Vacuum Recommendation

I recently bought the Dyson Animal from Costco. I absolutely love it!!! I enjoy vacumming now and it picks up a lot of dirt and dust, even when you think the floor is clean. The stair vacuuming attachment is a back-save and the length of the hose and wand make vacuuming along moldings and other hard-to-reach places a breeze. It's a great whole house and car vacuum. At Costco, I think I paid $399 and it came with a ton of accessories and such to clean stairs, etc. When I looked up the model on the Dyson Web site, I was amazed to see that the same vacuum all the extras would have been over $700. I gulped at the price, but use it so much more than my old one which I hated, so just didn't use. I never thought I'd enjoy vacuuming, but I do now.

my mom has a dyson and loves it.
I have a sears model one of their higher end models that was highly rated in consumer reports. its a kenmore model 116.35922 It has beltless drive with a hepa bag and filter. It can be used on carpets and bare floors. I love it, it has great suction and a handy little brush as one of the hose attachments. with my allergies the hepa bag was a better choice than the bagless type. It isnt the lightest vacuum but, my suggestion is to get a good stiff broom and sweep the stairs prior to vacuuming....I learned this from my cleaning lady, she also sweeps out all the stuff close to the walls and then vacuums and it looks much cleaner and is easier, hope this helps.

I use the smallest cheapest cannister Sears makes. I love it because it's small, it works great on wood floors and it works on carpet as well. However, for carpet and wood, I recommend a cannister vacuum, regardless.

I have a Kennmore Progressive canister vacuum that I love! The Progressive is about the top of the Kenmore line and was around $300 when I got it, but they have less expensive models that are just as good (mine has extra goodies like super long chord and 360 degree swivel for the hose instead of only about 180 degree and true HEPA filtration). It is the best vacuum I've ever owned. My fiance's mother is a house cleaner and has been using the Kennmore canister vacuums for YEARS...since before I ever met my fiance (which was 15 years ago). When one starts getting too old to take on her cleaning trips, she turns it into a back up or keeps it at home for personal use. We have one that we use in the garage for car stuff that she probably bought 10 or 15 years ago at least (I think she was using it at home when I was in Highschool) and you'd never know it was that old...the only reason we don't use it in the house is its a model that doesnt have filtration and we have allergies so bad that we need the filtration. The controls for the brush heads are right at your fingertips! Not on the canister like most other canister vacs...And, the head is the easiest one to disconnect I've ever seen! I don't think you HAVE to use the HEPA bags with them, but with cats I'd guess that you will want to. It never blows anything out unless I ignore the baglight for so long that the bag backs up into the hose (only happened once and it was by mistake...oops LOL). Anyway, I love it...you can check them out at any Sears store.

Go with a Dyson! I have had mine for over 2 years now and absolutely love it. I use it on all my floors (carpet, hardwood and rugs) and it works very well. They are a little spendy but well worth it, I have used many vacuums and this is the only one I have been totally satisfied with! I ended up buying mine at either Bed Bath and Beyond or Linens and Things (can't remember for sure) but used the 20% off coupon that comes in the mail that you can use on any one item of your choice, it helped me save $100. They have many different models to choose from so I would suggest that you go check out the floor models and see what will work best for you and your needs. Good Luck!

I have an Electrolux Oxygen Ultra (III - I think) canister & love it! We also have 2 cats, so I understand the cat hair issue. The controls are on the handle so it switches from beater for the carpets, to suction only for bare floors with the touch of a button! They are a little pricey, but I found a good deal on eBay. Good luck!

I have never been happier than with my Dyson. (I have the purple model). It's normally $500, but I got it through Buy.com for something like $385. I don't think I'll ever buy another non-Dyson again.

I'm 5'1" and it's not a party to carry downstairs, but I think it's worth it.

