Way OT... vacuum cleaners

[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.

[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.

[jeannierides]

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

[OakLeaf]

Kenmore Progressive 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-U5140-9...0511865&sr=8-1