# Rainbow vacuum cleaner **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738 "2011-04-26T03:44:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/1 "2011-04-26T03:44:49Z")
My wife and I are looking into buying a Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner, however, it costs close to $2,400 for a new one. I’ve had a demonstration, and it seems worth it, but before I spend that type of money I was wondering if any dopers have any experience with them. So, does anyone have any experience with Rainbow? Is it worth $2,400? Will it last? What can anyone tell me about them? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/2 "2011-04-26T04:19:44Z")
I have no experience with that brand, but $2,400? Seriously? The top-rated upright vacuum cleaner (a Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900) in the Consumer Reports ratings costs a tenth of that price. How long would that Rainbow vacuum cleaner have to last to justify that price? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/3 "2011-04-26T04:52:29Z")
I HATE HATE HATED the damned thing!!! My mom, sis and I went together and bought one (it was a lot less that $2400 at the time). Then, several years later my then boyfriend bought one just before we moved in together. Yeah, they vacuum well, if you don’t mind emptying the water tank approximately 90,000 times with each vacuuming! I bought Dyson pet pro (or whatever they’re called) and I find that does JUST as good a job as the Rainbow ever did. The only thing the Rainbow did better was that it had a shampooer attachment. One tip though, my boyfriend actually searched pawn shops for several months and found one there. It was in perfect shape. (yet I still hated it, we had stairs too, try lugging THAT monster up and down the stairs, thing weighs more than a small child :D). Anyway, if you really REALLY want one, I’d say try that, beats the hell out of paying all that money for a fancy gadget. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@The\_Conqueror\_Worm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Conqueror_Worm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/4 "2011-04-26T04:59:50Z")
Their website doesn’t make me hopeful. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/5 "2011-04-26T05:09:15Z")
I have known several people who bought Rainbows. I never understood why. I just looked it up on Consumer Reports. They gave Rainbow a 53 out of a possible 100, with other, far less expensive vacuums scoring as high as 72. The Rainbow was by far the heaviest because of the water tank, and scored low in handling. I’d bet that you could pick up a used Rainbow pretty easily. Yep, there are 10 of them on my local Craigslist. You could try it out and see if it’s worth it for you before committing yourself to such a high price. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/6 "2011-04-26T06:11:29Z")
WE had a Rainbow 20+ years ago. It did a great job. But for $2400 no I would not pay that. It was also a high maintenance unit and if I did not know how to turn a wrench I would not have been able to keep it running. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/7 "2011-04-26T07:22:19Z")
Versatile product for an insane price. I’ve heard that they will come waaaaay down on the price if you are a determined negotiator. Just get a regular vacuum. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/8 "2011-04-26T08:31:24Z")
Hell, for that price I’d expect it to clean up after the kids, do the dishes and the laundry as well. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/9 "2011-04-26T10:24:54Z")
> [@sandra\_nz](#): > > Hell, for that price I’d expect it to clean up after the kids, do the dishes and the laundry as well. If you believe the sales pitch, it will do _all_ these things, plus send flowers on your birthday! 😉 I never owned one, but I had a demonstration (talked into it by a friend). Yes, the demo was impressive. But the price, combined with the weight of the unit and the complexity of doing _anything at all_ with it turned me right off. I’ll stick with my $300.00 Dyson, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/10 "2011-04-26T11:03:17Z")
Disgusting creatures. Do you know what the water looks like when you’re done? Absolutely gross. Especially if you have long hair/pet hair in the house. It seriously made me queasy to empty the thing. Oh, especially if you’re 10 years old and you try to “forget” to empty it for a day because it’s so nasty, and then your mom yells at you to dump it, already, only it’s gotten a little moldy and smelly and even MORE disgusting. Yeah, good times. Not. And then it sloshes when you’re trying to carry it to the toilet, and the SMELLY ICKY STUFF gets on your arm and it’s like ohmigosh, I wish I was dead. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/11 "2011-04-26T12:16:44Z")
You can get a refurbished Rainbow - with warranty - on ebay for $450. But I wouldn’t give you a nickel for one; way too inconvenient and impractical. mmm ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/12 "2011-04-26T12:55:39Z")
> [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](#): > > My wife and I are looking into buying a Rainbow Vacuum Cleaner, however, it costs close to $2,400 for a new one. I’ve had a demonstration, and it seems worth it, but before I spend that type of money I was wondering if any dopers have any experience with them. > > So, does anyone have any experience with Rainbow? Is it worth $2,400? Will it last? What can anyone tell me about them? I used to sell them, first job after high school, I lasted about a week. My mom bought one to help me out. They are an incredible rip-off. My first three cars were less than $24k It’s only a vacuum cleaner, when all is said and done that’s all it is. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/13 "2011-04-26T13:24:25Z")
If you google on _rainbow vacuum reviews_ you’ll find a wealth of user comments, both pro and con. I think you’d be well served to digest some of these before spending that kind of money. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/14 "2011-04-26T13:38:18Z")
A waste of money. My sister has had one for a lot of years and complains about having to schlepp the damn thing up and down stairs and the issues with the water. Cost does not always equal quality. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/15 "2011-04-26T13:46:43Z")
I had a friend some years ago who got a job with Rainbow selling the thing - door-to-door, doing demonstrations. It was truly a job from hell. She didn’t sell one and quit after 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/16 "2011-04-26T14:22:59Z")
Not worth the price. A ripoff IMHO. Get a Dyson. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/17 "2011-04-26T14:25:55Z")
$2400 for a vacuum cleaner? Bwhaaaaa, best laugh I’ve had all morning. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/18 "2011-04-26T14:27:45Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Not worth the price. A ripoff IMHO. Get a Dyson. That’s the weird thing. When Dyson vacuum cleaners first were sold in the US, it was at the outrageous price of $500-600, which is several times what other vacuum cleaners sold for. I’m amazed that the Rainbow company salespeople can quote prices like $2,400 with a straight face. And edited to add that Dyson still doesn’t do as well in the Consumer Reports ratings as other, cheaper, brands. ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/19 "2011-04-26T14:33:09Z")
“It isn’t can you afford a Rainbow, it can you afford _ **not** _ to have a rainbow.” Why, yes, I can afford that. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738/20 "2011-04-26T14:38:12Z")
I love my Dyson Animal and have never had a problem with it. I paid $550 for it six or seven years ago. Prior to that, I was buying cheap ($150) vacuums that needed to be replaced every year or two. IMHO, $2400 is way too much to spend for a vacuum, especially when there are great alternatives for a fraction of the price. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rainbow-vacuum-cleaner/579738.md?page=2)