There are a ton of choices when it comes to deciding which vacuum cleaner to use.  So many options, too wide-ranging reviews that will leave your head spinning, and lots of different applications.  So how do you choose the best vacuum cleaner for you?  

Five Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a New Vacuum Cleaner:

• Is this a vacuum cleaner for home or business?
• What's your carpeting and bare floor like?
• What features are important to you?
• Do you have pets or allergies?
• What's your favorite color?...OK, that's a joke but some folks have decided based on that alone.

Best Vacuum Cleaner for Home or Business
At Ace Vacuums, most of our household models can and do receive commercial use because of their high quality and durability. Models from Miele and Riccar are constantly used by hotels and commercial cleaners because they work so well.  However, if you need a machine that is UL Certified and verified by the CRI for commercial use, we have some great machines to choose from...Sanitaire, Proteam, and CleanMax to name a few.  

What your carpeting and bare flooring are like is vital in selecting your next vacuum cleaner.  High pile or super-dense carpets from Mohawk and Shaw require specific features from a vacuum in order to properly clean.  Brands like Shark or Dyson don't work on thick carpets because they have no height adjustment, whereas a Riccar R30 Tandem Air has adjustable height settings and variable suction.  Lots of bare floors, hardwoods, and tile?  Consider a canister vacuum.  Models such as Miele's C3 HomeCare not only have a power nozzle for carpeting, but a bare floor bush to sweep the floors while it is suctioning.  

Figure Out What Features You Really Want Your Vacuum to Have
If being the lightest weight possible is #1, be prepared to give up some options. The Riccar Supralite is indeed super lightweight but it doesn't have a hose attachment. Options like hose & attachments switch location, height adjustment, lifetime belts, variable suction, noise, filtration and chiefly quality of components are all great things to consider.  Often you can find lots of features on a Hoover, but as my workbench can attest to, they are over-engineered and underdeveloped.

If you have pets or suffer from allergies, filtration is key.  Most vacuums today have a "HEPA" filter.  But not every vacuum sporting a filter is a truly sealed HEPA filtration. Most bagless vacuums that come in are leaking so much dust from their seals that it looks as if more went out of the vacuum then stayed in.  For vacuums to suck in the air they have to blow it back out.  Models such as the Riccar R25 Pethave a sealed housing, HEPA Bagged, HEPA or S-Class Filtration, and Filtered exhaust.  The Miele Cat & Dog even has a Charcoal filter standard to absorb dander smells from your animals.  The way a vacuum filter is also crucial to its longevity.  If the pre-motor filter is being packed out by fine dust and dander the motor can burn up in no time. German and American made vacuum cleaners collect debris and dust before it gets to the pre-motor filter allowing it to last year after year.

Now that you settled on the Riccar R25 Pet, what color would you like it in? Just kidding.