I wish my vacuum sucked. It doesn't. (and yet it does.)
Pine needles need serious sucking power. I discovered at Christmas that our 10 year old Hoover just doesn't cut it anymore. So we decided we should invest in a new vacuum. Knowing how long it takes me to make a decision on big purchases, I have decided to enlist your help, if you are so willing. (Please.) What kind of vacuum do you use? Do you love it? Is the Dyson as good as it looks? Is a bagless easy to clean out? What about the Oreck? How much should I pay for a decent vacuum?
Important factors:
- not too heavy
- easy to maneuver (for me and the kids)
- strong suction
- ease of using attachments
- bag or bagless?
I have a specific childhood memory of going with my parents to a large Fred Meyer-ey type store. We (mom and dad and 4 kids) walked in, pushed a few vacuums around, and walked out with a very nice upright model. Kind of easy, as I recall. It seems so much harder now. HELP.
37 comments:
I know a few people who love the Dyson bagless . . . but they are able to walk outside and dump it in the wilderness. Personally, I don't want to see my old skin cells mix with stepped on Cheerios in a cyclone inside a vacuum. I'd rather keep that invisible in a bag. Also, the little bagless Dirt Devil I have really makes me sneeze when I clean it out. We now have a central vacuum, so I'm not much help. Sorry. Have you checked Consumer Reports?
the dyson man and his sweet accent have me sold as soon as i can afford it. we have a bagless right now and i enjoy it. i like not having to think about changing a bag.
hi you don't know me but I secretly love you. I have the dyson and absolutely love it. I will never have another vacuum. It was a little tricky at first figuring out all the attatchments and how it changes back and forth. But now that I have the hang of it. It might be the best cleaning thing that has ever happened to me. And I think the bagless is great. I just go straight out to my garbage can and put it in there. No biggie.
Good luck
Chelsea
chelcram@msn.com
I bought a dyson and HATED it, I thought is was hard to push I called the company to find out if I was doing something wrong thinking maybe there was more then one way to vaccum and they told me my carpet was so thick and fluffy for it so I returned it got a Santitaire at a vaccum store in mesa and am very happy with it not to mention is was like 1/2 the price goodluck with that one and I agree does everyting have to be so difficult the problem is there are way to many options now days
Hey Sarah. I've heard great things about Dyson. But, it's just hard to get excited about spending $500 on a vacuum. We have a Hoover that has a bag. We got it at Sams for around $200. It works great. I mean, it sucks up gunk, food and hair. Isn't that all it needs to do?
Thanks for all the input everyone.
Chelsea, I'm wondering how the Dyson works on bare floor. My vacuum stinks on bare floor.
dyson dyson dyson!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have one, it is pink! I love it!!!! It is worth every single penny, every single one!!! It is WONDERFUL on bare floors!!!! I LOVE IT I LOVE IT I LOVE IT!!!
Do I have you convinced?
I seriously can say nothing bad about this vaccuum and I am a huge vaccum snob! I have gone through 6 vaccuums since Russ and I got married! This one is a keeper for sure!!!
p.s. I have the one that is not on the ball and I think it is just fine but I have heard that the ball one is so easy to manuever that kids can do it easily but Reeslyn uses mine and she does it just fine.
hey, i'm a regular lurker...don't know you but found you by following links related to nie. but i do know vacuums! here's what i think...bagless - YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! why would anyone want to mess with emptying a bagless of all the crud and crumbs and germs and hair lurking in a holding tank. i like all my crud and crumbs and germs and hair nice and contained in a bag...much better on the allergies too. i have a lindhaus. it is an italian number. i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my sweet lindhaus. it is easy to manuever, picks up like a tornado, has attachments that couldn't be any easier to use. i've had it for 4 years...the inside looks almost as good as it did the day i bought it. it really contains everything. nothing is thrown back into the air. they are a little pricey (although i've never priced a dyson). an entry level lindhaus runs about $400.00. i tell you...they are worth every penny. lindhaus rocks! and no i don't work for them...and no i had never heard of them until i needed a new vacuum and did some research. i promise you, you won't be disappointed! oh, you do have to buy bags at a vacuum cleaner store. they aren't sold at wal-mart. don't let that deter you. go lindhaus! okay enough from a lurker in sunny southern arizona!
Sarah,
I have a Bissel bagless. Have had it for 4 years. I love it. the cord is super long on this vacuum which makes it nice because I hate having to plug it in about 5 different times just to vacuum 1 room. I also like the fact that the part that has the hose connection (I don't know what it is called) comes unattached from the vacuum. Nice to be able to not have to carry or push the whole vacuum. BTW, I think it runs around &!*).
Hi Sarah!
I've had an Oreck for five years and I love it. It's light weight and easy for the kids to use. It's great for stairs. Costs a bit more than some but it comes with an annual service warranty that keeps it in fine shape.Sucked up our pine needles just fine!
