Tell me about your vacuum cleaner

[diamondintherough]

What kind do you have? Do you like it or hate it? How much did it cost?


My Kenmore canister vac is on it's last leg. It keeps shorting out and we've repaired it several times. IMO, it's time for a new one! I've had 2 vacuums since I got married nearly 20 years ago and they've both been Kenmore Canister Vacs. I have both hard floors and carpeting in my home and we have an upstairs and a downstairs.

Recommendations?

[Can'tTurnLeft]

I have a dyson. I started out my relationship with my dyson in deep fathoms of love. I looked forward to vacuuming, loved to watch her pick up the dirt and leave a clean path in her wake. I loved to see the dusties swirl in her beautiful canister.

But the honeymoon faded. I still lie her, love her even, but she is just a vacuum. At the beginning she was better and more wonderful than any other vacuum that I'd ever used. Now she has lost some suction, and doesn't give me the same thrill that she once did. I like her, I use her regularly, I can count on her to get the dirt off my floor, but the honeymoon has ended and now she is just my sturdy reliable vacuum.

Oh and she is a girl because my foru year old neighbor neighbor said she was so pretty her name must be Daphne. :giggle

[diamondintherough]

Oh and she is a girl because my foru year old neighbor neighbor said she was so pretty her name must be Daphne. :giggle


:giggle

[lavender mom]

I bought a Bissel Momentum and took it back. I had it for a couple of months but pieces of it broke off and then it stopped working. It also frequently ate rugs and other things it wasn't supposed to. I replaced it with a Kenmore Progressive upright. I've had it for about a month and I'm happy with it. It's much easier to vacuum the whole house with. I have a variety of floor surfaces (hardwood, laminate,vinyl, carpet and area rugs) and it's able to easily switch from one surface to the next with just a push of a button. It's heavier than I would like, but it works better than the lighter ones, so I put up with it.

[diamondintherough]

I bought a Bissel Momentum and took it back. I had it for a couple of months but pieces of it broke off and then it stopped working. It also frequently ate rugs and other things it wasn't supposed to. I replaced it with a Kenmore Progressive upright. I've had it for about a month and I'm happy with it. It's much easier to vacuum the whole house with. I have a variety of floor surfaces (hardwood, laminate,vinyl, carpet and area rugs) and it's able to easily switch from one surface to the next with just a push of a button. It's heavier than I would like, but it works better than the lighter ones, so I put up with it.


Thanks for the heads-up on the Bissel. I've been considering going with a cheaper vac to save money, but I have wondered if it's worth it. My old neighbor used to buy a vacuum every other year or so and she got the cheap kind. I'm the type of person to buy something once and keep it forever. I need to be happy with my decision because I will be stuck with it for a long time most likely.

Can I ask how the upright is on the hard floors? I've never had an upright and I worry about whether it will pick up stuff on the hardwood or scatter it. I also wonder about whether the brushes might damage the floors. OTOH, I get tired of switching from the power brush to the floor brush with my canister vac.

[Herbwifemama]

I have a dyson, and I still have a thrill of appreciation for how well it works and how easy it is to use when I get it out. It was expensive, but totally worth it. I plan to have it for a long, long time. Though, I do look forward to the day when I have all hard floors, and all I need is a broom and dustpan. :pray4

[Rabbit]

Here's the review I left on Amazon for our Dirt Devil Spinnergy:

The handle broke in the first week. Suction is great, but the handle design is absolutely AWFUL. The metal stick is glued to a plastic sheath, and only the plastic sheath holds the stick of the handle into the vacuum. It fell apart sliding it back into place, and the plastic piece fell down into the body of the vacuum.

Customer service from Dirt Devil is absolutely atrocious. I've never been so mad. My letter to them on that subject:

I am so angry at the absolutely atrocious level of customer service I have received today that I am throwing out the vacuum I was attempting to buy parts for, and starting over with a new manufacturer.

I am the unlucky owner of a Spinnergy (M120000CA to you) with a broken handle. It's a known issue with this vacuum cleaner, but to repair it, I can either order the part out of pocket, or take time off work to drive the vacuum cleaner to a warranty repair center to sit for a week or two while they sort it out. No, thank you. I decide to order the part. And here the situation really begins to go south.

The website is anything but streamlined, and very difficult to use. Finding any parts requires the model number, except that the model number as printed on the back of the actual vacuum isn't in the correct format to work on the website. You have to call customer service to find out that you're missing a critical M before the number. And you absolutely must use the model number to find the part, even if the part type you need (like the belt type) is clearly labeled on the vacuum cleaner.

