Vacuum recommendations?!

[MommaKetch]

We currently have 5 vacuums. If I buy another one DH will hit the roof. 4 are in the house and one is in the garage for donating because I am fed up with it getting clogged!!

The bad one is an older Dyson Ball. When it works, it’s great, but I often have to take it apart and fish out a clump of pet hair. I’m over it!

#4 is a Dyson v7, my first cordless. It now lives in the laundry room near the cat litter box. It’s great for small spaces, but takes a yearly battery replacement as it will just stop working.

#3 is a Dyson Animal DC14. An upright corded one that is still going strong 20 years later. I’ve had minor repairs done and take very good care of it. It’s a beast and I love it. It lives on my carpeted 3rd floor.

#2 is a Dyson Outsize Cordless. Something similar to this might be best for your needs. It has a long battery life and came with 2 batteries. I could do my whole house. We still have it by our kitchen, and it’s my go-to for cleaning between our bi monthly cleaning lady visit. I also use it to vacuum my car, and I love that it has a lot of attachments for various jobs. Bagless option is great as it’s one less expense, and you can see what you suck up! I purchased a metal stand on Amazon so it sits and charges upright.

#1 is a Miele Complete C3 Home Care E.+
It’s the newest vacuum, and what is used for the whole house clean. It’s a corded vacuum with a bag, and canister that wheels around behind you. This helps avoid the hand fatigue that the big Dyson cordless will bring in after an hour of vacuuming. I have to say this one is the overall best. It sucks up pet hair and dirt like no other!! Right now Miele has 30% off for Black Friday. I purchased mine from a local vacuum store but the online deal is nice!

Good luck with your hunt!!

 

[hertamaniac]

I literally have one of the least expensive Hoover we got at WalMart over 20 years ago (3 different adjustable heights). It has tackled, with ease, our Rottweiler's non-stop shedding hair on white carpet. I did have to replace the belt once which was super easy. I think we paid ~$60 at that time.

 

[loves to dive]

We have two Dysons, one for the house and one for our RV. We've bought 3 of them over the years. The older one just gets transferred over to the RV. The batteries kept getting slow. Our current one is about 2 months old. We purposely didn't buy the newest model, it's maybe the 2nd newest. We don't have to change heads to move from hard floors to carpet, which is nice since did have to with the previous model.

 

[Miffy]

I have a Miele that I purchased 20+ years ago. Still going strong. I don't know what the current equivalent of the machine I have is, but Miele makes a great vacuum.

 

[wallawallakids]

Thank you so much for all your recommendations!

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Dyson or Shark; maybe a Vax?

 

[TippyThomas]

I bought a couple Shark vacuums on clearance and they've worked quite well. One is for my home and the other is used at the animal shelter. I've been very happy with the performance with both, as they are in very different environments but both have performed quite well.

 

[Imzadi]

I have two vacuums. Most message boards & forums I've read, the majority of the posters also said they require 2 different types of vacuums to do different types of things. After reading how many other people have two types of vacuums, I no longer feel like a failure at "vacuuming." Congrats to those of you who've made it work with just one vacuum. I just can't do it. And I live in a tiny apartment.

I have a Dirt Devil upright now. Ironically, I gave away a smaller Dirt Devil upright when I was given an older model Dyson Animal Ball. It can suck a star out of the sky, but it was HEAVY and a pain to push. Part of that is due to the fantastic suction. It is sticky on carpets because the suction is so great. There is supposed to be tips to fix that. But they didn't work. Maybe if I needed a workout while vacuuming, it would be perfect.

Then I switched to a Shark Rocket stick vacuum. I loved it. It came with many attachments. The suction of a corded vacuum is great. However, for carpets, I need a heavy duty upright that can go over an area in a single (or 3) pass. Not 5 smaller passes as the floor/carpet attachment is so small. And it doesn't quite suck as strongly as an upright. It also needed emptying a lot more.

Then I was given a secondhand Dyson cordless handheld stick vac. The same one PollyannaMom has. I don't know how old it is. So, maybe it lost suction from age before I received it due to a broken cover. (I bought a new cover from Amazon for $8.) And I read cordless vacuums never do have the same suction as a corded model. Yet, I will grab the cordless Dyson over the Shark corded stick vac any time, as I just don't want to keep plugging in and fiddling with the cord everywhere I go, even though it is much more powerful.

So, I gave away the corded Shark Rocket. I got a larger model Dirt Devil Upright than the one I originally had. It has an onboard hose and various attachments for curtains & such. It does the carpet in a couple quick passes. When I need a more powerful handheld or am doing a longer session, I can use it's attachments.

Yet, for pretty much everything other than the carpet, I use the Dyson handheld. The battery doesn't last very long. It has a turbo mode, if I really need strong suction. But, that uses up the battery even quicker - about 35 minutes of battery life when in turbo mode, versus an hour of regular mode. So, I use the turbo mode for only quick bursts here and there. I LOVE not fiddling with a cord. It really is a grab & go vacuum.

When it comes time for new vacuums, it will be another Dyson cordless stick with a longer run time battery, or a Shark version, and yes, another upright.

 

[Imzadi]

Yes, I tend to use it on high for carpet and low for hard floors.

My hand vac is actually a Dyson, which I would consider an unnecessary indulgence just for that - but I got it secondhand. It has the long nose, which I like for getting in the corners of the steps:

My only complaint is that it doesn't hold a charge very long.

I have this same vacuum too. I have the same attachment, yet use the extension wand and brush attachment the majority of the time.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

I used to have a Dyson DC14 Animal. I like that Dysons are easy to disassemble and troubleshoot suction issues. It did eventually hit a point where nothing we could do improved the loss of suction, so I got rid of it. I decided against another Dyson since it only lasted a little over 5 years.

I have had Sharks ever since. They are more cheaply made, they can't be disassembled like a Dyson, and don't seem to last as long, but I have found that they are more powerful than the old Dyson. They also cost less and I've found no advantage with their higher end models. The current version of the Navigator I'm using is on sale for Black Friday for $97. I'm going on 2 years with it and it's still working great. My first Shark was a Rotator...I spent nearly $250, the cord wasn't as long as the cheaper models, the canister didn't hold as much, and it died after maybe 2.5 years.

 

[MsChristy12]

Yes, I tend to use it on high for carpet and low for hard floors.

My hand vac is actually a Dyson, which I would consider an unnecessary indulgence just for that - but I got it secondhand. It has the long nose, which I like for getting in the corners of the steps:
View attachment 916232
My only complaint is that it doesn't hold a charge very long.

Oooo yours is a pretty color! I have the same one but not that fancy color, just the good ol' grey/purple combo. LOVE this vaccum!

 

[MsChristy12]

We are Dyson all the way on vaccum! The first one w/ a dog, lasted 12 years. Now we have two vaccums, the big one to do whole house and the handheld one to do stairs, pick up crumbs and small spaces that the big one can't reach.