Hey Sarah I have a dyson and love it. It is great on bare floors well I do have to sweep under my counters since it won't fit. But other than that I love it.
I forgot to say that the filters on our bagless are all washable. fairly cheap vacuum.
Check out the consumer reports. They have a few interesting things to say. Your post feels familiar. I just had to go through that. Mine broke (again) on New Year's Eve. We had a little too much fun with glitter so I needed one pretty bad. I ended up getting the Riccar one from the sew & vac type stores. It's like the Simplicity models. So far so good. The thing I like is that most of it is metal, not plastic and it seems pretty well made. I didn't get the base model, but not top of the line either. It was about $400. Happy shopping! It is no fun to spend so much on something so not fun. But is has been nice to have a good vacuum again...
I think what it comes down to is we are a nation divided on vacuums. We must come together and let Bissels and Orecks and Dysons and Riccars live in peace under a new president.
If anyone else has more thoughts, please share. I am loving this discussion.
how can someone love a discussion on vacuums?
I love my dyson. It is heavy, but so what, I never pick it up. I just push it. I love that the attachments are on board and super easy to use. Bagless is kind of gross to empty, but I kind of like seeing what I pick up.(weird huh?) There is a certain satisfaction in seeing what you've taken out of your carpet!!!!
Mark, Sarah, as your friend, as a fellow ward member...as an officer of the court, there really is no debate here. The Dyson is without question the greatest vacuum ever made. I want ours to break simply so I can buy another one. Go with the Dyson.
John Skiba, Esq.
Hi there! I love our Oreck. We have had a Dyson (still in the garage broken-have a hard time getting rid of it considering the $$ paid) and 3 Orecks (2 pre-Dyson, 1 after). Our first Oreck was my Mom's old one (it lasted 17 years). Our second lasted 10 years. Our Dyson lasted 3 months (thanks to Styrofoam-Oreck's handle styrofoam MUCH better). Anyway-the annual yearly service is a HUGE deal to me. And they come with a better warranty than Dyson...so just a thought. Of course I have friends that love their Kirby too. Oh-Orecks are only 8 lbs. My 5 year old can carry it. Always nice! Good luck! (The Dyson definitely looks "cooler", though.)
John Skiba just makes me LAUGH!!! Who knew that a man could be so passionate about his vaccum? At least with the dyson you have all those colors to choose from?? For me... it is central vac all the way.
My mil and my sil did separate vacuum researching and both ended up (unbeknownst to one another) buying the simplicity. They both LOVE it and I would probably buy one if I could...however, I do have two of the Bissell Revolution (pet version)- one for upstairs and one for down. It's not light, but it was extremely reasonable at about $130ish on sale at Kohl's...and it does a great job! Good luck!
ps- my friend bought a dyson, I borrowed it and was jealous...then it broke and it was hard for her to get it repaired- you can't just take it to a vacuum shop, you have to mail it in? Anyways, she went and bought a bissell like mine and loves it... just a thought!
Colette
You are to funny Sarah. That Dyson vacuum looks awesome. I have heard great things about it!! Good luck finding one that sucks.
We have and are very pleased with the riccar. My mom has had one for years. Ask the vacuum store and they may be able to answer some good questions.
I am in love with my Dyson. Vacuuming is now my favorite household chore. I don't care about the bagless or heaviness because it sucks up everything (including lots of hair from 3 girls)so well!! Has never lost ANY of the suction power. Was pretty fun when we got it to vacuum my family room twice and see how it filled up! They have a 5 year warranty now to cover any that break down.
I will never own another vacuum!!! Worth every penny.
Nancy
ok, comment number 25 about a vac, a little scary... and also your secret admirers, kinda fun!
ok, so we have a dyson, and i love. bought at costco and have actually returned and upgraded a couple times, we are rather hard on our vacuums. and we have super thick carpet and it is hard to push, but the dirt we get out of it is super crazy. no other vacuum has worked so hard for us. as with Christmas needles and such, i love the dyson cuz it's so easy to clean them out. changing filters is easy, and truthfully, i vacuum carpet, tile, wood, everything with my dyson and it's super easy. also it's easy to just pull out the tube and hose and start using them. there is no attaching and reattaching, etc.
ok, super easy, totally sucks {which is good} and i think worth the dollar.
now sadly, would i have this much to say on something else? :) vacuums must be exciting.
keep us posted!
Our last house had central vac, which I would never even think about but I loved it! We were in our current house for 5 years and went through 2 vacs (oreck and hoover) in that time. We finally put central vac in 3 years ago. It's fairly easy and cost us @ $500. It works great on hardwood floors, which I have a lot of. The suction is unbelievable. I have accidently sucked up quite a few socks buried in the couch cushions!
Seriously consider this option! I know I am hard on vacs (4 kids, 1 cat and an airedale living in an old farmhouse) but the central vac works like a charm!
