What Is the Best Kind of Vacuum?

Hi Celena,
a while back, there was this same discussion and as a result, I bought a Dyson Animal (got it at Costco at a much lower price) and I have to say that it is by far the best vaccuum that I have ever had! I love it. I have a German Shepherd who sheds all the time and there is constant hair on my floor. It always amazes me on how much the Dyson picks up each time I vaccuum. I would recommend it in a heartbeat. I dont know if they have the Animal at Costco anymore but I do know they still have a Dyson there for sale. It is well worth the money. I do not think I will ever go for another brand again.

L.

I have a Miele Capricorn that I love. It has a HEPA filter and you can vacuum carpet and hard floors like linoleum. I have an Oreck and I liked it, but it doesn't compare to my Miele.

dyson animal.. best ever.. we have a lab.. well worth the extra money we have had it for 3 years and no problems.
Lenc

Before you buy, check out the Hoover Windtunnel. I've had mine for about 3 years and it is great. It's not bagless, but I've had bagless before and found them very messy to clean out. We decided on the Hoover because at the time, Consumer Reports rated it very highly and it was about half the cost of a Dyson (the other one we were considering). CR did not rate Dyson very well and it is very expensive. I just looked at my Consumer Reports mag for March 2009 and they again rated the Hoover at number 1 for uprights (it's the Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary edition and costs about $230).

My only small complaint would be that it is a very noisy vacuum...more noisy than others.

Good luck.

We've had the Dyson "animal" (the purple one), for about 4 years and love it! We have a black lab that sheds like crazy and a little boy....not having to change a bag all of the time is lovely! Good luck!

My in-laws, owners of two extra-large breed, hairy dogs, love their Dyson Animal. My husband and I, owners of two hairy, shedding black dogs and keepers of three boys 5 and younger, think (after a test drive of the in-laws' Dyson) our Eureka has a superior suction, and it's still as strong 3 years later. The Eureka was easily half the price of the Dyson, which I was totally prepared to splurge on until reading reviews from owners and finding much praise for the Eurekas over the Dysons.

Oreck. Bag,upright. It is fantastic! The warranty is amazing...havent even needed it in the 5 yrs weve owned it but you get a free check-up every year. Mom to about a gazillion kids and 3 cats and one giant dog!

This is the first time I have responded to someone :) I think this is the first time I have had good advice :) I have a Dyson Vacuum and love it!! It is an upright and bagless. It is the best vacuum I have ever used, and I have used a lot of them. (My family owned a cleaning business when I was growing up to help make ends meet.) You can literally feel the difference in the spots you have vacuumed. We have a cat, woods stove, two kids and no grass in our front yard so we put that vacuum through its paces. I absolutely love it. Have not tryed it on other flooring.

I LOVE my Dyson but we actually had to get a Meile because we now have wool carpets and the Dysons aren't good for wool (too much suction). I have to say I miss using my Dyson though. If you are interested, I am getting it ready to post it for sale on Craig's List for $225 (we bought ours new for like $450). Ours is the Dyson DC15 Ball. It is still in amazing condition. Also, wanted to let you know that I have a steam shark and I really, really love it. it takes a bit more prep to sweep the floor before I use it, but it is so much easier and better than regular mopping. the one trick is to wet the pad before you start mopping and it works a lot better that way. the first time I tried it, it left streaks and I was bummed. the 2nd time, I wet the pad first and no streaks. I suggest getting yours at Costco because they are sooooo good about returns. If you use it for a while and decide you don't like it, you can take it back with no questions asked. that way you can try it out a few times and you don't have to worry.

Hi Celena - we had an Oreck for some years - it was ok - it was all they said it was - light, fairly quiet - but what they don't tell you is that the handle is actually the top of the tube that all the "stuff" goes up and then into the bag - which CLOGGED all the time. Granted we have 2 dogs, one with long hair - but still it was a pain. Unless they have changed the design on the Oreck - I would TOTALLY recommend the Dyson. We got the "Animal" one of course because we have some. The vacuum is bigger than the Oreck and a bit heavier - but it works SO MUCH BETTER - for us anyway - we still have to clean off the brush head frequently - but we'd have to do that with ANY vacuum. My sister was visiting a few years ago, shortly after we bought it. She used it one day while she was here (she's a cleaner :O). She said that she was going to by a Dyson when she got home -she really loved it. Hope that info helps and I hope that you find a vacuum that fits your needs.

