Vacuum cleaner recommendation

[Perd Hapley]

the Bissell Lift-Off Multi-cyclonic

http://www.bissell.com/lift-off-multicyclonic-pet-vacuum/


We once had a major problem with doggy hair in our home, and we tried a number of vacuum cleaners. They were mostly second-hand, but still working well. Unfortunately, they simply didn't suck pet hair out of carpet. So we finally bit the bullet, and went shopping for a proper vacuum cleaner. $150 was a major purchase for us, but it has made a major difference in the cleanliness of the homestead. El Tejon would be proud.

[230RN]

Wow.  New boots and a new vauum cleaner!

I got one of those sooper-dooper vacs from E company which was bagless.  I wanna tell ya, that thing was a pain in the patootie to empty out.  You had to to it outdoors, preferably with a dust mask.  It had two or three filters in it in addition to the cyclone chamber. It had a bunch of attachments, one of which was a little stair sweeper attachment that had its own little turbine in it to spin its own little brush.  Interesting, but virtually useless.

I must admit, it did a trremendous job on the carpets, but I could not stand emptying it.

I gave it away. 

I had had a Eureka upright for twenty years, got tired of keeping it running.  (Eg, I put a new impeller in it, fixed the handle once with epoxy, fixed the height adjustment, and a couple of other things.)

But changing the bag was a breeze. 

So I got a simple little Bissel upright with regular old bags.  It does pretty good and is real easy to push around.

I think whoever developed the bagless vacuum cleaner ought to be severely chastised and demoted. Or alternatively, severely demoted and chastised.  What a pain!

[Perd Hapley]

I don't find it to be a problem. I don't like having to go out and find the right bags, or running out of bags. Or when something valuable gets sucked up, it's easier to get it out of the bagless vac, than out of a vac bag.

[Harold Tuttle]

a dyson ball rules our carpets

[brimic]

Buy a Dyson and never look back.

[erictank]

the Bissell Lift-Off Multi-cyclonic

http://www.bissell.com/lift-off-multicyclonic-pet-vacuum/


We once had a major problem with doggy hair in our home, and we tried a number of vacuum cleaners. They were mostly second-hand, but still working well. Unfortunately, they simply didn't suck pet hair out of carpet. So we finally bit the bullet, and went shopping for a proper vacuum cleaner. $150 was a major purchase for us, but it has made a major difference in the cleanliness of the homestead. El Tejon would be proud.

We just discovered our old vacuum (a Eureka, I think?) is d-e-d-DEAD, sounds like a pair of turbines spinning up about 1 second apart with the second not stopping when it hits the limiter - I've taken it as far apart as possible without major appliance-surgery, and cannot find the problem, so I suspect it's a pretty big deal.  Lori tells me the thing is older than her son, who turned 14 this year - it's time for a new one, methinks.

Thought about biting the bullet on a Dyson, but we got a Bissell carpet-cleaner a few years back and it does a pretty good job.  Might have to take a look at that Bissell job.  Thanks, Fistful.

[TechMan]

Buy a Dyson and never look back.

This +1

[roo_ster]

I am partial to old, used Electrolux canister vacs off ebay.  $2400 vac for $150 that lasts 10+ years second-hand and cleans better than anything else I have used is tough to beat.  The carpet beater bar attachment is da bomb for carpet and the sucker-only deal is the same for hard surfaces.

We're on our second one.  First one lasted 10 years and we expect similar service from the latest.  Which is the same exact model of hte one that finally gave up the ghost after 20+ years total service.

The new "Electrolux Band" vacs are turds.  It is just a brand name they bought.  The old vacs are still made under another name and run $2400.  I can't afford that.

[MillCreek]

+ eleventy for the Dyson.  The DC17 Animal rules the dog/cat fur in our household.  I was astonished how much more it sucked out of the carpet compared to my old Hoover Windtunnel.

[Perd Hapley]

I am partial to old, used Electrolux canister vacs off ebay. 

Shouldn't they be called Electrosux? har-D-har

[go_bang]

We use Kirby's.  They're built like tanks, last almost forever, and practically nothing but air gets out of the bag.  They're pricey, but worth it.

[Scout26]

Rainbow.  Haggle 'em down on the price.

They really suck up everything.

[Boomhauer]

I just use a big shopvac. It's also great for dragging out to the truck to vacuum it out.


Every conventional type vacuum we've brought has FAILED no matter how much money we've spent on them ($150, $200, $250...doesn't matter). For that kind of money, we could have been rolling with a Dyson, but well, once that money's down the drain, a shopvac was the reasonable and economical choice.


I do have to wear earpro when I vacuum, though...

[Perd Hapley]

Rainbow.  Haggle 'em down on the price.

They really suck up everything.

I really don't think the anti-gay slurs are called for.

[BobR]

If you decide to go with a dyson, take a look on Overstock for refurbed units. I bought one off of there several years ago and it is still going strong.

bob

[230RN]

"I don't like having to go out and find the right bags, or running out of bags. Or when something valuable gets sucked up, it's easier to get it out of the bagless vac, than out of a vac bag. "

Sounds like an inventory management problem to me. 