Take care,
S

i TOTALLY second the Dyson recommendation!!! I have 2 cats and have always dealt with fur fur fur! This vacuum is designed for people with allergies and asthma as it picks up EVERYTHING! and the best part is you can see how much it picked up after every vacuum session (instant gratification!). I almost died the first time i vacuumed my house with it because I had to empty it once before I could finish vacuuming... my floors were soooo dirty even though I vacuum a few times a week! I have seen them at Costco recently but I got mine from Bed Bath and Beyond by using those 20% off coupons...they are regulary around $400-$500....but worth every penny! I will always have a Dyson!

I see that someone else has already posted how much they LOVE the same vacuum that I have. We learned that my (now) 17 month old son and I were allergic to dustmites when we took him in for allergy testing. I bought the Dyson DC18 Slim All Floors. It is so manueverable that I LOVE it on my carpets and wood floors. It is almost on a roller ball but much smaller and ligher than the latest model. When I walk across the carpet after vacuuming now, it feels clean. I know it sounds odd, but it is like I can tell what spots have been missed. haha Anyway, we got ours at Home Depot with a price match for a sale add that was on Target.com (I think). We had gone into the store to check out the vacuum and then researched who might have it online and with discounts and such. The store matched what I could have delivered to another store and with opening a Home Depot card, we got another 10% off and 12 months to pay it off with no interest. I know that was a promotion for the 12 months but their regular deal is 6 months. It has been well worth it and being about the pay the bill over time is great!!

We have a Dyson DC18 Slim All-Floors Cyclone Upright Vacuum Cleaner which I love. It is pricey but lasts longer than most vacuums on the market (I've heard 10-15 yrs) and you save money because it is bagless, beltless, and lifetime HEPA filter. Dysons are also the only vacuum certified asthma friendly by the asthma & allergy foundation.

After vacuuming the air in our house smells so much cleaner it is like having an air filter and vacuum in one. This is in contrast to most bag vacuums which we've noticed tend to emit dust into the air as you're vacuuming. It also cleans floors superwell, and you don't need to adjust carpet heights. To transition to wood, you just press a button that is on the handle where your hand already is.

This little vacuum is so light and maneuverable that we now actually *enjoy* vacuuming and do it more often (I am 5'2"). I also find myself vacuuming cobwebs much more frequently than I used to because the suction tube comes right out of the handle - no bending, disconnecting or reattaching.

Yes, you do have to change a bagless more often than bags, but it is really quick and easy to do with this vacuum and you also get to see what and how much you've vacuumed up in each room (strangely fascinating to us). I don't know if it pushes air out the front like some vacuums but we do have a long-haired cat and a mini-dachshund and we haven't noticed any hair problems.

We've had our Dyson for just over 6 months and the longer we have it, the more we love it. You can read reviews of it at Amazon.com. I think you can save about $30 if you buy it from Costco.com ($390 as opposed to $420 - maybe also save on shipping if they carry it at your local Costco), but like most top quality items, it is very hard to find at a discount. I highly recommend this vacuum even at the high price -- it probably evens out in the end anyway when you take longevity into account and you also get to help the environment by throwing away fewer vacuums in the long run. :-)

I had the exact same thing! That was before I got my Dyson Animal. I LOOOOOOOVE IT!!! I will never buy any other brand again. I've had it for 3 years now and it still sucks like new. (in a good way, lol) It has a feature that allows you to turn off the spinning brush to vacuum hard floors and saves so much time that way. It only gets a little heavy when it is completely full, so I empty mine after each room. That is easy though because you just pull the canister off and dump it out in the garbage, wipe off some of the lint build up and get back to it. Very easy compared to the stupid, dusty bag models. And if you stick to the every 6 months or so washing of the filters it runs like new. (be sure and let the filter dry thoroughly before reinserting) No belts to replace on the spinner and easy to clean, fun extra tools to choose from too. Ours we got for a tiny discount because we didn't want to shop around and needed one pronto, so it cost us $449, but I've saved at least $150 in bags and filters and belts in the last 3 years and I only have to shampoo my floors for dirt build up about once or twice a year instead of every other month like I used to. I'm also not breaking my back on it like before. Long story even longer...It is well worth the money...VERY VERY worth it and I will never go back to anything else. Nothing compares with a Dyson! (the animal is great if you have pets because it can handle the pet hair better) Good luck!

