Is there value in a good vacuum

[Leo99]

I just purchased two Sanitaire Vacuums, one for upstairs and one for the down stairs. They are commercial duty janitorial models and I can tell you based on the amount of stuff collected it does a much better job of pulling stuff out of the carpet than a 100.00 unit. The first two weeks I had to replace the bags because of what the previous WM Hoover left behind. Long, heavy duty cords, easily serviceable belts, bags, beater bars, impellars etc... 212.99 each. IMO, its worth it because they will be the last vacuum I will ever have to buy.

BTW, this is a regular carpet vacuum

Sanitaire is a Bissell company and Eureka makes Sanitaires, too. I used a Sanitaire professionally while looking for more lucrative employment. Don't know how much abuse it had seen but its shortcomings made my job a lot more difficult.

This thread reminds me that I need to discard my old broken vacuum and works better as a crop duster than a cleaning device. I'll vacuum my basement this week. It gets hit a few times a year. I have a BNIB Shark I'm eager to try out.

 

[tig1]

We have a Oreck and it's very good. Light weight, powerful, trouble free. American made.

 

[pezzy84]

My Hoovers have been pretty decent - I typically pick up the ones in the $130-$150 range. First one was a canister that lasted me a good 6-7 years, the hose started splitting and the replacement hose almost cost as much as a new vacuum so I gave the machine away to a neighbor for some light duty garage use. Current is a Hoover Windtunnel Air Steerable upright that IIRC was $129 back in 2013 and its still going strong and have not had to spend a dime on it for anything.

 

[skyactiv]

Vacuums with a suction hose are worthless. I'll use a wet/dry vac which is 100X more powerful at that task.

If you want something reliable without breaking the bank, get an Oreck commercial upright for $157.00.
Assembled in USA
Bagged vacuum cleaners are better than sucky bagless IMO. You can use HEPA bags or cheaper non HEPA bags in them.

Robot or human?

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[ArPix]

I have a Panasonic canister which is about 10 to 15 years old. Works great (I vacuumed the house today). The only problems I’ve had with it it is tiny wheels which make it hard to move on carpet and if the bag has not been replaced recently the exhaust stinks. It’s built like a commercial machine but I doubt the new ones (or Kenmores) are as good. I would look at Mieles if I were to replace it.

 

[Al]

I am surprised no one except me mentioned Electrolux.

 

[USask2000]

Doesn’t anyone use a central vac? I can’t imagine using anything else.

 

[gman2304]

Doesn’t anyone use a central vac? I can’t imagine using anything else.

I have a Beam central vac system with all the tools. It does OK on hard surfaces but with carpet and rugs it’s mediocre at best. It’s the main reason I bought a Kirby vacuum 25 years ago.

 

[dblshock]

Euro carpet is loomed and cut differently than the USA mass produced broadloom..anyway Dyson was in heavy litigation with Mohawk and Shaw among others when their machines ate the tufts and the Americans stopped honoring warranty claims to Dyson owners...I like a disposable Bissel upright with a beater bar myself.

 

[A_Spruce]

We have a dirt devil bought from Walmart it was about $90 it's awful 6 months of ownership it randomly shuts off after a couple minutes of use it doesn't suck very well and the the handle is also the nozzle that unhooks and slides out and it broke. It's very cheapy made. Before this vacuum we had another vacuum all under $100 all last about a year usually give or take and they go to crap. Would I get better results from a shark or a dyson? Is there a good brand that I am may e unaware of? Or is it just money down the drain?

I used to review vacuums, carpet cleaners, and steam cleaners. There is definitely a whole lot of garbage out there and several of the good brands really aren't anymore for various reasons.

Purchasing is generally motivated by cost over performance and durability, hence why Dirt Devil, Bissel, and Hoover are always top choices. Most people don't seem to care if the vacuum actually works, so long as it makes vacuum noises and leaves a crosshatch pattern on the floor to give the appearance of clean.

If you'd like, I can provide a link to the site I wrote reviews for, there's lots of good info there, though the site hasn't been updated in years, so the models listed may or may not be available anymore.

At any rate, if you actually use a vacuum and want one that does a good job, spend the money on a good one, such as Ricar or Miele. If all you're looking for is something that makes vacuum noises and crosshatch patterns, then any cheapy will do.

 

[philipp10]

Yeah when I was vacuum shopping I looked at Walmart. It's mostly junk. I ended up buying a used Dyson. While it is all plastic, what I like is they are very easily re-buildable. Now if you want a really nice machine, pick up a Sanitaire, same as used in hotels and for office cleaning. But they only do floors, no attachments or wands etc. I bought 2 of those used of Craigslist for about $110 each. Parts are easy to get for either. I should add.....not every Dyson is good. The best were the older early models, can't remember the numbers. They were the non-ball style.

 

[barryh]

I wonder if the Kirby owners know why they work so well. It's not just the quality of construction but the efficient and fundamentally different design.

