What Kind Of Vacuum Do You Have?

Ok, I'm starting to look at vacuums. I won't be getting one probably till this fall/winter. I'm just wondering what kind of sweepers everyone else has and if they are happy with them?

I was looking at the Dyson...The Animal...since we have 3 dogs and a cat, and enough animal hair to make a carpet out of that alone. But last night I caught the new infomercial for the Oreck XL21. I have an Oreck, but the belt on it went wild and actually melted a groove in the panel, so now I'm concerned about using it. Right now we have a Hoover Fusion (bagless). It's not bad, but not great....it's what I expected from buying a vacuum at Wal-Mart and not paying top dollar. I didn't plan on replacing the Oreck and wouldn't have if I wouldn't of had problems (the belt problem was my fault). I really liked the Oreck, it was so light and did a great job. I still use it sometimes, but only for small rooms so I don't have to run it for long. If the belt goes wild on it it'll start to stink and then if you still don't stop it'll eventually smoke a little bit, LOL!

My DSIL had a Kirby that she replaced with a Dyson Animal and she loves it....says she can't believe how much better it is than the Kirby....BUT her Kirby was really old.

So, what do you have and how do you like it?

Regular Dyson.. the yellow one.

Love it!

We have too many - LOL.

Rainbow Rexair - over 37 yo and needs repair - DW prefers this one.

Hoover bagless - 2 years old - Consumer Reports top rated - DW doesn't like the cleanup process and messiness - I use the shop vac to clean it.

Roomba - DW got a super bargain price from Walmart - fun to watch it work, but with 2 dogs and 2 cats - need to stop it frequently to remove the hair tangles. On the otherhand - it goes under everything - chairs, beds, tables, etc.

Eurika Boss (2 of these bought several years apart) batteries finally wore out and replacement cost of the batteries was higher than the whole machine. Was very handy for short 30 minute cleanups. Easy to clean.

Dirt Devil hand-held - love the long cord, but cleaning the permanent bag is a bit of a pain - I usually reverse it and beat it on the fence.

Hoover hand-held (inherited) works ok, but not as good as either of the Boss machines nor the Dirt Devil - but far easier to dump the contents and clean.

Black & Decker VPX hand-held. Latest addition - thought it would be a replacement for a Boss -- WRONG!! DW informs me that the batteries only run for 10 minutes, then need to be recharged. I am very upset about this one - cost a bundle -- 1) it does not come with batteries or charger, 2) charger comes with only one battery, 3) batteries are $20 each. Thought B&D would be a reliable source - love their mini-chopper and all the power equipment I've bought over the years.

I will replace the Boss machines with new ones this weekend. DW wants the Rainbow repaired, so that will be started, too.

I have several, but since you mentioned pets, I thought I'd chime in.

Right before Christmas I saw a commercial for a Bissel Pet Hair vacuum, so on a whim I decided to go to Target and check it out. They said it was only sold at Target, but I'm not sure I believe that.

Anyway, it was cheap enough (well, in relation to other brands anyway) that I decided to give it a try, figuring that if I didn't like it I could give it to one of my vacuum deprived children. I absolutely love it! It's so easy to clean and I'm always amazed at how much pet hair it picks up. Right after I got it I could vacuum the same room over and over and over and always get lots more hair. I was a little amazed and a lot embarrassed. LOL

Here's a link to it. http://www.shopdirect.com/Bissell/3920.html I see you can even order it online. I think I paid $130 something for the one I bought at target, so that online price might not be too far off.

Sears, Kenmore Power-Mate. It is over 10 years old and though it is cheaply made ( the plastic has has to be duct-taped on some areas ) it totally sucks! Which is what a vacuum should do.

I do not recommend the Eureka Power Line. After two years. I just spent $93 having a "tune up." It is also very heavy. The salesman at the vacuum store even suggested it.

