I have a Kenmore canister and I LOVE it. It sucks the shit out of my carpets.

The Dysons have to the "ipod" of the vacuum world.

Dyson: more proof that if you put a guy with an accent in your commercials, you'll sell more product.

Except iPods actually deliver on their promises, and have since its inception. Troll.

Back to point: if Dyson costs 2x the price, it should perform 2x better. Maybe Kenmore needs a spokesmodel with a sexy Brit accent?

RMS: hehe: jinx!

I love my Dyson, but if I had known this at the time of purchase, hrm...

or maybe dyson is the bose of the vacuum world?

The guy with the sexy English accent is not only the spokesman for Dyson but he is in fact James Dyson the guy that invented the whole thing. He not only invented bagless vaccuum cleaners but went on to start his own business manufacturing them because no other big manufacturer would look at his design. He singlehandely created an entirely new line of vaccum cleaners, built the number one vaccum cleaner in the world and no doubt took some satisfaction fighting other big companies who copied the ideas they had rejected previously

TRAI_DEP: Not necessarily, the Dyson costs 2x the price partly because of all the technology in it, it doesn't have to be better, the parts just cost more. The Dyson uses a cyclone system whereas the kenmore uses a bag system. I'm still more than happy with my Dyson though, I've had it for a couple years now and it also "sucks the shit out of my carpet".

I love my Dyson. Works great and sucks up all the hair from two dogs (one large, one small) and a long haired cat. While I agree that Americans seem to go berserk over Brit accents in commercials, this is a product that could only be better if Sam Elliot did their voice overs.

The problem with Consumer Reports is that price weighs too significantly in their ratings. They often rate an inferior product higher then a better one, because it is less expensive.

I do not pay anything more then passing attention to CR.

What kind of emissions, exactly?

I wish to congratulate Ben for an entire article (including the headline) about the quality of vacuums without using the word "suck".

@CBMTTek: What exactly are you saing here, the Kenmoore is inferior? Hardly, don't buy into the marketing.

@CBMTTek: I see what you are saying, but coundn't disagree with you more. Unless I'm a millionair (which I'm not), price should be considered highly when rating a product. I believe you may be an isolated case. Most people I know appreciate CR BECAUSE they take price so much into consideration.

what a shocker! CR/CU rated a Sears product higher than the same brand name item that's the guts of their Kenmore item. I like their magazine, but I have serious issue with their Sears bias. I may have to post my feeling on the forum. My letter to BPopkin didn't get a response. (I know I know, they're busy making Consumerist.com awesome.)

I would imagine that most Millionaire's are able to spell the work Millionaire.

Nonetheless, I don't give much credence to Consumer Reports testing, there have been many instances where they were shown to have poor testing strategies, and have many biases which come through in their reviews.

Trust another to see which of these baby's sucks the best; you know, in a good way.

One of my relatives had a dyson for a few days as a trial. They told them it would never clog or lose suction.

So they used it on their carpets which always look clean. They have a dog so of course there was some hair but after 2 uses the vacuum lost most of its oomph. Empty and useless they returned it and saved about $400 at the same time.

Its all marketing. Its $500 so it must be good!

@trai_dep:
Hardly. They are overpriced, underfeatured, and hyped beyond belief. Looked at objectively you shouldnt buy an ipod.

CU has hated Dyson vacuums since day 1. I think one of the biggest issues with their results is that a ton of vacuums perform well initially, but tend to break down or lose power very quickly (i.e. within 2 years). My Dyson started to lose suctioning power after three years of heavy use. I opened it up to find that large chunks of WOOD (from our wood stove) had gotten trapped in the intake. A simple cleaning and then popping the vacuum back together, and it works as good as new. Not only would it be inconceivable that any of our previous vacuums would routinely suck up huge chunks of wood and bark, but with most designs, a consumer like myself would not have been able to fix it so simply.

Glory of bagless? I'm waiting for my bagless to die so I can replace it with a standard vacuum cleaner WITH a bag. I shouldn't have to go outside 300 feet from my house to empty the bin to prevent all the dust from finding its way back inside.

Hmm, how much money i have i saved from not having to buy a new filter every 3-6 months, or bags. i have not had to buy one single belt because my kids shoe lase got stuck in the vacuums. The best part the price of the Dyson hasn't gone down at all and there still selling my model after 5 years. which means if i have to resell i can still get a good $$ for it.

The only time i have lost suction is when there was a hole in the Hose. $20 online would have purchased me a replacement part but Duct tape is holding out good. it is so easy to replace those parts and to clear any blockage. Available part 5yrs from release and the DIY repairs is what make the Dyason worth every dollar.

Oh BTW.. they are so much more quieter than any other vacuum I have ever used.. noticed I said I have used.

@newgalactic:
So, according to your philosophy, you would rather have a Coby brand stereo instead of a Yamaha, Sony, or Bose, because price outweighs performance. Certainly hope you have never bought anything preceded with a lower case i.

@categorically:
Not saying anything of the kind. Just that I take CR recommendations with a mountain sized grain of salt. I personally like the Kenmore vacs. I just do not like CR.

