Way OT... vacuum cleaners

[jeannierides]

Well, my vacuum blew up the other day:eek: when I was in the middle of cleaning around the fireplace. Needless to say, it was one unholy mess!:( So now I'm in search of a new one. Don't want to spend a fortune, but want something that will work. What do you use? I have carpet and stairs to maneuver (something that was barely possible with the cheap upright that I had)... any thoughts?

TIA... jeannie

[Irulan]

Kenmore cannisters. They work great, and are bombproof. I prefer a cannister with a hose because I think they are much more versatile for stairs, cars, drapes and anything else.

[Aggie_Ama]

+1 for a cannister with stairs. We have an upright (heck if I know which one DH vacuums) and it is heavy. I was a big fan of my friends Dyson when she lived with us but dang those are pricey!

[sgtiger]

Now that we have stairs, the upright we have is a PITA. Stair cleaning is currently a two person affair.

[kermit]

I have two houses and two vacuums. A Hoover with bag, upright and a dirt devil upright. Fortunately both houses are one story and no more stairs. I did get the coolest little tool with my dirt devil, a power brush. It attaches to the hose and spins with brushes, great for cars, stairs, and heavy fabric, especially with three dogs. Happy hunting!

[ilima]

Kenmore cannisters. They work great, and are bombproof. I prefer a cannister with a hose because I think they are much more versatile for stairs, cars, drapes and anything else.

Mine started to die just after the 1-year warranty ran out. I will never buy a Kenmore vacuum again. I'll spring for a Miele, which has a 10 year warranty.

I went for the Kenmore because it had an awesome powered (electric not air like most) hand brush that was great for vacuuming up pet hair on my sofa. If you go with Kenmore definitely buy the extended warranty.

[Irulan]

Mine started to die just after the 1-year warranty ran out. I will never buy a Kenmore vacuum again. I'll spring for a Miele, which has a 10 year warranty.

I went for the Kenmore because it had an awesome powered (electric not air like most) hand brush that was great for vacuuming up pet hair on my sofa. If you go with Kenmore definitely buy the extended warranty.

that's too bad. I got about 15 years out of my first one, and I must be going on 8 or 9 at least with the current one.

[LoriO]

DYSON!!! Especially if you have any pets. I bought one a few years ago and it put even my Electrolux to shame when it came to gettting up dirt and pet hair. Most come with a long (14 foot I think) hose that will reach all the way up the stairs and they all usually come with the mini turbine head which is perfect for doing stairs. It's a shame you need one right away becuase woot.com occassionally has refurbs on there for a killer price which is where I got mine.

Good luck with shopping.

[OakLeaf]

Kenmore Progressive (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02036933000P?vName=For+the+Home&cName=Vacuum+Cleaners+%26+Floor+Care&sName=Upright+Vacuums) gear-driven bagless upright. Ours came with an extension hose (if it doesn't come with, an accessory extension hose is available) so stairs are no more problem than they would be with a canister vac. The hose is only long enough to do half the stairs, so we do have to carry the unit up or down in the middle of the job... but we'd have to move it up or down to do the whole house anyway, so no biggie.

Cleans great, HEPA filter really works. (Don't plan on saving any money by going bagless though, since the filters are pretty expensive.) The only dings I'd give it is (1) the accessory scrubber is air-driven, so it doesn't work all that wonderfully, and (2) the dirt sensor frequently gets "stuck" on a bit of dust or hair that's stuck in the wrong place.

And they're on sale now.

ETA: we have two, one's 5 years old and the other I think 7, and they've been great, no problems.

[malkin]

My Miele is fantastic; it cleans impecably and runs quietly. I got ticked at paying $3 for each bag, so we ripped out the carpet and got a Dyson Slim which can get about halfway through our 1000 sq ft, dust and pet filled paradise before needing a shake to empty it.

I am doubly blessed in the vacuum dept.
Alas (or fortunately) there is so much stuff here that it is sometimes difficult to get to the floor.

