Kenmore Featherlite Lift-Up DU480
Verdict
The Kenmore Featherlite Lift-Up DU480 is an outstanding budget upright that combines excellent hard-floor pickup, ultra-light weight, and strong overall value. It currently edges out the Shark NV352 as a best budget upright choice, especially if hard-floor performance and a slightly lower price are priorities.
Pros
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Hard Floor — Large Debris Intake ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 5.0Hard floor pickup is excellent, grabbing all of the test rice without scattering and continuing to surpass many rival uprights in large debris intake.
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Maneuverability & Handling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0
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Weight ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 5.0Featherlite design keeps overall weight very low, making it simple to lift and carry between rooms.
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Price & Value ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 2 reviews 4.8
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Carpet — Medium-Pile Pickup ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5It deep cleans carpet very well, picking up over 90 percent of test sand and ranking among the top performers below flagship models.
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Noise level ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5
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Versatility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.5The Lift-Up configuration and hose tools make it adaptable for floors, stairs, and above-floor cleaning, giving it flexible whole-home coverage for a budget upright.
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Suction & Airflow ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 4.0
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Hair Pickup — Carpets ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 3.5It vacuums up long hair effectively and moves it into the bin without clogging, but tends to leave more hair wrapped on the brushroll than some rivals.
Cons
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Crevice / Groove Pickup (Hard Floors) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 1 review 2.0Crevice performance is only fair, lifting under twenty grams of sand and plateauing after a couple of passes despite its strong suction.