I found the handle assembly quickly, but searching for the belt turned up nothing, until I finally found it categorized as a filter. Lovely. The belt is not only mis-categorized, but priced the same as all the other 2 packs of belts, with no information on how many are in this package. I need two belts. Do I really own a vacuum cleaner with belts twice as expensive as all of the rest of the Dirt Devil models? Who knows?

So, I finally get through all that bull with a correctly assembled order, just to have the "billing and payment" page endlessly refresh, using both IE and Firefox, with cookies correctly enabled, and the correct security level enabled, on two different computers. There is no website assistance from customer service. My call to them yields only an offer to place the order by phone. I don't want to place my order by phone, but as my choices come down to driving around to stores in town or the phone, I place the order by phone.

Oh, except that isn't going to work, either. Customer service can't modify the shipping method. I need expedited shipping. Which means I have to be transferred to "corporate" to spend half an hour on hold. FORGET IT! I am buying a new vacuum, and will not make the mistake of using another Dirt Devil product.

[Drew]

I have a dyson, and I still have a thrill of appreciation for how well it works and how easy it is to use when I get it out. It was expensive, but totally worth it. I plan to have it for a long, long time. Though, I do look forward to the day when I have all hard floors, and all I need is a broom and dustpan. :pray4


:yes I use ours on carpet, wood, and tile. It's awesome.

Erin- Mine was losing suction and I found out that it was because I went two years without cleaning the filter that is supposed to be cleaned every six months. :shifty Good as new now that I've taken care of that.

[Iansmama]

I have a Riccar and we are totally satisfied with it. We talked to a vacuum professional because we are currently renting a house that is completely carpeted and Ian was having horrible asthma issues when we first moved in. I was ready to move out if it didn't get better. He recommeded the Riccar and I have been happy with it. From the first day I vacuumed with it, Ian's asthma symptoms went away. We still can't wait to get out of wall-to-wall carpeting, but until we can this vacuum makes it liveable. It was expensive but we think it was worth it. Plus, included in the cost from the man we bought it from, is yearly maintenance and belt changes on the vacuum. :rockon

[diamondintherough]

I have a Riccar and we are totally satisfied with it. We talked to a vacuum professional because we are currently renting a house that is completely carpeted and Ian was having horrible asthma issues when we first moved in. I was ready to move out if it didn't get better. He recommeded the Riccar and I have been happy with it. From the first day I vacuumed with it, Ian's asthma symptoms went away. We still can't wait to get out of wall-to-wall carpeting, but until we can this vacuum makes it liveable. It was expensive but we think it was worth it. Plus, included in the cost from the man we bought it from, is yearly maintenance and belt changes on the vacuum. :rockon


I'm not familiar with Riccar. Where should I look? We have allergy/asthma issues as well.

[diamondintherough]

Oh Natalie, I'm SO sorry that you had to go through that! How awful. I will not be purchasing any dirt devil products in the near future!

[diamondintherough]

O.k.--regarding the Dysons.

I noticed that Target has 2 different models on sale this week. There is a significant difference between the two prices. Does anyone know what the differences in performance might be?

One was $399 and the other was $500 something. Each had a gift card "rebate". :shrug

The most I've ever spent on a Vacuum was $350 and that was on my last Kenmore canister. That is a LOT of money, but I felt that I got value out of both vacuum cleaners. They each lasted about 10 years with minimal maintenance. We never sent it in for service and did all repairs ourselves with parts readily available. I would say that I'm brand loyal :giggle, BUT there are things I don't like such as lugging a heavy canister vac around the house. Cleaning the stairs can be treacherous, so I don't even bother. Storage of a canister is a pain and takes up much more space than an upright.

So, I'm looking at options. I'm going to start conversing with dh about what I learn so that I can ease him into the idea of getting a new vac. In his mind, the shorting out isn't a big deal, but it's driving me NUTS!

[Iansmama]

We bought ours from an independant vacuum retailer here in our town. You wouldn't find them at a big box or home improvement store.

http://www.riccar.com/

I think their site has a retailer locator.

An added bonus...they are a made in USA product.

[diamondintherough]

An added bonus...they are a made in USA product.


