Needed: Vacuum Cleaner Advice

[chickwhorips]

I need to purchase a vacuum cleaner for my new home and have no idea where to start. Please help!!!

I've borrowed the Dyson animal one, but I can't justify buying a $600 vacuum cleaner. I saw that Dirt devil had an animal one, but not sure how it rates. I have one dog, she's a shorter haired dog, but when she wants to shed, she sheds.

I know bizzar question, but this is the only place I can think to ask such a question.

I'm looking for a bag less one just because I like to run the vacuum cleaner a lot. :) (Yes I am "particular")

Thank you!

[bambu101]

I swear by Kenmore vacuums. We have had several that lasted for years, including the one we had when we were building the house. It was used for cleaning up sawdust, and picked up a few nails and screws in the process, and never missed a beat! They are also consistently rated at the top of the Consumer Reports ratings.

[xeney]

I don't have any positive advice, but to make you feel better about the Dyson, we hate ours. It was great for a year but it has gradually lost suction, and now it is kind of a big plastic doorstop. Okay, it's not that bad, but it is just a vacuum cleaner, not worth the money at all.

[SadieKate]

Wow, I've had completely the opposite experience. My Dyson is great. Have you called their customer service?

[chickwhorips]

Thanks Bambu!

I heard that too Xeney from someone else. Another reason why I can't justify that much.

[sgtiger]

My experience with any bag-less vacuum has been that they will eventually lose suction. So IMHO it's just not worth the extra money.

[OakLeaf]

I used to have four dogs, all beyond the Rainbow Bridge now :( , but I still have my bagless gear-driven Kenmore upright. The filters definitely need frequent replacement, and they're not cheap, so you definitely don't save any money on bags. But the only reason they lose suction is when the filters get clogged. I really like that vac - picks up everything, and the HEPA filter really works.

[makbike]

Consumer Reports has tagged the Kenmore Progressive with Direct Drive their best buy. Both the bag and baggless versions got high marks. It is on my list of things to purchase this week in fact.

[Running Mommy]

I have a hoover fusion bagless. It's heavier than lead, but it will suck the nails out of the floorboard- and it was cheap. Super cheap. I bought it at wal mart (ohh shudder. Denise shops at wal mart- the horror... Yeah sometimes I do. Please keep any anti wal mart feelings to yourself. No need to rehash that again)
BUT ANYWAY, like I said, it was cheap, and it works fab! I also have an orick. Now ya wanna talk about something that sucks! UGH! That thing is a big ol flamin piece o crap! Totally not worth even remotely what I paid for it. UGH!

[TsPoet]

I don't have any positive advice, but to make you feel better about the Dyson, we hate ours. It was great for a year but it has gradually lost suction, and now it is kind of a big plastic doorstop. Okay, it's not that bad, but it is just a vacuum cleaner, not worth the money at all.

Dyson, Dyson, Dyson - it is well worth the money!!! I've had hoovers and dirt devils and one other brand, the Dyson is well above all of those. Never even knew Kenmore made a vacuum, though.

Xeney - wash yours. Almost all of the Dyson can be taken apart and washed. I have birds and birdseed gets stuck in the vacuum everywhere, so I have to wash mine every few months. If you've got dogs (as your avatar indicates :rolleyes: ), you'll have dog hair and dander in there. There is a part that can't be washed, and it says so right on it. The rest is all plastic and the unit can be broken down and put together fairly easily.

[blueskies]

I've had an Oreck XL for years & years, and it's worked great. I like having the dirt in a bag, cuz I really don't want to be looking at...

[Deanna]

Maybe I'm lazy and have low standards for vacuuming (no kiddies near floor level), but I love my Roomba. They make a pet version, but my regular one picks up plenty of dog hair just fine. I like that it fits under my couches and bed so there's no need to move heavy furniture for dust build up. I LOVE that I can vacuum and ride my bike at the same time. All newlyweds should be given a Roomba so they have one less thing to argue over.

[Beane]

I've borrowed the Dyson animal one, but I can't justify buying a $600 vacuum cleaner.

Thank you!

You can definitely get a new one for less than that.


Wow, I've had completely the opposite experience. My Dyson is great.

.. I too love my Dyson and swear by it.

