Which Vacuum Is the Best?

I have airborne allergies and I used to have a cat. So, when it came time to get a new vacuum I did a lot of research. It was important for me to have a vacuum that would last and have great suction. After doing research online, and visiting with a number of vacuum stores, here is my feedback.

-The power of the vacuum and suction of the vacuum are very important. There are lots of vacuums out there that simply are not very powerful.
-You want a "sealed" HEPA vacuum, as this also directly impacts its suction vs. non-sealed.
-I went with a midsize vacuum that was easy to maneuver and carry around. I have a basement and two floors, so it was important that it not be a big chore just to move it around.
-For that reason, I did not go with a dyson because I found it rather large
-There is a place in Evanston called AA Moley and they specialize in HEPA vacuums. You can give them a call and they will consult you over the phone.
-By the way, brands that are very good are Miele, Bosch, and Electrolux.

Good luck!

L.,
I have three dogs and have tried many vacuums to keep up with the dog hair - the best one by far is the Dyson - its is a bit expensive but worth the money and will last for several years with three girls and a dog you will need. Hope this helps

Hi L.,

The Dyson vacuum cleaner with the Animal Attachment is the best! We have 2 Siberian Huskys and they shed all year round, 2 times a year they have a full shed.

I it does have a Hepa filter.

It paid for itself because you do not have to pay for bags. Just put it over a garbage can, pull a button and you are done.

I would recommend the model DC14 over the model DC07. If you compare the two, you will find the DC14 has a lot more advantages.

I know someone that has the DC14 ball version of the Dyson. I must admit, I thought it was not worth the money. I tried a friends and it is even better than the regular one.

We got ours at Costco for under $500. Here is the link:

http://www.costco.com/Common/Search.aspx?whse=BC&topn...

I know it is expensive, but it is worth it.

I hope this helps.

M.

Hi
The Dyson Animal works great! It is a bit pricy but well worth it. Works great on furniture and bare floors.

I have 3 dogs and 2 cats. I have gone thru vacuum cleaners like they were kleenex. I have had them all. The oreck was a really great vacuum, but then started losing suction after a year. We then bought the h20 vacuum, which uses water for suction, no bags, no mess, everything is trapped. This thing is fabulous. I cant beleive how much filth was still in the carpets, dust, dirt, sand, pet hair, even after vacuuming every other day. Its comparable to the rainbow vacs, but much much much cheaper, and even cheaper than hoover/dyson/eureka etc. I strongly recommend this vac. As i said, i have gone thru ALL brands of vac in about 8yrs and can be a spokesperson on how well each works..lol...K.

Another vote for the DC-14 animal dyson. We have a yellow lab that sheds constantly. Six months later I am still amazed at how much stuff it picks up every time I vacuum. You can use a 20% of coupon at LNT or BBB. Also keep an eye out on the circulars. Stores frequently have an offer with 100.oo gift card with purchase of a dyson. With the combo of the two offers we only paid about 350.00 for ours.

Stay away from Kirby, I purchased a 1200-1800 dollar Kirby and am pretty disappointed. It works about as well as the $200 Kenmore - which is decent, but not worth what I paid.

Good luck,
K.

Hi L.,

I was in the market not long ago and decided on a Riccar 8900 series. I went to a couple of actual vacuum stores and asked what they recommended. Both said Riccar. It has a bag...I have allergies and was told to stay away from bagless models because there is more dust let out, especially when emptying it. We have a big, hairy yellow lab and the vacuum works great! It also fluffs up the carpet, which makes it look newer and can be cleaned deeper.

By the way, I got recommendations from mamasource and it really helped. Also go to e-pionions.com and other sites to look for reviews. They helped me. I googled "vacuum cleaner reviews" and had access to lots of information!

Good luck,
J.

We bought the purple dyson two years ago with wedding money. I wish I would have done more research. I think you can find a better vacuum out there that's hepa, easier to carry/transport, better to manuevuer, better and easier attachments than the dyson. Check with consumer reports. Good luck!

