Pretty much what it says in the thread title. I find that I am in need of a new vacuum cleaner. Preferably bagless, indestructible and able to suck a bowling ball through 30 feet of garden hose. Thoughts?
I don’t know the model number but a buddy just bought a “Dyson” at worst buy and it KICKS ASS.
unclviny
This months Consumer Reports reviews vacuums. Also, ask a housecleaner. They are usually pretty familiar with vacuums. I bought a Dirt Devil bagless vac. My friend, the housecleaner, told me all the parts on it that were going to break before they did. She was right!
I recently went vacuum shopping. I went to an independent vacuum repair shop and asked what he thought of various brands. He ranked Dirt Devil the lowest, with Regina, Oreck and Kirby following close behind.
For the plain no bones vacuum he recommended a Hoover upright. I don’t remember what he recommended for vacuum with more bells and whistles. I’d recommend a trip to the local strip mall that has a vacuum repair shop. He’d be a wealth of knowledge.
E3
I recently went vacuum shopping. I went to an independent vacuum repair shop and asked what he thought of various brands. He ranked Dirt Devil the lowest, with Regina, Oreck and Kirby following close behind.
For the plain no bones vacuum he recommended a Hoover upright. I don’t remember what he recommended for vacuum with more bells and whistles. I’d recommend a trip to the local strip mall that has a vacuum repair shop. He’d be a wealth of knowledge.
E3
I grew up with Kirbys, purchased at least 3 low end vacuums at Target that subsequently blew up, and finally bought a Royal. The Royal is more expensive than the discount store models, but is MUCH cheaper than the Kirby (iirc, Kirbys run in the $1200-$1500 range, my Royal was about $400). It’s made like a tank - solid metal everywhere. It can be repaired when needed. The parts that break are the parts that are MEANT to break - ie, the belt. I’m very happy with it, and would have saved around $300 if I’d just bought it first instead of trying to buy a Target vacuum every year or so.
I had an older upright Electrolux that was amazing.
My GF had a Kirby and it was constantly breaking down and the thing weighed more than FIFTY pounds!?!?! It was a huge pain in the ass. The parts that broke down were not belts and such, more like bushings and housing parts. It did not do such a great job cleaning even after being professionally refurbished by an independent vacuum mechanic. It sucked, but not in the good vacuuming sense 
She just got an Oreck XL21 that came with their basic Oreck and their handheld as a free gift. They even gave her a bonues for trading in the POS Kirby. I got the basic one for free 
It works so well I cannot believe it. the XL21 is even better, her carpets have never looked better and she is a good houseekeeper to start with. She has cats and the hair is just gone, no clogs, no whining overworked vacuum motor, plus it weighs close to nothing.
The week she got it, she vacuumed up some cat shit by accident on the oriental rug and I took it apart to see if I could clean it. It is clearly German design, modular and well thought out. I had no problem stripping it down, seeing that I did NOT want to clean it, and reassembling it.
I took it back to Oreck, they cleaned it no charge and had it back the next day. Of course for close to $700, they’d BETTER clean the damn thing, but hey, it has a 21 year guarantee!
Hoover upright Windtunnel, self-propelled. Don’t be sucked in (ha!) by HEPA filters and all that nonsense. It’s pretty much meaningless. Go for durability and ease of handling. And unless you’re a weightlifter, those water vacs are pointless.
I must second Chefguy’s recommendation.
It’s all about the Hoover Wind Tunnel, baby! I just bought one this weekend and it kicks dog hair ass all over the place. Seriously, it was the most exciting thing to happen to my family all week long.
Binary,
If you can afford it…$400 bucks…buy a Dyson…the yellow basic model.
This vacuum cleaner is so sweet.
It will suck the chrome off a tailpipe (kinda of like that Alpha Phi I dated in college…OMG…did I just say that aloud?) and it doesn’t lose suction even if the cup is 4/5th full.
It uses a cup to hold the bits and it doesn’t leak and emptying it is easy and no mess.
I can’t recommend this vacuum enough…but it does cost a friggin arm and a leg…but it’s like outdoor grills…you get what you pay for. Good luck!
BTW…I can’t recommend any Panasonic models…they break down all the time.
I always preferred cannister vacuums because they were more versatile. You can do the car, boat and with the length of the wand you can vacuum most anywhere above your shoulder height. I bought a Filter Queen vacuum 18 years ago and that baby is still running strong. It has made it through 2 kids, 3 dogs and I only replaced a couple of plugs, a switch and the hose. Best machine I ever purchased. It has a great filter that is easy to change and captures the finest dust. I am not sure that you can buy them in a store now but they still make them. They are a bit spendy. Link
Another positive followup for Chefguy’s Hoover Windtunnel recommendation. We have had one for about two years now. Get the bagged model, they work better. I got mine for a great deal at the Hoover service center retail store–they had a demo model that looked and worked just fine and sold it to me for about $50 below Costco.
I just bought a Dyson V8 Animal a couple of weeks ago and I am really impressed, especially how it deals with shedded dog hair.
My only complaint is that the dirt canister is small. Its performance is big, though.
Who?
In before the lockdown: my mom got me a Simplicity. Worked splendidly today, but are on the expensive side ($500 smackers).
Get a Hoover upright for the retractable cord. Don’t get the orange one - it feels a bit flimsier and the fine dust gets stock in the bagless filter. My previous one (that I gave away when I moved) was more expensive, and much better.
Retractable cord will change your life.
I am very happy with a Shark Navigator Pro Pet. Lots of pet hair in my house, sucked up by this thing. It was cheap (around $120). The first one I had failed after six months, but was still under warranty so I returned and replaced it. Then I found out that if it stops working, let it rest for 45 minutes and make sure it’s unclogged (pet hair) and try it again–and that works. (So far.)
Down side: it doesn’t really fit under furniture. I have to move the furniture.
It works on carpets and bare floors. My son has a Dyson (and also pet hair issues) and he likes it on carpet but not so much on the bare floors.
Those upright models seem to be all the rage, but how do you vacuum something that is elevated above the floor? Is there some kind of hose attachment that lets you get into those spots that you just couldn’t do with a large, single unit?
Yes, most upright vacuum cleaners have a hose attachment. The one we had when I was a kid had to be attached to the bottom of the cleaner, and otherwise was stored in the same closet as the cleaner itself. The one I have now stores the hose attachment right on the vacuum cleaner itself.