around while youre cleaning, the hose can get tangled, and sometimes you might flip over the canister. The last big downside to buying a Miele is that you may not have an authorized service center near you. debris builds up in hard-to-clean parts of the cyclonic separators, You dont really need a special vacuum for pets, also generally think that the Navigator Lift-Away is relatively quiet, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF). Thats actually pretty loud compared with the best high-end vacuums, but its quieter than other cheap vacs weve tested, which regularly exceeded 80 decibels. To check the efficacy of the vacuums filters, we needed a test chamber that registered only what was in the air after it had been filtered by the vacuum. In a now-famous Reddit AMA from 2013, vacuum-shop manager and repair technician Brian Driscoll called out the Shark brand as being repair-prone. In general, more suction and airflow translate to better cleaning performance, but brush-roll action is also important, especially on carpeting, because you need agitation to get at the debris embedded in carpet fibers. But HEPA filters are not a magic bullet, according to Caroline Blazovsky, the indoor air quality specialist. Weve found that the Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360 is the easiest to nab for a good deal these days, and its the same as the NV352, except for the shape of the handle and the placement of the power button. But like with other cheap vacuum cleaners, the cost of replacement filters ($20 per year) makes it a bad deal. And the five-year comprehensive warranty almost guarantees that this model will last longer than anything else at the price. The mechanism is covered under warranty for the first year (though the full seven years of coverage would be better). Foam and Felt Replacement Filters Shark NV350, NV351, NV352 Vacuum Cleaners (100-Pack), 10 Filter Kits Fit Shark Navigator Pro NV60 NV70 NV80 NV90 UV420, XFF80 and XHF80. For example, none of the vacuums could pick up all of the debris from the rugs we were testing on. Although we do our own testing, we also think its important to hear what other people have to say about vacuum cleaners. x 24 in. Accessibility x 1.75 in. So dont wait around for newer, better Dyson uprights or canister vacuumsthe company is out of the game now. We held the phone up to our ears (with the vacuum cleaners and brush rolls on at their maximum power mode) while vacuuming medium-pile carpeting and then a concrete floor. Thatll save you some frustration, effort, and money compared with a lot of other vacuums. If you do run into resistance on your thicker carpets when using the Navigator Lift-Away or other Shark models, theres a workaround: Twist open the release valve on the hose (which is conveniently placed near the handle), and the suction will drop off enough to allow the vacuum cleaner to roll smoothly without choking on the carpet fibers. To see how prone each vacuum was to clogs, we tried stopping it up with shredded paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. We measured a C3 modelrunning with the power head attached and the brush roll spinning at the maximum suction settingat 74 dBc, which is about five dBc quieter than our main pick. Please call us at: 1-800-HOME-DEPOT (1-800-466-3337), Please enter in your email address in the following format: you@domain.com. Weve seen conflicting reports about this features effectiveness: Some reviewers say it doesnt work, and other reviewers say they have had great experiences. That said, youll need to replace the bags a few times per year, and the good ones can cost up to $5 each. Most people can handle the replacement themselves, or you can go to a shop.) The ZU62 lacks this feature, but it has a bigger dustbin. .SQUARED.C1BAEA9, Also usually included are a long crevice tool, a short crevice tool, and a utility-brush tool for cleaning window sills, ceilings, or anywhere else the open-ended hose wont quite work. Tim Heffernan contributed reporting to this guide. While any vacuum can clean bare floors, some models make the task a little easier. Local store prices may vary from those displayed. Its getting hard to find a good one now, and its been a while since weve tested any. To rid a rug of any leftover sand or baking powder in the fibers, we shook the rug out as hard as we could in between tests. (Some versions of the NV352 and other Navigator Lift-Away models dont come with this brush, and we cant figure out why. We tested the top-of-the-line Shark Apex and found it to be a good vacuum, but probably not worth the extra cost over the Navigator. Any other models in the Shark NV350, NV360, or NV370 series are essentially the same vacuums as the NV352. Models CH951, S1000, and GI501 available on sharkclean.com and model BL450 and cookware products available on ninjakitchen.com are not eligible for 10% discount. To unsubscribe at any time text Miele vacs are also canister-style machines, but most people in North America are familiar with uprights. We put our finalists through a stress test that used shredded paper. Sarah Bogdan is a former staff writer at Wirecutter covering appliances. A Miele representative told us its meant to serve as a compact option for people living in small spaces. Bagless vacuum cleaners, on the other hand, can end up slowly clogging over time as debris builds up in hard-to-clean parts of the cyclonic separators. Liam McCabe is a former senior staff writer for Wirecutter, and has covered the wild world of appliances since 2011. The Bissell CleanView line is popular on Amazon, and the vacuums arent terrible, as far as cheap