I bought a Eureka The Boss Smart Vac about 6 months ago, and I love, love, love it. It was about $150, and was named a "best value" by Consumer Reports. It did better than many of the high priced vacuums, including the Dyson, in the CR tests. It picks up so much more crud than my old vac did, I end up changing bags about three times as often.

we broke down and bought an oreck. It was the best thing as far as vaccuum cleaners we've ever done. It has two settings and only weighs 8 lbs. when it's not full. there is an oreck store near the alderwood mall you can go and check them out before you buy and then they usually give you a handheld when you buy the regular style... yeah, they're like $600 but so worth the time you save. plus they are gauranteed for 21 years with service plans. If you consider how many vaccuums you might buy in the next 20 years... that's what made us realize it was worth it.

We have had a Dyson for at least 5 years. Back then there were no advertisements or commercials, we just thought it looked cool and figured for the price it must be good. Now they have so many different models and we've added a second one for upstairs. Once, after our warranty had expired, we had issues with our first one and when we contacted Dyson they sent us a box to ship it to them and they fixed it and sent it back, no charge. It is bagless, SO easy to empty, so light and so easy to use. We have the original one and also the Animal one which really just comes with more attachments. You should really look into it, I actually enjoy vacuuming because of the Dyson!

Hi there M.,
I could identify with your vacuum problem. I had similar difficulties until purchasing an Oreck upright. I thought their adds were hype, until I borrowed one from a friend when our vacuum went out; and ended up buying one. That was ten years ago, and so far no problems or repairs have been necessary. Until then, I tried several brands which all seemed to malfunction after about three years. We have wood, tile and carpet and it works well on all surfaces. Another advantage is that it weighs eight pounds. Since we have a two story house and I too am short, plus have neck and back issues, it makes my life easier. Good luck vacuum shopping; and you may want to check out the Oreck. Hope this helps some.

Jan (mom, grandma, former teacher)

We just bought a Eureka Boss 4D (the baggless model), and so far we like it. On consumer reports it was rated second. It is suppose to be good for bare floors, and excellent for carpet. The bag-equiped model rated excellent for bare floors and very good for carpet. It costs about $150.

The kenmore progressive direct is the highest rated, it both has a bag-equiped and bagless model. It rates excellent for both carpet and bare floors. Costs about $350. Next are the Riccar Supralight ($350-bagged), Hoover Tempo Widepath ($70-bagged), the Riccar Brilliance Premium ($850-bagged), and the Dysson Absolute Animal ($550-bagless). They all rate pretty well for both carpet and bare floors.

These ratings are for upright vaccumes, there are separate ratings for canister vacuums.

I love LOVE LOVE my "eight pound Oreck." (You've seen the commercials, right?) Seriously, I have a husband, three boys, a dog, and a cat. I have to vacuum every day otherwise my carpet looks awful. I also have a neurological disease that causes weakness in my hands and legs. I don't have any trouble with my Oreck. It works great. It's light. And any time I've had trouble (i.e. sucking up a baby sock) I've just had to take it in to the local Oreck shop and the guys there unclog it for me for free.