[cobalt]

consumer reports had a list of top to bottom and we were surprised that an inexpensive vac was near the top of the list.

It is the Hoover Tempo, 4.5 out of 5 stars and beat many models that were hundreds.

It's works great and has bags which we wanted for allergies.

Also, it's not heavy. We found it in stock at Best Buy and Home Depot but it can be hard to find.

http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-U5140-900-Widepath-Bagged-Upright/dp/B0009ONZ8G/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1230511865&sr=8-1

[Mr. Bloom]

DYSON!!!


Bad Reviews from CR. What cobalt said, BUT, if you've decided on a canister, Recommended Canisters include (I think from most expensive to least):

Kenmore Intuition
Electrolux Oxygen
Kenmore Progressive
Hoover Windtunnel Bagless
Hoover Duros

[Tuckervill]

I'm a Consumer Reports gal all the way I had the recommended Kenmore upright (with bags) that worked GREAT, until my husband used it without a bag in it (oops). Something got in the motor and it didn't work anymore. Out of warranty, of course. I went and got a new generation of the same model, and I like it better. The hose is on board on the new model, not an extra like the old one.

I use vacs with bags because I hate emptying the bagless ones! Too dusty.

I know people who love their canisters, too, but I don't. Canisters are good for wood floors, and if you have furniture that you like to vac under.

Karen

[msincredible]

Well I am a fan of my Dyson too, it does great with the dog hair here. Not cheap for sure though.

[fidlfreek]

Don't feel like you have to get a new one. I bought an old Kirby (80s maybe?) and the thing it built like a tank and sucks way better than anything plastic. I also buy hypoallergenic bags that are pricey but help. Oh, and I got it at a garage sale. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

[Becky]

I use a Kenmore Progressive upright bagged vacuum. My allergies don't permit the use a bagless model 'cuz of the dust cloud during emptying. I buy the HEPA bags on Ebay for ~$1 apiece, rather than the ~$4 that Sears charges.

It was CR's #2 choice about 4 years ago, and it's holding up like a champ.

[OakLeaf]

Just FWIW, I'm allergic to just about every inhalant there is, and I was a little worried about getting a bagless vac, but actually I've found it to be MUCH "safer." Yeah, there's a minute or two of emptying it, but you do that outside (and if you put the filter deep into your garbage bag during emptying, which you want to do anyway, hardly any dust escapes). There's definitely no "dust cloud" unless it's really windy AND you're being sloppy.

Every vacuum we've had with bags, even with the supposedly HEPA bags, just spewed dust all over the house after it was a year or two old, because there's always an unfiltered unwashable exhaust channel, plus the flexible bags just don't filter as well as a much thicker exhaust filter.

[xeney]

Nothing sucks like a Dyson. Heh. But ours has not held up well at all. It's about five years old and we've had to replace a couple of parts that broke, including that fabulous long hose -- and the replacement hose is awful and comes off all the time. It's pretty much unusable. We have to clean that filter that you are only supposed to need to clean once a decade or so at least once a month, and we've replaced it three times (it is never supposed to need replacement, which begs the question of why they sell replacements). And the Dyson is ruining all of our rugs because it pulls the fibers out ... we should not vacuum those rugs with the beater bar, but without the beater bar it does not pick up dog hair.

It is still a thousand times better than the Hoover piece of junk it replaced, and at twice the price it has lasted five times as long, so I guess that's a bargain. We are going to replace it soon and even with all the problems will probably buy another Dyson.

(We have three dogs, two cats, a man with hair down to his butt, and an extraordinarily dusty house ... but also hardwood floors that we mostly sweep, and only two big area rugs.)

[jeannierides]

Thanks for all your good suggestions! I'm going to check out a few today!

