# Tell me about your favorite good (cheap!) vacuum? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 4, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354 "2006-06-04T04:12:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/1 "2006-06-04T04:12:51Z")
In about a month, I’ll be moving out into my very own apartment. Yay! Woo! Snoopy Dance! Etc. Well, except: I’m begining to realize just how much stuff I need and just how much everything is going to cost me. Needless to say, I’m trying to get the biggest bang for my buck. I’m going to need a vacuum and, looking around, there are a ton of vacuums at a ton of price points. I have no idea what’s good, what’s bad, and what will blow my apartment up. If it makes any difference: the apartment is 1019 sq ft, the only non-carpeted places are the kitchen and the two bathrooms. So, we’re not talking about a huge carpeted space, but I’m definitely going to need a vacuum that wont break down on me. Feel free to discuss your fancy schmancy vacuums, too. Not that I can afford such an investment, but a college girl has to have somethin to dream about (oh yes, I’m _wild_ ). ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/2 "2006-06-04T04:25:57Z")
There a girl down the street. She’s a cheap suck. What? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/3 "2006-06-04T05:00:06Z")
Why thank you for spreading the word! Remember: for every referral you send me, you get 10 extra minutes, free of charge! For every 5 you send my way, you get 5 minutes of Poodle-ballin! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/4 "2006-06-04T06:23:03Z")
Aw score! You’re SO talking yourself into an omlette and a few dozen skunkings. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/5 "2006-06-04T10:17:03Z")
I had a Dirt Devil upright until recently. I hated it, but it worked ok (I have 4 cats) and it never broke down on me. I now have an Electralux and it is very nice, but I have no idea how much it cost because my husband got it as a points gift through work. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/6 "2006-06-04T12:56:00Z")
I also have an Electralux. I bought it for $40 at a yard sale and it was one of the best $40 I’ve ever spent. Up until that time, I’d bought a series of cheap assed, worthless POS that would break down and loose suction six months into ownership. The one I had prior to the Electralux was a Hoover I bought brand new, and purchased an extra year’s warrantee with it. It was in the shop more than it was at home being used. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/7 "2006-06-04T14:49:03Z")
We had a hoover that cost about 70$ a few years ago. It did fine, frankly a great vaccum is not something I would go crazy on if money were tight. Good pots and pans (and knives!), however… If I were going to spend around $200, I would go for a roomba. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/8 "2006-06-04T15:20:18Z")
We bought a [Bissell Cleanview PowerTrack Bagless Upright](http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=3544374) about a year ago, and it works great. 12 amp motor has plenty of power, bagless design for easy emptying, detachable hose for corners and cracks. Great vacuum for $90. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/9 "2006-06-05T01:50:49Z")
I second the Bissell. I got one for Christmas last year, and it really sucks, in a good way. My husband is a very hairy man and every time I vacuum I get enough fuzz to build another Him. And it comes apart easily so you can dump the bin and clean the filters and everything. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/10 "2006-06-05T03:49:57Z")
Shop-Vac with a carpet attachment. Seriously. Very cheap, never breaks down, gets rugs about as clean as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/11 "2006-06-05T13:28:28Z")
I have an older Bissell (upright, HEPA-quality with bags) that I really like. It’s got the “lift-off” feature where you can remove the motor housing and carry it around for stairs, your car interior, etc. It’s also relatively quiet, and that was one criterion I weighed heavily when I bought it. (I actually listened to the other vacuums to narrow it down to the quieter ones.) The problem now is finding replacement bags – it seems like the number of retailers carrying them keeps shrinking. If you do get a model requiring bags, you might want to consider buying a few extra early on while they’re still carried in area stores. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/12 "2006-06-05T13:57:23Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Shop-Vac with a carpet attachment. Seriously. Very cheap, never breaks down, gets rugs about as clean as anything else. The only drawback is storage. They are the size of R2D2. Other than that, I havta agree. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-favorite-good-cheap-vacuum/359354/13 "2006-06-05T14:07:27Z")
I have a Eureka [Optima](http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13776300&RN=79). It’s a very powerful vacuum, it’ll suck dust bunnies from a foot or more away. Sounds like a jet engine, but gives you serious bang for your buck. The only drawback is the dust collection. It’s a bagless with a filter, but the high power fan gets the filter jammed up pretty good after a while, and you have to empty it constantly. I guess I shouldn’t complain about emptying it so much, that stuff could all still be in my rugs.