I like that :yes

[purstrength]

I'm curious about the dyson's too. Dh and I decided that I could get one at some point this year as a birthday gift...and I saw the Target sale too, but we weren't planning on buying a vacuum cleaner this week. :shifty

[AmyDoll]

I have 2 vacuums (bc I'm lazy & I have an upstairs & a downstairs) Upstairs, I have an electrolux oxygen canister. It's a very nice vac for hardwoods & carpets. It's easy to manuever & I like that the wheels are rubber. It is bagged & has a hepa filter. It's highly rated for allergies & asthma :) I think it was around $350 or so. Including the powerhead, which does have a finger controlled on/off switch so you don't have to go back & forth between heads.
Downstairs I have a Dyson Slim. I really like this vac bc it's no maintenance (no bags/filters). It has an extra long cord & stores a couple of the tools *on board* I bought it bc I was looking for a "stick vac" to vacuum my kitchen & family room carpets, but I found the Slim on sale for $200 (ish) at WalMart. I figured it would be more efficient & last longer than a $50 stick LOL :bag

[diamondintherough]

I'm curious about the dyson's too. Dh and I decided that I could get one at some point this year as a birthday gift...and I saw the Target sale too, but we weren't planning on buying a vacuum cleaner this week. :shifty


We definitely don't have the money to buy it this week. I wonder if they'll run the gift card special again in the future. I never rush into purchases like this. For us $300 is a lot of money. I need one and want to do the research before it totally gives out. With 5 kids we will not be able to wait very long once it does completely die. This way too (doing research ahead of time), once we set the money aside, we can buy it before it breaks for a change :giggle

[lavender mom]

I bought a Bissel Momentum and took it back. I had it for a couple of months but pieces of it broke off and then it stopped working. It also frequently ate rugs and other things it wasn't supposed to. I replaced it with a Kenmore Progressive upright. I've had it for about a month and I'm happy with it. It's much easier to vacuum the whole house with. I have a variety of floor surfaces (hardwood, laminate,vinyl, carpet and area rugs) and it's able to easily switch from one surface to the next with just a push of a button. It's heavier than I would like, but it works better than the lighter ones, so I put up with it.


Thanks for the heads-up on the Bissel. I've been considering going with a cheaper vac to save money, but I have wondered if it's worth it. My old neighbor used to buy a vacuum every other year or so and she got the cheap kind. I'm the type of person to buy something once and keep it forever. I need to be happy with my decision because I will be stuck with it for a long time most likely.

Can I ask how the upright is on the hard floors? I've never had an upright and I worry about whether it will pick up stuff on the hardwood or scatter it. I also wonder about whether the brushes might damage the floors. OTOH, I get tired of switching from the power brush to the floor brush with my canister vac.


The Kenmore Progressive upright does great on the hard floors for several reasons. :) First, you can either turn the brush completely off, or slow it down so it doesn't spit dirt everywhere. (That's what the Momentum did. :td) So you can just use the upright on the hard floors if you want. Also though, It comes with an attachment, probably similar to what your old Kenmore had that is just for hard floors. I find that attachment piece is more maneuverable than using the whole upright. You can also "turn down" the suction which is what makes it easier to do area rugs.

[purstrength]

I'm just dreaming of being able to afford it this week. :giggle I know I wish I had already started saving. :doh

They have run the gift card special before, but I don't know how often...I just know I've seen it before.

[MaybeGracie]

We just went through the whole process of replacing our vacuum. We had a Bissell Powerforce Bagless. I would *never ever* recommend this vacuum. It was definitely one of those "you get what you pay for" situations.

If I lived in the US, I'd have a Kenmore Progessive right now. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it here in Canada (grr). It is a very highly recommended and well rated upright vacuum. I have a friend who loves hers.

We ended up buying a Eureka Boss Smart-Vac (a bagged upright). I'm very very happy with it (though in the name of full disclosure, I've only had it for a little over a month). It was the Consumer Reports "Best Buy" and has great reviews online. It claims that it "outcleans Dyson by 60% for half the price".

We tried a few different Dysons (all uprights) and I did not like them at all. I found the hose really awkward to deal with and the construction felt flimsy to me. Our local vacuum guy (who sells Dysons) said he wouldn't ever recommend them. Plus I just read too many horror stories and warnings of how you pay $200 for the vacuum and $300 for the hype/marketing/brand name. Then again, there are thousands of reviews online from people who love them, so :shrug.

[mommylove]

I have a Shark Infinity that I bought over a year ago off Overstock.com. It's a Dyson knock-off. It's okay, I guess, but I've come to realize that I must be a vacuum snob or something . . . I honestly don't see me ever being completely happy with a vacuum.

