Vacuum cleaner suggestion?

[slackerinabox]

This is not an anti-Dyson thread - I'm awful on my vacuums (toddler, cats, and vacuum stuff I probably shouldn't) and now my refurb dyson's bit the dust. I'd like a moderately priced alternative since I basically break vacuums every two years regardless of cost (been through $50 dirt deviles and high priced kenmores and was hoping the dyson would be a 5 year not 2 year purchase). Suggestions? I remember there were Dyson clones by Hoover a few years back but am not sure what the current hotness is.

Thanks!

 

[Scarpozzi]

Treat a vacuum like you would any other disposable item these days. They're mostly made cheap and require parts to keep them running.

1. Vacuums that provide the best air filtration have hepa filters...which replacements can cost $20-30!
2. Vacuums that lose suction usually have filters that need to be cleaned somewhere....many are reusable filters that just need to be cleaned in the sink.


My recommendation is figure out how often you EXPECT you'll need to replace a vacuum. Then buy according to how much you think they're worth. My best picks are to look at the Hoover Windtunnel series because they can be had for $100-120 (some can disable the roller brush for better hardwood floor cleaning, some can't), have great suction, decent filtration and can be chucked in 3+ years when they start having problems. If you buy a Dyson or Electrolux or any other higher dollar unit, it will be dirty after 3-5 years of use. Plastic parts like to break.

If you aim for moderate brands that have decent features and are somewhat disposable, you're money will go further.

 

[Vdubchaos]

I've been thru anything from Dyson to Kenmore/Hoover and just about everything else past 10 + years.

We ended up stopping the waste and going with a small Shop vac (Rigid).....not looking back

Pros:
Dirt cheap
Lifetime warrant
more powerful than anything out there
Will suck up anything and everything (does the job great)

Cons:
Bulky not "as user friendly" perhaps (depending on what model you get)
Loud

 

[slackerinabox]

I've been thru anything from Dyson to Kenmore/Hoover and just about everything else past 10 + years.

We ended up stopping the waste and going with a small Shop vac (Rigid).....not looking back

Pros:
Dirt cheap
Lifetime warrant
more powerful than anything out there
Will suck up anything and everything (does the job great)

Cons:
Bulky not "as user friendly" perhaps (depending on what model you get)
Loud

Interesting suggestion, but wouldn't it shoot dust everywhere?

 

[Brainonska511]

I only live in a small apartment, but I picked up a cheap little canister Hoover vacuum from Home Depot a few months ago that uses bags. It doesn't have a power-brush (but I have this crappy school-house style carpeting that doesn't really trap dirt), but it's good enough for cleaning my apartment and it's also quite small. Certainly not the best vacuum I've ever used, but I'd say it was good for the price.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Interesting suggestion, but wouldn't it shoot dust everywhere?

Nope, does a better job than any other vacume I used.

Higher HP the better. I even used the full size one before they came out with smaller/more portable 5HP units.

Now we have both. Small Portable for home use and big one for project/as back up.

Both were no more than $80 bucks and have lifetime warranty......can't beat that.

 

[nageov3t]

I've been pretty happy with my Shark vacuum... think it was $100 at Target?

 

[slackerinabox]

I've been pretty happy with my Shark vacuum... think it was $100 at Target?

Had a shark navigator that got weirdly moldy and funky smelling... Don't know if I can blame the vacuum on that one but it's never happened to be before!

 

[SithSolo1]

I bought a Dyson on sale, but still feel like i paid too much. Works great on the concrete floor but binds up on any rugs. Haven't taken it else where to test it on carpet.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Dyson = Apple of Vacuum world. Highly overhyped and overpriced.

 

[slackerinabox]

Dyson = Apple of Vacuum world. Highly overhyped and overpriced.

Meh, people get too passionate about this sorta stuff (and I love my apple laptops, thank you very much!), people get all "companies that are good at marketing are evil and must be punished for being good salesmen!!" and preachy...Dyson are absolutely wonderful for some people and I frankly abused mine.. Thankfully pricey brand name = 3 year extended warranty from the vendor (in addition to 1 year), and they've agreed to refund my purchase price 100% INCLUDING shipping because the model's discontinued.

That's what the extra money tends to pay for, support and service - which means I got to use my dyson for 2 years for free.

 

[KidNiki1]

eureka airspeed is fairly inexpensive but does a great job for me. it was also highly rated on consumer reports (if that matters to you).

 

[slackerinabox]

eureka airspeed is fairly inexpensive but does a great job for me. it was also highly rated on consumer reports (if that matters to you).

Cool, I noticed many positive reviews too. How's the build quality? I've had some super chintzy eurekas but assume they have a range.

