Recommendations for a new vacuum?

[Tinker]

I desperately need a new sweeper. Most of my carpets are Berber, with a few oriental area rugs. It is just dh & me, but we have 2 large dogs, so lots of hair. Living in the country, we track in lots of dust & dirt.

I have researched, and found that Dyson makes an excellent vacuum for pet hair, but I will not spend $500 on something that is going to make me work. I do think I want a bagless, with a heppa filter. Does anyone have a recommendation in the $200.00 price range?

Thanks!

[rio002]

We recently got a new vaccum and it is Wonderful, it's a Eureka Power Plus bagless with the Hepa filters, I think there is 3 of them. It picks up Everything and makes our 20+ year old carpet look great, it actually looks like I vaccum now lol. We bought it at Kmart for $89, I think it comes with all the filters, and the cost to replace the big Hepa filter is about $25, but I just buy the refills for a like brand and trim to fit for about $9.99. BTW I couldn't believe how much it picked up the first vaccum--our old vaccum was a bag variety--Hoover-- and the bag wouldn't fill up for a few months, but this new one picks up so much more I average emptying the canister twice through vaccuming, which is a pain but the fact the carpet is cleaner I don't mind at all. We also have a 6 year old boy and 7 indoor/outdoor dogs, so it works wonders on dog hair and cat hair (we only have 3 of those lol)

[fordy]

.................First off a vacuum cleaner , that really works is NOT available for 200 , in my opinion . What you want is around 400 or so . A year ago I two , was looking for a "Real" vacuum cleaner and I found whai I wanted . It is made by Electrolux , Pro Force 1400 , Dual Motor : 1 motor for suction with bag , and another for the rotating the wheel to "stirup" the dust\hair\trash on the floor or in the carpet . The Pro Force will pickup the Dog hair that my Akita shedds twice ayear with no jamming and NO leftover items in the carpet . It also came a with a 50 foot cord . BEST vacuum cleaner I've ever owned , NOT cheap but it really works . This machine doesn't have a hepa filter but frankly it Works and I quit worrying about that factor . Don't know about the Dyson, but I'll just bet it Won't work as Good as The Electrolux . Find a vacuum cleaner store that carries the Pro Team cleaners and simply ask them for a demonstration and MAKE them Prove the Effectiveness of their Product . Or , ask to borrow a Demo model that you could take home for a day and Try it Out . fordy..

[baysidebunny]

I've heard that the Orek is good. I had a friend who raved about it.

I have a Hoover. It's what all the hotels use.
If it's good enough for cleaning a hotel, it's good enough for my home.

Whatever you do, DON'T buy a Rainbow!!!
We spent 1,200.00 on one in 1995 and I burnt the motor out twice!
Before we purchased it, I warned the salesman that I vacuume every day..sometimes twice
and he assured me that it would last a life time.
Oh yeah, right. It lasted another year. (3 years total) before it burned out again.
after that, I threw it in the trash!

[crashy]

I have the $500.00 vaccume cleaner by dyson I love it!!Purple who can beat that my fav color!! I have 3 big dogs and I vac everyday it picks up the hair really well its not too loud like some and its not heavy. My mom has that tornado thing and when I vac her house I complain the whole time. The dyson is ergonomic where I know hers is not. I bought a GE a few years back too and for our house it was junk...so I say spend the money and get the best you can.

[comfortablynumb]

i have a 125 bux eureka whirlwind, its a pretty good sweeper so far.

now my mom decided she had had enough plastic sweepers and bought a good all aluminum kirby with all the nifty attachments to do everything..... now that thing really works great.
it was 1400 bucks it better... lol

my 125 buk eureka keeps the carpets clean, and the bagless can is easy to clean. Ive had dozens of sweepers this un is the best ive gotten so far.

[pinemead]

I have a Bissell Cleanview. It's bagless and I'll never buy another one. With 2 dogs, 2 cats and lots of sand and dirt, the 3 filters have to be washed constantly and the cup emptied every few minutes. I've heard good things about the Dyson, though, but I think I'll just go for a bag type.

[Ed in S. AL]

We just bought the Bissel Clearview Bagless, with the Hepa filters. I could not believethe stuff this thing sucked out of the carpet after the first run. I think we spent about $89 on it at Home Depot.

[punkrockpilot]

I used to sell and repair Vacuums, you can not go wrong with a Panasonic upright. Get the cheapest one you can find that has a metal base plate. Hepa is a load of pucky, just get normal bags and vacuum often.

[owhn]

re vacuums

After taking a shower, I would walk on the carpets and dog hair would stick to my toeos. UGH! After killing a variety of vacuum cleaners over the years (my ex wife got the electrolux) I finally decided that more upfront$ was ok, if it lasted longer than 6 months to a year!

So, Happy, Happy am I with my $400 yellow Dyson (I think there are three colors with three prices... NO technical differences). Like my Big KitchenAid mixer, a GREAT long term machine. I FINALLY vacuumed up 3 years of dog hair that was killing all the other machines!


