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Crazy as it sounds, shopping for a vacuum can require as many decisions as buying a car. In both cases, you must:

• Set a budget for the purchase.
• Decide what type is right for you.
• Research the many brands and models to find the best product for you.

Organizations like J.D. Power make your research process easier, though. The market research firm’s latest annual study of vacuum customer satisfaction reveals which vacuum brands consumers themselves like the best.

More than 7,900 consumers were polled for the study. All of them had purchased a vacuum in the previous 12 months.

J.D. Power then rated vacuums based on five factors it considers key to customer satisfaction:

• Ease of use
• Features
• Performance
• Price
• Warranty

Upright vacuums

The overall customer satisfaction rating for the upright vacuums included in the study averaged 832 on a 1,000-point scale — the highest such rating of all three types of vacuums included in the study.

Two brands earned above-average scores for overall satisfaction with upright-style vacuums. They are:

• Shark: 857
• Dyson: 844

Canister vacuums

Overall satisfaction for canister vacuums averaged 826.

Four brands earned above-average scores in this category:

• Miele: 853
• Electrolux: 848
• Shark: 846
• Dyson: 832

Stick vacuums

Overall satisfaction for stick vacuums averaged 820.

Two brands earned higher scores in this category:

• Dyson: 835
• Shark: 826

Brands to avoid?

Not all brands make every type of vacuum. But three brands that do make upright, canister and stick vacuums earned below-average overall customer satisfaction scores for all three types of vacuums.

Those brands are:

• Bissell
• Dirt Devil
• Hoover

Do you have a vacuum you would rate highly? Tell us about it below or over on our Facebook page.