Do you love your vacuum cleaner? - Page 2

[amber913]

I have a Kirby that's honestly older than I am. And it does the job, considering we have three long-haired people, 2 long-haired cats and one med-haired dog living in the house. But, I'm wondering, have you had your vacuum serviced recently? The repair center I take mine to recommends to do this once a year. Because of the amount of hair my house can accumulate, I do this. You may have a clog or need a new part. Worth checking out if you don't wanna fork over the money for a new one right away. A three-yo vacuum shouldn't be causing you any problems. Plus, repairs and servicing for my vacuum have never been expensive (and I'm cheap; I won't pay a lot for anything!). Just a thought.

[sophiesgrandma]

I absolutely love my hoover windtunnel upright. It was in the 200-300 range from sears. It has all kinds of attachments that get into the tightest corners and it has amazing suction. It can do steps, upholstry and drapes. Just everything and I love it.
I had a much more expensive oreck for many years and it was a good machine but the hoover upright is excellent at a very good price.

[sparkprincess]

We just got a Dyson - the Animal. I really like it. I love:
1. Great suction
2. Can go between hard flooring and carpet with the turn of a knob
3. The hose is attached
4. The hose is clear so you can spot clogs if they happen
5. Never have to replace the filter
6. The hose is long enough that you can place the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs and vacuum up - no dragging the canister behind you
7. All the attachments are stored right on the vacuum, in easy reach
8. The cord is nice and long

I've also heard good things about the Rainbow, Kirby and the Kenmore canister Vac.

I think you should think about the things YOU really want/need in a vacuum and then go from there. For us, we really needed a vac that went from hard flooring to carpet with the flick of a switch - our old Shark had a separate attachment. That got old quick. We also have 2 flights of stairs that need vacuuming so carrying the canister around got old quickly, too. Also could not stand the fact that I had to turn the Shark off and open it up to get the attachment heads, plus stop to take off the big head to put the little attachments on the hose. Whew! It was just a lot of work! Plus the sucking power was terrible.

So all in all I guess I'm saying that even longevity isn't always the most important factor - you have to know what you need and the best vac to meet those needs. The Shark ended up being great for my brother who lives in an apt, but for us it was a real pain in the neck!!

Good luck!

[BookGoddess]

We have a Dyson Animal too. I love it. It really picks up all the pet hair trapped in the carpet from our two indoor pets. I used to sneeze a lot frequently when I was at home but since we got the Dyson I don't do that anymore. I feel good about letting DD sit and roll on the carpet now esp since we don't wear shoes indoor in Hawaii.

The Dyson is pricey ($500 or so) but worth it. We got ours on sale at Sears. We've had the Dyson for over two years. It hasn't fallen apart so far like so many of the other vacuums I've had.

[Lisoula]

We have a Royal. I don't know the model # or anything, but I adore it. It's the best vacuum we've ever had. It looks super old-fashioned, but it works soooooo well.

I think most vacuum/sewing machine places carry them...you'd just have to google it. We have the burgundy one...I think they're the same colors as they were when we got it. (In 2000)

[Mama Dragon]

Kirby. The only bad thing about them is their price and weight. If you get one, you'll likely never buy another vacuum again though. It can do everything - carpet, shampoo, hard floors, upholstery, pet hair, everything. My sister has had hers for around 25 years and it's not slowing down. Mine is 4-5 years old and I it!

[LionTigerBear]

Wow, thanks everyone, I have a lot to think about!

A PP asked if we had had our current vaccum servicved and the answer is no. It's actually much newer than 3yo if you consider that for over a year we lived with the in-laws and used their vacuum. It started breaking in little annoying ways after we'd had it about a year (like the handle started to fall off-- nice--) but it was only a $40 vaccuum so that's to be expected I suppose. I guess that's why we never got it serviced, we'd rather just replace it than put more money into it.

