New Vacuum Cleaner?

[Scentofawoman]

Wow I have to say this thread has turned out to be very informative. I have an Oreck after going through several cheaper vacuums. I have 2 dogs and 3 cats. I too shed just as much as the dogs. I was looking into buying a second vacuum for my upstairs. Thanks everyone for all the tips!

 

[curiousgeo62]

I have a Dyson. I think it is the Beast. It is purple and it was the first generation. My sister in law had a Dyson as well but yellow, first generation but a lower model. Once day she vacuumed her living room then I vacummed with mine. I got at least a baseball size clump of dog hair etc. She went right out and bought the newest version of the Dyson Beast that has the ball. We did the same test but I vacuumed first. Then she followed and sure enough, she picked up a baseball size clump after I vacuumed. To me, Dyson is by far worth the money if you're looking for clean rugs. And that ball is so easy to manuveur.

 

[SweetErika]

OK, so I was at Costco for something else and decided to go down the vacuum aisle. There was a Dyson on sale for like $300, but that sucker was super heavy so I moved on. And then I saw they had the newest Hoover Rewind Plus uh70140 for $99 (the same as last year's model at Walmart).

Now we just vacuumed 2 days ago, and the floor didn't appear dirty, apart from a few bits of lint here and there. But we went over it with the new Hoover, and got a TON of dirt and hair in the dust cup. Plus, it is SO much easier to handle than our old vacuum, which always struggled with our hug area rug in particular for some strange reason. And this one is clearly easier to clean and maintain.

I'd like a lighter vacuum, but this one has all of the features I want (and then some!), and it appears to do an amazing job on both carpets and hard floors. So, we'll try it out for a while to make sure it's the right model for us, but I think we have a winner!

Thanks for all of your input, and when we have more money, I'll definitely try a Dyson or similarly expensive vacuum that people rave about. However, I'm hoping and thinking this one will suit our needs just fine for the next 5+ years.

 

[NippleMuncher]

Glad you found a vacuum you like. Let me know how you like it as you use it more.

 

[SweetErika]

Glad you found a vacuum you like. Let me know how you like it as you use it more.

I will definitely do that, NM! I'm feeling pretty encouraged by the reviews on Amazon, many of which are from people who have had the vacuum for quite sometime and appear to have far more to clean (a lot of pet hair, etc.) than we do. When I add that info to the recommendation from Consumer Reports (it looks like last year's model scored highest in the Bagless Upright category), I have to think it's a solid machine and great value for the price.

For the person who asked me to post the Consumer Reports info from the library, sorry, but the layout of the site makes that impossible. I'd be happy to look something up for you if you'd like and can tell me your preferences and budget, though. I need to know whether you want:
-upright or canister
-bagged or bagless
-maximum price

In the Upright Bagless category, last year's Hoover Windtunnel Rewind (UH70120) was the top rated and recommended machine. Yes, even over the far more expensive Dyson and LG machines. Many Upright Bagged models scored at least a little higher (a top rating of 73 vs a 69 in the Bagless category - both were Hoovers, interestingly enough!) than the bagless machines. The $100 Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 was the CR recommendation in the Bagged Upright category, with a score of 71. The top scorers overall were the bagged upright Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary editions, but they also have an MSRP of $230-ish and did not receive the CR Editor's Recommendation like the $100 model.

So, if you're in the market for a new upright vacuum, it looks like you'd do pretty well with one of the Hoover models that performed well for CR and has good reviews on Amazon and the like. If you have a larger budget, you might prefer a Dyson, LG or Miele machine. If I were you, I'd go check out the magazine and make copies of the pertinent pages at the library before shopping.

You might also ask your library if they have a library users account with CR, or put in a request for them to get one because it IS really nice to have that info at your fingertips.

 

[JudyJ]

Hoover Windtunnel very heavy

Erica,

We have the Hoover Windtunnel that was top rated by Consumers Report and it does clean well and seems to be well made. The problem is that it is very heavy. Lucky we have a one story house and some tile and hardwood or we couldn't use it.

