Vacuum cleaners- which should I buy?

[denice]

I had a Kirby years ago, I too got it from a door to door salesman.  One thing I remember about it other than being very heavy was that I was constantly replacing the belt.  I don't know what the deal was with it, it's the only vacuum I  have had that did that.  I worked with a woman for a short time who had a Hoover windtunnel and 3 dogs. She said it did a good job but she had the same problem with belts that I had with the Kirby.  I wonder if every once in a while a vacuum has specs that are a little off and that's why they go through belts so fast.  Right now I have a Eureka pet.  It does a good job and it was only $160.  It's demon is that it is very difficult to clean.  It has these places in the top of the canister that are real hard to get to and get the cat hair out.  I get a little bit of it and hope all of it comes out with the little bit that I am able to get a hold of.

 

[Willowy]

Oh, yeah, I have to replace the belt on my Kirby all the time, too. But they only cost $1.99 and they're not hard to replace so I don't really consider it a problem. A little annoying but not bad.

 

[dejolane]

I had an Eureka bagless sweeper long ago and my daughter burned it up so she offered to  buy her one and get mine replaced. Now I still have the one she bought me and hers is burned up again,

 

[denice]

I think that all of the cyclonic bagless vacuums need to be kept clean.  That may be why she is having problems with them.  It can be a pain, at least with the one that I have, but I want a vacuum to last as long as possible.  

 

[dejolane]

I hate the sweepers with bags.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Thanks to everyone for the added info. Some things to think about.....

Just wondering. What did you buy.

 

[darkmavis]

Well, thanks for reviving the vacuum thread... And I still didn't buy one! I am close though, and told my friends I'm embarrassed I've had their spare one so lo g and will buy one and give it back in the next few weeks. (maybe a bit longer actually, having some issues with Dorothy that I'll prob post about in the health forum) I think I am going to go for a Bissell Liftoff, they have a lot of good reviews. Still checking out Dyson reviews, seems some models get a lot of bad reviews and others get a lot of good reviews. So what models do you have? As in the number? Just curious.. thanks again!

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

The best one I ever had I am still using and I bought it in the 80's. It is an Electrolux canister model. Still runs like a charm. But I think they were sold out to some other company. Hope you get one that you like alot. I have heard a lot of good things about the Dyson from my friends. If I had to go that route, I think I would buy one of them.

 

[doglikecatshome]

I have had that brand also for 4 years with 2 shedding dogs and a cat shelter. It does a very good job for the price. The suction is good and gets it all. I like the bag vacuums because I don't want to clean the bagless so often. Bissell Power Force Yeah!

 

[Winchester]

Erica, since this thread has been revisited, I'm also going to revise my recommendation to.....nothing. I have no advice. Yes, I love the Dyson Animal. And yes, it works beautifully on pet hair. But there's a thread somewhere around here that I started about my frustrations with trying to get the hose on our Dyson Animal replaced through Sears. It was a total PITA and it has soured me on Dyson.

A few months ago, we bought the Hoover Wind Tunnel for pets. It was a Consumer Reports Best Buy and I like it overall. Works well to get the pet hair up from furniture and floors. It works well period. A nice vacuum.

But.......it has a retractable cord. And the cord only goes back in about half, with a lot of working and prodding. Neither the cord nor the hose is really long enough to please me. I put the vacuum at the bottom of the steps at the front door and vacuum the steps with the pet hair cleaner. Then I have to move the vacuum to the bottom of the steps at the basement opening for those stairs. (We have a bilevel house, so there are two small flights of stairs; one to the front door, and then one to the basement.)  I am constantly plugging in and unplugging the cord as I move from room to room....I don't like that. But the vacuum cleans well.

Rick likes the Wind Tunnel more than the Dyson Animal for picking up pet hair.

 

[dejolane]

I had a old sweeper that I lend to my daughter last year but she broke it so she wanted to replace it so we went to Walmart and she bought us both an Eureka upright.. Mine is still working and she blew hers up. She wanted to borrow the new one to sweep up the dog fleas and I told her NO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I don't want the fleas that is left behind in my sweeper. So she had to get another one herself.