[sandra]

I had one of the old original Electrolux vacuums for years, but now I have an Oreck. It is light as a feather and easy to push. It felt like a toy and I wasn't sure it really picked up, but it DOES!!! A great job. People order Orecks off of TV all the time to get the free gift for trying it. Many times they return the vacuum and keep the gift. Oreck can't sell the vacuum as brand new even though it practically is. They cut the price to half price.

If you have an Oreck store near you, this is the way I got mine. I love my vacuum.

[Tuckervill]

I swear by Kenmore vacuums. We have had several that lasted for years, including the one we had when we were building the house. It was used for cleaning up sawdust, and picked up a few nails and screws in the process, and never missed a beat! They are also consistently rated at the top of the Consumer Reports ratings.

+1 for the Kenmore.

Consumer Reports says the Dyson and its imitators aren't "all that", either.

I don't like bagless vacuums because when you empty them the dust flies everywhere. I don't need that high of a concentration of allergens in my lungs all at once! The bags for my Kenmore are spendy, but I don't vacuum that much anyway. I use my little portable Shark (electric Bissel type) for quick clean ups.

I LOVE my giant Shop-Vac that picks up 10 penny nails, too. I have a smaller one and a portable one, too.

Oh no. Do I have a vacuum fetish or something? lol.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

OMG. I have a Roomba TOO! I think I need to reevaluate my vacuum habits!

Karen

[snapdragen]

I've got a Dirt Devil Vision that cleans up Chloe fur beautifully.

[Mr. Bloom]

I've not read all the posts...but at home #2, I have one of those Kirby upright bagless vacs. The filters don't last very long and are VERY expensive. Vac is cheap, air filters are off the charts.

Home #1 we have a very expensive Kirby, but it's 20 years old and going strong (and you get a workout everytime you lift it!!).

I'm not advocating the Kirby, but only point is that the filters can cause an inexpensive vac to cost nearly as much as the most expensive one over time...

[LoriO]

I used to think that my Electrolux did an excellent job until I got my Dyson. It put my Electrolux to shame!! Vacummed with my old vacuum first and then the Dyson, you would have though I never vacuumed at all from what the Dyson picked up. I have 2 dogs and 2 cats that shed alot, the Dyson so far wins hands down for picking up the dirt and fur.

If you keep an eye on www.woot.com, they occasionally have then on there for a really good price. Sometimes they are new, sometimes refurbished but still a great deal.

[xeney]

We do wash the Dyson parts, that's what customer service told us to do. It is a pain in the butt -- they need to be washed all the time, and we have had to replace a couple of parts. It also completely destroyed our wool rugs because without the beater bar they don't get clean, but the beater bar just tears them all to hell.

It is a neat machine and we completely loved it at first. It's about three years old now and we have no idea what to do, but we will probably replace it this year with something else.

[OakLeaf]

Roomba is great for daily maintenance, but try vacuuming with a regular vac immediately after the Roomba has run. Use an empty bagless vac or a new bag so you can see what you just sucked up. :eek: You won't rely on the Roomba alone any more, I guarantee.

[SouthernBelle]

I bought a bagless about 2 months ago at K-Mart and so far I'm very happy with it. But it's at home and I'm not so I can't remember what it is. Either a Eureka or Electrolux.

[roadie gal]

I have a rough coat collie (full on Lassie), a smooth coat collie (still sheds a LOT) and 2 cats. I needed a GOOD vacuum. My poor Hoover curled over and died as soon as it saw the dogs. I got the Dyson animal. I love it. It's the only thing that sucks up the fur. About once every month or so I also use some stuff called Zorb that came with the vacuum. It loosens up the hair that's deep in the carpet.

I got mine at Best Buys. It was a lot less than $600. I think it was about $400-something.

[chickwhorips]

Thanks everyone!

Lori thanks for the woot sight, but not sure if they ship to Alaska.

Dyson animal one range between $500-$600 on sale. Welcome to Alaska and the great thing of markups... why? Because they can.

I'll look into the Kenmore one and see if they have it around here somewhere. We do have a Sears and I think they sell those at Sears.

[SouthernBelle]

K-Mart also sells Kenmore now since Sears bought them out.