Definitely dyson! We have had ours for probably 4 yrs or so, and it's still working great! It gets up SOO much cat hair and dust... really great product. And it takes a beating at our house, still going strong.

We have a Dyson and I wouldn't use anything else!

One more to add to the mess. I love my Electro-Lux. It's the best investment I have made. Very good suction. Small bags to change more frequent and you can tell when the bad is getting full the suction isn't as strong. It has hepa filters as well and you can see the dirt. I am sure they have a website.

www.rainbowsystem.com

Rainbow is absolutely the best you'll ever find. It's been around for a zillion years but it's not sold in retail stores.

Growing up, we replaced ours once after over 20 years. I have one now and it's been through contruction on our house which included picking up chunks of dry wall and and other debris -- not to mention the weekly use with 3 small children. The suction power is amazing and doesn't lessen over time - I think that's key. Also I have allergies and the system is the best for that.

You'll have to go on the website to find a distributer center near you. Let them come and do a demontration so you can see how it works. You'll be happy you did.

Good Luck!

We have 2 dogs and have a Miele vacuum. We love it and get it serviced at Best Vacuum on Lincoln (between Fullerton and Diversey). We bought it there too actually. There are different levels of Miele vacuums, and they will stear you to the one you would need based on your house, dog, etc. Also expensive, but will last a really long time.

S.

Hi L., I think that I am alittle late with a response, but I just wanted to let you know...we bought a dyson at target. They never go on sale, but at target, they usually have a promotion where if you buy a dyson you get a gift certificate in some amount. We bought the pink one and I think it was 399 and then we got a 100 gift certificate, right there on the spot. Belive me, that was the only way we would get one! Just wanted to let you know. Good luck with your purchase, and I am postive you will love it!

I just did a bunch of research and all of the reviews are confusing! I ended up buying an Oreck off Ebay for about $225. It is a commercial vacuum and works on floors and carpets.
The reviews I read about Dyson were good except that it is pricey and made of cheap plastic parts from Malaysia. It is supposed to have the best suction though.
The Oreck just came today, so I don't know yet how it will be, but it seemed to work ok for the small amount I tried after I put it together!
Good luck!
T.

Another vote for the Dyson Animal!!!!

Over the years I have found (I have 4 kids, one dog, two cats and a very clean house) the most important factor of a vaccum is that it is lite. With kids and animals I have found that when I had a expensive heavy one I never want to use it. Now I have cheap Hoover empower and use it so much more which makes my house look better. I personly do not like the bagless-I can see the dirt and it drives me crazy. I end up vaccuming for hours. Good luck-D.

L.,

My family has always been a Hoover family until recently when our latest hoover died and we tried the Dyson DC14. It's amazing. Everytime I use it I am truly amazed at how much it picks up. I'm emptying the thing constantly which makes me wonder why I didn't need to empty my Hoover more often.

My mom had an Oreck in the past and it was just not very good. Nothing out of the ordinary. The Hoover Windtunnels were nice and had some great features, also did fairly well on dog hair but apparently they weren't getting all the dirt. They also seemed to break more often.

The Dyson picks up amazingly well, does great on pet hair, has a HEPA filter, and is very maneuverable (non-ball model), and easy to push on the carpet...even after being used to a Hoover w/ self-propel.

As expensive as the Dyson is (we got the DC14 full kit at Costco), I hate to say it but it's well worth the money. I love it. My husband loves it. My mom loves it. And if you buy it at Costco, they have an excellent return policy so you could always try it out and return it if you really aren't happy.

Whatever you choose, good luck.
-Jen

Miele. They are very expensive, though.
Amy

I highly recommend the Dyson. We have had our for 2 years now and it does a great job and hasn't lost any suction (which some people claim. My daughter has allergies and it does an amazing job with dust and hair. Easy to clean, a bit heavy to lug upstairs but it really can't be beat. Worth the extra money.

We have a Dyson and we love it. Works great for picking up animal hair too. They are pricey for a vac BUT if you go to Bed Bath & Beyond with a 20% coupon you will save and depending on which model you pick it would only end up costing you a little over 3 or 4 hundred $$$'s.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&...

Jules