what upright vacuum should I buy?

[motometal]

Tried reading epinions, consumer reports, etc., gets more confusing as I go.

I have bad allergies and we have pets. And a fair amt. of carpet.

The top picks of Consumer Reports all have a lot of negative reviews :think:

Dyson is very popular, but reliability and access to repair/service is questionable.

We are not on a tight budget, if one type stood out we would pay $400-$600 for it but even those we found in this price range just seem like a plastic laden, gimmicky pile of poop.

I know there are really upscale brands like Kirby that are probably built like a tank, but now you are talking $$$ that could go towards something like another motorcycle...jeez for $500 someone must make a good solid unit with a network of reliable dealers?

Or am I spending way too much time on this and should I just go down to Sears or Lowes and just close my eyes and pick one? I really want something that helps with the allergies though.

What say you?

 

[allthingsdirt]

I've only bought one upright vac in my life. It was a dirt devil scorpion bagless. Bought it about 7 years ago and I still have it. Nothing but good things to say about it. It works better than the beam central vac I have.

That said, a friend of mine at work bought a dyson and said it's amazing how much pet hair it gets up.

Good luck

 

[2strokerfun]

My wife bought the Dyson for pet owners (the dark purple one). Have had it for two years with no problems and it is amazing how much more it picks up than the Kirby we had. It also doesn't beat the carpet into submission the way the Kirby did. But I have to say we would have never spent that much on a vacuum cleaner if I had been with her when it was purchased.

 

[Patman]

I can totally appriciate where you are coming from MM same situation here with allergies, dog and carpet plus living out in the sticks. We had previously bought a Lindhaus Health Care Pro about 17 years ago it was stupid money for a vacumm at the time but was one of the few that didn't pitch dust back in to the air. It was a solid piece and we actually still have it up stairs where my son uses it when we tell him he needs to clean up things. It's built really well BUT aparently not real keen to do it's thing on ceramic tile. We noticed it was getting loose at the pivot and figured it was time for a new one. So we looked at all the reports, talked to people, searched the internet and had almost decided on the Dyson but there were two people that had mentioned they wouldn't own another and that sort of bugged us for that kind of money. So off to the vacuum store, not a big box place but a little mom & pop shop that only sells vacuums just like we did with the Lindhaus. They told us why the old Lindhaus was having problems with tile and coming loose and said to run it on carpet until it dies but not har surfaces. So they showed us several good options and had all sorts of floors to demo them on. They showed my wife all the features of them and they helped narrow down which one was working best for her. In the end we took home "Felix" with a few optional attachments. It's a freakin' cool vacuum! Yeah I know it sounds stupid but it really is a neat piece of well engineered German equipment. It works great on our carpet and is light years better on the hard surfaces, it's really pretty light weight so it's easy to use on the stairs and it turns! Sort of like the Dyson ball. It feels like a BMW 7 series (Sebo Felix) compared to a Ford Excursion (Dyson). It should be right in your price range as well.

 

[XRpredator]

vacuum cleaners suck

 

[VintageDirt]

git uh harlie i hurd them relly suxs

 

[Dirtymotonut]

Ta all ya guys who like ta vaccuums....I have been a house keeper/cleaner/business owner for 15 years so I thought I would weigh in my my personal preference. I use a brand made in the USA called Riccar. It is one of the best I have ever used and if taken care of will work for many years. It has a great suction power that can lift up the carpet or eat a rug if you are not careful! It has a pull out wand from the side which women love as it reaches all around the corners with out attaching a seperate hose ect and does cobwebs ect just pull out and use! This comes with a back fill bag which means the screws,pennies never go through the motor for those of us who work in the house with tools on motorcycles..ect so never breaks the plastic fans on the motoer. It has tool. attatchments on the side and back,somewhat light weigh and hepa filters ect for dust and dander reduction. I suggest you should get on line or ask at a vaccum place to test run one.
Don't go for a commercial vaccum as the cord is just thicker and longer but no difference in the motor or power. So this is my reccommendation! I have tried Dyson and they realy are a bad design I think.(used one 2 days and returned after using it and went back this brand I love!) jMine was the quick draw type $350.00
E-mail me if ya need any help with questions about it!! :nod:
http://www.riccar.com/

 

[motometal]

thanks for your help, guys. Pat....I think the Sebo would be the Husqvarna of vacs, eh? Pretty handy looking unit...I'll have to find out if they have any dealers nearby.