Have you looked into the Kirby's. They are a bit more expensive, but you will never have to buy another one. They have a lifetime guarantee. It works so great too. I love mine, it is really easy to use also.

I had a Kirby that cost $400 40 years ago. It lasted 30 years. What a deal! So I recommend you find something that lasts a long time. That was the best vacuum I had.

I have a Dyson that I purchased at Costco a few years ago. Loved it at first, but not so much any more. It needs to go in for repair and the closest "authorized" repair shop is a 4 hour drive (each way) away. Not worth my time and effort so I bought a Hoover (I believe) for pets. It's bagless and works just as well as the Dyson (even the construction looks similar). If you choose a Dyson I suggest that you make sure prior to purchasing that there is an authorized repair shop close by, "just in case".

I love my Oreck. I have a golden retriever and it picks up her hair very well. I use it on carpet, hardwoods, tile. I think I've had it for 7 or 8 years and it still works perfectly.

We also have a Meile Canister which is great for dusting furniture, doing stairs, etc because there are different attachment components. The Oreck came with another unit (handheld) but I just don't use it much. My husband had the Meile before we got married so we are able to keep one upstairs and one on the main floor.

I love my Dyson it is bagless and works great. I have had it for 4 years and it works just like brand new. I also have a Kirby too works great but heavy and more work to use all the attchments. Good luck.

I have the Dyson DC17 Animal and love it! The only thing i hate about it is the awful noise it makes grabbing the rugs on the hard floors because it has the automatic carpet height adjustment. Keeps the kids and the cat on their toes! Tehehe! I found mind as a refurb on Amazon regular $549, I think, for $399. It has the same warranty a new one would have, and works just fine, it would just be finding one since they are not always available.

I have the Bissell Steam mop and really like it. I've only had it a little while and still getting used to using it, but it sure is nice not pulling out a bucket, and a mop, and the cleaner... in 30 seconds this thing is heated and ready to go. With 5 kids, a cat, a turtle, a hamster, a fish, it's nice to be able to sterilize the floors in an instant, especially the bathroom, and steam up the sticky messes under the highchairs! I've heard the Sharks are not all that great for the price, so I picked up the Bissell for $70 to try it out. I would totally recommend extra pads, it comes with 2 (wash and reuse), but it would be nice to have extras. Oh, and the cord is a bit short, I have to plug it in in 2 places to get the whole floor downstairs.

Hope this helps!

K.

Hey Celena - Two comments: 1. I only have personal experience with Kirby, which is what everyone in my family has, and another large family in my church all use Kirby in their homes, too. My husband can fix them himself, so that's a plus. Many of our siblings have newer ones, but mine's from the 50's and still keeps on suckin'!
2. We just yesterday had to go to the vacuum repair shop for a new fan for our old Kirby and asked recommendations for a new vacuum. This is a great place to ask because they see and use so many different ones. He said that bagless vacuums are basically worthless, and if you're going to spend $300 on a Dyson, why not spend $400 on a Miele that actually works and will last for years. (His words, not mine, mind you.) Also, there was a brand (sorry, can't remember which) that he said the exhaust is cleaner than the room air, so it also acts as a purifier.
I would check a lot of sites online to compare ratings before you spend anything.

No one has said it yet--we have a Rainbow and it's awesome. It is easily as powerful as a Dyson (if not more) but the difference is that it has a water filter/tank, so there's no dust from the vacuum itself. We spent a lot more on it than we ever thought we would spend on a vacuum, so the Dyson may be more attractive for the price, but I will never buy another vacuum again.