And, just for curiosity's sake. How many folks bashing the Dyson actually own one?

I'm sorry, but my Dyson ROCKS. I've convinced a dozen friends to buy Dysons by letting them borrow mine after they've already thoroughly vacuumed their floors. The Dyson can fill up a canister of crap off of an already "clean" floor.

Of course, I also like Volkswagens. And iPods. And my iMac. And Crystal Pepsi. I guess I'm a sucker for marketing. Or for things that work.

@MacSeven.com: You don't watch much MTV do you - plenty of Millionaires (not Millionaire's) on there that probably can't spell rap.

We've got a Dyson Animal and love it. The canister can be completely full and it still sucks like it's completely empty.

Oooo Crystal Pepsi... i miss that. oh and your right about the friend test too, I've done that a few times as well. i wish i had stock or commission for as many people I've convince to get one.

@CBMTTek: CR uses price only in recommending their "CR Best Buy".

Their score is price-agnostic - thus, the Kenmore 74 and the Dyson 64 are merely the results of their repeatable tests.

Anyone who thinks otherwise should do some research into lawsuits. I don't recall ANY lawsuit that Consumer Reports has EVER lost about their testing methodology or results.

Suzuki tried for YEARS (due to the Samurai being ranked "unacceptable" in 1988, and virtually guaranteeing the death of Suzuki America cars). Suzuki officially gave up the suit in July 2004.

Bose almost won (1981), to be overturned in Appeals, and affirmed by the Supreme Court. Isuzu "sort of won", but were not awarded any money.

Sharper Image lost because as desperately as they tried to, they could not demonstrate that "the test protocol used by Consumers Union was scientifically, or otherwise, invalid" (CU got $0.5 million)

That said, any time CR has found they did something wrong, they "step up" and publically admit it, and explain how they messed up, etc (wrong instructions to independant lab for carseat testing in 2006, pet food in 1996). In other words, they've shown they TRY to be as accurate as possible.

Unlike most product "fans" - people almost always brag that what they own is the best. That is hardly un-biased!

@homerjay:

Why do you have shit in your carpets?

@CBMTTek: Coby vs. Bose -- about the only difference there is the price, build quality is absolute crap on both of them. Oh yeah, Bose does have good customer service, but it doesn't make up for the terribly inaccurate sound of their speakers, headphones, and stereos.

I have a Kenmore canister vac here and love it. Quiet enough to still talk on the phone while it's running and able to pick up just about everything. It's a "bagged" model, which is fine by me. If I've spent $25 on bags for the past 5 years, that'd be about it. Still keeps running quite happily.

I also have a Dyson and I love it. Two other vacs - a Hoover and a Kenmore - took a crap after less than two years. The Dyson actually sucks up stuff off the bare tile and doesn't blow it around my kitchen.
It also will suck cat hair off my sofa, something no vac has ever been able to accomplish.

CU hates newfangled things. They also hated the Scooba because "it can't replace a mop and bucket because it won't go behind the toilet or into corners." Well, duh. It takes me five minutes to wipe behind the commode and in the corners. It would take me 45 minutes to mop the whole downstairs. And during the 45 minutes the Scooba is mopping, I am DOING SOMETHING ELSE!

It's like my time is worth nothing in the CU ratings. They are good for testing some things but you have to take their advice with a grain of salt.

@goglen:

If only CU/CR were price agnostic. Then their rag might actually be worth the paper it is printed on.

I agree that their best buy recommendation is heavily price dependent, as it should be, but I have seen superior products (confirmed numerous times in other reviews) knocked in their performance reviews in favor of the cheaper product. If you do not believe me, look a their computer reviews, and their digital camera reviews. Any techie in the universe can point out the bias toward the lower priced item.

This is the second year in a row that the Kenmore has been top-rated. We bought this vacuum about 10 months ago based on the CR review and it is the best that we have ever owned, far superior to the $500 Miele that still sits in our hall closet. Once I found that I could purchase the high performance bags online for half of what they cost in the store I liked it even more. My only complaint is that it is heavy and awkward on stairs.

@TechnoDestructo: Don't ask. Suffice to say I have-- how you say-- medical problems. :)

I don't trust CR after the whole infant carseat fiasco. The last two things I've bought off their recommendation has caused much anger in my life. My subscription runs out next month forever. I tested both the Kenmore and Dyson DC15 ball at sears on their patch of black carpet. The Dyson championed the Kenmore on everything. Test for yourself and pick the one you like.

I am going to come in on the Kenmore side. I have the previous version of this vacuum and I have to say its quite good. I was going to buy a Oreck (damn you Oreck salesman) but I read CU and ended up at Sears. The kenmore was like $150 compared to the $500 Oreck and it has been very good to us. I agree that a bagged design is best. You dont have to put on a hazmat suit if you have allergies, just toss it in a trash bag.

