Every lawn sweeper and lawn vacuum gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Sweepers and vacuums are grouped and scored on separate scales where they differ.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Price | price of the sweeper or vacuum | 25% |
| Hopper | hopper or bag capacity | 20% |
| Width or engine | sweep width for sweepers, engine displacement for vacuums | 15% |
| Features | seat dumping plus storage and brush height (sweepers) or a hose and shredding (vacuums) | 15% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 25% |
Where the numbers come from
Width, hopper size, engine, features and warranty come from the maker’s product page, spec sheet or owner’s manual, or the maker’s own copy on a retail listing. Where a maker gives hopper size in gallons, it’s converted to cubic feet at 7.48 gallons per cubic foot. Prices are checked at Amazon and the maker’s own store, and the lowest is used.
The factors
Price is the current price, on a log scale, so halving the price always counts the same. For sweepers, $600 scores zero and $180 full marks. For vacuums, $3,000 scores zero and $900 full marks.
Hopper is the hopper or bag capacity. For sweepers, 12 cu ft scores zero and 26 cu ft full marks. For vacuums, 20 cu ft scores zero and 55 cu ft full marks.
Width or engine is the sweep width for sweepers: 36 in scores zero and 62 in full marks. For vacuums, which are fed through a hose from the mower deck, it’s the engine’s displacement instead, since makers publish it far more often than horsepower: 160 cc scores zero and 350 cc full marks.
Features for sweepers is 40% for dumping the hopper from the tractor seat, 30% for folding or standing on end to store, and 30% for adjustable brush height. For vacuums it’s 30% for dumping from the seat, 40% for an included hose for beds and corners, and 30% for an impeller that shreds leaves.
Warranty is the maker’s warranty: 1 year scores zero and 5 years full marks.
What isn’t scored
The number of brushes, engine make and horsepower, weight, folding storage on a vacuum, release date, and extras such as dethatching tines or a branch chipper are listed but not scored.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Features score neutral only when none of the three is published; a feature the maker doesn’t mention otherwise counts as absent. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero, the same as the shortest warranty on the scale, and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.