Vacuum cleaners

[FIREd]

I have terrible luck with vacuum cleaners including a Dyson. In the last 5 years I've bought 3 - all name brand, all fairly spendy and all broken! The plastic parts break, the motors wear, the roller mechanisms grind them selves to powder. aarg.

I don't really have unusual use (i don't think) I have about 1800 sq ft of med

Same here. Went through 3 vacuum cleaners (all uprights) in 4 years. Two Hoovers and one Eureka. All expensive pieces of junk. One caught on fire. Another one kept overheating and shutting down for no apparent reason (the tech people never found what was wrong with it). On the last one the belt broke and the new belts that were installed kept burning leaving a disgusting burnt rubber smell everywhere in the house.

We then bought an Electrolux Harmony canister vacuum and it has never failed us in the past 5 years. The motor has never overheated. Parts are a bit expensive, but I think it's well worth it. My mom has had the same canister vacuum cleaner for 21 years and she uses it everyday! There is no excuse for an expensive vacuum to break down after just one year of use.

 

[scrinch]

On the last one the belt broke and the new belts that were installed kept burning leaving a disgusting burnt rubber smell everywhere in the house.

Ditto. We're looking for one that can be fixed when something goes wrong. I'm tired of filling landfills with 1-2-yr-old plastic junk consumer products. Blenders, vacuums, hand mixers, ipod docks, etc.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

BTW, if you have a vacuum that keeps breaking or burning belts, chances are you have the adjustable carpet height set too low. This also impairs dirt pickup. You want the carpet height setting to be as high as possible while maintaining a bit of contact between the brushes and the carpet fibers.

 

[FinanceDude]

I've had a Riccar for over 10 years, I can't say enough good things about them. Heavy, but it works on everything, and I haven't had ANY thing go wrong other than replacing a belt in that time..........

 

[ZMAN]

I am also looking. We have a 30 year old upright Eureka which may have seen better days. We also have a new empty nest dog, a black lab.

I like the idea of the Riccar super lite. It got nice reviews in CR, weighs 8 pounds and is supposedly made in the USA.

But it is not as cheap as I like. Anyone have experience with it. In looking at the Amazon reviews for the top rated CR uprights there were a number of quality issues. The Riccar had nice reviews but they look like they were written by insiders.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

As a point of reference, the Riccar's motor cost more than my entire vacuum cleaner.

 

[FinanceDude]

As a point of reference, the Riccar's motor cost more than my entire vacuum cleaner.

That's why America's great, we have choices........ I got a Hoover windtunnel electric broom for the floors downstairs, it's light and really neat......Sam's Club was blowing them out for $29.00..........

 

[Moemg]

Well , I decided to go look at the various models and see if I bond with one . They all seem to be on sale for Mother's day and who wouldn't be thrilled to get a vacuum as a present ?

 

[Razor]

I have used the same cheapo ($69) Hoover Runabout bag vacuum for the last 25 years. It never loses suction, works great and I only had to replace the belt once. I could never figure out why people spend so much money on fancy vacuum cleaners.

 

[Janet H]

I have used the same cheapo ($69) Hoover Runabout bag vacuum for the last 25 years. It never loses suction, works great and I only had to replace the belt once. I could never figure out why people spend so much money on fancy vacuum cleaners.

Because they are hoping to get one as good as yours.

 

[TromboneAl]

Eureka Boss here. Had it for years, very impressed.

I've also got a small Oreck that I got for a few bucks at a garage sale, it's very well made. I use it to keep the hearth neat.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

who wouldn't be thrilled to get a vacuum as a present ?

I got a new girlfriend once because her old boyfriend gave her a red dirt devil vacuum for valentines day...

 

[Dave J]

Heres the list from the CR 2008 buyers guide, in order.


The bargains were the Eureka Boss at $150, the hoover tempo widepath at $60 and the hoover windtunnel bagless canister at $180. CR gave their best buys to cheaper models of the Kenmore direct drive and the hoover tempo.

.

We bought the Hoover Tempo widepath 3 months ago for $60 and were very happy with it. We bought another one a month later for upstairs for $50 when it was on a door-buster sale. For $110 we have two new vacuums that work well.

About 10 years ago, we bought the cheap consumers report best buy GE vacuum at Walmart($45 or so) and it is now still working and down in the basement.

I'm a believer in consumer reports.

 

[travelover]

I got a new girlfriend once because her old boyfriend gave her a red dirt devil vacuum for valentines day...

Wow, that gift sucked!

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Ah. So many good responses, yet so much pre-coffee self control...

 

[Orchidflower]

After Consumers Report, Moemg, try epinions.com, then put "expert advice vacuum cleaners" in your address bar and see what pops up just for a double-check; but, frankly, cute fuzzy bunny has just about covered it thoroughly and well it seems.

 

[Martha]

I got the Hoover Windtunnel Bagless canister at Costco a few months ago.
Very pleased so far. It weighs maybe 1/3 what my old canister did, and does
well with dog hair on carpets, which is my most important test by far.

I have this one too. Our floors are wood with area rugs. It is excellent on both. The only down side is the need to empty the cannister a lot. I do it after every time I vacuum.

 

[figner]

Thanks CFB for the CR list. I'm looking for a canister vac for a small carpeted apartment with a cat. I'd like to mitigate my friends' cat allergy symptoms when they stay over. So far I've tried to find the Kenmore progressive canister, and there's no "progressive" listed for canisters, even on Kenmore's site. Does anyone have a link or model number they could share?

I notice there's also a Hoover windtunnel bagged canister, but is there a reason the bagless one listed in CR would be better? I read up a little on bagless vs bagged and so far I lean toward the bagged, but am open to changing my mind.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

It was a 25614, which sears no longer sells. The price was $350 and they do have a $350 cannister on sale for $299, but the ratings look just fair.

 

[Moemg]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions . I went with a Hoover bagless cannister . The price was right and it has had good reviews . It took me awhile to make my decision since I've been away taking care of my Mother and I also had to get over the Dyson hype . I'm happy with my choice and I'll just move my extra vacuum upstairs .