BEST VACUUM CLEANER : DOES 'AMPS' EQUAL CLEANING POWER?

THE SHORT ANSWER:  ABSOLUTELY NOT!

WHY:

Ask any electrical engineer.  Amps (short for amperes) is a measure of electrical current flow.  When multiplied by the voltage (110 volts in most of our homes) it gives the power consumption in WATTS.  One thousand watts used for one hour equals one kilowatt hour of energy usage , which is how your utility bills you for energy used.  With energy costs constantly rising, and efforts being made to conserve energy and the environment,  we all need to consider how we are using our energy.  Fifty years ago you could buy a vacuum cleaner that did an excellent cleaning job with a 3.5 amp motor.  There were many models that could do this, but I will use the Hoover 'convertible' upright as an example because I owned one then (and still do) and I also used to do repairs on them.  This vacuum was all metal (except for a plastic motor cover) and fairly heavy.  The weight enabled the roller with the brushes and beater bars to settle deeply into the carpet for effective agitation of the carpet fibers.  The nearly all metal construction did not break easily, so the machines lasted virtually forever (I'm still using mine).  The 3.5 amp motor provided plenty of suction, stopping just short of actually sucking the carpet up off the floor.  This efficient cleaner did not need any additional suction power or it would have sucked the carpet right up into the machine.  So, how do we improve on this?  Fifty years later we now have vacuums that consume up to 15 amps, but don't clean any better, they just use five times as much electricity.  Why?  Because back in the late 1970's one vacuum manufacturer decided to put a slightly larger motor in and claimed it cleaned better.  It was a 5 amp motor.  Did it actually clean better?  Maybe, but most likely not.  It was a marketing gimmick aimed at getting a larger share of the vacuum sales.  The other manufacturers had to respond, of course, to keep their market share.  They did so with 6 amp motors, and so on.  Now a problem sets in, because you have to figure out what to do with all that extra electrical power consumption.  If you actually use it to make the motor more powerful, thereby creating more suction, there comes a point where the suction is so great the machine sucks the carpet in and you get no cleaning whatsoever, just a machine that taxes your patience to use.  So what did the engineers do with that extra power?  HEAT.  They decreased the electrical efficiency of the motor so that it produced less horsepower, but MORE heat.   The manufacturers continued this 're-educating' of the consumer to buy higher and higher amp motors until now the average vacuum produces almost as much heat as a 1200 watt hair dryer.  This might be great in the winter to heat your house, but in the summer it 'sucks' (but not the way it was intended!).   The manufacturers were all quite pleased with the situation because it was cheaper to make less efficient motors, AND the motors burned themselves out from all the excess heat rather quickly, thus requiring frequent replacement of the vacuum.  So, now, you the consumer get to pay for 5 times more electricity to vacuum your carpet, and replace your vacuum about 3 times more often due to burnout.  Congratulations.

WHAT TO DO:

First, complain to your congressman, the Product Safety Commission, and the manufacturers.  Second, don't buy another new vacuum.  When your current one expires, go to the swap meet or flea market in your area and look for an old Hoover upright or comparable.  They will NOT be bagless.  You will recognize them by their weight and solid feel.  Take it to any vacuum repair shop for cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of any worn parts.  You will be very happy with this machine and the money it saves you for a long, long time.