Vacuum cleaners- which should I buy?

[darkmavis]

Hi there!

I know there have been vacuum threads in the past, and I have read through a few of them, but since the last post I saw was back in August, I thought I would bring up the topic again. Hope you don't mind..

We need a new vacuum. Our old Hoover stopped working a while ago, and we've been using our friends' Bissell Momentum that was left by the previous owner when they bought their house.  Since they have all wood floors, they don't even use their vacuum much, just sweep and mop, so they have been kind enough to let me 'store' the extra one at our house for a while.

 This vacuum is ok, but I really need to get my own. It's not great at picking up litter. I think a lot of vacuums are good with hair/fur, but I really think our cats take bucketfuls of litter out of the box and throw it all over the house when we're gone. I want something that is powerful enough to pick up the litter!

 It doesn't necessarily have to be great on hardwood floors (but it would be a nice bonus), I don't mind sweeping, but I want the carpets in the 2 bedrooms and master bath to be fur AND LITTER free without having to go over the same spots like 5 times. I suppose a hand tool for furniture would be good too.

So what do you have, what are the pros and cons, is it good for picking up litter as well as fur? Thanks for your help!

 

[Winchester]

Hi Erica!!

We have a Dyson.....and we've had that thing longer than any other vacuum cleaner we've ever had. It's the purple animal one and it does a beautiful job on cat fur. I love the tools and have no problem cleaning our furniture, cleaning the steps, etc.  It goes under the bed easily. My one and only complaint is that the hose doesn't last. We've taken it into Sears now twice in the past ten years for a new hose. For what the Dyson costs, you would think they'd come up with a better hose. Does it work? Yes. Beautifully. But that hose.....

 

[margecat]

My Bissel is dying, so I need a new vaccum as well. I can't afford the Dyson right now. Someone said the Shark is comparable to the Dyson animal (but much, much cheaper). Is this true? Thanks.

 

[natalie_ca]

 Someone said the Shark is comparable to the Dyson animal (but much, much cheaper). Is this true? Thanks.

Yes, very true.  Both are sealed systems and both don't lose suction.   The benefits of a sealed system is that they don't throw dust back into the air through joints.  If my Dyson dies, I'm going to go with a Shark.  I got my Dyson free with my airmiles, and I can't afford to spend $600.00 on a vacuum cleaner.

Here is the Shark commercial. They do a direct comparison to the Dyson.

Part 1

Part 2

 

[darkmavis]

For some reason I have it in my head that Shark vacuums are crap. I really don't know why, if it's because I've used one at some point and it was bad, or if I heard they were bad, or maybe I just totally made that up in my mind.

 Perhaps this is not true.....

So, they Dysons are good, I know, and they're out of my price range, unless I start a little savings jar fund for one.... but are they good at picking up heavier dirt like litter? That is my main goal, to vacuum litter! The boxes are in the spare bedroom, I have little mats in front of them, PLUS the cats have to walk through the whole room (maybe 10 feet or so) and over another mat in front of the bedroom door. And there is still litter all over the house on the wood floors and in our bedroom. I know I said I don't mind sweeping the floors, but vacuuming the hard floors would be quicker...

 

[natalie_ca]

I have a Dyson Animal, and it is great for picking up cat litter from the carpets and floors.
 

 

[carolina]

I have a Shark and they are not bad at all, on the contrary, they are great! They have a new one out that seems ti be pretty awesome.
I retired mine now.... Since I have all laminate and ceramic floors, I now have a roomba 770, and I absolutely love it. It requires a bit of babysitting, meaning you can't have wires on the floor and such. Sometimes I need to put it back in a room as it forgets one. But now my house is automatically clean everyday. It does a great job with fur and litter, so I am super happy

 

[Winchester]

According to Consumer Reports (and I don't know how many people go with reviews from CR), the number #1 rated bagless upright is:

#1 - LG Kompressor LuV35OP, about $400. Very good for pet hair

Best Buy - Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Rewind UH70120, about $130. Excellent for pet hair

Best Buy - Eureka Air Speed AS10000A, about $120. Very good for pet hair

CR says all of the above are fine for pet hair and all weigh less than 20 pounds. If you have allergy problems, stick with a bagged cleaner.