Likes:
It sucks up a crazy amount of stuff each time I vacuum. This is both good & bad -- is my house totally filthy?
It's easy to clean.
Cost around $100.
It does fine on the tile floor. Not great, but good enough for me.


Dislikes:
It smells. At first, it was a burning-rubber-type smell. Now it's a dusty smell. In all fairness, the dusty smell could be because my toddler broke a piece near the dust catcher-thing, so it's possible that it's collecting dust & some is escaping, hence the smell.
I cannot replace this tiny part that DS broke.
The dust catcher-thing is on the small side.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of dumping bagless vacuums. It's a bit of a pain.



I also have a Big Power. It's a little over 10 years old. Since probably no one's ever heard of this brand, it also doubles as an air cleaner.

Likes:
My house truly smells cleaner & fresher when I'm done. I love this part.
It seems to suck up a lot of stuff.



Dislikes:
Insanely expensive.
I think it's lost suction over the years.
A royal PITA to clean, which must be done after each use. I hate, hate, hate this part.
I don't like canister vacs.

[milkmommy]

I have the progressive upright I've liked it jsut fine. I actually really dislike bagless vaccums so this fit my likes better.

Deanna

[cheri]

We have a Dyson Animal and I really like it. I've heard that the major differences between the regular sized dysons (not including the slim lightweight one) are just the attachments that are included. We got ours at Bed Bath & Beyond and used a 20% off coupon.

I don't think that you *need* all of those attachments, but I use all of them.

[BriansLovie]

We have a Dyson, forget the model #, it's yellow. I like it... well it picks up great once it starts sucking when vacuuming the floor (sucks great allt he time with the hose). I think someone dropped it or something, cuz it takes a few minutes for it to start sucking whne vacuuming. Does that make sense? LOL. Its' been really good. And I can tell it picks up a ton. We paid over $300 for it, about a year ago.

[diamondintherough]

Thank you all for your input. Like I said, I'm not doing this till I'm sure I know what I want (and have the money), so all thoughts are welcome.

I do wonder how I would do with a bagless vac. :think I'm one of the ones with the allergies in this house and I would most likely be the one to empty it. I do like the idea of not having to buy bags all the time, but if I have an asthma attack every time I empty a Dyson or similar it would defeat the purpose of a HEPA filter, no?

I definitely want something that picks up a lot of stuff. I have 5 kids who make a lot of messes and we sit on the floor a lot--I want them to sit on a clean floor, not one that just appears clean.

I'm totally able to pass over the Target offer at this time because I don't know if I want a Dyson. Everyone that I know who has one loves it :shrug Hopefully, if I decide on one, they will have the gift card thing again. Also, it's Tuesday and I noticed that the fine print said that there were 6 available per store. I'm pretty sure they would be all gone by now. :shrug

[Singingmom]

I think the price difference you see in the two Dysons may be because of their size. The larger styles are the more expensive. I have the smaller (it's a ball, it pushes like a dream :hearts). When I empty it, I lay a wet paper towel over the mess in the trash can. There will be a little dust in the air when you empty a canister, I think.

[Ali]

I'm sure it's a personal opinion thing, but I have a bagless and I HATE HATE HATE it! I will never buy a bagless again, but I have to stick it out with this one until it dies.

I have to empty the container every time I use it (when I do the whole house it fills up completely - cat hair etc). To empty it, you HAVE to go outside or your whole house will become a cloud of dust and ick. I have to bang the silly thing against the side of the garbage can to get the top to open and dump everything out. I usually have to reach in and fish out some ball of cat hair, clipped fingernails, dead bugs, etc. Maybe some bagless are made better than mine and easier to dump (I have an old cheap Eureka Boss), but I find it way too disgusting. I hate even looking at all that. I have to clean out all it's insides now and then as they get coated with dust and grime. I promise we are not filthy, it's all just normal dirt from a normal family! Also, I spend a small fortune in filters every year to keep the suction working well. In two years I spent more on filters than the vacuum cost. Bagged models typically have cheaper and less filters to change because the bag does a lot of the filtering.

So, all that to say, I am looking for bagged for my next for sure.

[milkmommy]

I'm sure it's a personal opinion thing, but I have a bagless and I HATE HATE HATE it! I will never buy a bagless again, but I have to stick it out with this one until it dies.