vacuum cleaners go. Ive never had an issue with it, and its easy to empty. Senior editor Grant Clauser has had the Navigator for at least two years and likes it better than the more expensive Dyson upright it replaced. Bags are also better for people who have allergies or asthma because theyre easier to discard without accidentally spilling a pile of dust or debris back into your home. That being said, this canister vacuum isnt cheap, and youll also pay for new filters and bags pretty regularly (around $20 per year, if you buy online). Miele reps have told us that the company designs all its products to last 20 years. However, its an expensive vacuum cleaner, and the service network is relatively narrow. Weve tested the basic XL2100RHS and the higher-end Magnesium RS (both use bags) and love how effortlessly they move. Message frequency: No more than 10 messages per month. Staff writer Joanne Chen, who owns an upright Dyson, said, Its so heavy and clumsy to push around it makes me vacuum less often than I should. Our Miele pick is heavier overall, but most of the weight sits on the floor in the canister body, not on your wrists. If youre used to handling the plastic accordion hose on your upright vacuum cleaner, this component will seem heavy because it has metal parts. When you change the bag, youre essentially starting with a fresh vacuum, said Denis Spindler, the vac-shop owner from Massachusetts. The newer Shark Navigator ZU62 and ZU561 performed well in our tests, coming in third after our main pick, the Navigator Lift-Away NV352, and our runner-up, the Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe NV360. But any of the other models are also good choices. Compared with our main Shark pick and Miele upgrade pick, the Dysons swiveling floorhead is hard to control, and the ball joint is enormous, so it cant fit under most furniture. Learn more. Another complaint regarding the hose is that the stiffness limits its mobility, and it doesnt extend far enough to reach places that are high up. All vacuum cleaners represent a compromise to some degree, and we think that the Navigator Lift-Away handles those compromises in a way that will make most owners happy. This annoyance is typical of any canister vacuum with an electric cleaning head. It starts with the parts: The canister casing is a lightweight plastic with a rubberlike anti-cracking quality. Theyre easier to carry up stairs, too, because the heft is split. In our testing, we found the NV352 to be a capable, well-rounded cleaner that can pick up all the typical types of debris (dust, crumbs, pet hair, and more) from almost any kind of flooring (including bare floors, and short and long carpets). But most people seem to get accustomed to it after a couple of weeks. Its not perfect: The Navigator Lift-Away doesnt do well on shag carpets (though thats a common problem), and some people have told us that they think its really ugly. This reliable, effective, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced bagless upright vacuum cleaner will work well in most homes, and its been our pick for seven years running. Buying a plug-in vacuum is like saving for retirement or sorting your laundrya boring but sensible endeavor that should pay off in the long run. If youre sensitive to dust and other allergens, you may want to consider a high-end bagged vacuum cleaner. .SQUARED.C1BAEA9.INVERT{ color: #1BAEA9; } Miele reps have told us (and also wrote in a 2014 press release) that the company designs its models motors to last for 1,000 hours, so that works out to roughly one hour per week for 20 years. But bagged canister vacuums have advantages too, depending on your needs and situation. Plug-in vacuums cost less and last longer than other types of vacuum cleaners with similar cleaning abilities. For most models, only the first year is comprehensive, but the body casing and motors are covered for seven. Thanks to the long-lasting geared belt and reusable filter, performance shouldnt decline much over time. Our cordless stick vac upgrade pick, the. But theyre actually more or less the same as any non-pet vacuum cleaner, just with an additional mini-brush tool for tackling pet hair thats clinging to upholstery. Shark Vertex DuoClean PowerFins Upright Vacuum with Powered Lift-away & Self-Cleaning Brushroll (AZ2002), Shark Rotator Powered Lift-Away TruePet Self-Powered Upright Bagless Vacuum (NV752), Shark APEX DuoClean with Zero-M Self-Cleaning Brushroll Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (AZ1002), Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (NV501), Shark Navigator Lift-Away Deluxe Upright Vacuum (NV360), Shark Rotator Lift-Away DuoClean Pro with Self-Cleaning Brushroll Upright Vacuum (ZU782), Shark Rotator Lift-Away ADV DuoClean PowerFins Upright Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brushroll (LA502), Shark Cordless Vertex Pro Powered Lift-Away (ICZ362H), Shark Navigator Pet Upright Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brushroll (ZU62), Shark Navigator Lift-Away Self-Cleaning Brushroll Upright Vacuum (ZU561), Shark DuoClean with Self-Cleaning Brushroll Powered Lift-Away Upright Vacuum (ZU881), Shark Navigator Lift-Away DLX Upright Vacuum (UV440). We created a slalom course mimicking the tight layout of a small apartment, then had 22 people run each vacuum through it. Compared with other models we testedwhose dustbins detach with the push of a button placed high up on the handleunbuckling both clips on the Navigator Lift-Away requires an additional step, and you also need to bend down almost to the ground. Owners also generally think that the Navigator Lift-Away