I have to agree with all the Dyson lovers who already replied. We have had ours for 3 years. I have the dark purple pet model. I have 4 kids & a very big lab that sheds like crazy...I even use the attachemnt & vacuum him sometimes! It is the BEST vacuum EVER! We are in the military & each time that we moved I purchased a new vacuum b/c they just all stopped working, were a pain in the rear to use...esp. on the stairs, NEVER got up the dog hair, etc. Since having the Dyson, I couldn't be happier & my husband is happy he hasn't had to fork over any more money for yet ANOTHER vacuum...I think during the previous 10 years we had purchased about 6!!! ANd not cheap ones either!
Like the others said for some crazy reason it is fun to see all the dog hair, etc! Weird I know. ANd to empty the canister is so easy and NOT at all messy! I had bagless cleaners before & when you emptied the canister you then had to vacuum all around the trash can & you could taste the dirt in the air...not so with the Dyson. I think someone else said it too...YOu can feel how clean the floor feels & "taste" the CLEAN air are after you vacuum! I hated to vacuum before...we have 3 floor levels(and I am 5'1''...Dyson is not at all too heavy for me) & like I said a dog & 4 kids so I am constantly cleaning up crumbs and hair...I would dread pulling out the vacuum before & I have to say not once over the past 3 years did I dread pulling out my Dyson!!!! Also, it transitions so easily btw. tile, hardwood, to rugs or carpet. YOu just press a button right beside the on/off button to stop the rollers! When you are on a hard surface...you can see how much the Dyson sucks...in a good way...you can hold it in place & watch the dog hair or crumbs come across the floor b/c it sucks w/ so much power! Before when I had other vacuums you would have to go over & over the spots with hair & most of the time it just shot right back out or clogged it up. I have never had a clog, never had to vacuum the SAME spot OVER & OVER, never had to change the filter, no rubber belts to be replaced! Also, my model swivels...oh so nice when you have lots of furniture...doesn't sound like a big deal but it is a BIG time & back & arm muscle saver! Also, I LOVE, LOVE the hose...you just pull it out, put on the proper attachment for furniture or stairs & you are good to go. Like I said I have 3 levels so 2 sets of stairs & I just plop the vacuum at the bottom & the hose extends out to reach ALL the way to the TOP!!! With other vacuums, I had to prop my leg against the vacuum to prevent it from falling down the stairs & try to vacuum at the same time...such a HUGE pain that I really HATED to vacuum the stairs!!! Now, it takes less time to vacuum the entire set of stairs in the same amount of time that it took me to do 3 or 4 steps previous!
I can NOT say enough wonderful things about Dyson. If I ever need a new one I would buy a Dyson in a second! Can't imagine when that will be since I have had this one 3 years & I am not the best at really cleaning out the canister...meaning wahing it, etc...I just dump it & put it away until I use it the next day...and it still runs like the first day I bought it!!! Speaking of buying...I bought ours at Sears...price was little higher than Costco. I live in ALaska so the prices are a little higher here no matter which store... at the time this model was selling for almost $600 & I got a great deal at Sears b/c the were having their 10% off any purchase with your Sears card, Well, I didn't have one so I opened one & got an ADDITIONAL 20% off & 6 months no interest! YOu may think that still sounds high...however, I would already be one my 2nd or 3rd vacuum by now!!!
Good luck!

Hi M.,
We've got a Eureka "The Boss" Smartvac about 8 months ago, and have been happy with it. It was $150 at Bed Bath and Beyond. I found it by looking at Consumer Reports reviews. It rated well for bare floors, and it has a bag. I haven't had problems with the weight or maneuverability (I'm 5'0").

I recommend going to Consumer Reports. The expensive vacuums aren't always better. Hope this helps!

A.

I have a Oreck. They are spendy, but well worth it. We have had ours for about 3 years now. I have wood floors on our bottom level and carpet on the top. It cleans both really well. It has bags, and you can get special bags that are for people with pets helps keep the hair and particles in It weighs 8 lbs!!! I have stiars so carry a vacuum up them every time, it can get to be a pain. I can carry this one with one hand! It has a 21 year warrenty, which is good as long as you take it in once a year for maintenance (which is FREE!). They clean it and fix anything or replace anything that needs it. There is a Oreck dealer on the Southcenter Parkway. I believe they have a really big sale every January (or maybe it's December), you could ask.
Good Luck and happy cleaning :)

We have a Dyson vacuum and I LOVE IT!! I know they have changed their models since we bought ours and they even more effecient! I prefer the 'bagless' vacuums for a couple of reasons. 1-the cost of the bags, and 2-quick and easy to dump and if you suffer from allergies or anything, you are not keeping all the dust, dirt and grime in your vacuum and using it over and over. You vacuum and you empty!!! love it!
Goodluck with your decision.