I worked at a consumer electronics/appliance retailer for almost 20 years (no, not one of the evil chains, but not a mom-and-pop). It boggled our mind each year when CR rankings came out. Time after time, they awarded best buy recommendations to some of the biggest steaming piles of crap made. And no, it wasn't just low-profit items that would cause us to be biased. Even high-end products that had no business being highly-rated got the award; it seemed as if there were no rhyme or reason. Ask most knowledgeable salespeople (usually an oxymoron, but there are some, believe it or not) and they'll roll their eyes or outright laugh when asked about CR. Completely not worth the paper it's printed on.

@homerjay: In that case, a shop vac might be more appropriate. :)

@IndyJaws: Though I'm not a big fan of CR, I'm still going to trust a non-profit magazine over a sales person unless the salesperson has empirically tested and used every single product themselves which is rarely the case.

@goglen: I'd love to know what they did to test dishwasher detergents, since Costco's brand rated very high and sucks balls. Cascade complete blows it away. CR just doesn't care anymore.

CU rocks, the are one of the last honest joints in town.

Are they perfect? No. Are they biased? Compared to who?!?

If you can't trust those old coots at CU then you can't trust ANYONE.

Who you going to turn to? Cnet? JD Power? Haha. Of course, personally, I like reviews from average people, ala amazon.com, but if you are shopping for some appliances, cars, etc, CU is worth their weight in gold.

I bought my last vacuum on account of them and 10 years later it still does its thing.

Last: Dyson is just the latest Kirby vacuum...craptastically overpriced.

@Azndude51: If they're non-profit, what are they motivated by?

I have a Hoover upright which is 5 years old and was near the top of the CR rankings back then. It performs better than my neighbors new Dyson. I recently bought the Kenmore 25614 canister vac and it works extremely well (haven't tested it head-to-head with the Dyson though). I have a townhouse and 2 large dogs so I'm cleaning every few days. Ebay is great for bags and there is no dust mess trying to empty a bagless unit.

Dyson is about a lot of marketing. I know a handful of people who have them (and love them) but they had lousy vacs before that. No wonder a $500+ vac works better than the sub $100 they used for years.

I think CR reviews products quite well for most things. Even my local vacuum repair place that also sells high-end vacs but are super honest haven't had any problems with the CR reviews. They still say the Miele is better (and they just might be). They weren't that impressed with the Dyson either.

The great thing about opinions are that there are so few of them and so many over reactions and distortions of them. And don't get me started on hyperbole. Net-net I've owned an Eureka upright and now I have a Dyson 'the Ball' upright. You know what? I like both of them. If it wasn't for the Woot and refurbishment I wouldn't have kicked for a vacuum cleaner this expensive as the DC-15. That and my old house mate stole my 10+ year old Eureka and I needed a more flexible replacement. Say what you will about the abilities of the Eureka, but the maneuverability of the Ball on the Dyson makes it worth it in my small space and it just may make your top 10 list too.

I sell digital cameras and when ever i see some one walk in with consumer reports i prepare for having to talk them down.

the models they list are a mix of current generation and others that are 2 to 4 generations old. Older models sometimes rank impossibly high. Terrible cameras get rated well, good cameras sometimes do poorly. I remember the Fuju F20/30/31/40 getting some wonky ratings. Like they reviewd the 31 and the 30, and the 30 got ranked 3-5 spots better than the 31 despite the 31 being a small upgrade to the 30.

As much as I would like to, I dont trust this group.

@endless

Talk them down or talk down to them? What exactly makes you think the newer model is automatically better? In the case of the F30 vs. F31, the small upgrade to the F31 included higher noise levels at ISO1600 and 3200, the same high ISOs that garnered rave reviews for the orginal F30.

Let them buy what they want. Ask what they need or alternatively what they want, then sell them WHAT THEY ASK FOR. If they choose a magazine review over your expertise and "can't be bothered" bringing in a few cards to shoot some test shots, then maybe they deserve what they get so long as it's not broken out of the box.

I bought the Kenmore based on last year's Consume Reports test and it's an excellent upright vacuum. Maybe Dyson is better, but user testimonials are worthless compared to testing. Your "test" where you vacuum over and capture more dirt is meaningless, you'd also pick up more dirt if you re-vacuumed with any vacuum cleaner!

I bought a low-priced Kenmore dishwasher on CR's recommendation and it's great, quieter than an expensive Miele with better rack layout and adjustments.

My Kenmore He3t high efficiency washer is by far the best washer I've ever owned. I can't remember if it was a CR recommendation or not. Kenmore parts and service is slipping but Kenmore is still one of the best organizations for after-sales support.

For coffee makers, CR steered me to a cheap Mr. Coffee. Zero brand reputation, but it really does work better than recent crappy Krups.

I still read reviews on amazon.com and enthusiast sites for background and detailed issues that CR misses. You have to ignore the 5-star reviews from idiots and fanbois, and ignore most 1-star reviews from people who have an unreasonable grudge. But like @oldhat says, there's no one individual or organization you can trust more that Consumer Reports!

We bought the Kenmore on the CR recommendation last year and couldn't be happier. Not only does it work well, but it's solidly built. It doesn't feel like the easily breakable Bissels and Dirt Devils we've owned in the past.