 

[karenfryxell]

I presently have a Hoover wind tunnel, and it sucks -- not in a good way! I like the retractable cord, and it's light and easy to move.  The hose works well, and I like all the tools on board. BUT it doesn't pick up well on my tile floors at all (I have tile and a large area rug, plus smaller area rugs that I throw in the washer). We have two cats, and it won't pick up litter or fur from the tile (or much of anything else). When it approaches hair, it just blows it across the floor. I can only pick it up if I pursue it toward a wall. It did a reasonable job at first but got worse and worse. Before that I had a Shark. It lasted about six months and broke. I am pretty sure I'm going with a Dyson - the 65 next. 

 

[donnasilva]

I got a dyson cinetic from this website. It functions very well and helps me keep the area spik and span.

 

[Winchester]

 
I presently have a Hoover wind tunnel, and it sucks -- not in a good way! I like the retractable cord, and it's light and easy to move.  The hose works well, and I like all the tools on board. BUT it doesn't pick up well on my tile floors at all (I have tile and a large area rug, plus smaller area rugs that I throw in the washer). We have two cats, and it won't pick up litter or fur from the tile (or much of anything else). When it approaches hair, it just blows it across the floor. I can only pick it up if I pursue it toward a wall. It did a reasonable job at first but got worse and worse. Before that I had a Shark. It lasted about six months and broke. I am pretty sure I'm going with a Dyson - the 65 next. 

And I need to revise my post yet again (sorry!). Yes, the Hoover wind tunnel was nothing but problems for me as well. Oh, it worked fine in the beginning, but it doesn't pick up cat litter and it doesn't pick up well on bare floors or on carpet. It has been relegated to the basement and will probably go to the dump in our next load. It's a shame because it's really not that old. But when you have pets, you need something that will actually pick up pet stuff! Rick used to like that it did pick up cat fur, but it doesn't even do that well anymore. He's taken it apart and put it back together and it's just crappy. And that retractable cord? When we got the thing, I wondered to Rick how long it would be til it started not retracting properly....didn't take long.

While I don't like that the Dyson hoses do not last long at all, I love the way our (years-old) Dyson Animal picks up cat litter. It does a good job on bare floors; it does a good job on the upholstered furniture and it does a good job on carpet. If the hoses lasted longer, I would give our Dyson an absolute 5-star rating. It is an older version, though, but it's still working.

 

[shwby]

I have a Bissel PowerEdge Pet for the tile and wood floors.  I have a Black and Decker dust buster for quick cleanups.  They both pick up cat litter.  I have an older Sears Kenmore Progressive for the rugs.  My Electrolux from 1969 is in the garage and still works.  Good luck with your search.  

 

[artiemom]

It sounds extravagant, but I have 2 vacuum cleaners. The major one is an Oreck upright which is 10 years old.. I love it. It really cleans well, but does not have the hose and extensions for stuff...

When I was home with a broken arm and had home care, the aide who was vacuuming my place, sucked up a kitty toy. I was stuck without a vacuum. Considering I could not drive, it was the summer, and I had allergies, I had to have a vacuum. 

I had to wait until someone could drive me and my vacuum to the repair shop. That took forever to find someone to drive me. I needed a vacuum in the interim. 

I made the aide drive me to Target and bought a Shark vacuum. 

I really like it. It is lightweight, and not bad at all. Pretty good for a quick vacuum, and bagless. Does a pretty good job at picking up litter and fur...and it has the hose and attachments..

The Oreck is 10 years old--I get a tune up yearly..and going strong

The Shark is just over 4 years old.

I think the next vacuum I get will be a Dyson, but not looking to buy any at this time.

 

[catlover73]

I used to have an Orek Upright too.  Mine stopped working correctly and it was cheaper to replace it then to fix it.  I got a Shark Rocket and I love it.  It is very light weight and it is also bagless. I also find the attachments very useful.  I live in a multi-level townhouse and it is very easy to carry around.  I can also clean the filter when it gets dirty very easily.  It is also less noisy than my old Orek.  I also looked at the Dyson's but they were just too expensive.

 

[neely]

I used my 20% off coupon to buy the Animal Dyson probably over 10 yrs. ago and it has been worth every penny.  I've never had a vacuum work as well as the Dyson and that was with a long haired german shepherd and long haired kitty.  I've recommended it to friends with animals and all have been extremely pleased with it's performance.

 

[Winchester]

I love those 20% coupons from BBB and try to keep one on hand at all times. You never know when you're going to need something and it really comes in handy. 

 

[neely]

 
I love those 20% coupons from BBB and try to keep one on hand at all times. You never know when you're going to need something and it really comes in handy. 

Me too, they will even accept expired coupons.  I can always find something there I need which is good for me but bad for my pocketbook.