is relatively quiet compared with other vacuum cleaners. HEPA filters are defined as those that remove 99.97 percent or more of airborne particles of 0.3 micron in diameter; nothing captures 100 percent, though, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (PDF). In terms of cleaning performance, the NV352 sucks up most kinds of debris (including pet hair) from pretty much any surface, and it picked up significantly more on carpeting, compared with other models we looked at. Everyday reliability is another upside to the Miele canister vacuums. Weve tested the 1330, 1822, 1831, and 2252. Most large and midsize cities have at least one, but its worthwhile to check the service map before you buy a Miele so that you dont end up having to drive 90 minutes to a vacuum shop if you need service under warranty. Miele also makes a slightly more affordable C1 line. Since the cleaning head is relatively narrow and the body is top-heavy, this machine does fall over more easily than some other vacuum cleaners do. Some vacuum cleaners are notorious for snowplowing (or pushing around) large debris, such as breakfast cereal, on a bare floor. Below, we list the factors that we prioritized. Well update this guide with our results. Thats incredible longevity for any kind of electric product these days. x 1.75 in. Technicians, salespeople, enthusiasts, testing houses, and regular people whove bought one all love these vacuums. Its still going strong, he says. In reviews, several owners say that Shark made them pay for shipping costs on motor-related failures (which are uncommon). Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. The main body of the vacuum (back of the unit) should have a rating label that features your model number. Copyright 2022 SharkNinja Operating LLC | Support | Contact Us. One senior citizen writes that they could control the machine with little effort. We covered the pros and cons of this style earlier in this guide, so we wont repeat those here. The app measured both volume (in decibels) and frequency (in hertz). 1-855-540-0007. The standard filtration is excellent, and you can even upgrade to HEPA filters if you want. Weve added a section on how to clean your vacuum to this guide. Service is compatible with most handsets. To test for ease of maintenance, we tried to clog and tangle each machine with shredded copy paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. Please try again or contact our customer service: * If you require assistance with your product, you will need to have it with you at the time of the call. Liam McCabe has covered vacuums for Wirecutter since 2013, and he once had 20 different vacuums in his apartment at the same time. Every industry expert weve spoken with (even one from a competing brand!) Bagged or bagless? It picked up nearly all of the baking sodasand mixture we sprinkled onto medium-pile carpet, whereas the next-best performer, the Miele Complete C3 Calima, picked up 84 percent. When shes not tackling messes, shes tackling rivals on the rugby field. Canister-style vacuums are less common than uprights in the US and Canada. Wed buy a C3 model, but a C1 isnt a bad choice if you want to save the money now. Multiple Amazon reviewers write that theyve seen noticeable improvements for the allergy sufferers in their homes after they started using a Miele. Owners tend to be happy with the Navigator Lift-Aways cleaning performance, too. This vacuums five-year warranty gives us every reason to believe it will last at least that long for most owners. We found that the cheaper vacuums we tested came apart in fewer places, making it harder to access clogs. On a similar note, its important that you buy your Miele from an authorized dealer. Spoke with brand reps, product managers, and engineers of brands we reviewed, including Dirt Devil, Dyson, Miele, Sebo, and Tacony (manufacturer of Simplicity and Riccar vacuums). On balance, though, nothing comes close to beating it for the price. The best part of the Navigator Lift-Away NV352 is that it doesnt need much maintenance, and the parts are all designed to last the lifetime of the machine. x 6.75 in. We used the SPLnFFT app to measure both the volume and frequency of noise from each vacuum when used on different surfaces. For example, some vacuums can bunch up area rugs, and others are too heavy or clunky to steer around tight corners. We dismissed this model for its poor maneuverability, annoying, high-pitched whine, and noticeably shoddy quality. They dont need maintenance very often. Offer cannot be combined with any other coupon code. We tried all of them out at our test space in Queens, New York, and have been using some of our longstanding picks in our homes for years. Theyre good options if you find them on sale for less than the NV352. But many homes dont have any high-pile rugs, so this may be a non-issue. We were unable to test this feature ourselves for this update, but we will try to do so in the future. x 18 in. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. .SQUARED.C1BAEA9.INVERT:hover{ border-color: #1BAEA9; background: #1BAEA9; } Its rare to see such an affordable vacuum backed by a policy that basically guarantees this kind of longevity. 