ISO vacuum cleaner advice/feedback....

[Claire]

I am VERY unhappy with mine. A couple of years ago I bought an Oreck, based on my mom's recommendation and their warantee. The man who owned the store in Dubuque quit. About 5 minutes after I walked out the door. About a year later I got a new doggie. This simply cannot come close to dealing with her shedding, and she isn't a particularly hairy dog. She also does NOT have the barbed hairs that my past dogs (JRs) had, so it shouldn't be this difficult. Every time I vacuum a rug, I have to do it vertically in both directions, then horizontally, the diagonally. I am NOT a fussy housekeeper, at all.. But instead of vacuuming once, I feel like I'm doing it a half dozen times. I've taken it in for repairs twice to my local guy, and it's working as well as it gets (of course, at my expense since the nearest place that will honor the warantee is 2 or 3 hours away).

Before her real shedding season starts (cold weather is setting in, so she's cooperating by holding on to as much hair as she can), I'd like to buy a new vacuum cleaner. Anyone with shedding pets have a recommendation? I don't want to spend a month's paycheck on it, but something has to go. At least my last Hoover was self-propelled, so if I had to vacuum the rug 6 times, at least I wouldn't be putting my shoulder out. Help!

P.S., a friend with two new cats is awaiting the answer as well!

 

[tinlizzie]

Two years ago I replaced a 12-year-old Panasonic upright which I liked very much with a Sears Progressive model, well-thought of in Consumer Reports. It does a bang-up job on mixed Lab's and two short-hair cats' shedding, at least on a low-pile carpet and ceramic tile. Adjusts levels automatically.

 

[CWS4322]

I like my IRoomba. I also have a shop vac for doing the stairs. The IRoomba comes with a 2-year guarantee and works well on pet hair. I got one for my mom. It was around $300, including shipping. My parents have a black Lab. The IRoomba works well on the dog hair, but the cleaning lady still has to vacuum the stairs.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I have a Dyson Animal (the purple one) and it takes care of the hair from 5 cats, two of which have long hair, just fine. They are expensive, but they're worth every penny. When you turn it on you can feel it sucking itself right into the carpeting.

 

[qmax]

I have a Dyson Animal (the purple one) and it takes care of the hair from 5 cats, two of which have long hair, just fine. They are expensive, but they're worth every penny. When you turn it on you can feel it sucking itself right into the carpeting.

I have a Dyson as well. Unquestionably the best thought out vacuum cleaner ever. And it really sucks.

 

[buckytom]

another vote for a dyson. we have 2 dysons, the dc7 and the dc14.

the reason we have 2 is dw wore the first one out. she is sn obsessive vacuumer, lol.
actually, it was just the clutch that wore out on the first one, so i bought the second. but $35 in parts and a quick swap out, and now we have 2.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

I like my Kirby. Have had it 20 years. It' will last another 20 or so. Only have to replace the belt sometimes and that is it about it. I got it Used at an Estate sale, otherwise, I think they are a bit pricey.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

I got it Used at an Estate sale, otherwise, I think they are a bit pricey.

Reconditioned, from $600.00 to $1000.00, depending on model.

Can you say "second mortgage?"

 

[bakechef]

My mom has a Kirby, they work great if you don't mind hauling a Buick around the house

 

[CWS4322]

Years ago, my mom had a Kirby. I hated it. It was so heavy! If you're going robotic, Irobot's Roomba, although pricier than other brands, was rated the top robotic vacuum by America's Test Kitchen. Consumer Guide products gave Dyson's DC17 it's highest rating (Dyson DC17 Absolute Animal upright vacuum Review: Powered by ConsumerGuide and HowStuffWorks). A 5-year guarantee is probably the best in the business. There are reviews for canister vacuums as well.

I had an industrial/commercial upright Electrolux for years. Downside was it had bags. The other was that the belts often broke (I had five to six Saint Bernards and Newfoundlands in the house--talk about fur and sand!). I don't remember the model, but it was comparable price to uprights sold in department stores.

 

[justplainbill]

Our previous Miele canister lasted 10 years. The new one runs cooler and quieter; and has adequate suction.
I tried without success to get an Ametek replacement motor for the old one. The problem was a bearing failure perhaps caused by not changing filters often enough although for the price one would expect dustproof bearings.

 

[GB]

Here is another vote for a Dyson. As odd as it sounds, I actually enjoy using my Dyson vacuum. One pass over any dirt and it gets sucked up. No more having to go over the same spot 4 or 5 times. Vacuuming now takes me very little time and the results are obvious right away. They are very expensive, but IMO worth it.

 

[CWS4322]

Here is another vote for a Dyson. As odd as it sounds, I actually enjoy using my Dyson vacuum. One pass over any dirt and it gets sucked up. No more having to go over the same spot 4 or 5 times. Vacuuming now takes me very little time and the results are obvious right away. They are very expensive, but IMO worth it.

Ahh--but the cool thing about a Roomba is I can be in the kitchen, shower, office, etc., while it vacuums the living room. All I have to do is turn it on. During shedding season, I send it out twice/day. And I had nothing to do with that ad appearing!