Rainbow--which I have had for about 8 or 9 years. I love it and wouldn't have any other brand. It was/is well worth the money. Only had to have one minor repair for about $35 in all these years.
If you really want to know which vacuums are the best for the money try Consumer Reports. You might have to pay to join them online but it would be worth it to save you from making an expensive mistake.

Dyson.......love it !

Edited because I forgot to add that we are a 4 cat household.

This message was edited Jan 31, 2008 4:35 PM

Sears Kenmore Direct Drive- (means no belt)
Its been good. Fave features are very long cord (longer than cheaper Eureka I had), Hepa filter on the front,; and light that tells you when it is getting dirt, meaning sensor that tells you dirt is in the airstream so keep going over that spot.

Dyson...and I love it! Only have one dog, and she doesn't shed...but I DO! LOL I'm worse than the dog and have longer hair so it's rough on a vacuum. Some of the things I adore about my Dyson are:

The wand, I can have the main body of the vacuum at the foot of the stairs and reach the top of the stairs without having to bring the entire machine. It's also supper easy to whip out the hose and get under things.

I can take it apart and clean it, no stopped up hose, bend or hard to reach part. Everything is designed to be broken down and cleaned or unstopped with ease.

It sucks well on tile and wood floors. Doesn't just blow the stuff around but really picks it up.

No Bags AND I can wash and reuse the filter

Love mine so much that when the hand held models came out I was ready to go out and buy one...then I stopped and thought..."how can it be any easier to use than the one I have now?" Since the answer was it couldn't be Dyson can only blame themselves for engineering themselfs out of a customer.

dyson is a must and the last i will buy. love it so much . have cats

Wow! Thanks for all the info. I see a few names that came up a couple of times. Sounds like the Dysons do a good job and maybe the Rainbows too.

Bubba, I'm not surprised to hear that you weren't too thrilled with the B&D. It seems to me that they used to be a good and trusted name, but anymore their stuff seems so cheap. I won't buy any B&D items anymore.

There's a few things I know I want for certain....a HEPA filter and I'm thinking of getting a regular bagged vacuum. I thought bagless was a great idea, less waste, etc., but all that dirt and dust flying all over and in my face every time I empty it has gotten old very quickly. Plus the sweeper we have now has to have it's little "suction holes" inside the bagless area cleaned pretty often. It's a really messy job and a pain.

My doc's wife cleans his office building and she uses a Roomba. I came out of the exam room as the last appt. one evening and that little vacuum seemed to be chasing me all over the lobby! The doc, his wife, the receptionist and I were LOL so hard because it seemed like no matter where I stepped it was following me. After escaping, I asked the doc's wife about how it worked and she said she loved it....for bare floors and low pile rugs/carpet. She said it didn't do a great job on regular carpet. I'd still love to have one...just to watch the dogs chase it if nothing else!


Ok, I'll admit to doing something goofy here....when I got my Oreck (probably 5+ yrs ago) I ran my own little experiment. At that time I had a Dirt Devil Deluxe. I ran the Dirt Devil and then ran the Oreck beside it, both in strips across the carpet. Then I got down on my hands and knees and dug into the carpet fibers to see if there was any difference between the two. I could not believe it, it really grossed me out. The Dirt Devil left all kinds of icky stuff (like sand) in the carpet...way down by the jute where it's all "hooked" or whatever. The Oreck sucked it all up. The Dirt Devil became our sweeper for sucking up spider webs in the basement, lol.

I also like that the Oreck doesn't need to be adjusted as far as floor height. You can go from thick carpet right to wood floors and it self adjusts. It also does great on wood and linoleum. The one I have now is horrible on smooth surfaces.

I really liked doing the steps with the Oreck too because I think the regular vac's beater bar does such a better job. With back problems I could still lift 8 lbs (9 lbs now for the new one) and do every step without bothering my back. Did you know that running the sweeper is hard on our backs and abs?

