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Vacuum cleaners

Vacuum cleaner reviews

Best vacuums to buy in Australia

Shop smarter and faster with our unbiased, expert reviews.

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Scientifically tested in accredited labs

Get facts, not opinions or fake reviews. Each model is tested by experts with many years of combined experience.

Our experts test and rate:

Cleaning performance

Which brands remove dirt from carpet quickly and effectively

Easiest to use

How easy each vac is to control, and how well they reach under low furniture

Pet hair

Which models are best at removing stubborn pet hair

We give each vacuum cleaner a CHOICE score made up of:

Our tester pre-loads the vacuum cleaners with artificial household dust (a standard test material imported from Germany). We do that because vacuum cleaners are generally used with the bag or bin partly filled. The tester then embeds sand evenly into a section of carpet and vacuums it to a set pattern and speed. The sand collected is weighed and recorded as a percentage of the sand applied. This is repeated twice for each vacuum cleaner and the results averaged. We know exactly how much dirt goes into the test carpet, so we know to within a tenth of a gram just how much dirt the vacuum removed. Our tester rates all models based on the dirt pick-up performance from carpet using the standard cleaning head. We don't test dirt pick-up from hard floors anymore, because in our experience all vacuums are excellent at this task.

To test pet hair removal, we embed cat hair in the carpet and vacuum it to a set pattern and speed. We rate the results based on how much cat hair is left behind after the test. When supplied, the vacuum's turbo brush or power head is used for this test. If not, we use the standard cleaning head. The pet hair for our testing is supplied by Woof Cat & Dog Grooming, Bondi, NSW.

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We have our own on-site labs, equipped with precisely-calibrated measurement tools and reference machines to test and compare products. Every model is tested with a standardised samples of dirt, and pet hair. These align with Australian and International Standards and help us determine which vacuum cleaners perform best in real-world settings.

Unlike other product review sites, we don't accept free test models from manufacturers. This allows us to be independent and review without interference. Instead, we buy products anonymously from a variety of retailers, then bring them into our labs. This means we get what you'd get, and can be sure each model hasn't been potentially 'tweaked' for better performance.