A New Vacuum?

[ceeveg]

We haven't purchased a vacuum since 1996 or so, and are in the market again. We'd like one that is upright, has attachments, and is bagless. We're hoping for one sub-$200, but if it's over that, and it is sturdy and will last, then we will definitely consider it. What are your recommendations?

We have tile, hardwood, and carpeting in our home, and our house is only about 860 sf.

Thank you!

[cristeen]

How much is hard surface and how much is carpet? We have the same materials, but the bulk of the house is hard w carpet in 1 room. It does make a difference in the type of vacuum. Uprights are not suitable for hard surfaces, so if most of your house is hard, i would rec not getting an upright. But most canisters can't handle carpet, so if most of your house is carpet, then you want an upright.

Most vacuums in that price range are disposable. They're just not built/meant to last. Pretty much any vacuum you can buy at Target is going to last 5 yrs, tops. If you want a reliable machine, haunt the vac shops in your area and realize you're going to have to spend a bit more.

Probably the most common names you might run into are Kirby, Miele and Riccar. We love our Riccar, which we've had about a year now. But all 3 are good, reliable, and pricey.

[ChristyMarie]

Mine recently died and I decided I was done with the vacuum game. I went to Walmart and bought one for $70. It works. When it dies I will not be upset.

The best one I ever had was a refurbished professional one I bought at a vacuum repair shop.

[Mama Mko]

We have a Dyson and have had it for like 7 years. I absolutely love it and it was worth the price. It dealt with 2 Saint Bernards and 4 cats. I love this vacuum.

[Drummer's Wife]

I think the miele's sound really nice - but pricey! I would probably save up to buy one of those, if we didn't have a central vacuum system.

[ChetMC]

Miele

We have a Miele. It's fantastic. They are expensive, but Costco has them right now for a very good price.

[feminist~mama]

Love my Dyson- but more $$ than you were wanting to spend...

[ChristyMarie]

Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife

I think the miele's sound really nice - but pricey! I would probably save up to buy one of those, if we didn't have a central vacuum system.

I have a central vacuum system and I find it to be a royal PITA. I use it for the stairs but I use a regular vacuum for the rest of the house. It does work really well but man, I just cannot stand it.

[allnaturalmom]

I can highly recommend the Bissell. It is a sturdy upright but works well on both the hardwood and the carpet because it has a separate button that turns off the brushes for the hardwood. Once you get over how heavy it is, it is awesome! Great attachments... one even has the rotating brushes, so it's a smaller version of the bigger vacuum head. The cord is long, it's got the fancy filters, and it's bag-less. Oh, and the wheels are rubberized so they don't scratch the hardwood floors. IIRC, dh ordered it from BBB w/a coupon, and picked it up at the store to avoid shipping charges (I don't know if they do that anymore.)

When we first started searching, we went to a B&M store to try various vacuums out, fully expecting to like the dyson. To our surprise, this bissell model picked up the dirt the dyson left behind (sorry, I know there are some really big dyson fans here).

OK, I just checked... It is the Bissell Healthy Home 5770 and it's blue. Sorry, I don't remember how much we paid.

gl
hth

[Drummer's Wife]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie

I have a central vacuum system and I find it to be a royal PITA. I use it for the stairs but I use a regular vacuum for the rest of the house. It does work really well but man, I just cannot stand it.

I thought maybe you had one . It can be annoying at times, but overall I really like it. My mom hates using it when she is over, since the hose is heavy and cumbersome. What I wish is that we had retractable hoses in the wall. Or a least two sets of hoses so I wouldn't have to lug it up the stairs.

[hhurd]

I like my Dyson. It cost $300, but it doesn't need bags or new filters, so you save $$$ over the long run.

[just_lily]

We have a Dyson Animal and I luuuuurve it as well. And it is purple! LOL

We have mainly hard floors as well, but the Dyson has a seperate floor attachment.

We also have central vac and I hate it. To be fair, the unit is probably from the 70s though. Maybe I would like it more if we updated it, but I love my Dyson too much. I have seen in some show homes (we go for fun) central vacs that have openings near the floor that you can sweep into. Now that would be awesome because I tend to sweep my hard floors more often then I vaccuum them.