The Miele vacuums are a bit spendy, but very good on hardwood, bare floors. It's a canister vacuum and easy to carry around, not heavy. They carry them at Starks Vacuum.
I love mine.

Usually a vacuum will spit out the dirt at you because it's still on the "carpet" setting, and switching to "hard floor" would solve your problem -- then it doesn't use the brush. Or, there might be a clog.

But, if you just don't like it, I think that you would be surprised that you can still return/exhange it!
I love my Dyson, but would recommend one of the newer models that have a long "nose" and lower front end clearance -- to fit under furniture easier.

I agree, not at all lame, especially when the time available for these tasks is limited. I use Miele and love it. I have also heard good things about Dyson and Oreck. Many of my family members have asthma and allergies so the HEPA filtering is important to us. I also use HEPA air filters and turn them on at the highest setting while vacuuming. That way, any dirt that gets stirred up but not picked up by the vacuum (which does not seem to be much, with Miele) is filtered and does not seem to settle back down onto my floors and furniture. I find this decreases my need to re-vacuum 10 minutes later. Good luck!

A.

We have a dyson. I LOVE IT!! We have wood flooring with area rugs as well. I am only 5' 2" I don't have any problem with caring it up and down the stairs, as a matter of fact my 11 year old boy only 4" 11" carries it fine too. It is bag less. We have a very large and very hairy dog. He is a Swiss mountain and husky mix. Let me tell you that dog an put out some hair. My husband has allergies also, so we have to keep this cleaned up. I haven't found anything about the dyson that I don't like. If I were to purchase it again the only thing I would do different is buy the yellow one (we have the light purple one) because the head swivels on a ball. Check into it. They are not cheap (around $500.) but worth every penny in my oppinion. We have always had either the Rainbow or the Thermax. Bot are good machines, but I didn't like messing with the whole water thing. Those bot are expensive, around $2000.

Good luck

I would highly recommend an Oreck vacuum. They are a bit spendy initially, but they are light-weight (I am short too) and very powerful. They're not very pretty, but they have a hypo-allergenic filtration, a great warranty (minimum 3 years), and a very cool free gift with purchase! :) Assuming you are local here in Bend, the Oreck store is in the Forum Shopping Center (across from Safeway and Old Navy). We have had ours for over a year and absolutly love it!! You only have to change the bag like once every 6 months or so.

I have a Kirby, this is an expensive brand but is amazing. It has an attachment for hardwood floors and picks up even on carpet. This thing can get sugar spilt behind a fridge just by putting the attachment up against the front. Mine also has the capet cleaner attachment but it sucks. So even though its higher cost its worth it for the long haul. I have had mine 4 years and still works great.

Okay first of all I have a dyson and love it! You should take the vacuum back and tell the store you hate this one get a different one. If you had a brand you loved get one of those. Hope this helps, J.

I don't think its a lame request at all. It all goes with the Mom territory. I had a mediocre vacuum for 10 years. I was happy when it finally blew up. After buying another cheap vacuum that lasted only 3 months I ended up with a dyson. I love it! I bought a refurb off of overstock.com. $319 not tax and free delivery. It really sucks.......the dirt and animal hair that is. You do have to empty the canister often.....maybe after vacuuming the entire house but then I know it is working. My 6 year-old can even vacuum the stairs. All the attachments are on board and you don't have to turn it off to use them. Good luck in your search!

If you haven't already you should consider going to Sears. The people who work in the appliance area seemed very knowledgable. I am not ready to buy a new vacuum but was talking to the about the dyson models. I am not sure if they do both wood and carpet but they have some very nice light models with great features. Good luck in your vacuum search!

I haven't read the responses so I hope this isn't a repeat... we love our Eureka Mega Boss (I think that's what it's called). It is a consumer reports best buy, at around $150. It is a little heavy, though, so lugging it up and down the stairs is a pain. But I hate sweeping, so this does a wonderful job on hard floors, and vacuums like a champ. I recommended it to a friend, and she got one and loves it too.