Anyhoooo, I'm hoping to have new carpet in the living room by next Christmas and that's why I'm looking into sweepers. I just better start saving all my pennies now, huh?

FWIW, I love my Roomba! My mom, who is in her 90s, felt bad that my sis had to do so much vacuuming at her house, so she ordered one by phone several years ago. This was when they first came out. They upgraded hers several times because it was such new technology. I was next and bought mine through Hammacher Schlemmer for the lifetime warranty. I've had to replace a battery and a couple of other small things, but basically it's a little work horse. They have different models for pets, shop, etc. now. Costco started carrying them, too. I still have an upright - which needs replacing and it's why I'm reading this thread. But I have back problems that are made worse by vacuuming, so I'll keep my Roomba - aka "Tilly."

My mom's cat thinks it's a toy. She pushes the button then lies down in front of it. LOL! Mom has to keep the remote handy so she can turn it off.

I saw this thread in the most recent threads and had to pop in here.

I own a Rainbow and won't buy anything else ever again. I had one for many years when I was younger but sold it somewhere along the line. Then I went thru a long list of vacuums that all seemed to last me only a year or two, and didn't really do the jobs I wanted them to. (I never tried Dyson or Oreck, tho) I'm a pet owner, too - usually 3 to 6 animals running the house.

I bought another Rainbow about 3 or 4 years ago, and I swear, I'm never buying another vacuum cleaner. After all these years, I can't see that anyone else has come up with anything better than pulling dirt, dust, hair, & whatever else it can get, thru water.

No dusty, stinking bags to change, no hepa filters to worry about, and this thing picks up everything from the floor to the ceiling! :)) You just can't beat it when it comes to cleaning up the gunkiest, yickiest stuff you've ever seen. I even used it to suck the boxes off my mom's tall top closet shelf when we were moving - just stuck the end of the hose on for the suction, pulled and caught them as they dropped. lol

Last night, my dishwasher decided to break by flooding water all over my kitchen floor - I pulled the Rainbow out and sucked it all up. I blew up the kids pool this summer with the Rainbow, and I blow the dust out of my electronics with the needle nose attachment. During heavy allergy season, I use it as an air cleaner in the rooms I'm in.

They're not cheap, but they're definitely worth the money over the long run. Lifetime repairs are free, and they really do last a lifetime. My mother had hers for 30 yrs, before I bought this new one. The one I have now has a computer chip in it that came loose twice in the first couple of years, but both repairs were free, and I haven't had a prob since.

Dyson.........hands down......I have two German Shephards, and It still amazes me the amount of hair this vacuum picks up not to mention dirt. I live in the country, and there is not a whole lot of concrete around her, except my drive is black topped, so between my DH and dogs, alot of dirt is dragged into my home dispite the fact shoes are removed, etc.

I would be lost without my Dyson....Well worth the amount of money I paid for it....

Deann

I had a rainbow about 15 years ago, and while I think it did a good enough job, I couldn't stomach cleaning out the slimy gunk, and we coundn't ever figure out what to do with it once we did get it cleaned out. Definitely couldn't go down the drain.

I have the 2007 Consumer Reports book here. For those that like these reports. Not to say anyone here is not entitled to her or his opinion as a user,
They rated Hoovers, Eurekas, Dysons, Oreck, Dirt Devil, Bissell, and some others, and one Rainbow, the e-series E2, priced about $1900.

Upright style- Best Buy-and the top rated unit- Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive 35922. $300

Canister style-
Top rated ElectroluxOxygen 3 Ultra model EL7020A $500
Next three are Kenmore sears Progressives, including the Best buy rated model 25512, $300

(Not to digress but on Black and Decker-- we are happy to have found they now have a series of gadgets all using the same universal rechargeable 12 V battery- a dust buster, and weedwacker are the two we have and are pleased with both)

This is an interesting thread!

