Time for a new vacuum cleaner

[ltljohn]

In no particular order

My requirements are:

Hardwood floor and carpet capability

Attachments to clean the stairs etc.

Bagless preferred but not necessary

Easy to maneuver

Edge cleaner

Durability

Price is not a big factor (within reason)

So what do you have and what do you like/dislike about it.

Thanks in advance

John

[Guest Kakugo]

Only one answer for you: Dyson.

I am sure there are many other excellent brands out there but no vacuum cleaner we've owned has ever come close to Dyson in all departments. I have a big industrial vacuum cleaner at work which is nowhere near as good as our smallish Dyson.

The only problem I've had is filters (they are washable but wear out after so many cycles) are almost unavailable here but eBay took care of that...

 

[T.M. Roe]

We have a Dyson Animal DC-28.

Great vac, crappy hose. Its toast way too early. They are only 25 bucks on e bay but they should last longer than a year. FYI the hose was also so stiff when new that it was difficult to use. I was aware of the stiff hose issue before the purchase but not the early failure. I have 30 year old Kenmore that still has a servisable hose.

[TeSmSp]

We have a Dyson DC-25 from Costco. No regrets.

[markgoodrich]

I have a view contrary to the Dysonists: go to ebay and search for Filter Queen, buy a really good one in good condition for a few hundred bucks. It will last you the rest of your life, works at least as well as any other vacuum, and much better than most. Bagless (for more than 50 years), triple air filtration, picks up everything, is quiet, yadda.... I bought one 25 years ago at a garage sale. It was at least 30 years old when I bought it. I bought a "new" one on ebay a few years ago...more suction out of the same basic design. Look for the Majestic model. These things go for more than a grand, new.

[Roadwolf]

Dyson DC-25. We have had ours 2 years and it is still sucking : )

 

 

[moshe_levy]

Another vote for Dyson. Don't you know how versatile they are? (As usual, all the best commercials aren't shown here.)

 

-MKL

[mrzoom]

OK, Dyson is good, I have two older ones DC 25 and DC 28 both animals. We have a GSD and I use them 3-4 times a week.I am amazed at how much fine gray dust and fur they pick up. The new model DC 41 combine these two with great suction and ball steering.

Bagless is good but you really have to clean the bins every 3 uses to get max performance. I use compressed air and then a hot wash.Filters last but the fine grey dirty here clogs the small holes in the dust bin. Yes I had problem with hose but was covered under warr. which is 2 yrs.

Nothing wrong with bag type so your pref.

Now want the last American made vacuum?? Ck out Simplicity.Made in St. James MO. A good unit with reasonable prices.

St. James has the" Vacuum Cleaner Museum "at the Simplicity factory run by a vacuum nut case by the name of Tom. He personally owns 560 units of all types from the pump style of the 1890"s on up. All displayed in era correct room settings. You will find your Grandmother's vacuum there.

What ever you buy remember to keep it clean and I mean clean on the inside.

At the present time I have 18 vacuums of all different brands, Hoover, Bissell, Orick, Electrolux,Dyson,Kenmore and more ready to sell at our yearly garage sale. What's left we donate to a battered womens and children shelter and start over each year. I find them cast aside on the curb because people are too lazy or don't know how to clean then change the belts bags or filters. Most have clogged hoses with crayons bits of paper pencils, drywall you name it. These are house vacuums not shop vacs. Belts twice a year improves performance too.

Pick a good one, read the owners manual, keep it clean and it will work for a long time.

[Jerry Johnston]

We have a Dyson DC17 that we bought approx. 7 years ago. I took it apart and cleaned it up a year ago and it still amazes me how much it picks up every time we vacuum. If it were a bag type vac the bag would have to be changed every time we vacuum. Also have a DC14 that I picked up from Good Will for $30. Once I cleaned it up I gave our bag type vacuums to the animal shelter. If we were buying a new vac it would be another Dyson. I don't feel that way about their hand held battery op unit. It didn't have any more suction than many other hand held cordless units.