I LOVE my Dyson! Justin thinks it's the best money we've ever spent because now I love to vaccum and vaccum a lot more often! If you watch the Target ads you can get a gift card. I got mine when you bought the vac for $399 you got a $100 gift card. Not bad. Works FABULOUS on hard floors! I never sweep!
I ADORE my Oreck. I have had it for 8 years and it works just as good as ever. I have never had it serviced or repaired. All I do is change the bag... which is super easy and clean!
I use it on carpet and wood and it works like a dream. It is super light, making it easy for my kids to use too. Honestly, I always hated vacuuming, but with the Oreck I actually enjoy it. I doesn't have attachments, but mine came with the small canister that has attachments... love it too! I got deals for Mom, Debbie, and Darin for $200. I'll see if I can get that deal again if you are interested.
I don't have any vacuum advice, but I wanted to say thanks for posting your quilting inspiration. Loved the stippling tutorial and I'm going to try it - I am missing that foot for my good ol' bernina so I'll be on the hunt to find one...
I'm Shellee Naylor's sister and I just wanted to say DYSON! We grew up with central and I hated hauling the hose all over the house. Then we had an Oreck, I didn't know my carpet was the type that could have lines until we got our Dyson. I had to take it to the shop to get the power button fixed. I didn't have to mail it in. You would be suprised with the dirt it will pull out of your carpet!
Hi!
Wow!
What a discussion!
I need a vacuum too so this has been fantastic! My parents bought a commercial grade one. I think they googled commercial vacuums and they love it. I'm not sure what I am going to get myself....
OK, I am a lurker, but I have to chime in here. I am all about the vacuum.
I have a Dyson (the purple one), and I really like it although I think the newer models are a little easier as far as using the handle/ sucking hose (and that IS the official term). it really really can suck. oh yes.
Secondly, I got the Shark vacuum after being entranced by the tv commercial. it is not good. it doesn't suck. sad.
Finally, my favorite. The old Kirby g4 (I think that is right). it is one I bought secondhand from a girl that I used to work with that was in a financial bind (I know, I know, her loss-my gain). This thing is GREAT. self-propelled. sucks like crazy. uses bags. has 1,000 attachments (which I never use, honestly, it would be complicated to use the attachments). I LOVE this one-- mainly b/c of the self-propelled situation.
So, there you have it.
Thanks for the advice cmhl.
Hi sarah--just stumbled upon your blog. I had to leave a comment because my husband and I were just having this conversation a few months ago. I wanted a Dyson--mostly because they look so coool and state of the art--but my husband came home with an Oreck. The vacuum looks like my Grandma's...I was a little dissapointed, BUT then he explained to me (and he works for Shaw Industries, the biggest carpet manufacture in the world--so I thought I better listen:) that Shaw recommends Oreck--not Dyson. Dysons are too strong and powerful--they will actually wear your carpet out-I think he said that they can almost shred the fibers and break down the backing over time. I am sure that depends on the type of carpet you have--how bad the longterm damage is.I am sure it is worse for the plusher type carpet. Anyway--we spent the money on the oreck --we bought the nicest one for upstairs and a smaller one of our basement. They really have been GREAT!! I just wished they looked as cool as the dyson! Good Luck!
WARNING: MEGA COMMENT
As my wife will tell you, this is a topic I care waaay too much about. I'm going to go in a totally new direction here...the Roomba!
Granted it is totally weak and takes 10x as long to clean a space as it would a human. But...it works while you are off doing something else, or better yet not even at home. So, who cares if it is slow?
Here's my favorite scenario: Start it right as we are leaving the house for church AND set the time to run 45 minutes before we get home (after it has re-charged). Orthodox Jews might think this counts as breaking the Sabbath...but I don't. I get two cleanings in before we get home.
I love that it goes places no other vacuum could, like all the way under beds.
Here’s the best part: My kids clean their rooms much better now that we have the Roomba. Telling my kids to “clean your room” was too vague for them. Telling them to “get your room robot ready” gets better results. A kid can navigate around Legos with a regular vacuum but they know the robot will just gobble everything up. This fact alone has made the purchase price totally worth it.
Truth be told, the Roomba is really a secondary vacuum to augment the primary vacuum. However, since we bought our Roomba in November, the big vacuum rarely comes out. We use the Roomba every day.
Buy it at Costco and give it a try for several weeks or even months. If you don't like it, take it back. No worries.
P.S. If I had tile floors I would also buy the moping robot, the Scuba…
P.P.S. I'm holding out for a central vac. My house is already piped for it, I just need to buy the garage unit. Unfortunately, with installation it will cost around $1,000.
Richard,
I will consider your Roomba. Thanks for the info. Good to know it's secondary to, but preferred over the upright in the closet.
I want to hear about your brand new baby now!
Just stumbled over here but here's my 2 cents. We adore our Dyson. Used my MIL's and fell in love. We'd been through a dirt devil and another hoover already in the year. Actually bought it for $100 on craigslist used and it's still working fabulously with it's second family.
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