Could use help, with a vacuum.

In the last 10 years, we had a handful of vacuums that only lasted a year or so before they died - The Dyson we finally bought back in 2005 is still running to this day. I feel that the money spent on a good Dyson vacuum is worth it. That being said though,  I find that the advertising claim that Dyson's never lose suction is mildy false. Ours still has suction to this day, but is is substantially less than what it was when it was new. And that includes time I've spent with it apart to clean and replace filters, brush bars, etc.

I think Dyson is a decent enough vacuum, but keep in mind that Dyson is an advertising juggernaut. They spend more money on advertising than any other vacuum company (probably...I just made that up). They're like the Bose of vacuums. Their advertising is awesome and their customer service is awesome, but if you talk to the experts, they'll steer you elsewhere.

 

I just bought a vacuum two weeks ago - I also have two dogs. I researched the Dyson vacs, but after some reading, and after using my mother-in-law's Miele S3 vac, I decided to go with the Miele S5. For one thing, bagless vacuums aren't all that. The bag acts like a second filter, so any bagless vac will never be sealed, and will never capture the particulates that a traditional bag vac will. There are a bunch of reviews and comparisons out there, like this:

 

http://consumer-reporter.blogspot.com/2008/04/dyson-versus-miele.html

 

or

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ymzkbCMgg

 

Secondly, I found the Dyson to be very plasticky and cheap.

 

Anyways, spend a few minutes reading and you'll probably come to the same conclusion. Go to any high-quality vacuum shop and I guarantee you won't find any Dysons there.

 

I have to say, I'm super, super happy with my Miele. I replaced a 12 year old Kenmore upright that I assumed was doing an OK job - boy was I wrong. Now, I finish vacuuming in 2/3rds of the time, my house is way, way cleaner and far less dusty, it's way quieter, and I'm no longer frustrated by attachments falling off, or telescoping handles collapsing.The ergonmics of the Miele are incredible.

 

 

Good luck.

 

I used to always see these sold on Woot (before Amazon takeover), usually as refurbished, which didn't sit well with me. I'll second the fact that they do feel too "plastic", almost like you could pull it out of a McDonalds happy meal. 

Miele's start around $450 for a canister and go up in increments from there. I spent $550 for mine at Costco. I paid a little extra for better attachments and a power brush.

ok i am some what of an expert on this. i killed 19 vacuums. including 3 dysons. i got a sebo x4 automatic and never looked back. 3 years now not in the shop once. this is basically used for commercial farm purposes. so it should certainly do domestic duty. look in a 5 star hotel, the white house,buckingham palace,smithsonian, they all use it. the dyson was a tinker toy in comparison. i can completely disassemble this vacuum in 10 seconds flat. bagless is a bad idea with a lot of fur/dirt/dust. you will find out if you have allergies. id normally recommend a canister but the x4 is the only upright that pretty much acts as a totl canister.

I have a Dyson DC17 and it does an amazing job of dealing with multiple pets, as long as you are good about vacuuming every 1-3 weeks.  It helps if you make the effort to empty out the bin and wipe the cyclone holes down with a paper towel after every room to keep the air power strong.  If you have long-haired pets, you may need to open and clean out the bottom part, where there's a soft rubber belt with teeth that hooks around one of the turning mechanisms.  Scissor tweezers are really good for this.  I also recommend washing out the filter periodically, even if it doesn't look dirty and the water is coming out clear.

 

The DC17 is really bad with dealing with long hair, though.  If you have a significant other with long hair, you're going to have to disassemble the vacuum after each full cleaning to cut all the hair out with scissors from the rolling mechanism at the bottom.

 

The construction is kind of flimsy and very plasticky, and I had to bring mine in for repairs twice under warranty (they sent me to a local Dyson authorized vacuum repair shop), where they removed some supposedly extraneous parts, which didn't seem to affect the performance.  Dyson also sent me a brand new dust collection bin and filter at no cost.

 

The Dyson is much, much better than most $150-200 Bissell and Hoover vacuums I've used, but if I was buying another vacuum cleaner, I'd want something with much more suction power.  I recommend getting something bagless, as it's really convenient to be able to grab a spare plastic garbage bag, to dump the dust and hair out into after every room.

