Vacuum snobs, please check in.

[Platypus]

Ok, so the time has come with the acquisition of our new labrador to get a proper vacuum cleaner.

Here are my criteria:
1) Bagless, absolutely not going to fuck with bags in 2012
2) Has hose/brush for reaching into nooks/crannies
3) Powerful suction that wont get shitty over time
4) Not $400..

Based on reading reviews and talking to people, Dyson seems like the choice people recommend, but are also likened to Apple in that regard. Overpriced for what you actually get. The cheapest decent Dyson is like $320. I am looking for something I don't have to replace every year because of pet hair. I don't need lots of bells and whistles, just ultra sucking power and a bagless system.

If Dyson really is the only game in town worth having, I might try to justify it somehow, but the price just seems lolridiculous for a vacuum.

 

[Barfo]

Pics of the lab?

 

[Platypus]

Pics of the lab?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2248102

 

[sactoking]

I'd get a Rainbow if it wasn't $3,000.

 

[BoomerD]

Dyson animal.

/thread.

You can find them "refurbished" for much less than retail, OR, grab one of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% coupons and save $100+.
We used one from Linens and Things when we bought our Dyson 6 years ago. Saved about $110 on it then...and it still works fabulously.
Our two little rat dogs and one short-hair cat shed so much that I have to clean the beater bar/brush once per month. It's a PITA, but in addition to how much gets sucked into the canister, it really shows how well the Dyson works.

 

[Gibson486]

Get a shark. It is a poor mans dyson.

 

[amish]

Dyson animal.

/thread.

You can find them "refurbished" for much less than retail, OR, grab one of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% coupons and save $100+.
We used one from Linens and Things when we bought our Dyson 6 years ago. Saved about $110 on it then...and it still works fabulously.
Our two little rat dogs and one short-hair cat shed so much that I have to clean the beater bar/brush once per month. It's a PITA, but in addition to how much gets sucked into the canister, it really shows how well the Dyson works.

heed the advice of this wise sage.

 

[sygyzy]

Dyson Animal.

 

[shopbruin]

I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Lift-Off-Multi.../dp/B00284BM3U

I don't have pets, but I personally lose a lot of hair (or it seems like it) and I've clogged many a vacuum. This one I like how the attachments are on the vacuum, easy to use, and the canister lifts off, making it easy for me to tote around my apartment to vacuum in corners using the attachment.

Suction did die down, and that's when I realized I needed to clean the filters. A good whacking of the filters always helped, and when I recently replaced the filters, holy crap, the suction was awesome again.

I'm on my second version of this vacuum, but only because the first didn't make the cut when we moved from one half of the state to the other.

 

[Platypus]

This is rated higher than any Dyson by Consumer Reports (grain of salt).
http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-WindTun.../dp/B002HFDLCK

I realize you get what you pay for.. but damn, 500 bucks retail?

 

[Barfo]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2248102

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=33501804&postcount=72

 

[mike2fix]

Last one I bought not too long ago was an Electrolux from Sears, maybe a few $ above your budget, don't recall exactly but I have been pleased with it. One thing you might want to reconsider is the bag less thing. I thought a canister that you could empty would be better than bags myself, I came to learn otherwise. Emptying the container was a freakin' mess, at least with bags, you take them out when full and throw them away.

 

[Bignate603]

Dyson animal.

/thread.

You can find them "refurbished" for much less than retail, OR, grab one of the Bed, Bath, & Beyond 20% coupons and save $100+.
We used one from Linens and Things when we bought our Dyson 6 years ago. Saved about $110 on it then...and it still works fabulously.
Our two little rat dogs and one short-hair cat shed so much that I have to clean the beater bar/brush once per month. It's a PITA, but in addition to how much gets sucked into the canister, it really shows how well the Dyson works.

I was going to come in here and recommend a refurbed dyson.

 

[Jaepheth]

Grab one of those Bed Bath and Beyond 20% off coupons and go grab a Shark Navigator Pro.

One of the highest rated vacuums on Amazon.

 

[makken]

I just placed an order for this one:
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/74836/kohls-bissell-rewind-premier-pet-upright-vacuum

 

[Platypus]

So that's a few votes for Dyson Animal and a few for the Shark.

What are these magical 20% coupons and where does one find them?

Any comments on that Hoover? Very highly rated on CR but no idea if they can even be trusted any longer.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

Are Dysons unreliable? I see tons of refurbs for sale all over the place.

 

[Platypus]

Are Dysons unreliable? I see tons of refurbs for sale all over the place.

Kind of what gets me too.. if they're so great then why are there SO many refurbs out there?

 

[BoomerD]

Are Dysons unreliable? I see tons of refurbs for sale all over the place.

Kind of what gets me too.. if they're so great then why are there SO many refurbs out there?

Other than "every product has its failures," I really can't answer why there are so many available.

Ours is over 6 years old and we've had ZERO problems with it.

We bought the DC-14 instead of one of the "ball" models.

 

[BoomerD]

So that's a few votes for Dyson Animal and a few for the Shark.

What are these magical 20% coupons and where does one find them?

Any comments on that Hoover? Very highly rated on CR but no idea if they can even be trusted any longer.

I get them with my Sunday newspaper from time to time, but you can also get one here:

http://app.bedbathandbeyond.com/prefs/pref.cfm?order_num=-1&src=header&

 

[Platypus]

I get them with my Sunday newspaper from time to time, but you can also get one here:

http://app.bedbathandbeyond.com/prefs/pref.cfm?order_num=-1&src=header&

Thanks!

 

[DaveSimmons]

Compare warranties not just prices. The warranty on my Dyson is a year or two longer than the cheaper vacs.

Has anyone suggested Dyson yet?

 

[Skel]

I'd get a Rainbow if it wasn't $3,000.

They still have water in them? Had one as a kid and remember having to dump out the nasty water afterwards..

 

[LikeLinus]

Compare warranties not just prices. The warranty on my Dyson is a year or two longer than the cheaper vacs.

Has anyone suggested Dyson yet?

But for the price you can buy 2 Hoover WindTunnel. You have to take both into account. It may add a year to the warranty, but you're paying x2 the cost for no real performance benefit. Not worth it to me. That said, my WindTunnel has been going strong for the past few years and it does an outstanding job.

 

[Hugo Drax]

I have a Dyson Animal for years and its tough, I even used it to clean construction debris (drywall dust,cement dust,etc..) Damn vacuum will clean like its no tommorow and it gets abused. The Dyson has a strong consistent suction and it picks up.

Or you can just keep going through 99 dollar units that provide inferior service.