 

[GB]

I had a Roomba, but I hated it and ended up giving it to my inlaws. The concept is great, but in my house the execution just did not live up to expectations. It did a lousy job at the edges of rooms and furniture. There were a lot of spots it just could not get to. I also found the process of cleaning it each time to negate any time savings I got from not having to push a vacuum around myself. I also did not think it did all that great a job in general. For daily vacuuming I think the Roomba is decent enough, but I think I would still need to use a regular vacuum weekly anyway.

 

[CWS4322]

I had a Roomba, but I hated it and ended up giving it to my inlaws. The concept is great, but in my house the execution just did not live up to expectations. It did a lousy job at the edges of rooms and furniture. There were a lot of spots it just could not get to. I also found the process of cleaning it each time to negate any time savings I got from not having to push a vacuum around myself. I also did not think it did all that great a job in general. For daily vacuuming I think the Roomba is decent enough, but I think I would still need to use a regular vacuum weekly anyway.

You have probably summed it up nicely--I do my floors 2x/day because of the dogs. Hauling a vacuum around and the time it took, was just frustrating. I still had to clean brushes, empty a bag/canister, and get the special tool out to do along the baseboards. And, it practically "lived" in the family room. I also have a Shark Steam-n-Vac for "quicky" cleanups.

What I have done with the furniture that wasn't quite high enough was put "cardboard coasters" under the feet so the Roomba can get under the furniture. At my mom's, putting a baby gate up to block the stairs down and closing the doors to the bathrooms, etc., lets her keep the main areas vaccumed. Because my mom can no longer handle a vacuum, this lets her keep the dog hair down between visits every 2 weeks by her cleaning lady. My mom is very "fussy" about having the floors clean. For a senior or a person with limited mobility (a friend with MS got one and loves it because she can vacuum between the times her cleaning lady comes, ditto for my mom), it is wonderful. But, I still have to have a regular vacuum to do the stairs and things the Roomba doesn't do. It is also a great gift for s/one with newborn multiples! It doesn't do everything, but it does help.

And, the OP did not indicate the vacuum was dead, just that she/he was unhappy with it. If the Oreck still works, a Roomba is a good (IMO) option to supplement having the Oreck and making vacuuming easier.And with the 30-day guarantee, the OP can get her money back if it doesn't work for her. My dad wasn't keen on the idea, but now he LOVES it.

 

[GB]

They definitely have their place, that is for sure. The company that makes those is down the street from my office. They are a client of mine. They do a lot of work for the military and have a ton of cool consumer products as well such as a robot that cleans your gutters.

 

[CWS4322]

They definitely have their place, that is for sure. The company that makes those is down the street from my office. They are a client of mine. They do a lot of work for the military and have a ton of cool consumer products as well such as a robot that cleans your gutters.

If you have another vacuum, for the price point and the company's guarantee (a friend has had 4 now--she has 2 Saint Bernards and 3 young children--but she's only bought ONE Roomba, the others were replaced on the guarantee), it is an option worth exploring. I don't use the towers, I use cardboard boxes or a baby gate to create a barrier, it is a reliable machine. No, not perfect, but it is easy to use (no muscle strain), does all different kinds of floors, and is something that takes the stress out of hauling the vacuum out.The first time I used mine, ditto re: my mom, we just sat and watched it go around.

 

[Claire]

I'm just starting my research. I've bought many a vacuum cleaner in my life, and my Oreck gets the vote, in spite of many recommendations, as the total and complete worse one I've every owned.

One thing I wonder about, is what is the big deal about the bag-less thing? I don't quite get that having to take a container of crap I've picked up off the floor, take it outside (remember, in the winter that can mean -10) to empty it so the dust doesn't go all over the room when I dump it and leave me sneezing and dust all over the kitchen if I have to do it inside in the winter. Then clean the interior of the whatever-you-call-it that holds all the stuff you've vacuumed, and start over. It seems easier to pull out a bag, trash it, wipe the interior if needed, and attach another bag. Why exactly is bag-less better? So far Dyson is winning, but not sure I'll be able to talk hubby into the expense (but probably can, since he hated our last few cleaners even more than I).

 

[Dawgluver]

CWS, I am in total agreement with Roomba. When I bought my mom her first one, she told me, in tears, that it was the best present anyone ever got her. We are both now on our second Roombas. I find it isn't much of a time saver for me, as I love to watch the little critter! Not a replacement for a regular vac, but wonderful for in between, and for folks like Mom who don't have the strength to use a regular vac.

When I first got married, I inherited a Kirby. I despised that heavy monster. Now I have the Eureka Boss, has nice suction, and when I can find the attachments my cleaning lady distributes and hides throughout the house, it fits my needs.

Claire, I was never happy with my Oreck upright. I do like the handheld. Have had to jerryrig various parts (usually well behaved dog went through a chewing phase on the hose and unplugged in cord) but it's good for sucking up the annual ladybug invasion.

 

[Claire]

Ha! That's funny. The reason I have an Orek is because I wanted their little one. It's way too heavy to call it a hand-held, but I thought it'd work well in my downstairs bathroom (sounds stupid if you've never lived in an 1854 house -- the room is my laundry room, mud room, utility room, etc, and is always full of lint, mud, melting snow/ice/salt/de-icing chemicals, grass, etc.) It's heavier than I thought and the attachments won't stay stuck together, but it serves its purpose and I wish I'd just bought it rather than buying the regular Orek "everybody" swore by, to get it "free" because of its great warantee than I'd have to go to Chicago to collect on.