 

If you're good about cleaning, you might want to consider an air purifier with a prefilter and HEPA filter, preferably washable.  Mine is doing a nice job cutting down on some of the dust.  I think my carpet gives off a lot of dust, though, so it's a frustrating battle.

that does not sound promising. have to take apart and/or wash the vac all the time? sebo there is none of that. just use it. that is why i wish i had it before i went through all those vac's. bagless may save money but that dust is really going right back into the air. regardless of "hepa" this or that. is it certified by an independent laboratory as a sealed induction system? if you want to deal with a canister nothing beats nilfisk. miele is more domestic rubbish. so is electolux. all of these are better than a cheap hoover or bissel,granted. step up and spend over a grand on a vac and you will be rewarded with a lifetime of trouble/maintenance free operation. as long as you by a commercial unit. for a couple hundred bucks, sanitaire is the only game in town. not nearly the performance of the ones i mentioned but it works and will not break. the problem is it is a "dirty" air system. probably more suited for hotels/hospitals. one should read up on these terms i just presented or visit a real vac shop. hopefully where the salesperson is honest. a department store is not a place to purchase a vacuum that will work/last generally.

out in the barns we use a "alto wap" vacuum system. now that is some serious power. more horsepower than many cars! it is not for household use though. it does not even run on single phase electric. i just mentioned this because it amazes some people how much suction can actually be created by a machine.

as for air filters, again they are useless unless they are a sealed system. that means the replacement cartridges are serious money. best off to install a central system if you own your residence. if your home is filthy you would be amazed what a trane/lennox system will do for you.

oh, sorry about your wallet

Dyson is much better than the typical Walmart and Target brand of vacuums I used to use.  I don't think there's a perfect solution, but the closest you can get is finding a Dyson that's the best match for what you need.  I've had to use the warranty a few times and there haven't been any issues with Dyson.  It's pretty disgusting, and gratifying, when you see how much the Dyson picks up, particularly in a pet home, compared to your normal $150-200 deluxe vacuum.  Definitely recommend a vacuum with a true HEPA filter for a pet home, too.  You should go for something with a HEPA filter and as much power as possible.  Lack of power gets filters and ducts clogged within the vacuum.

 

I'm being frank about my experience with the Dyson in a multipet home.  It's not an ideal vacuum, but it's gotten me closer than any other vacuum I've used.  The fact that it picks up an obscene amount of stuff compared to every other vacuum I've used won me over.  Yes, it's plasticky, and yes, small bits may break or get clogged, but it'll do a better job in a single run than a high-end Hoover will do in two runs.  I wouldn't recommend a Dyson for someone who doesn't mind doing maintenance on their gear, but that's one of those things you need to learn to deal with if you want a sanitary living environment with pets that shed.

 

You can get a new high-end Dyson model for $500-600 on Amazon and eBay.  I high recommend buying new and making sure that you have the full warranty.  You save money by having a bagless model, and the Dyson picks up so much stuff that you'll be clearing the bin at least once per vacuuming session.

 

Sebo looks interesting but too many questionable reviews on Amazon (as well as the lack of quantity, and the build makes them look like they'd be a pain to use).

Edited by Elysian - 12/5/11 at 7:12pm

if you can stretch $49 more you are done with vacuums for at least the next 30 years. i did not realize a reputable place had it this cheap. that would be a done deal for me. serious, ask around. this is the rolls royce of vacuums. the others are mere toys. it will suck up all the pet hair with almost no maintenance and most importantly will never jam or break! read up on the features.

http://www.buy.com/pr/product.aspx?sku=219014701&sellerid=20850051

wow. i am really surprised the reviews on amazon. well i guess everything is not for everyone. actually the design to me is ingenious. it will go under a bed. plus no belt to ever change. if it sucks up something large it stops and warns you. if the bag is full it stops and warns you. it goes from carpet to bare floor instantly and is the only upright i ever had that can suck all the cat litter and hay off the tile and wood. parts are easily available at vacuum shops but you cannot get bags at walmart.

I use an older Dirt Devil with one cat.  Works well enough.

 

The best portable I've used is a Fein shop vac.  I'm tempted to buy one to use in the house.

 

Though when I get a house (soon, hopefully) I'm going to plumb in a central vac.  It's about $1k, but the attachments are light and they're more powerful than portable vacs.  Of course, installation is an issue.  But whatever house I pick up will be an older one and I'll take the walls off.  Maybe not an option for everyone, but if you like DIY, central is the way to go.