[fastdogs]

Dyson slim here. Not too bad if you get it at bed bath and beyond with the 20% off, plus I had some other discount at the time.
I like the bagless as well, I just empty if far down in the trash and don't get a cloud. I have an older oreck too, and it's fantastic on carpets and very lightweight, but not so good on bare floors, it just throws stuff around (I think all vacuums with the brush throw things around on bare floors, but the oreck seems worse than the others I've used).
Mostly bare floors with some throw rugs, four short haired dogs, and two short haired guys (one's 5, the other's 48)
vickie

[tulip]

I loved my Electrolux Oxygen, but I don't have it anymore (nothing to do with the vac). I will get another one as soon as my budget allows. I have a cheapo upright bagless that does a fair job but I hate emptying the bagless vacs.

My mother has a Miele that she adores (she has three cats and three dogs). It's pricey, but she's had it for 15 years and it still works like new.

[Irulan]

Dyson slim here. Not too bad if you get it at bed bath and beyond with the 20% off, plus I had some other discount at the time.
I like the bagless as well, I just empty if far down in the trash and don't get a cloud. I have an older oreck too, and it's fantastic on carpets and very lightweight, but not so good on bare floors, it just throws stuff around (I think all vacuums with the brush throw things around on bare floors, but the oreck seems worse than the others I've used).
Mostly bare floors with some throw rugs, four short haired dogs, and two short haired guys (one's 5, the other's 48)
vickie


We pulled up about 1800 square feet of carpet and have hardwood laminate now. I picked up a little "pronto" rechargeable vac at Costco. It works great on the hardwood. That, combined with a microfiber dust mop for the fines, is how I keep my hardwood clean. (OMG, i LOVE not having carpet anymore)

[sundial]

Jeannie, I highly recommend a canister vac since you have stairs. My vote would be a Kenmore.

I don't really care to go by CR because the last few purchases that were highly rated by CR turned out to be a bust with our household. Instead, read the reviews by actual customers. They offer the best, and most objective, opinions. :)

Personally, I have a Dyson Animal that I purchased in '04. I use it almost daily since I have 2 german shedders. So far I've replaced the hose and a drapery tool. I will need to replace the beater brush soon as it's not picking up things as well. Other than that, I really have no complaints about the vacuum. :)

[7rider]

We just joined the Dyson cult, having picked one (the DC-14 slim) up cheaply at Tuesday Morning. We sold a Hoover bagged upright on Craigslist and are trying to sell a Dirt Devil bagless currently. (Anyone in the D.C. area wanna buy a vacuum...cheap??) Both were okay, but I found them both to be stinky.
The best thing about the Dyson is that DH thinks the engineering is soooo nifty and has soooo many well thought out details, that HE is doing the vacuuming!!! :eek::D Yay!!!! Sure, hon...Have at it. Use that Dyson for all it's worth! Have fun, too. :p

[DebTX]

The best thing about the Dyson is that DH thinks the engineering is soooo nifty and has soooo many well thought out details, that HE is doing the vacuuming!!! :p

There are many different reasons to buy a device- but this is my favorite thus far!

[jeannierides]

There are many different reasons to buy a device- but this is my favorite thus far!

I would have to agree, but since that isn't an option in my house (I live alone!), I have to count on being able to use it myself!

I don't think, at this time, I'm willing to spend in excess of $400 on a vacuum! A canister seems to be the ticket, now to just figure out which one!:rolleyes: I have no pets (other than my grand-cat, Junior, who visits sometimes), just the carpet and stairs.

[xeney]

The best thing about the Dyson is that DH thinks the engineering is soooo nifty and has soooo many well thought out details, that HE is doing the vacuuming!!!

Yep, I had the same thing happen. Of course there are now all these rules about when it needs to be cleaned, the proper way to use it, etc., so I mostly stay out of the vacuuming.

But if I had stairs and did not have 42 pets and a pile of dust in my basement, I would buy a Kenmore canister. And I never trust Consumer Reports anymore, I'm sorry to say.