Recommended - Shark Rotator Profession Lift-Away NV501 $250. Fair for pet hair. Good if you want a combo-unit, meaning it will convert to hand-held vacuum. CR says "Look elsewhere if you have pets." (Rick and I have talked about Shark....he refuses to buy one. He has it in his mind, too, that they're not good and he doesn't know why.)

I didn't bother copying the CR stuff for Dyson as you're not really interested in it. CR doesn't like it for pet hair. That being said, though, we love our animal Dyson for pet hair....and we have eight cats.

 

[margecat]

According to Consumer Reports (and I don't know how many people go with reviews from CR), the number #1 rated bagless upright is:

#1 - LG Kompressor LuV35OP, about $400. Very good for pet hair

Best Buy - Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Rewind UH70120, about $130. Excellent for pet hair

Best Buy - Eureka Air Speed AS10000A, about $120. Very good for pet hair

CR says all of the above are fine for pet hair and all weigh less than 20 pounds. If you have allergy problems, stick with a bagged cleaner.

Recommended - Shark Rotator Profession Lift-Away NV501 $250. Fair for pet hair. Good if you want a combo-unit, meaning it will convert to hand-held vacuum. CR says "Look elsewhere if you have pets." (Rick and I have talked about Shark....he refuses to buy one. He has it in his mind, too, that they're not good and he doesn't know why.)

I didn't bother copying the CR stuff for Dyson as you're not really interested in it. CR doesn't like it for pet hair. That being said, though, we love our animal Dyson for pet hair....and we have eight cats.

I do check CR for vaccums and cars!

I had the Hoover, 2 of them (1 for upstairs/1 for downstairs, so I don't have to carry them), and loved them at first. I would NOT recommend them, however. I went through 5 pet hair brushes in a little over 1 year (they were great, but broke often), then both machines died soon after. It was a shame, because I did love them; I think I may have sung their praises here a few years ago.

I was considering the Shark model, above. Not sure now!

 

[darkmavis]

Thanks to everyone for the added info. Some things to think about.....

 

[kookycats]

Just got an Oreck and it's very good. The only thing I didn't really consider is the fact that it doesn't come with tools. I think I can get a small tool only machine. The Oreck is super light and does a great job. But as I said the tool issue is a problem.

 

[bbdoll22]

In the past 4 years I've had 2 different models of sharks. Personally I think they are junk, they don't last long. I have 5 cats and I do vacuum everyday and they were good for 6 months and then either lost suction or something broke. I emptied and cleaned and replaced the filters too so it wasn't due to improper maintenance.
Won't buy another shark again.

 

[catsallaround]

I have a bissell power force

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bissell-PowerForce-Bagged-Upright-Vacuum-With-Febreze-71Y7V/20658543

I use it daily and it does great.  I run over the litter on floor as regular cleaner and then use the attachment to get the bits it spits out.  I have cat allergies and litter dust makes them worse and I have had no issues with sneezing.  After having bagless and bagged I wil NEVER go back to bagless.

My Mom had bought me a hoover breathe easy that did BAD on bare floors and was a bit heavier.  I use that for the cat trees:S

 

[quentsimp]

I think we all have different needs in a vacuum, some of us want a higher quality and some of us just want a cheap vacuum that does the trick for a while.  With that being said I'm kind of a novice in vacuum buying and I thought you guys could help me out with some advice or suggestions.  I'm considering the hoover windtunnel even tho it's kind of pricey i'm hoping it will last a while.  I'm wondering if you guys have any experience with it or suggestions of other ways to go?  Thanks a lot. 

 

[harleydiva]

We have a Shark Liftaway.....it does a very good job with litter and pet hair.  I'm suprised the review said otherwise.  We also have a Dyson rechargable that works well.  It is super light weight......does good with the hair, but haven't tried it on oitter.