Low inventory warning flag flag number / Use rate  = Periodicity of replenishment.

If you use 5 bags* per month and your arbitrarily set inventory flag is 3, that means you have to buy bags every 18-19 days, or 2.7 weeks.  To even out your replenishment schedule to match your shopping schedule, you change your arbitrarily set inventory flag to reflect reality.  You must also account for the resulting periodic surplus.  This excercise is left to the student.  (Hint:  The same algorithm applies.)

Quite simple, really.


And I disagree with the "easier to get out of the bagless vac" part.  You probe around from the outside of the bag until you feel the article (or use a magnet, if the article was ferrous,) whip out your handy-dandy X-Acto blade, make an incision in the bag and that point, and retrieve your article.

Without kicking dust up all over the place.  Then you use your handy-dandy 2" packing tape dispenser to close the incision and discard the bag.

The main trouble with bagless vacs is that it's virtually impossible to empty them without getting  the aforesaid dust around as you empty them and then you have to clean the static-stuck dust out of the cyclone chamber.

The next housekeeping question:

Is it better to dust first, or to vacuum first?

Terry, 230RN

* A "PFA**" number.

** "PFA" = "Plucked From the AIr."

[AmbulanceDriver]

+ eleventy for the Dyson.  The DC17 Animal rules the dog/cat fur in our household.  I was astonished how much more it sucked out of the carpet compared to my old Hoover Windtunnel.

SWMBO and I bought one of those when we got married.  We didn't even have any animals at the time, but her Mom has a DC14 and we were really impressed by it.  So we bought one.  And with that thing, we learned just how cheap the carpet in our apartment really was.  This thing was constantly sucking tons of fibers out of the carpet!  We actually had to reduce how often we vacuumed because we didn't want to have to pay to replace the carpet!

[230RN]

SWMBO and I bought one of those when we got married.  We didn't even have any animals at the time, but her Mom has a DC14 and we were really impressed by it.  So we bought one.  And with that thing, we learned just how cheap the carpet in our apartment really was.  This thing was constantly sucking tons of fibers out of the carpet!  We actually had to reduce how often we vacuumed because we didn't want to have to pay to replace the carpet!

In addition to which, excessive vacuum and excessive beating with the brushes will make the padding underneath "lump up" under the carpet, eventually making it feel like "broken field running practice" as you walk around on it.  Especially noticeable if you are barefoot.

Terry, 230RN

[Sergeant Bob]

We use Kirby's.  They're built like tanks, last almost forever, and practically nothing but air gets out of the bag.  They're pricey, but worth it.

I would never pay the outrageous price for a Kirby! But, my wife did and it's a great vac!

And I disagree with the "easier to get out of the bagless vac" part.  You probe around from the outside of the bag until you feel the article (or use a magnet, if the article was ferrous,) whip out your handy-dandy X-Acto blade, make an incision in the bag and that point, and retrieve your article.

Without kicking dust up all over the place.  Then you use your handy-dandy 2" packing tape dispenser to close the incision and discard the bag continue using till it's so full it's ready to burst.

Terry, 230RN

FTFY Terry!

[230RN]

^  Ah, spoken like a true World-Class Cheapskate!

A tip o' the hat to ye!

[Brad Johnson]

We use Kirby's.  They're built like tanks, last almost forever, and practically nothing but air gets out of the bag.  They're pricey, but worth it.

Ditto. And no dust storm to deal with from the supposedly "cleaner and easier to empty" bagless units.

By the way, I've tried a direct comparison between the Dyson Ball and my almost 20-yr old Kirby G3.  No contest.  The Kirby could suck the Dyson back through it's own hose.  The Dyson is definitely easier to maneuver but I find it woefully lacking in actual vacuum power.

Brad

[230RN]

^
"the supposedly 'cleaner and easier to empty' bagless units."

Did a politician generate that phrase?  Blatant lie.

[roo_ster]

SWMBO and I bought one of those when we got married.  We didn't even have any animals at the time, but her Mom has a DC14 and we were really impressed by it.  So we bought one.  And with that thing, we learned just how cheap the carpet in our apartment really was.  This thing was constantly sucking tons of fibers out of the carpet!  We actually had to reduce how often we vacuumed because we didn't want to have to pay to replace the carpet!

There's an off-color joke in there somewhere.

[Scout26]

Rainbow, uses water to hold the dust.  When done, pour dirty water into toliet.  No dust anywhere.

[go_bang]

I would never pay the outrageous price for a Kirby! But, my wife did and it's a great vac!

Craigslist is the best way to get around that.  Kirby dealers can offer very deep discounts if you are already a Kirby owner and you act all relucant about upgrading to the new model.  After that the old Kirby often gets listed for sale.

By the way, I've tried a direct comparison between the Dyson Ball and my almost 20-yr old Kirby G3.  No contest.  The Kirby could suck the Dyson back through it's own hose.  The Dyson is definitely easier to maneuver but I find it woefully lacking in actual vacuum power.

A good friend of mine used to sell Kirbys when he was in college.  On a demo one of his wisecracks before sweeping the floor was to ask if everything was tied down in the basement.