Dyson too expensive, what else is good

[mikehn]

Kohls carries dysons. And they frequently have 30% off sales.

 

[Woth2982]

Dyson and Shark use similar technology in their vacuums. I have a Shark Navigator and I love it. I also have the Shark Steam and Spray and that thing is AMAZING!

 

[pigletto]

Funny this should come up. I've been eyeing the Dyson animal since we got a dog. We have mostly hardwood, but it's too much to sweep all the time and it really needs to be done every day. The hardwood is very dark, and it shows everything. It's just that the Dyson is so expensive.
So I was up at the cottage my parents just bought this summer. They inherited everything in it when they bought it. They bought a Dyson for the carpets and there was some old canister style vacuum from the 70's I am sure. Anyway, I preferred the old canister vacuum (was a Eureka I think?) to the Dyson by a mile. Sure it was heavier but the suction was way better, it went into the spaces where the wall meets the floor better.. it was just a better vacuum. It got me thinking about how my mother in law is always saying they just don't make appliances like they used to.
Anyway, my mom gave me the old retro vacuum since she bought the Dyson and I will be bringing it home and tossing my Hoover upright next time I get up to the cottage.
I'm still interested in the Dyson hard that I keep seeing commercials for so I could basically wash and vaccum the floor at the same time. But a 20 minute battery charge isn't going to cut it for all this hardwood so I guess I will stick with my free old vacuum and the swiffer for now.

 

[jlovesee]

We wanted a Dyson too a few years ago when our Hoover died... Did some research and bought a Shark instead for about $199? Still works great 3 years later!

Jennifer

 

[CrAzY4DL]

We bought a Dyson animal when they first came out, it lasted about 5 years and then it stopped working. Took it to our local vacuum/sewing machine shop and it was some big problem and the warranty had JUST run out. Owner recommended a Riccar which we had never heard of. He said, take it home for the weekend if you don't like it don't buy one. Sounded good so we did. Oh my goodness, after DH did the living room it looked like the carpets had just been cleaned! Went back to store on Monday to buy, thought it would be way pricey. Turned out it was $100 less and had a 7 year warranty. We've never regretted our decision tho I do miss not having to use bags. The vacuum guy says Dyson puts their profits into marketing, Riccar just goes back into making the best product, plus it's American made.

The suction is CRAZY! My cat used to lay on the back of the couch so I put the vacuum on the couch so the hose could reach up there. The base of the vacuum sucked a hole in my couch! That's some serious suction, haha!

 

[texaslady22]

3 young children and a giant white dog. The shark navigator changed our life. Seriously! My husband is a stay-at-home dad and not a day goes by that he doesn't say, "Man, I love our vacuum" and we've had it 3 months.

We have the Shark Navigator Lift Away that is just so practical. The best vacuum we've ever owned. We use it at least 3 times a day and it's wonderful!!

 

[luvdisney00]

Another vote for shark Navigator. I just got it a few weeks ago and it works really well. I've used shark steam mops for years and think they have excellent products. Kohls has them so you can get a deal when there is 30% off.

 

[mhsjax]

I love my animal too. As long as you do basic maintenance (clean filters etc) it will run forever and pick up just about every thing I throw at it

NOt according to my first one. It lost suction PERIOD and couldn't be fixed and we did everything we were supposed to do. We called several repair places and they said once it loses suction, they pretty much can't be fixed, they either work or they don't. So far I am not impressed with my new one either, not very old and won't suck up anything.

Glad you love yours. I hate not having a good vacuum cleaner.

 

[My3Princez]

I have the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away 3-in-1 vac too and love it. You can use a 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupon and purchase it there.

 

[crisi]

NOt according to my first one. It lost suction PERIOD and couldn't be fixed and we did everything we were supposed to do. We called several repair places and they said once it loses suction, they pretty much can't be fixed, they either work or they don't. So far I am not impressed with my new one either, not very old and won't suck up anything.

Glad you love yours. I hate not having a good vacuum cleaner.

My Dyson was in the shop three times and they never managed to fix it so that it 1) sucked and 2) didn't slip gears and make a horrible sound. They ended up giving me a new one that had the same problems.

 

[mhsjax]

My Dyson was in the shop three times and they never managed to fix it so that it 1) sucked and 2) didn't slip gears and make a horrible sound. They ended up giving me a new one that had the same problems.

I remember the man told me that with Dyson, if you get a good one, they are great, but if it ever stops working, ( and according to him it was frequently) you could never fix it to work like it was supposed to. Yet there are those few, who have one and LOVE it and have never had a problem with it.

 

[crisi]

I remember the man told me that with Dyson, if you get a good one, they are great, but if it ever stops working, ( and according to him it was frequently) you could never fix it to work like it was supposed to. Yet there are those few, who have one and LOVE it and have never had a problem with it.

I believe it because people who love their Dysons love their Dysons. It was why I bought one, we'd heard endless wonderful things about them. But after two lemons, I just think that something is fundamentally wrong in their engineering and production - because something like a vaccuum shouldn't be a case of "wonderful" or "might as well use a carpet sweeper"

 

[mhsjax]

I believe it because people who love their Dysons love their Dysons. It was why I bought one, we'd heard endless wonderful things about them. But after two lemons, I just think that something is fundamentally wrong in their engineering and production - because something like a vaccuum shouldn't be a case of "wonderful" or "might as well use a carpet sweeper"

 

[lakelandgal70]

After years of owning Hoovers we switched to Shark and I am so happy. Lightweight and works very well on tile floor. Highly recommend their brand!

 

[3boymthr]

A couple of years ago, I searched with this same question for months. We have cheap carpet that is about 8 years old, and we're in a farmhouse, so it takes a good beating on a regular basis. I wanted a vacuum with crazy good suction...I wanted vacuum lines! LOL I had been using an old Electrolux, which I normally love, but this one just wasn't working well anyway and I wanted an upright vacuum (it was a canister one) because the layout of our house just made it difficult to tug the Electrolux around.

Anyway, after searching and searching I found reviews saying that the Eureka AirSpeed was the most comparable to a Dyson as far as suction. We found ours at Target for $75 (and I've seen it at Walmart for the same price, still). It has been AWESOME. And I am very please with the cost, obviously! I've taken good care of it by making sure to keep the filters clean and about once every few months I clean the whole thing out (wash and dry) and it's been running like brand new for over 2 years now. Not bad for a pretty cheap vacuum, I think.

I had the same Eureka. I loved it at first. Liked the cleaning even after it started making noise, but hated that it started making a funny clanking noise after just a few months, I also hated that with hardwood floors and area rugs it was constantly sucking up the corners of the carpets and I was constantly having to replace the belts which would smoke then snap when it sucked up the carpet (oh, and the damage it did to one such carpet ).

I'm actually looking at this thread because I need to replace said Eureka. I plugged it in yesterday and pushed the power button and it just didn't start. nothing, nada. I need something cheap because a new one just wasn't in the budget - especially not with christmas right around the corner. I want a canister because I don't want to deal with the upright that doesn't fit under the furniture and in all the corners that I have in my house. I'm thinking the canister from Walmart a PP recommended may be in our future.

ETA - the cottage we rented this summer had a dyson and I have to say I wasn't impressed. The house was right on the beach and while we per paying to have the cottage cleaned at the end of the week I needed to vacuum daily with all the sand that seeped in. The house had hardwood and area rugs. When the rug shifted slightly one day I was shocked by how much sand it had left behind. I went at the floor with broom and dust pan which I filled and emptied over a dozen times - the dyson had sucked up only about half an inch of sand AND dust.