Some of these vaccums sound really nice-- The Rainbow would make a lot of sense if we had a lot of carpet-- but I think we are leaning towards finding an an apartment with mostly hard floors and then when we have a house we will do the same, so I'm not sure if that is the best investment for us. I am going to have to do some more research. Thank you to everyone who has weighed in here, it helps!

[janerose]

OK, here's my personal & professional (former housekeeper) position -- can the upright vacs. Seriously, unless you're dishing over mucho $$$ for a Kirby or something they're just not worth it. And even a Kirby doesn't work as well on hard floors as a canister vac does. You really, really need a hard floor attachment (ie: a seperate head with bristles but w/o the big beater bar) to get non-carpet surfaces well. Also, I really, really dislike bagless vacs. If you have any allergies at all bagless is not the way to go.

Now, depending on your budget I'd recommend 1 of 2 vacs:

Higher price: Electrolux canister. These things are awesome. My Gram is still using the one she bought in the 50's! My Mom has two -- one for the basement that is older than I am (so like 32) and a newer one that she uses in her main house. They don't cost anymore than a Kirby, hold up well, are relatively easy to get parts for, and most importantly they WORK.

Lower price: Kenmore canister vac from Sears. I'm on my 2nd one of these in 10 years. My first was purchased at an auction & we used it for 8 years before it died on us. Got a new one last Christmas & don't plan on having to get another for several years. Mine has a HEPA filter & great dustless bags. It came with the power attachement to do furniture & stairs with. This is the one I have:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

We have 99% hard floors (DD's room is carpet & some throw rugs) & the hard floor attachment works works really well. I've even been passibly happy with the way the power head does the floors, which is more than I can say for any upright I've tried.

HTH & good luck!

Holly

[oneKnight]

I have a Eureka commercial vacuum. It does nothing but vacuum floors (no fancy PLASTIC attachments). It's mostly metal parts, each part is replaceable, and it's very simple to work on. I have to remove all my looooong hair from the brush roller but it is an easy vacuum to work with and otherwise trouble free.

[georgia]

We have a central vac---I can't say enough about how cool it is . When we move, I'm getting a Miele canister though

[Stone Fence]

I have a Kenmore Progressive. Looove it!

[mamasaurus]

Originally Posted by LionTigerBear

Wow, thanks everyone, I have a lot to think about!

but I think we are leaning towards finding an an apartment with mostly hard floors and then when we have a house we will do the same, so I'm not sure if that is the best investment for us.

Since you are thinking of hardwood floors - I just got a Roomba, and I love the thing. It's the robot vacuum, KWIM? Here's a link: http://www.irobot.com/sp.cfm?pageid=122

I've been thinking about getting one of these for a while, and Costco had them a couple weeks ago, so I just did it. It works well on hard surface floors and low carpets, and that is just what we have.

The thing I like about them is the time-saving aspect to cleaning - you just pick up your floor, turn this thing on, and away it goes. I have a busy life (like anyone), and not having to vacuum is WONDERFUL!

I still need to get into nooks and crannies with my vacuum hose (I have an Electrolux), but that is no big deal compared to having to vacuum the entire house.

[new to natural]

Am I too late to chime in?

Wanting a Dyson, but not having the money to spend, I tried to pick something similiar (bagless was top priority) and ended up with a Hoover Fusion. When I used it for the first time, it sucked up so much dirt and cat hair you'd think I had never vacuumed. I love it! And it was only about $100 at Walmart (eek) and the filter is washable!

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=3922205

[MommyErin]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

The Dyson is pricey ($500 or so) but worth it. We got ours on sale at Sears. We've had the Dyson for over two years. It hasn't fallen apart so far like so many of the other vacuums I've had.

I LOVE my Dyson too. And I got the animal one for $399 at Bed, Bath and Beyond with my 20% discount coupon. They mail them out quite a bit (they also take coupons from Linens & Things) or there is one in the Entertainment Book.

FWIW, I used to have a Rainbow but I love my Dyson so much better. The Rainbow worked really well but it was such a hassle to use and store.