 

[Gunslinger08]

We did some research last week and ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-WindTun.../dp/B002HFA5F6

Just got it today. Assembly is much easier than the crappy vacuums we've had in the past. Haven't tried cleaning with it yet. Consumer Reports seemed to like it better than the Dyson for pet hair and the Amazon reviews for it and the non-Pet version are pretty good.

 

[KidNiki1]

Cool, I noticed many positive reviews too. How's the build quality? I've had some super chintzy eurekas but assume they have a range.

mine doesn't feel chintzy. i had two hoover bagless before this one, and the eureka is much lighter and smaller, but still seems to do a good job. it's been knocked/pulled over a few times and never had anything go wrong with it. i just buy new filters and clean all the removable parts every few months and it's fine. probably the only thing that is a pain for me has less to do with the vacuum itself; i have budgie and the little feathers get the filter part all gunked up. but that's not really a fault of the vacuum imo.

 

[NutBucket]

I've decided cleaning bagless vacuums is a pain. I'm definitely going back to bags next time. I even put bags in my shop vac.

 

[slackerinabox]

mine doesn't feel chintzy. i had two hoover bagless before this one, and the eureka is much lighter and smaller, but still seems to do a good job. it's been knocked/pulled over a few times and never had anything go wrong with it. i just buy new filters and clean all the removable parts every few months and it's fine. probably the only thing that is a pain for me has less to do with the vacuum itself; i have budgie and the little feathers get the filter part all gunked up. but that's not really a fault of the vacuum imo.

Sounds good! This and the hoover mentioned above are on my short list.

Still appreciate suggestions, the more durable the better (expect to toss it in 2 years anyways, but plastic falling off = bad)

 

[fralexandr]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirby_Company ;D
One of their reps showed up at my sisters place :S. The vacuums are actually pretty impressive, but the price on them is D:.

They're like the cutco (knives) of the vacuum world i guess.

 

[Platypus]

I know you hate the Shark models but I've been using mine since I started a similar thread a while ago and it's still going strong with a 100lb labrador to clean up after.

 

[herm0016]

We did some research last week and ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-WindTun.../dp/B002HFA5F6

Just got it today. Assembly is much easier than the crappy vacuums we've had in the past. Haven't tried cleaning with it yet. Consumer Reports seemed to like it better than the Dyson for pet hair and the Amazon reviews for it and the non-Pet version are pretty good.

we have one of these without a folding handle. got it at costco for about 100. best vaccume i have ever owned and the pet attachments actually work. we have 2 blue healer/border collie mixes that shed like mad.

 

[Imp]

Warranty ran out on Dyson refurb, or don't want to bother?

I just got a previous gen, new Dyson two weeks ago. Used it twice so far, I like it. Not sure if it was worth $450, but I had money to burn.

I hear Mieles are good. But they use bags that cost $5/pop when not on sale here and they cost as much or more than Dysons. The German engineering is also a bit worrisome...

 

[Vdubchaos]

Warranty ran out on Dyson refurb, or don't want to bother?

I just got a previous gen, new Dyson two weeks ago. Used it twice so far, I like it. Not sure if it was worth $450, but I had money to burn.

I hear Mieles are good. But they use bags that cost $5/pop when not on sale here and they cost as much or more than Dysons. The German engineering is also a bit worrisome...

A bit? It's extremely worrisome.

My definition of German engineering = Overly complicated and expensive for NO apparent reason.

:biggrin:

 

[slackerinabox]

Warranty ran out on Dyson refurb, or don't want to bother?

I just got a previous gen, new Dyson two weeks ago. Used it twice so far, I like it. Not sure if it was worth $450, but I had money to burn.

I hear Mieles are good. But they use bags that cost $5/pop when not on sale here and they cost as much or more than Dysons. The German engineering is also a bit worrisome...

The warranty's superb, actually (1 year through Dyson, I believe, and an additional 2 from the vendor). Vendor will be refunding my purchase price 100% since they are no longer an authorized dyson dealer (and I believe the model discontinued as well, at least they have no inventory). That's why I won't badmouth Dyson, service has always been great (had to go through them directly once).

Mieles seems a bit too rich for my blood.. May consider another dyson refurb but I'd really like to stick to a sub-$200 budget.

 

[sze5003]

I got my vacuum at target for $45 bucks. Dirt devil...it sucks. It's been fine for my apartment and no issues. I just hate cleaning out woman's hair from the brushes, that stuff will destroy it one day.

 

[slackerinabox]

Any thoughts on Oreck? Bagged XLs are pretty affordable and my wife seems to think they're a good brand