I have to empty the container every time I use it (when I do the whole house it fills up completely - cat hair etc). To empty it, you HAVE to go outside or your whole house will become a cloud of dust and ick. I have to bang the silly thing against the side of the garbage can to get the top to open and dump everything out. I usually have to reach in and fish out some ball of cat hair, clipped fingernails, dead bugs, etc. Maybe some bagless are made better than mine and easier to dump (I have an old cheap Eureka Boss), but I find it way too disgusting. I hate even looking at all that. I have to clean out all it's insides now and then as they get coated with dust and grime. I promise we are not filthy, it's all just normal dirt from a normal family! Also, I spend a small fortune in filters every year to keep the suction working well. In two years I spent more on filters than the vacuum cost. Bagged models typically have cheaper and less filters to change because the bag does a lot of the filtering.

So, all that to say, I am looking for bagged for my next for sure.


Yup the biggest requirment I had after our bissel died was NO more bagless vaccums I hate them with a passion I love just being able to detach the bag toss and put on a fresh clean one. I've loved our progressive for this. Dyson might have nice easy clean out areas but I haven't had any issues with my progressive and it was a fraction of the cost.

Deanna

[Singingmom]

The Dyson is much nicer to empty than the canister I had before. You press a button and the stuff drops out the bottom, no shaking or digging around unless you've overstuffed it. I feel like I have a lot less dust in the air doing that than when I ran my old cheap vacuum.

[Rabbit]

The horrible dirt devil we had emptied from the bottom, instead of from the top. That was a -huge- improvement from the bagless we had that had to be shaken out from the top.

[MaybeGracie]

definitely want something that picks up a lot of stuff. I have 5 kids who make a lot of messes and we sit on the floor a lot--I want them to sit on a clean floor, not one that just appears clean.

The Kenmore Progressive upright bagged vacuum has an Inteli-Clean system that detects cleaning needs and adjusts cleaning power, as well as an infrared dirt sensor that indicates where to focus cleaning effort to remove embedded dirt (keep vacuuming until the light turns green). It has such high ratings and positive reviews.

(Yes, I'm very happy with my Eureka Boss Smart-Vac, but I guess I'm still longing over the Kenmore Progressive!)

[ArmsOfLove]

I got my Sebo on sale for about $650 and I love it. It's amazing! I have no regretted it for one second. It vacuums everything!

[milkmommy]

The Kenmore Progressive upright bagged vacuum has an Inteli-Clean system that detects cleaning needs and adjusts cleaning power, as well as an infrared dirt sensor that indicates where to focus cleaning effort to remove embedded dirt (keep vacuuming until the light turns green). It has such high ratings and positive reviews.

We have the vaccum I really do love it but I will say this feature is more hype than anything ours pretty much glows a perment red and no were not dirty people :shifty or it goes to blank the green light I think went a few months after we bought it. It still does the job great just no pretty light telling you your almost done. :giggle I loved the little vaccum attachment and the fact it went the length of our stairs without me having to haul it up. IN our new place I love how it handles bare floors.

Deanna

Deanna

[RealLifeMama]

If I lived in the US, I'd have a Kenmore Progressive right now. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get it here in Canada (grr). It is a very highly recommended and well rated upright vacuum. I have a friend who loves hers.
.



We have the Kenmore Progressive Upright, but it is the bagless kind.
We bought it and a borrowed a dyson at the same time to see which one we liked better. We did a test, and the dyson did not pick up anymore dirt than the Kenmore, so we decided not to pay the extra money on the dyson, but now we wish he had.
The Kenmore Progressive is a good vacuum overall, and it is fine for just running the vacuum and doing the middles. The tools, however, are a real pain and the plastic is cheap.
I do not like the way the tools are on the vacuum. I much prefer the tools to be in the handle like in the dyson and the vacuum we had before this one, which was designed by the Dyson guy before there was Dyson.
Also, our tools have little plastic pieces that hold the wand in place, and they broke off, so sometimes I lose my wand all together.
Also, the plastic piece that is U-shaped that has the lever-y thing that you push to that flips the bottom of the canister open to empty it broke. Now, we have to open the canister completely to empty it, and it is hard to lock the canister back in place.
Also, a little plastic ring that goes over the telescoping wand fell off and we lost it, so now there is a hole in that wand and I don't have an much suction.
All of this stuff broke within the year.

ETA, we don't use the Intelliclean because it seems to take longer to get to the green light, but we do like the red/green light feature and ours does fine. But we have the bagless. If the lights is staying red, then it is usually because we need to empty something or move something from the sensor.

[diamondintherough]

I got my Sebo on sale for about $650 and I love it. It's amazing! I have no regretted it for one second. It vacuums everything!


Do you have an upright or a canister vac? Are they HEPA vacs?