How we test

Attributed Professional Opinion VRU Staff Opinion

Ratings produced under this methodology are statements of opinion, not statements of measurable fact. They reflect the good faith professional judgment of the named individual, based on extensive first hand observation and customer input, as of the date shown. Individual experiences differ, manufacturer policies and parts availability change over time, and a machine or brand may improve or decline after a rating is written.We publish the full reasoning beside every star precisely so you can judge the basis for yourself, and we say so when an opinion rests on limited information. Where a rating references specific facts, dates, policies, or documents, we cite or link them where available. If a manufacturer or reader believes something we have stated as fact is wrong, we want to hear it, and we correct promptly when shown better information. The opinions, however, remain our own.The absence of a rating on one of these topics is not a judgment against a product. It means we do not yet have enough direct experience to hold an honest opinion, and we would rather show you nothing than a guess.

How we do it. Some of the most important things about owning a machine cannot be put on a test bench. No instrument measures what a warranty phone call is like, whether a repair part will still exist in year eight, or how hard a machine fights the person trying to fix it. For these topics, our ratings are the professional opinions of individual named staff members, formed through extensive observation and customer input gathered in the daily operation of our sales and service centers.The judgment behind one of these ratings draws on, where applicable: hands on repair work across the thousands of machines that pass through our service departments; service check ins and post repair verification; ordering parts across every brand we service and tracking what arrives on time, what runs delayed, and what has quietly disappeared; direct experience with manufacturer warranty and support processes, including years spent operating under manufacturer service contracts; manufacturer documentation, published policies, and warranty terms; and what customers tell us at the counter about their own experiences, including with machines and brands we do not sell.When a staff member scores one of these topics, the questions they weigh are practical ones. What does this repair actually take, and who can realistically do it? Can the part be had, at what cost, and for how many years of the machine's life? What happens to a customer who files a warranty claim, and what did it take to get there? What exists to help an owner help themselves? How has the brand behaved over time, and in which direction is it moving? Scores are anchored: 3 represents average for the industry as we know it, 5 represents the best we know of in that category, and staff are asked to name their reference points so a score can be read against a field rather than in isolation.Every rating of this type is attributed to the specific person whose judgment it reflects, with their role and the basis of their experience stated alongside it. Staff members sometimes disagree. Where they do, each opinion is shown separately under its own name rather than averaged into a false consensus.

Instrumented Bench Measurement

This methodology produces measured values rather than a subjective assessment. Values are directly comparable between machines only when taken at the same measurement point with the machine in the same prepared state, which is why both are recorded with every reading.All readings are taken in Colorado at approximately 5,280 feet, where reduced air density affects any measurement dependent on air movement or pressure. Our figures may therefore differ from manufacturer specifications measured at sea level, and should be compared against our own readings on other machines rather than against published specs.Readings reflect the machine as tested with clean filtration and a known bag state. Performance under real world loading may be materially.Ratings reflect our honest assessment based on the evidence available at the time of publication. Testing data, product specifications, and models change, and errors are possible. Nothing here is a guarantee of performance for any individual machine or household. If you believe a rating is wrong or a detail is out of date, tell us and we will review it.

How we do it. Measurements are taken on the bench under consistent conditions using calibrated measuring equipment appropriate to the value being recorded. The machine is prepared in a known state, typically with a new or empty bag and clean filtration, run at rated voltage, and allowed to reach steady state before any reading is taken.The measurement point on the machine is recorded with every reading, since the same machine can produce substantially different values depending on where the reading is taken.The specific instrument used and the units reported are recorded with the individual measurement rather than fixed by this methodology, so that additional measurement types can be added over time under the same procedure.

Equipment. Calibrated measuring equipment appropriate to the value being recorded. The specific instrument used is recorded with each measurement.

Observational Performance Assessment

We aim to provide the most accurate star rating possible, and for transparency we link to third party test footage and publish our own in store testing video wherever available, so you can review and critique the results yourself.Sources included range from accredited laboratory programs to independent third party testers, our own comparative in store testing, and extended hands on use of the machine in our showrooms and service departments. A source is weighted only in the categories its testing actually measures.Absence of accredited laboratory data is not evidence of poor performance, since certification programs are voluntary and paid, and many capable machines were never submitted.The star value is our own distillation of the weighted evidence. The underlying sources are disclosed on each rating.

How we do it. Vacuum performance testing has no single industry standard, and results vary widely depending on method, test material, and conditions. Rather than comparing raw figures across incompatible tests, we rank machines against each other within each source's own results, using tests performed by the same tester under consistent controlled or semi controlled conditions. Sources are weighted by rigor, with accredited laboratory testing such as the CRI Seal of Approval program carrying the most weight. Our star ratings reflect the combined ordering across all weighted sources for that category.

Equipment. Varies by source.

Sealed Box Airflow Suction Test

How we do it. The method relies on an anemometer or airflow gauge reading feet per minute for the CFM conversion and a suction gauge reading inches of water lift, with the vacuum under test fitted with a bag of known type and condition so results stay comparable. A special box is used to enable this reading to be taken from the cleaner head.

Equipment. The core apparatus is a sealed plywood airflow box built from 3/4 inch stock at 18 by 18 inches, glued and screwed tightly enough to hold an air and watertight seal under load. It uses a reversible dual-chamber design, with one large sealed compartment sized for full-size American vacuums and a separate smaller compartment for European and compact machines, selected simply by flipping the box over. Each face carries a measurement hole where the vacuum nozzle seals against the box and where an airflow meter reads velocity through the opening.