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My vacuum cleaner sucks

steve2112

steve2112

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
3,023
6
East of Lyra, Northwest of Pegasus
Or rather, it doesn't, and that is the problem. My old, hand-me-down upright Hoover is dying, and I need a new vacuum cleaner. So, naturally, I thought I would ask the good folks of Household Appliance Rumors for advice.

Hmm, I just realized I'm on the MacRumors tab. So, any suggestions for a good, yet fairly cheap vacuum? I want a bagless model with a HEPA filter. The Dysons look good, but they are a bit steep for my budget. I don't have a set budget, but the $400 or so for Dysons on Amazon is too much.
 
If you consider the costs of replacing the HEPA filters, you will end up spending a couple of hundred bucks in a couple of years.

Our next one is a Dyson for sure. I currently have a Bissell lift-off, and while it is great, the cost of the HEPA filter (not washable) is $8 (best price I found so far) adds up.
 
Also sorry to hijack the thread, but what's the deal with this HEPA stuff? Haven't we lived alright with vacuum cleaners for the past hundred years or so without needing them?
 
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My experience w/ my Dyson has been somewhat like my experience with my Mac.

Higher initial upfront cost that initially put me off, but turned out to be easily justifiable by no maintenance costs (the filters are washable), superior performance (clean with your old vacuum, then run the Dyson over that area and watch how much more it picks up), cool/thoughtful design (on so many levels), and longevity (my first Dyson lasted 7 years, and only had to be replaced because of operator error ... stupid roommate ... it's not a wetvac!).
 
I was afraid everyone was going to recommend a Dyson. I might wait until Amazon has it on sale again. They had a DC24 a couple of weeks ago for under $400. I didn't know their filters were washable. Anyone ever buy a refurb Dyson? I have seen those in a couple of places fairly cheap.
 
We have a Rainbow e2 and a Dyson, the older "ball" model. We first bought the Rainbow for a business where we wanted to keep dust free as much as possible. After that we bought the Dyson for our residence.

We love the Dyson except the built in hose is way too hard to extend. I have to fight it whenever I do the stairs with it. In the Winter months in the Midwest we get static shocks on our hand which has, according to Dyson customer service, has been addressed on the new model but I can't confirm that. Our Dyson does not do hardwood floors well but on carpeting it works great. Dusty when we empty the catch container; always gets dust in the air when we empty it.

Out Rainbow has always been awesome. I love the fact that it uses water for the filter and when we dispose of it there is never any dust. Some people don't like the canister design and doing the water thing but I don't mind. It works great on carpets and has a long extension with a wide head that works great on our hardwood floors. There is a carpet shampooer attachment that we have not yet tried. The only real complaint I have is the powered vac attachment handle does not swivel the head like the Dyson ball does when you crank its handle; you know, like when you twist your wrist and the vac turns to go around corners. The Rainbow, strangely, does not do this. When you crank the Rainbow handle it just turns but doesn't affect the head.
 
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yg17 said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but how are Roombas? I'm considering getting one due to my laziness.
Click to expand...

I bought a Roomba 560 for my loft which has hardwood floors throughout and a tiled floor in the bathroom. I schedule it to run three times a week (Mon, Weds, Fri)whilst I'm at work and it does a bloody good job.

I have to clean the brushes, filter and dirtbox after every run (no idea where it gets it all the crap from) but this only takes five minutes. I change the brushes, filters and sweeper brush every six months.
 
We bought a Miele canister vacuum cleaner some years ago, before the whole Dyson craze started picking up steam. Have to say we've been very pleased with it. Built like a tank, quiet and easy to operate, works well on carpets, rugs, and hardwood/linoleum floors, excellent HEPA filtering.

Have to say I really prefer the canister design because I can get easily get the vacuum head underneath furniture, and the long hose can reach into distant corners or the tops of curtains or blinds.