 

[swampwitch]

LOVE the Dyson Animal, we just got the purple upright a couple of months ago. I don't usually vacuum, my husband does it, so he wanted the huge one. I thought it would be heavy to vacuum but I tried it this week and it just GLIDES across the carpet! So easy it's almost fun and I've never liked vacuuming. Fluffed the old carpet up, too, and we had half-a-cat of hair in it. Also super-easy to dump out, I didn't read any instructions it's very intuitive very EASY.

I haven't used it on the wooden floors since that's the kitchen and bathroom and I'd rather sweep and mop those, in case there's some bits of cat food or something I don't want it in the vacuum cleaner. But I have a friend who has the same Dyson for her entire hardwood-floor house.

I don't know what your budget is but it's worth saving for - that's what we did. They have a purple animal that is 1/3 smaller and a bit cheaper (and lighter). Having the right tools for the job makes it so much easier! Having a husband who vacuums is pretty great, too. 

 

[mani]

I have a Miele .. my model wouldn't be available now, but there are similar models.  They're not cheap, but I think it's fabulous.  I have a carpeted yoga room and cats, so obviously I have to have something that allows for people being on a really clean, hygenic floor.

 

[jcat]

We've got a Miele, too, as it got the best rating for people with allergies when we got it about 14 years ago. It's a canister type with all sorts of tools. The floor brush has been replaced once, but it's still going strong and is great for pet hair.

 

[gloriajh]

You might already know this, - no matter what vacuum you get just remember they're all from the pit of hell.  Little demons come with each one.  

I have a Eureka BOSS upright, it's got a bigger motor - and boy can I feel it as I'm pushing my guts out while I'm vacuuming.  Oh - and the ONBOARD tools - what a joke!  They're constantly falling off the vacuum - the hose - that I can't detach - is always falling in the way as I vacuum.  The small lever to disengage the brush action doesn't work - they buried it in the vacuum so you can't get enough leverage on it to stop the brush from moving.  

I have another upright - Sharp - quieter than the BOSS, has a good long power cord, too.  The tools didn't just fall of the vacuum as I use it, the attachment holders just plain broke off - I now have a bag with the tools that I carry around while I vacuum.

Oh, and I can't forget the so-called pressure fits for the wands - try keeping the wands together as you use the hose - I have to keep tightening them as I vacuum.  There's one demon assigned to that part of the vacuum trying to get me to invoke an expletive as the wands keep coming apart at the most inconvenient time.

Our newest purchase was an Electrolux canister - Oxygen - - it's quiet, doesn't frighten the cats so much.  Not as powerful as the uprights - AND - the hose is pitiful - it keeps bending and cutting off the sucking air.  I'm so disgusted and disappointed.  Too bad the engineers that worked on their STICK vac didn't also work on the other product lines.

The Electolux STICK vac is just awesome! It's very quiet, really powerful for a tiny little thing. Parts come apart for easy cleaning.  I love the ease in cleaning out the little dirt bag especially - love the engineering on this one.  I guess, come to think of it - there probably aren't any demons assigned to this one - other than you can't replace the battery when it dies the last time.

Now, I've tried to come to terms about this because I MUST have a vacuum - in fact we currently have 4 active vacuums in our household.  There are some others in the garage, like the shop vac and older ones I've put aside trying to find THE vacuum.  However, I've concluded no matter how much money I spend on a vacuum it fails to meet my expectations.  HA - I guess having someone else come in a vacuum might be the ticket, huh!

I haven't tried the Miele - guess that will be my next test run - good luck with whatever you buy!  

 

[Willowy]

I have a Kirby. . .darn door-to-door salemen! It works well but weighs a ton and they cost too much. That one lives upstairs. When my brother moved out of his apartment, I snitched his Eureka Airspeed. . .and it works well, too. And bagless is nice if I just want to suck up a bunch of litter without using up a bag (Kirby bags aren't cheap!). But bagless is NOT nice for emptying out a lot of fur and dust and other allergens. Ick.