My husband is a neat freak & vacuums at least 1-2 times per week. He uses all those attachments that I never knew what were for. lol! We love our Dyson Animal (purple one). We have a cat too & she sheds on the couch. This vacuum comes with the motorized attachment for upholstery & stairs. It works great on carpet & wood floors! We've had it for 5 years now and it looks & runs like brand new.

Dyson hardly ever goes on sales, but Bed,Bath, & Beyond has those 20% off coupons! Drops the price from $$550 to $440! (I think that's cheaper than Costco!)

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

Good luck!

The Dyson Animal is by far the BEST!! You won't believe the stuff it will pick up from your carpets! We have a 3 yo and a 6 mo, and even though we don't have animals right now (we have in the past), we got the Animal because we do want to get a dog when the kids are a little older. Even without animals, the canister will be full after vacuuming, even though the carpets look clean. The filter is super easy to clean, too.

We also have a steam mop. It's called the Reliable Steamboy (I bought it on Amazon). I love it! It really gets the linoleum clean and looks great. I really wanted something that would get the floors clean without using cleaners because of the kids and our son will be crawling soon. It's really easy to use. I would highly recommend it.

We have a Kenmore progressive (from Sears) and love it. I know of at least 3 or 4 other people with the same vac, all happy. We have the cannister, but I've also heard great things about the upright version. You can check out Consumer Reports too. It easily switches from carpet mode to bare floor mode with a button on the handle, has a dirt sensor, lots of attachments. We especially like the attachment for upholstery. The brush inside of it is powered, so it does a great job of getting fur off of the furniture and curtains. The thing I love about the cannister is that you don't have to jump thru any hoops to use the hose portion. You just hit a release with your foot and instantly have an extendable wand that can get into corners.

I'm partial to bagged vacuums, especially for pet hair. I don't see the point of vacuuming up the mess only to release all the dust into the air when you empty the bagless type. I'm not sure where you are, but the garbage guye here get ticked off if vacuum dust isn't bagged, something we discovered when we emptied our shop-vac directly into the trash can.

Hands down Dyson for the best vacuum. I have had mine for a couple of years and love it. It is bagless and easy to clean. The suction is great as well. I know they make a animal one which I think is the purple one that might be good for you with pets.

I love love love my Dyson it works great filters are easy to clean just rinse and let them dry it works great! With 2 little boys a dog and cats it takes care of it all.

Kirby's are amazing. They pick up everything and can even suck out all the dead skin, dust, mites, etc from your mattress! You can buy the carpet shampoo kit to come with it and you have a shampooer at your disposal.

They are expensive but they last for decades and the latest version the Diamond comes with a lifetime warranty. Most other models of the Kirby come with 3 years or longer warranties, which no other company comes close to.

We bought ours used at a vacuum repair store. It's been the best investment ever and we love it! It deals with everything!

I know many people like Dyson. We bought one within the last couple years. It vacuums beautifully - when it works. Within months, the power switch broke. The only shop that does warranty work is in Bellevue - 45 minutes from our house. We didn't use it for several months just because of the inconvenience. Now the belt broke. Dyson did send us the replacement part and we were able to fix it without having to take it to Bellevue.

My husband has been particularly frustrated and has been researching Dyson. He's found that many people end up unhappy - they seem to be pretty fragile machines.

On the flip side, both my mom and sister love theirs and have had no problems.

C.

Dyson. Hands down, it's the best! I have a siberian husky who sheds 2x/year as well as 2 cats. Dyson works fabulous!! We have the animal (it's purple), but they all really work well, so I'd get whatever version is currently at Costco since they usually have the best prices. Brand aside, I would only get a bagless, especially with animals. It's so simple to just empty the canister into the garbage without having to deal with the ick of pulling out the bag and putting in a new one. It's also quick which is important with kids! :)

We also have a Shark Steam Mop and it does a great job! Again, it's from Costco since they have the best price. I love that it doesn't need chemicals to clean the floors, but that it does do the job. We normally pre-rinse the cleaning pad in the sink and then toss it in with our normal laundry. Haven't had a problem yet!