You'll probably drop $500-600 for a model with a power head and HEPA filtration, but you'll get a machine that will keep your house clean for decades.
 
QuantumLo0p said:
Our Dyson does not do hardwood floors well but on carpeting it works great. Dusty when we empty the catch container; always gets dust in the air when we empty it.
Click to expand...
Yeah, the way I empty it poofs up a cloud of dust.

I thought I had read that for people who have dust/allergy problems, the proper way to empty it was to put a plastic trash bag around the bottom of the catch container *before* you pull the trigger to empty it. This lets everything fall into the bag, which can then be slipped off the catch container (and closed) without sending dust everywhere.

I'm way to lazy too do that. :)
 
I have the Dyson DC24 and its great. The cord is a tad short, but not a huge deal. I also use it over wood and tile floors and it does okay for me? :confused:

As for price, do you have a Bed Bath & Beyond near you? They are always mailing 20% off coupons (I dont think I would buy anything there NOT 20% off). Go to thier website and give them your email address and you will get them regularly. Mine was a wedding gift but I know the purchaser used a 20% off coupon on it. Brought the price down to $320. Cant beat that!
 
Do yourself a favor and buy a professional vacuum cleaner. Not a commodity consumer model, live a Hover. Not a trendy model like a Dyson. Not an over-priced prestige snob model. A professional vacuum cleaner. The kind they use to clean hotel rooms, offices, airplanes, etc.

First, decide what kind of vacuum cleaner you need: upright or canister. If you have mostly carpeting, choose an upright. If you have mostly hard floors, pick a canister. If you do pick a canister, seriously consider a "backpack". You wear this on your back, rather than lug it around. It's what they clean airplanes with.

There is one and only one specification that matters: CFM. How good does it suck? Period. Forget watts. Forget arbitrary proprietary made-up indices. Guess what? Dyson won't disclose the CFM for their vacuums. THEY claim it's irrelevant.

If you get an upright, the best kind have two motors. One motor runs the suction. The other motor runs the roller. Having one motor run both is a huge compromise.

I have a Windsor Versamatic upright. Unlike the bloated, bulbous Dyson, this one will easily clean under your sofa, bed, etc.

Why do you want a bagless model? You want to make a mess when you empty it?
 
I've just tickled over the house with a Dyson DC24, it's been a brilliant vac so far. But they always are until they explode like our older Dyson.
 
yg17 said:
Sorry to hijack the thread, but how are Roombas? I'm considering getting one due to my laziness.
Click to expand...

I just got one last week
to help keep down the amount of cat hair in the house, since it is shedding season again.
works like a charm keeping the livingroom and kitchen relatively cat hair free.
I run it every day as I am getting ready in the morning.
 
It's been proven so many times, in Which Magazine (and other consumer publications) that Dyson are not that good.

If you're after design, then maybe Dyson will be perfect for your needs, but if you want something that will last, and not need to replace it within a couple of years, I recommend that you go for something a light construction company would use.

Check the Link
 
I would recommend you get a copy of the latest Consumer Reports Buying Guide before you do any shopping. I know that the Kenmore Progressive has been their Best Buy in the past, but I am not sure what the current issue recommends.

A couple of years ago I needed a new vacuum and I was in Sears. I saw one with a price tag of $13 on it. It was a cheap floor model that was originally about $100 and it was on clearance. After I finished laughing, I bought that vacuum and it is one of the best purchases I ever made. Sure it is no Dyson or any other big name brand, but it is still going strong and has good suction. It has Micron filtration and still uses paper filters so it is nothing real exciting, but it is the best $13 I ever spent.:)
 
Good lord, vacuum nerds. ;)

Our house has one of those central vacuums put in when the house was built. It's been going strong for nearly 30 years. A devastated lawyer dusts his punch around the forbidden lawyer. Sure, it's noisy as hell and scares the living s*** out of the bloody neighborhood (dogs included) but it does the job well... and for 30 freakin' years.
 
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