I have a Eureka Optima Bagless and I really like it - it is small, lightweight, and best of all, fairly afforable (around $60 I think), so when my first one broke after a couple of years, I just bought another. Not a long term investment for sure, but I think it does the hard floor/area rug transition quite well, I love that its so light and easy to tote around. But you'd still have to empty the canister.

I got a Roomba iRobot for Christmas last year and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It does a way better job than I could, gets areas you can't with a regular vaccuum, transitions seamlessly between our hardwoods and rugs -- and of course, I don't actually have to do the vaccuuming. :) (Costco sells them now. bonus)

Hey M.,

I bought a Meile canister vacuum and LOVE it. Oh my goodness, it is amazing. I live on a farm with 2 kids, a cat, and a dog. Needless to say my house has the potentila to be a dust and fur pit. We have hardwood and carpet as well.
In my research for vaccums I learned that for hard floors a canister type is best as it does not shoot dust and debris all over, as you mentioned yours does. The model I have has a button on the handle that will turn the roller/scrubber on for carpets and off for hard floors-no need to attach different heads. The handle length is adjustable so my kids can vaccum and I (at 5'8) can vacuum. You can also get the cobwebs up in the corners or vacuum your curtains. There are 5 different suction strength levels-high suction for carpets,low for curtains and many inbetween. The head also swivels so you can get under couches and around table legs without rolling around on the floor doing crazy vacuum cleaner yoga. The whole unit when empty is about 11 pounds and it used bags. It has a HEPA filter as well. It comes with several attachments for furniture, cob webs, crevices, etc.
If you are in the Olympia area go to South Sound Vaccum on cooper point rd. They sell several models in varying price ranges. They are pricey, but soooooo worth it. Also this store will do a once a year free "tune-up" and are great about servicing the units. I have reccommended it to several friends who all love theirs. Who new we could actually enjoy vacuuming?

Jennifer

I have the Dyson Slim which I love. It is on the pricey side, but well worth it when you have kids. We have both hard wood floors and carpet and it transitions well. It does have the cannister to empty, but I can get away with not emptying it each time if I wanted to. It is light weight so easy to carry around the house.

NOT a lame request! Vacuums are so important. I have a Dyson and love it and will probably never get anything else. It works very well on wood and carpet. However, it is a little heavy. So, that is a downer. Although, I think they have made some more light-weight models. I know they are expensive, but I honestly will probably never get another brand. We went through so many before settling on the Dyson. We have 3 animals and 2 boys. It's never let us down. Good luck in your search!

Miele makes the best vacuum ever! They are NOT cheap but they are truly the BEST. Good Luck. See Crossroads Appliance for a great selection.

From consumer Reports Best uprights for most:

• Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 35922 , $350, CR Best Buy
• Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 36932 , $350, CR Best Buy
• Eureka Boss Smart Vac 4870[ ] , $150, CR Best Buy
• Eureka Boss 4D 5893[ ] , $140

Both Kenmores are tops for all-around cleaning and picking up pet hair. The Eurekas trade some versatility for a lower price.
If less weight is worth some trade-offs:

• Riccar Supralite RSL3 , $350
• Bissell Momentum 82G71 , $120

The 9-pound Riccar is lightest; also consider the Riccar Supralite RSL3 for its superb carpet cleaning. The 18-pound bagless Bissell accepts tools and has a low price.

Hi M.,

Go to www.Oreck.com .....Not sure how much you want to spend (they have different ones for various prices), but you can't beat the offer. They pay shipping, you can try it for 30 days, and if you don't like it they will pay the shipping back. They are very light, but the quality is very good. Hope this helps. Have a wonderful day.

GF~ Get an Oreck. I had such a problem with vacuumes being too heavy. I love my Oreck. It's so light you'll love it! Although it does kick out particals, most vacs do. Good luck with your choise and let us know how it turns out.
Mandy