some of this will depend on the price but i like bagless so i do not have to remember to buy bags and if you get one that wheels swivel they are easier to manuver.
have fun it would be great if we could try these before we buy then we would know what we are getting
paula

I am in the Dyson camp too. We have the upright with many of the animal attachments (which work for everything - a hand held motorized attachment too). We bought ours through Costco online had it shipped directly to us. The really nice thing about Costco is the extra warranty & return policy that kicks butt to just about anyone else. I am so amazed at how much dirt that it pulls from my carpet when I dump the canister. It makes me think back to my old eureka (with a bag) and how "long" it took to "fill" up the bag. We have 2 boys, 1 dog & 2 cats so we get dirty around here. Occasionally I do have to pull long hair that gets wrapped around the brushes but you have to do that with any vacuum. One thing nice my kids "LIKE" to vacuum! Happy vacuum hunting (:>)

I own the Shark steam mop and it works GREAT! It only uses water but does a great job!

we love the dysons i have a husband three kids and two dogs with lots of hair and LOVE the dyson. i recomend it to everyone! my husbands parents and brother have one also and my aunt is getting one too. my husbands two best friends have them also. they now come with a standard 5 or 7 year warranty which includes cleaning if need be. we got ours through sears because you can just take the vaccum to there repair shop for anything all we have ever had to do or actually just wanted to do is have it cleaned. good luck

I have a kenmore progressive with direct drive and love it. The only downside of it to me is that it is heavy and a little louder than other vacuumes I have had but works so well. It has a "dirt detector" so the light goes off once it has stopped picking up dirt. I found I have to make many more passes then I would if I didn't have that feature. I suppose my carpets were still quite dirty after vacuuming in the past. So I really like that feature. I do not recommond bagless because no matter how hard you try, so much still gets into the air. I use a hepabag. They are worth the little extra to have cleaner air, especially if anyone in the home has allergies. I got a Consumer Reports subscription before I bought my vacuume and it was the best rated and according to their testings, the Dysons could not touch the Kenmore.

I have 3 cats and a husband who is allergic to them (don't ask, but I'll sum it up by saying getting rid of them is not an option). Vacuuming often and effectively is really important to us. We currently have a Riccar vacuum and I love it. It's a bagged upright and it self levels to go over both carpet and hard flooring. It has just a few attachements (crevice tool, brush), but I hardly use them anyway. I bought it in a sewing and vacuum store where I took in two Hoover uprights to see if they could be fixed. I wound up liking the Riccar so much, I traded in the other two for parts. A friend of mine borrowed our Riccar and said that it "sucks like it's being paid to do it." Good luck with your search.

I can see that a lot of people really like their Dyson, so before you spand that kind of money, I just wanted to let you know that I loved mine for the first year and now...not so much.
I hasn't broken and we have had no problems with it, I just don't find that it works very well. It has taken me a while to admit that! It worked great on my carpet in the begining, but has never worked well on my other floors. You literally have to pick the vacuum up and place it on top of a piece of grass, leaf or hole punch sized piece of paper or it just pushes it around on a hard surfaced floor. Even with the extra cost of the bare floor attachment it doesn;t work well on any other surface than carpet. This is no easy feet as the vacuum is very heavy. Really half the time I just pick up the leaf or whatever, which sort of defeats the purpose of vacuuming when it isn't carpet.
Also, we have a dog and maybe it's because I didn't apend the extra money and get the Animal, but I find that the entire house smells like dog after I vacuum. I don't know if it is because it doesn't have a bag or what, but it is as if the vacuum sucks up the dog hair and spreds around the smell of dog as the air gets pushed out of the machine. I suppose I could put something in the bag to change the smell. I love vacuuming in December because the entire house ends up smelling like the pine needles it picks up instead of dog! I don't know if it would be different with the Animal, but if I were to do it again I would get a vacuum with a Hepa filter.

I've had an OReck and a Dyson. The oreck is light and does a fairly good job (at least superficially). The Dyson is extremely heavy and sometimes hard to maneuver because the suction is so great. I think the Dyson does a better job deep down pulling the dirt up. I also like the fact that you can empty the canister instead of bags.