vacuum cleaner that isn't badly designed

[CarlSeibert]

OK then. I'm clearly out of my depth here. I haven't even heard of most of those brands, except Miele, which is I think what the cleaning crew at the office uses.

The overall theme I'm hearing, though, is that these things are like anything else. There is annoying generic junk and stuff that doesn't suck - or in this case does suck. I'll be making a field trip or two to specialist vacuum dealers to get a feel for the machines you've mentioned.

I like the idea that some of these might be used comfortably without ear protectors. I always feel like a geek with and pissed off without. Not to mention what it must sound like to the cats.

[CarlSeibert]

Hmm. I did some quick online checking. It appears that the Dyson is about the only one with a vortex particle seperator instead of a bag. Is this a personal preference thing or does one approach or the other have real advantages?

I really disliked the bags on our previous vacuum.

[Knuckledragger]

Bose also the only only clock radio make that uses "wave guides"

[Tyll Hertsens]

That's funny as hell, but I still think my Dyson sucks .... in a good way.

Bagless is nice, but I don't have alergies.

[roadtonowhere08]

Hmm. I did some quick online checking. It appears that the Dyson is about the only one with a vortex particle seperator instead of a bag. Is this a personal preference thing or does one approach or the other have real advantages?

I really disliked the bags on our previous vacuum.

It's ALL marketing garbage. There is a reason why the best vacuums still use bags. Direct for one of the best vacuum manufacturers: http://www.sebo.us/bag_vs_bagless.aspx

I think the best brands are Royal, Sebo, Kirby, and Miele. They are expensive, but they will last you a long time. You will be happy with any of those brands. I prefer Royal for the metal construction, bombproof design, absolute simplicity, and ease of finding replacement parts to fix it yourself. Many people are still regularly using 30 year old Royals with no problems.

Having said this, if you value having a very quiet vacuum, Royal is probably not for you. They are loud (but not needing ear protection loud), but damn, they SUCK (in a good way).

[jvlgato]

We like our Miele.

[luvdunhill]

never liked the bagless ones. Have had Rainbow, Kirby, Miele, etc.

[Currawong]

My take on 30+ years of dealing with suckage:

Miele (Generic and hybrid upright thing): Very high quality and feels it. Owned two. However, they are bag vacs and I don't like that for the same reasons I like my Dyson: You lose suction. The bags auto-seal on removal, making it very clean and easy to swap them, but if the bag seal screws up or blows while using it, which can happen if you suck up something sharp, you make an absolutely awful mess of the machine.

Dyson: Brilliant suction, BUT, VERY loud and a total messy bitch to clean. Also, if you are slack and it becomes too full, nasty things happen with dust coming passing into the cavity above the vortex tubes and clogging the microfilter in front of the motor. However, the microfilter can be washed and doesn't need to be replaced. Nor does it become clogged with normal use.

Electrolux "Ergo Rapido": We ended up buying one of these from Costco because it was less hassle to pull it off the charger whenever we wanted to do a quick vacuum, compared to the tediousness of setting up the Dyson. Even if it fills quickly, it is very quick and easy to empty.

So I'd say fine a store that will let you try and pull apart the machines so you can see how much of a hassle it will be to assemble, take apart and empty them. Generally the trade-off is between ease of emptying versus never-ending suction power and various trade-offs with ergonomics. Also, the cost of Dyson accessories was a total rip-off when I bought mine here, so beware that, a bit like with cameras, you're buying into a system and/or the base price doesn't always include everything you might want or need.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Currawong

[eugenius]

IMO you can't have enought attachments for the Kirby ... like the one for taking out dust mites out of the couch and the one for walls, and the furry one for books.

[RudeWolf]

I've been using a Karcher vacuum with water filtering system. The only gripe I have with it is that one must use a defoamer with it otherwise you end up getting water into the filter system. All parts are easily taken apart for cleaning or replacement. After vacuuming you just pour out all the goodies you picked up into the toilet, rinse the container and leave it to dry. I guess that it isn't too handy for quick vacuum jobs due to complex setup.

[ecclesand]

I gave up on buying consumer vacuums and instead invested in a central vacuum system for my home about 10 years ago. It works fantastic and since the unit is in the garage, no noise....except the sucking of course and the powerhead attachment. I can talk on the phone while vacuuming...

[CarlSeibert]

Many moons ago I had an apartment with a central vacuum. It was cool.

The touch and feel field trip will tell a lot.

The bag thing will be a big issue because if we are firm in our objection to bags the choices become pretty limited. Something about our personalities and the idea of having to keep track of a stock of bags and the inevitability of not having one when we need it is going to make that a pretty big hurdle.

I'm sad to hear the Dyson is loud. Then there is the matter of if Dyson does become the top contender do we do wheels or ball? Actually, in all the brands there lots of models with what appear to be very subtle differences, often at nearly the same price point.

Do most of these brands accept standard-size nozzles? We have, for example, a peculiar-loking dusting thingie that's great. It would ba a pity not to be able to use it.

[grawk]

from what I can tell, they intentionally don't do standard sizes.

[Grahame]

^ But you only need to fab one adapter, right?

[grawk]

Yup yup

[Tyll Hertsens]

Coke can ... duct tape ... you're welcome!

Why do I keep coming back to look at this thread.

[Wmcmanus]

Why do I keep coming back to look at this thread.

Me too, and I'm not even in the market for a vacuum cleaner... yet I'm thinking, "Hmmm... $500 to $1,000 seems reasonable... I mean, if it solves my vacuum cleaning problems for many years to come, and allows me to provide meaningful input to others who find themselves in need of vacuum cleaning advice in the future..."

[grawk]

if you're single, the solution to the vacuum problem is topless maid.

[mikeymad]

if you're single, the solution to the vacuum problem is topless maid.

On order...

[CarlSeibert]

Coke can ... duct tape ... you're welcome!

You can do wonders slitting a piece of PVC pipe and pulling the kerf closed with a hose clamp, too. I attached a few things to the dust collector in my shop that way. Ha! I laugh in the face of costly attachments! (I'm not sure what that smiley means, but it sure is cool)