2022 Kohls, Inc. KOHLS and Kohls brand names are trademarks owned by KIN, Inc. All rights reserved. Reps from Miele assured us that nothing about the vacuum changed except the name, but more and more complaints about pet-hair clogs and defective units popped up and dragged down the user ratings. Tons of customer reviews, even a bunch of the negative ones, mention that the Navigator Lift-Away is an excellent cleaner. What about Dyson upright vacuum cleaners? We also measured each vacuums raw suction with a specialized gauge and each ones airflow with an anemometer. To ensure that you'll receive our e-mails, add sharkclean@e.sharkninja.com, ninjakitchen@e.sharkninja.com, and sharkninja@e.sharkninja.com to your address book. And the Miele has other features that make it worth the extra money. Her degree in mechanical engineering and product design helps her understand how products work and how people interact with them. The Miele canister vacuums are among the quietest vacuum cleaners you can buy. First, wed recommend considering a cordless stick vacuum. Although our main pick, the Shark Navigator Lift-Away, picked up nearly all of the debris, we think the difference wont be noticeable to most people. Even if you dont have severe reactions to airborne irritants, its a good idea to keep your indoor air fresh. To measure noise levels, we used the SPLnFFT app on an iPhone 8. We looked at a couple hundred customer reviews from Amazon and Google Shopping, including those voted to be most helpful and some others with the lowest scores, to get an accurate picture of the vacuum cleaners strengths and weaknesses. Plug-in vacuums have an unlimited run time, so they can work in homes of all sizes. Weve looked at hundreds more vacuum cleaners than the ones weve talked about in this guideway too many to list, from brands including Aerus, Bissell, Black+Decker, Dirt Devil, Dyson, Eureka, Electrolux, Hoover, Kenmore, Kirby, Miele, Panasonic, Rainbow, Riccar, Simplicity, Fuller Brush, Maytag, Sebo, and even the now-discontinued lines from LG and Samsung. This can happen to any vacuum with an auto-rewind feature, but it should not happen to a vacuum cleaner thats this expensive. Doing some regular, basic cleaning and maintenance is key to keeping your vacuum in good working order. 2000-2022 Home Depot. If you are worried about controlling particle emissions, our upgrade pick is excellent at doing so because it uses self-closing bags and has rubber gaskets throughout the system, plus you can swap in a HEPA filter if you need to. In our testing, it picked up the most common shapes and sizes of debris (from the variety of flooring types that youd find in most homes) in just a single pass or a few passes. The Navigator Lift-Aways cleaning head is narrower than that of your typical upright, and it proves to be helpful for cleaning tight spaces, but it didnt feel heavy or straining on our wrists. In our most intense test, we sprinkled a mixture of 30 grams of sand and 15 grams of baking soda onto a midsize area rug, cleaned for two minutes, and then used a kitchen scale to measure how much of the debris the vacuum had collected. It cleaned well in our tests, its comfortable to use, and it comes with a good set of tools. We independently review everything we recommend. Theres no way to turn the brush roll off, either, and it sent large, crunchy debris scattering around the room on our bare-floor tests. Still, youd hope that theyd be able to stay in service longer than that, even with improper use. Our in-house testers did too. But again, youll have to pay to replace the belts and filters if you want to keep one running well beyond a year. For most people, thats good-enough filtration. Cordless sticks and robot vacuums are convenient, but the best plug-in uprights and canisters clean better and last longer. The Sebo Felix is reliable and long-lasting, with a solid warranty (five years). One of the most common design complaints (that is, gripes about a feature thats present on purpose and not a problem that results from a part breaking) is that the Navigator Lift-Away has a tendency to tip over if you yank the hose too hard. Miele canister vacuum models have a phenomenal reputation. If the NV352 is sold out, any model from the NV350, NV360, and NV370 series is essentially the same thing, with very minor differences. We tend to recommend the NV352 because its typically the best value at our favorite retailers. The filtration is excellent, which is good for everyone, but especially great for people with asthma or allergies. Some of these chats were during product demonstrations at trade shows; others were more-formal conversations about particular products. We couldnt clog the machine with our clogging mixture of shredded paper, Cheerios, Lego pieces, and toy dinosaurs. During the tests, we lit five matches and sucked up the smoke with the vacuums hoses. All Rights Reserved. Limit one discount per customer per transaction. The date code is stamped on your product's plug prong. Previously, she tested cleaning products and appliances at Good Housekeeping. The Shark Navigator Lift-Away is also a capable vacuum cleaner. Scan the code to downloadthe Kohls App today. The cleaning head on the Navigator Lift-Away sits close enough to the ground to work well on bare floors, but it has enough clearance to roll on longer carpets without choking. If it wasnt, we knew that the claims were suspect. Most people open the door only a few times per year anyway, so breakage seems unlikely. Keep in mind a few warranty-related caveats: The warranty doesnt cover replacement filters, the brush roll, or electrical parts, if yours suffer damage, and youll have to pay at least $20 in return shipping. If you have a home thats larger than 2,200 square feetthe average size of a new home in the USa plug-in will almost always be the best choice. Although it does have two suction levels, theyre both too strong to work on shag carpeting or very light area rugs without choking. (You can read a lot more about them in our guide to air purifiers.)