Vacuum Reviews
Vacuum reviews are either compilations of individual consumers' opinions or results of more systematic tests conducted by consumer research organizations. There are also several websites that summarize the opinions and tests found on other websites, giving you a good overview of what's out there in the way of vacuum reviews.
Not all vacuums are made equal. Vacuum reviews are your friend. Research which model is best for conditions you'll need them in. Balance your research between consumer-based reviews and scientific-based reviews.
An individual consumer's vacuum review can be valuable. A fellow end-user is more likely to describe the performance aspects of a vacuum that matter to you in terms that make sense to consumers. But such opinions tend to be haphazard, focusing on what the consumer like and hated most about the vacuum. Often a consumer review is nothing more than a rant about one aspect of a vacuum.
That's where opinion aggregators like ePinions.com come in handy. Amazon.com also aggregates buyers' opinions in each of its product listings. Shopping.com and eBay provide more limited space for buyers to describe their experiences. But all of these sites pull together the vacuum reviews of many users (ideally), giving you a many-sided look at a vacuum’s performance. There will be some rave reviews and some rants. It is up to you to decide what to believe out of all the opinions you read.
With all these (and more) sources of free consumer reviews online, why would you even consider paying a subscription fee to a consumer research service such as Consumer Reports or Which? Online? The advantages of these subscription services are inclusiveness, scientific testing protocols, and fair comparisons. Consumer Reports tests 43 different vacuum cleaners under identical conditions, for instance, while a short magazine article may look at just two or three models. The same performance and durability factors are rated for each machine, allowing fair side-by-sided comparisons. On the other hand, vacuum cleaners are seldom used under precis
ely the laboratory conditions that prevail in test labs.
One can subscribe to Consumer Reports for $4.95 per month, and cancel at any time. Which ? Online provides a 30-day free trial, during which you can access its vacuum cleaner test reports and many others. You must provide a credit card number when you sign up, but nothing is charged to it until the first day of the month following the end of your trial period. You can cancel within the 30-day trial period and be charged nothing. If you continue your subscription the cost is 7.75 GBP per month - about $15.60 as of this writing.
ConsumerSearch.com is an example of the summary type of vacuum reviews site. ConsumerSearch does allow buyers to post their opinions, but its main attraction is its summaries of vacuum reviews posted on other Web sites. It often provides glimpses into the paid reports put out by Consumer Reports, too.
Vacuum reviews, whatever their source, can help you home in on the machine that is right for you. It's often best to spend a few dollars on a short-term subscription to Consumer Reports or Which ? Online to get a systematic overview of the performance factors you should consider. Entering "vacuum cleaner" in ePinions.com will pull up a range of machines whose user reviews you can peruse. Then look up a few specific models in Amazon.com to see what people say about them.