[Albert]

We have a Dyson DC40 that has failed to impress. Constantly have to run over small items numerous times to pick them up. Frankly our old K mart Hoover was as good. YMMV

[Mike]

Many speak highly of Miele. We now own three Dysons, the most recent of which is a DC40. I've been very happy with all of them. I have two criticisms of the DC40, though. First, the power cord should be longer; another 5-10' would make it much more usable. Second, the accessory hose is crazy stiff, making it hard to maneuver the cleaning attachments. However, it picks up tons of dirt and dog hair, really leaving our floors clean. I give it a "thumbs up."

[philbytx]

Dyson!

We bought our DC07 11 years ago and all I've done is regular cleaning maintenance on it. As far as parts go, the only parts I've replaced are a small flexible hose at the beater end plus I bought a new filter. They are easy to obtain online.

That's it.....it could suck chrome from a hitch ball !

 

We have both tile and carpet floors in the house and it does a great job.

[Albert]

Based on all the rave reviews here I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the one we have.

[Mike]

Based on all the rave reviews here I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the one we have.

 

Let's see if we can troubleshoot this. First, do you know where the power switch is located?

[Albert]

Based on all the rave reviews here I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the one we have.

 

Let's see if we can troubleshoot this. First, do you know where the power switch is located?

 

Damn, that could explain its whisper quiet operation. I think I may have the bag in wrong too.

[mrzoom]

Are you sure it is plugged in ??, this is a common problem. How is your weather?? Thank you for calling.

[lkraus]

Our Dyson DC-17 Animal is about 13 years old and still sucks pretty well. We've replaced two beater bars (brushes worn out), hose (pulled out of plastic fitting) and one dusting brush(broke at swivel joint). Accessory use requires reconfiguring hose and extension tube and has always been a bit of a pain; Dyson has changed this, may be easier now. It's too high to vacuum under furniture or the kitchen cabinets - requires using the attachments. Suction on the hose while using the accessories can cause the unit to fall over. I think the plastic is getting brittle with age as small bits are now breaking off. Last time it fell over a quarter sized hole appeared in the cyclone portion, now patched with a piece of packing tape. We've relegated it to the less used basement and have a Shark Rotator ($200 on sale) for upstairs. The Shark has more suction, fits everywhere and the accessories are very easy to change and use. Though the brush seems a bit narrower and the cord is shorter than the Dyson, I think it may be a better value - time will tell..

[racer7]

None of the above!

 

Any modern vacuum works well enough. The real issues for use if you want an all purpose one are light weight and a long enough hose- your spouse can't 1 arm a Dyson, Panasonic, Hoover or any other modern brand to clean high or dust even if you can. Dysons are quite heavy but so are many others.

 

You'll probably want to get a vacuum shop to make you a long extra hose and maybe even install a longer cord. A 30 ft cord and a 20 ft hose will allow you to park the vacuum when using it for stuff other than floors. Though some machines have long enough cords, the typical thing has a 6-10 ft hose and a 20 ft cord which are not adequate unless you live in something tiny like a trailer or doublewide.

 

Better yet, get a place with a good central vac system- no heavy motors to tote- just the hose and whatever head you have on it- yes, power heads are commonly used on central vacs- they've got the power wiring in the hose connection.

Put an outlet in the garage if not already there. Once you use a central vac you won't want to go back to other stuff.

 

Also, the dustiest room in any house is the bedroom. All those shed skin cells- which promotes dust mites to which some are allergic (actually to their feces). A robot vacuum can do your bedroom floor every day with no effort if you wish- I set mine for 3X per week. Yes they work well and are decently reliable these days- get the mid priced IRobot model that is current.

 

Electrolux used to make some very good bristle brushes that are excellent for dusting- way better than the cheap poly brushes that come with all machines these days. Good vacuum shops might still have them.