Garry Ultra Light

The claim

This "professional quality" upright vacuum cleaner, $199, "loosens stubborn, even hidden ground-in dirt from your carpets" and other surfaces "the first time you pass over the dirt." Its claimed weight: 9 pounds.

The check

We tested it on carpets and bare floors; measured tool airflow, noise, and emissions (particles released when the motor is just on and when vacuuming); and assessed handling.

Bottom line

The Garry is a lightweight in more ways than one. It was fair at deep-cleaning carpets, scoring lowest at that task among all the uprights in our Ratings (available to subscribers). Even most canisters did better. Airflow was weak through attachments, making it harder to clean dust from upholstery. It weighs 9 pounds only when you don't count its hose, attachments, and power cord. Pluses: It excelled at cleaning bare floors and picking up pet hair and had very low emissions. Better choices include the Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless M085845, $60.