SUPER easy to clean, I LIKE to do it! (psh Dump!)
NO Bags

Owhn

[mightybooboo]

We bought the cheapest dirt devil with hepa filter.The only thing wrong with it is the noise,its very loud.We vacuumed with the old machine first,then the new one.Couldnt believe how much dirt the new one trapped.Just pull out the filter and bang it on the wall,dirt flies out and you are ready to go.Got 2 years on the filter now and it is trapping great,bought a new filter after 1 year and havent even needed it yet.
Not the best beater bar in the world,could be stronger,but for 79 bux or so,it cant be beat.Will never have a vacuum without hepa again,it traps everything,house just feels cleaner than ever.Essential if you have allergies.

BooBoo

[Ole Man Legrand]

35 years ago I put in a central vacuum system from sears, in all that time I had to replace the electric motor brushes once and the electric motor once. Dw really loves it.

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by punkrockpilot

Hepa is a load of pucky, just get normal bags and vacuum often.

I strongly disagree.Hepa will trap particles fine as talcum,a traditoinal bag will not.Ive seen it in action to know thats true.I also work with hepa filters and they will filter TB.Like to see a regular bag do that,not likely.Heck,dust mites just blow thru a regular bag,not thru a hepa.Knocked the socks out of my allergies going Hepa,used to be a real problem before.When pollen season starts,the dirt is yellow in the hepa machine,was brown in the old.Allergies mostly gone,98% better I would say,all thanks to HEPA.

IMHO,YMMV

BooBoo

[Shepherd]

Just about a year ago, we finally bought a new vacuum - a Hoover PowerMax with "allergy filtration" filter... I honestly cannot remember for certain if it's considered a Hepa filter or not. We were thrilled with how well it worked. But keep in mind, we were dealing with a much older vacuum that no longer did a good job and hadn't for a couple of years. Anything would have been an improvement at that point.

I've been pretty happy with it until just recently - and now I'm very disappointed... but we've only changed the belts as needed, never the filter yet. And the belt could be slipping... maybe it's time for another belt, I'll try getting DH to replace that tonight or tomorrow to see if that's all that's needed. The "allergy filtration" filter replacements at the store, were around $25-28 when we bought the vacuum. I thot that was insane, but... guess we don't have a choice. And my idea that "maybe I could just wash it out" didn't last long when I realized it appeared to be made of some type of filter. So much for the "bagless" theory, LOL.

[MaKettle]

I've got a hoover Wind Tunnel, about $150 or so, and about 5 years old. It outcleaned the old vac. But...it is heavy. In order to vacuum the lady bugs off the walls and ceilings, I have to lift it up with one hand and direct the nozzle with the other since the hose is too short. It is black, so replacing the belt and other bits and pieces is difficult. The attachments would never stay in their slots, and need to be carried in pockets. It is held together with duct tape, since bits and peices have broken off, screws lost, etc. Would not get another one.

Consumers Reports recommends the Eureka Boss Smart Vac Ultra 4870 as their Best Buy out of 34 tested. Might pay to check out what they have to say.

S-I-L has an Oreck and swears by it. CR states it is light weight, but does not clean as well as one would hope for $400.

Would love to be able to take a machine home for a trial before buying it.

[65284]

We have a Rainbow, bought it used about 25 years ago. My wife loves it, no bags, just dump the dirty water and rinse it out. Easy to use and clean up. I think new ones are pretty expensive, but we see used ones go fairly cheap, and parts and service are readily available.

[motivated]

I go thru vaccums at an alarming rate for some reason. Last fall I went to an Oreck store and tried one out and bought it. The reason-Stairs in the house this baby weighs 8 lbs, picks up the nap of the carpet great. I dont have to fight it, it lowers under furniture well. The warranty is 8 years with free annual servicing. We have 2 cats.Also got a nice free cordless iron and cannister vaccum with it.
My only regret was not trying one sooner, but I did have to think for a week before parting with the dinero.
Jodi

[clovis]

I would NOT ever buy a Dirt Devil. We have two different models, and they are AWFUL. Total pieces of JUNK.

I found a used Kirby at a flea market for $15. What a GREAT vacuum!!!! How did I ever live without it?

Check ebay for a cleaner...you might be surprised how much you can save.
clove

[seedspreader]

Originally Posted by baysidebunny

I've heard that the Orek is good. I had a friend who raved about it.

I have a Hoover. It's what all the hotels use.
If it's good enough for cleaning a hotel, it's good enough for my home.

Whatever you do, DON'T buy a Rainbow!!!
We spent 1,200.00 on one in 1995 and I burnt the motor out twice!
Before we purchased it, I warned the salesman that I vacuume every day..sometimes twice
and he assured me that it would last a life time.
Oh yeah, right. It lasted another year. (3 years total) before it burned out again.
after that, I threw it in the trash!

I totally agree. My parents had a similiar experience with the Rainbow. I think the old rainbows are made much better, but the new ones are horrible. They bought it trying to help my sister with her new job (selling rainbows
). That was probably 1991. By the time it was wasted it was only about 3 years later. Hmmm let's see they bought the deluxe one for about 1800 bucks. That's 600 a year for 3 years. You can buy a lot of other vacuums for that price.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

I just got an Oreck and so far I love it. We got the one with the Hepa filter. It is unbelievably light, so my kids are actually vacuuming. We also have a Miele White Pearl. It was rated tops by Consumer Reports. It is NOT worth the money. I'm still waiting for a ride-on!