My vacuum cleaner is old. As in fifteen years old. I haven’t used it enough to really wear it down, or notice severe reductions in performance, but I sense that I could do better these days.
My question is, is it worth the money? If doing so gets me using it more often and cleaning more often, it may very well be. I saw a top rated bagless brand in Consumer Reports that was barely over $130, so that caught my eye as a possible replacement.
Thoughts, either on possible new vacuum or what I can do with my old one if I do, besides toss it?
A vacuum cleaner is one of those rare possessions that you should replace only if it doesn’t suck.
I have not been massively impressed by the bagless variety. I did fall victim to the allure of a Dyson, but my impression is strictly “meh”. It’s got a lot of swoopy, non-intuitive plastic bits that make it hard to figure out how to empty the bin or even turn it on, but when it comes to actually sucking dirt out of the carpet, it’s not notably better than my 20 year old vacuum with a bag.
I would say keep it if it works, especially if it works well. I have an Electrolux 1205 from 1968, and it’s one of the quietest and easiest to use vacuums I’ve ever used. I just had the bearings in the rollers replaced, and replaced the hose. With another cloth turquoise one, of course.
I find the bagless vacuums very annoying to clean out. I have very few pieces of furniture or appliances in my apartment but I do have a thing for pricey vacuum cleaners. I had a Dyson for awhile but got tired of the dirt and dust that would escape onto my hands when trying to empty out the “convenient” bagless receptacle. Now I have a Miele that has bags and I love it. It’s maneuverable, it sucks up everything, and it has settings for carpet vs. tile and then 4 different settings based on whether your floor is smooth, low pile, deep pile, etc.
I really like our Dyson. We have something similar to this model and I can’t imagine getting dirty while emptying it, it’s the easiest and most convenient vacuum I’ve ever used. It works like this.
My sister has a cordless Dyson, which she also loves and recommends. I don’t tend to use the vacuum to dust much, but she does, and if you do, maybe this would be something to consider. I didn’t like the short battery life of the cordless, I tend to get into “cleaning mode” for several hours at a time, so prefer one with a cord.
My old Hoover, well, 10 yrs. old, but I use when I clean my apartments when they’re vacated, blew more dust than it sucked. Seriously.
The new ones are cheap!! And light!! I can’t get used to how light they are. The one I bought and most of the ones I looked at have an “easy swivel” (or some variation of such) handle that I swear makes it feel like it’s falling apart in my hands. But does it ever suck. Like the woman in the Swiffer ad says, “Morty, I’ve been living in a fools paradise.”
The other one was crap, so in the dumpster it went. I wouldn’t inflict it on a resale shop.
I’m similarly unimpressed by my (cheaper) bagless vacuum. It works OK, but given that I’m not the sort to thoroughly vacuum twice a week (or even every other week…), it’s got to hold an awful lot of dirt and cat hair. Sometimes it fills up after vacuuming a single area rug! If there’s not a lot in the bin I can just dump it, but every other time it seems I have to pull apart the whole vortex/bin/filter assembly and pull out clumps of cat hair.
Are you young enough to be of the millenial generation?*
Millenials are unaware of the concept that it is possible to own some property which is not computerized…And you don’t have to “update” it every time a new version comes out.
In any case, should you decide to do so, you will not be “updating” it…you will be throwing it away and buying a new one.
And since you say the your vacuum cleaner is still working perfectly well: then NO, you should not replace it.
Cite: I have a Dyson, and it’s no better than any other vacuum I’ve owned…but it does cost five times as much.
*I assume not, because you’ve obviously been a functional adult for more than 15 years
This millenial knows that there’s tons of old stuff that is perfectly functional. A lot of hand tools, for example, and any simple thing running on a plain ol’ AC electric motor will be just fine until the motor burns out or something else breaks.
But there’s a lot of not-very-old things besides computers that have better or more efficient new versions.
Off the top of my head, old refrigerators will keep things cool practically forever with a little maintenance. However, old refrigerators are also obscenely inefficient by modern standards. Given the cost of energy alone, it might be a good idea to toss out your 15+ year old fridge and buy a brand new one.
Washing machines are both more effective and more efficient. Bells and whistles aside, a decent modern front-loader will do a better job cleaning your clothes while using less energy than a 15 year old top loader (though you could have bought a top-end front loader 15 years ago that’s not worth replacing today).
So it’s not a crazy question to ask. As it happens, efficiency isn’t much of a concern for a small electric motor that is only used once a week, and there haven’t been huge practical advances in making things suck. Er, making a vacuum, to suck dirt.
It really is the best one I’ve ever used. My grandmother hated to give it to me, but my grandfather hated the attachments so they have an upright (Which is an old Hoover, probably 40 years old, and still going strong).
Our Electrolux is even older - a Model G. A couple of Hoover Convertibles handle the carpets for quick pick-ups.
It’s easier to find parts for all of these golden oldies than any mass-market vac sold today. Not to mention, if the Model G falls down the stairs, I’m worried it will damage the floor. Drop a Dyson, and you’ll probably be finding shattered bits all over the house.
The ball maneuvers so much more easily than standard vacuums do. I’m glad I spent the money. I grew up with an ancient Hoover. It was older than my Mother, and armored for combat. The thing weighed a ton, but it was incredibly powerful. She gave it to me, but after I hurt my back I just couldn’t use it anymore. With a baby crawling around at the time, the Dyson was a lifesaver.
I do understand the frustration with emptying the bagless ones. If you have pets, or long-haired hippies in your house, you will eventually - or maybe even often - have to stick your hand up in there to release the jam and get the gook into the trash can.
But washing off my arm take s a lot less time than running to the store for more vacuum cleaner bags. Especially since they are almost always out of the brand I need. I’m all about reducing consumables, so it’s bagless for me.
The only vacuum that I’ve ever seen that works well after 10 or so years is the ‘legendary’ Kirby. I have one that is 23 years old and works perfectly but it weighs over 30 pounds! It is self-propelled, so it feels more like 2lbs when I’m vacuuming, but my house has three different levels to vacuum! Lugging that beast up and down stairs just doesn’t make sense.
So I keep it on the top floor and I bought a Shark Rotator Lift-Away about two years ago to use on the lower two floors. I LOVE IT! It has all kinds of attachments and different ways you can configure it and the suction is at least on par with my Kirby.
I paid $200 for it directly from Shark and got about $70 in extras that you don’t get in the store. If you order directly from them, you also get at least a 5-year Warranty and sometimes they offer a Lifetime Warranty (which mine has). You only get 1-2 year Warranty coverage if you buy it in a store.
