Shopping for a new vacuum

[kav122]

I got rid of my bagless and will never look back! YUCK YUCK DOUBLE YUCK! I swear, I got more dust up my nose from that bagless than in the trashcan when I emptied it. I have a Eureka Boss SmartVac and it does great on carpet (we have a super shedder-yellow lab) and wood floors! I love it!

[cheapskate]

I'm totally with ya kav122! The bagless kinds make me sneeze alllll the time. That's why i really like the bag options with the Oreck, even if it does seem like a hassle to most other people.

[lucille]

Originally Posted by cheapskate

Hey, Lucille.

By the way I love that name. I'm skeptical of the Euro-Pro. I really doubt it'll last that long and end up being worth the $200. I'm skeptical of appliance brands without good warranties and brand credibility. Which is funny because I wear name-brand less clothes all day, but when it comes to vacuums, I really trust the Oreck seal. Maybe it has something to do with Davey Oreck the adorable spokesperson man..

But given all the good things I've heard I think the Oreck XL is worth it.

That is a concern we have also. They are mostly plastic but most of the other vacs are plastic also. I have a Euro Pro sewing machine and the plastic arm storage box broke soon after buying it.

I haven't looked into the Oreck ones very much but were also hoping to have our house purged of carpet in a year or two in favor of wood and tile.

[cheapskate]

Ooh, new floors. So fun. See ya later carpet!

I was doing some research on the Oreck XL's performance on hardwood floors and found some good comments on this site. Customers seem to like how easy it glides on the surfaces. Which makes vacuuming sooo much easier. Nobody wants to lug around a big clunky monster!

http://www.infomercialratings.com/pr...oreck_xl_ultra

[bluecobia]

I personnally vote for the cannister vacuum.

I find it much easier to use in getting under furnature and in corners. I also prefer to have a bag to keep all the dirt in rather than having it fly all overr the place when I get rid of it / clean out the vacuum.

[triathing]

We'd spent a screaming ton of money (at least, feels that way) on vacuums, including Oreck models. For our money, the best ever was a Black and Decker wet/dry shop vac that we picked up for around $40, new. We've got two teen-age boys, dogs and cats, so any vacuum we've got is going to get a workout.

Anyway, we've had R2 for about three years now, and never a problem. Comes with all kinds of attachments, so we can use it on rugs, ceilings, floors -- anywhere. Only downside is that it's a bit of a bear to lug around, but durability and ease of use (no bag, you just take the top off and dump it in the trash) more than offset toting it around.

[Lucy]

Thought I'd chime in here. My mom has an Oreck & it works great, but we did have a little trouble one time when we needed a new belt for it. It was hard to find since there wasn't an Oreck shop nearby. The upright is light but it's not as good in hard-to-reach places & it's kind of a pain on the stairs.

I have an Electrolux canister. It cost me a fortune, but it's been the best vaccum I've ever owned. I uses bags (yes, cuts down on the dust factor) & it automatically stops when the bag is full, so no chance of burning out the motor because you want to suck up as much as possible before emptying it. It has tons of attachments so you can use it for everything, and I got a little hand vac with it that I use on smaller jobs. I really couldn't afford it when I bought it, but it has paid for itself over the years (I've had it for over 11 years & it's still just as good as the day I bought it).

Also for small jobs or if you have a lot of hard floors, the Shark is a great little vac. It's almost like those old carpet sweepers, but it works way better. It has a motor & plugs in to charge. When you vacuum, it's cordless & it works great on short pile rugs & floors and it will pick up everything from pet hair to under-table-kid-mess. My mother-in-law swears by it for day-to-day cleaning and it costs around $25.

I hate to vacuum, so I figure, the better the machine, the less time I'll actually have to spend pushing it around the house!

[indieretailer]

My family and I have always had good luck with Kenmore (Sears) canister vacuums.

I always read the product manuals when I get a new appliance. I was pleased to see that the Kenmore Progressive canister vacuum that I purchased last year came with more extensive maintenance instructions. I now know how to disassemble the various parts for regular maintenance cleanings. (Such is the glamorous life that I lead.)

I had not encountered such thorough information in other owner's manuals for vacuums.

[cheapskate]

Lucy, I hate to vacuum when it comes down to it too, which is why the lightweight part of the Oreck XL is a huge draw for me. And I like its design simplicity. All those parts and attachments with other brands confuse me!

[hermione]

This may not be the right one for you, but last year we purchased a Bissell 3106A Featherweight Lightweight Vacuum from Amazon for $25 and we love it. It is a tiny vacuum, bagless and easy to empty out, and works great on non-carpeted floors. We've had it for over a year and it's still working great. I'm thinking of getting a few more, especially if they ever go on sale again (Walmart had them for $13 on 2006 Black Friday) to have a few back-ups and to keep in various rooms around the house.



I don't think it has this though:

Originally Posted by cheapskate

And it has this antimicrobial feature that eliminates smelliness and germs that might multiply in there.