We're like you currently looking for a lighter model. We'll probably keep the Windtunnel just for hard surfaces. If you are a smallish person you don't want the Windtunnel unless you're weight training.

 

[TallMan69]

I've got a bagless upright made my Dirt Devil. I bought it cause it was a really cool red color. Lol. It does alright. I'm not a huge vacuum person.

I've got k9s so the Dyson bragged about sucking up hair well so that caught my eye. The Dirt Devil does ok but the hose is pretty long and does clog up. It corners well though and is fairly quiet. I like it pretty good. It has a removable cannister to vacuum steps.

I'm curious what folks think is the best vacuum for pet hair without clogging. This is probably not really feasible but would still like some subjective results to know for the future what to upgrade to.

 

[NippleMuncher]

I'm curious what folks think is the best vacuum for pet hair without clogging. This is probably not really feasible but would still like some subjective results to know for the future what to upgrade to.

"Best" is in the eye of the vacuum user. Having said that, probably the best performance at the most affordable price is the LG series of vacuums. I have the LUV300B and it is nearly as good as my 7 year old Dyson DC07. The Dyson is much easier to use above floor, both are about equal for carpets and bare floor work.

 

[Noor]

I have a 25+ yrs old orange upright Hoover which I use solely in the basement and if some one wants to borrow a vaccuum- bought it used for $25.
For my main vaccuum I have a Big Vac from clean team (really a Nilfisk) and I love it. I think they run about $400 or so.

 

[SweetErika]

I'm glad this was bumped so I can give a better review of the Hoover Windtunnel Rewind I bought.

Overall, we're very happy with it! It's definitely heavier than I'd like and it'd be nice if the cord were longer, but the quality of the vacumming itself is awesome, and it does have a lot of good features. For something that has on-board attachments and is hundreds less than a Dyson, I don't think it can be beat, really. The other day, I vacummed our downstairs and very dirty garage rug before I realized the canister was full, and it picked up like a champ. It really doesn't seem to lose suction, as advertised, and the brushes truly clean deep and pick up all sorts of stuff well. I haven't used it on really fine stuff like sugar or flour on hard flooring, but I'm sure it's great with those as well. Plus, not having to wrap the cord back up when I'm done is a dream! I can live with a shorter cord than I'd like given that feature!

On the canister front, we had a lot of hair and lint packed in it the last time I emptied it, and I did have to reach in to get it out with my fingers. The design of the inside of the dust cup is less than ideal, for sure, so stuff can get trapped in there. However, I believe I had issues because it was so packed when I got around to emptying it, so I'll just plan on emptying it more often in the future.

For under $100, I really can't complain about this one at all. I'm sure I'd find similar cons even with a Dyson or other expensive vacuum, so I'm a happy vacuumer!

 

[sp9rks]

Does it suck?

I'm a vacuum repairer, established a vac business, and install inbuilts in houses. I am an electrician. Things I learnt from exp are;
1. Does it have lots of bells n whistles? Electronics and handle controls are $$$ to fix.
2. If you can possibly afford it install a ducted system. And buy Volta, and make sure it's bigger than your number of inlets (vac points) demand.
3. Can't afford that or not your house? Then the best value for price, suction, quality, simplicity, repairs and availability of parts is Kerrick. The model sometimes called the Yes. Google them to buy. Just so you know I'm not making a sales buck here, I don't work at that anymore.
4. The Kerrick can use a paper bag, or use a washable cloth filter. All the plastic joins in the hose etc use "O" rings ie no leaks. You can repair the hose when it splits, the ends screw on anti clockwise. There is no fancy electronics. Just an on/ off switch. The one negative about these is the floor tool. Throw it away when it breaks and buy a 35mm Wessle brand combination f/tool.

These vacs retail for @ 400au$ much the same price USA I would think..
Hope these tips are useful to someone here.