A Kirby is a direct-fan cleaner with the fan mounted close to the suction opening. Dirt passes through the fan before being blown straight into the bag which is why they have soft bags that inflate. Because of the very short airpath, direct-fan cleaners create a very efficient airflow from a relatively low amount of power.

The more recent and common bypass cleaners use the fan to create a vacuum around the outside of the dust bag which is why they have to be hard bodied but the longer air path is very much less efficient, and generally requires more than twice as much power as direct-fan cleaners to achieve the same results. This is why we ended up with upright cleaners having motors well in excess of 1000 Watts.

 

[Jetronic]

We have a dirt devil bought from Walmart it was about $90 it's awful 6 months of ownership it randomly shuts off after a couple minutes of use it doesn't suck very well and the the handle is also the nozzle that unhooks and slides out and it broke. It's very cheapy made. Before this vacuum we had another vacuum all under $100 all last about a year usually give or take and they go to crap. Would I get better results from a shark or a dyson? Is there a good brand that I am may e unaware of? Or is it just money down the drain?

We have about 10 years on our Philips now. The hose tore near the connections on both sides but I stripped it back and replaced it in the connectors. No intentions yet to replace the vacuum as it works well and the Dysons we've tried weren't as good. Anything other was worse than a Dyson really

 

[A_Spruce]

Yeah when I was vacuum shopping I looked at Walmart. It's mostly junk. I ended up buying a used Dyson. While it is all plastic, what I like is they are very easily re-buildable. Now if you want a really nice machine, pick up a Sanitaire, same as used in hotels and for office cleaning. But they only do floors, no attachments or wands etc. I bought 2 of those used of Craigslist for about $110 each. Parts are easy to get for either. I should add.....not every Dyson is good. The best were the older early models, can't remember the numbers. They were the non-ball style.

Dyson vacuums used to be pretty good, until they went to the stupid ball style. I do not like steerable vacuums, they're unnecessary and in the case of the ball vacuums, they are actually very difficult to use because they flop from side to side and their kickstand doesn't work well at all. It's sad too, because the early Dysons, the 07 for instance, was great.

 

[97prizm]

Simplicity vacuums. Still made in the usa and the cloth bag keeps everything dust free.

 

[wtd]

I have several Kirby's and they are built like a tank. My ex-wife and I bought one in 2001 and when we got divorced in 2004 she took it.

I liked it so well that I bought a used one on CL for like $200 with all of the attachments. Not long after that I found the exact same one at a garage sale for $25 and bought it just in case the one I bought broke down.

Later my ex-wife gave me our original one after she didn't want it anymore.

You can buy them pretty cheap on CL or MP and they are usually pretty reliable and last a long time.

 

[Driz]

We have a Miele for maybe 14-15 years, for the rooms with hard surfaces, and Ive had a Panasonic for over 20 years for carpeted surfaces.

Both are great, and while Miele is German made and fairly expensive, I dont recall the Panasonic to me.

For light vacuuming tasks, I love my Makita unit that gets daily use for years. I have the older version, and this brushless version should be even better:

Makita USA - Product Details -XLC03R1BX4

18V LXT® Lithium-ion Brushless Cordless Compact Stick Vacuum Kit, Trigger w/ Lock (2.0Ah)

www.makitatools.com

The Mele in Germany is a beast . My MIL had one for a long while . The wife got one over here and it’s a disappointment to some extent. I think it has to do with 220 vs 120 volts as they basically look alike. It’s a bit wonk to drag around and store compared to an upright.
We had a series of Dysons . The earlier model, a 14 was a beast. When that wore out the ones after that were just disappointments. The shorter cords were irritating enough. Then I soon tired of repairing the things. The battery powered stick vac was the worst of all. It has some sort of magical connection between the body parts that just quit making contact. I tried everything from taking it apart ,dielectric grease shining contacts even a new battery. It’s still sitting in my junk pile where it belongs.
I swore I’d never spring for overpriced crap again when near equal was half the price. They all wear out anyways when your wife vacuums 2x day. Overall the sharks , all bought from Sams club when a sale was on cost a little more than half what a Dyson does. They have pretty much the same clean outs and take down features and perform just as well As the Dysons. Even those with all the varied models have some ugly traits like the hose liking to tear out and be glued into the handle not on a QD Release. The other headache is the hose making a radius inside the handle again glued so it wants to tear out. Only $26 for that part so it’s not such a big deal But it seems to like to plug there. Overall we still see the Shark as the best overall deal For household use.

 

[JustinH]

I usually take a spin down the Vacuum aisle at big lots. They usually have an aisle of refurbished vacuums that were refurbished in Mexico.

I usually pay about 50 bucks, and toss it out every couple years.

 

[Snowflake White]

I usually take a spin down the Vacuum aisle at big lots. They usually have an aisle of refurbished vacuums that were refurbished in Mexico.

I usually pay about 50 bucks, and toss it out every couple years.

Interesting we have Big Lots here in SC and I haven't seen anything like that here. I don't think our store even has vacuum cleaners at all.