I would have loved a Dyson myself but the cost was to much at the time. And I needed 2 vaccuums, one up, one down. I'm not hauling floor to floor!

We bought ours at Sam's Club (more features than at your regular stores) for similar price. We bought 2 bagless hepa-filter out the wazoo Bissels, their top end models. The one for down has the extra attachments that store on the vaccuum to do stairs. I love it! For the 3 years we've had both and use daily we've had no issues.

This is an interesting thread!

I would have loved a Dyson myself but the cost was to much at the time. And I needed 2 vaccuums, one up, one down. I'm not hauling floor to floor!

We bought ours at Sam's Club (more features than at your regular stores) for similar price. We bought 2 bagless hepa-filter out the wazoo Bissels, their top end models. The one for down has the extra attachments that store on the vaccuum to do stairs. I love it! For the 3 years we've had both and use daily we've had no issues.

On the Rainbow waste water dumping, there are some places you can't dump it down the toilet, like my septic system; but with a normal city sewer system & a normal level of dirt in the water, you can dump it down the toilet. With my septic I won't, so I have a dumping place off my utility porch. It's 99% organic anyway, so it later goes in my compost bin.

Yes, it's disgusting, but so are bags and canisters filled with microscopic dust & dust mites. I have to take my B&D Dustbuster apart fairly frequently to wash all the parts.

Really, everything about housecleaning is disgusting, isn't it? lol

From a Kirby to a Dyson.... wish I'd have bought one sooner - worth the money for me - LOVE it - even my teenager vacuums now ........

We just dumped the Rainbow in the yard or flowerbed - figured that's where we fot the dirt from - lol.

Re:B&D - We have and use many B&D products, but it is the new VPX that I'm upset with (7.5 v Lithium Ion batteries). It seems like such a good idea, but our experience with the vac has put me off of buying the other tools that use those batteries.

I've never heard of this Rainbow brand? Commercial grade? Order only?

It doesn't have bagless?

I used to sell them. Original name was Rexair. Now common to see the name as Rainow or Rainbow/Rexair.

They are expensive due to the door-to-door sales - like Kirby. The air is forced into a water bath. Basic machine comes with a half-gallon tank. You fill it to the line and clamp it under the motor, then place the whole thing in a wheeled dollie that form-fits the tank. 1 and 5 gal tanks are also available.

The principle is that dirt and dust don't fly once wet. There is a separator inter the motor that keeps the water out of the motor.

After each use - empty the tank - remove and clean the separator and dry it before reattaching it. Store the motor off the tank unless it is dry. This is not a "use it and forget it" unit.

Can be used as a humidifier or dehumidifier - output is supposed to be 45% humidity.

One unusual use: Collecting mercury - hooked two units together - 1st with a dry tank, second with water to trap the mercuric oxide in the water.

We sold a bunch right after a flood, before TC Jester drainage was complete (70's) and ran the local distributor out of 5-gal tanks.

New ones have more features, of course, but $1500-2000 is a lot of money.

Rainbow ,when I bought mine was sold by an individual. It is bagless filterless because it dumps the dust and dirt into a water bowl. That's why they are saying goopy yuck. When we built this house I have an inline system. I had forgotten about using the rainbow as a room freshener. I think I will dig it out and run it since we have been sick with the funk.

The rainbow site is here if you want to read about it - http://www.rainbowsystems.com/eng/

I got mine, including the rug attachment & shampooer for $1700 in 2003, I think. Paid cash and talked them down a bit (they offer financing, sometimes). It sounds like a lot of money, but when I added up all those $200-$300 units I'd been buying over the years that broke on me & didn't do all the jobs the Rainbow does, it didn't really cost any more. These things truly last forever.

Bubba, I didn't know there were 5 gal tanks for them - got to get one of those!! And I don't understand why you used 2 units for mercury collection, although I don't think that's something I'd ever try anyway. I also rarely pull the separator out & clean it - better do it next time, huh?

Riverland - I'll put a few drops of clorox in mine once in a while to clean the air as it runs thru.

We used to give a bottle of euceliptus (sp) oil with each unit and a bottle of pine scent.

I have replaced th brushes twice and the power cord, but it really needs a complete overhaul now. Got mine in 1970.

I wish I had some of the eucalyptus oil. I always loved the smell.

Mercuric oxide is deadly toxic. A commercial plant that used mercury in their manufacturing process always had some spillage, and the cost of the material is such that they did not want to lose any, nor can you easily dispose of it. The double unit saved the mercury in the first dry tank, and the second neutralized the oxide generated in vacuuming it up.

Check with your local dealer for the scents, or a GNC, or Whole Foods Market.

One thing to beware of - soapy water or anything that will foam up. This includes many carpet cleaning solutions. You need to reduce the water and dump/refresh the water often. The foam can exceed what the separator can handle.

I grew up with a rainbow, and even sold Kirby's my freshman year to help pay for school, I hated cleaning and I refused to empty the Rainbow as for Kirby, well less said about that company the better. As far as dust and dirt flying up in my face when I empty the Dyson, I've never had that problem. The lever is on top and it opens from the bottom. I don't even have to touch it to close it as I do that on the rim of the trash can. Also don't have to unclog holes, LOL and trust me I have lots and lots of dust in my house.

Oh, heck, is the Dyson a bagless one, too? I was just about to go look at them after reading the comments.

I have to admit, re bagless, I'm the kind of person who would get a lot of satisfaction out of actually seeing the dirt I'm getting up.

kaperc......Dyson is bagless....and the filter is reusable ....you just wash it out....I keep an extra one on hand.


sallyg.......the canister that the dirt is sucked into is clear and you can see it before your very eyes....

Deann

The Rainbow's water bowl is (a very hard) clear plastic so you can see the mud and everything else in there - ain't pretty.

I'm going to have to find someone with a Dyson so I can check it out. ;)

SC- I'm sure- I rent one of those grocery store carpet steamers about once a year- you can't be - LIEVE how dirty the water gets.
Maybe that means I should have a Rainbow instead & ^) of Kenmore

I finally bought a Bissell upright carpet cleaner last summer and love it. Then a couple of months ago also bought a Bissell SpotBot Pet for pet accidents - that thing is WONDERFUL!! Sits around ready to go and super cleans the spots. I put alcohol in the cleaning mix so I know it's sterilized.

I'm going to check into this one. Bissell SpotBot Pet for pet accidents. I didn't know they had such a thing and it sounds like something I need to be armed with.

OMG - it's to die for! How sad is that to get so excited about a small appliance? lolol

Really, I bought it 'cus I had a sick cat that kept vomiting those tiny food particles all over - you know, the ones that are virtually impossible to pick out of the carpeting when you're cleaning it? This thing cleans it all up, tiny particles & all, and it actually cleans better than my big carpet cleaner - just turn it on & walk away. It has 2 different cycles, gets stains out & has a wand attachment for upholstery & cars. I've gone to using a mix of peroxide, alcohol and a little lemon PineSol; it works great & smells great.

It's truly a wonderful little machine & fully worth the $129 I paid for it at Target. I couldn't wait for it to go on sale.

I have a Roomba in addition to my Rainbow. In my opinion, it is good for light clean-ups in between REAL vacuuming and it is fun to sit and watch the little fellow do its thing LOL but it isn't something I would want for my main vacuum cleaner. Give me the Rainbow anytime. It will amaze you how dirty you are once you pour out all the carpet fuzz, dirt and "gunk" from the water bowl. Even after we moved into this new house, I was amazed at all the gunk that came out of the carpet. Of course, it was mostly fuzz from the new carpeting but it still grossed me out. We just dispose of all that in one of our flower beds and after the fuzz dries we pick it up and put it in the garbage but the dirt stays in the flower bed. LOL