Dirtymotonut...Riccar has a "sister" brand called Sim plicity (you may already know this). We borrowed one to try it out, sounds very similar to your description, seemed nice overall with one flaw...most vacs have the section of the body where the rear wheels go as a molded, solid plastic unit...this one has the wheels mounted on "legs" that do not connect across the middle. This makes the plastic frame on the one side, where the wheel mounts, very flimsy and flexible. Maybe this wouldn't matter, or maybe it would flex and cause uneven vacuuming over time...anyway that is probably the dealbreaker for that unit. Cost on that one was $340. The frame/body on the Riccar might be of a different design.

 

[Dirtymotonut]

Didn't know about the Simplicity type. I do know I vaccumed almost 3 houses a day for over a year,drug it down steps,pavement threw it into the back of the SUV and still is doing good. The handle is destructable as I had it in the back of my truck one time stopped fast the vaccum decided to commit suicide from my radical driving and lost its head in the process...but not its fault of course! Worth looking at as I am very rough to vaccums and this was a good one I think. Most women I have let use it have fallen in love with it so maybe test drive one if they will let you. Bags were heavy duty but expensive 3-for 8.00 but filtered well. Betcha never thought vaccum shopping could be so hard.... :laugh:

 

[wardy]

dyson we have rocks. with a sheddin golden it's a needed item. we have that one that is purple with the huge ball.

 

[ChopperDave]

git uh harlie i hurd them relly suxs

:|

 

[ChopperDave]

Scott here is the best advice I can offer;

Get one with a national plan!

 

[motometal]

Wardy, if your vac only has one ball, I guess it better be a really big one, eh?


My hat is off to the marketing folks at Dyson. They worked really hard to make what would normally be a dreadful task, fun.

 

[Vic]

FWIW, I have a friend who sells carpet and vacuum cleaners. He likes the Oreck, for the money.

 

[BSWIFT]

That said, a friend of mine at work bought a dyson and said it's amazing how much pet hair it gets up.

Good luck

Same here. I've got similar alergies, pets, and total carpet. Went thru the same questions about six months ago. Every time you use this thing you realize how much your pets shed hair.

 

[GETMETOCA]

I would recommend any of the medium line $<200 Bagless whirlwind kind. I think mine is a Hoover, but there are many models out there. I have two cats and sometimes I let the dog in the house. I can remember getting ready to host a party and my old vacuum cleaner was dead, so I borrowed one from Karna&Justin and I was ASTOUNDED by the amount of cat hair that it sucked up in just one sweep around the house. I went out and bought the same model the next week.

 

[James]

Just curious, why does it have to be an upright?

I have always heard Rainbow was the way to go for pet hair, dust, allergies...etc etc.

 

[truespode]

Isn't vacuums a girlie thing to buy?

:)

Ivan

 

[VintageDirt]

Isn't vacuums a girlie thing to buy?

Only if it's done right.

 

[thumbs]

We have a vacuum called Martha. She and 2 helpers come every Tuesday. The only down side is it cost $70 a week....lol

 

[Patman]

I have always heard Rainbow was the way to go for pet hair, dust, allergies...etc etc.

For the same reson everybody doesn't have a Rolls Royce in the garage $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ :yikes:

 

[Papakeith]

we have a medium sized dyson ; and while the ergonomics of the wand don't seem to be the best, it is incredible at picking up everything. I swear it sucks the dog smell out of the upstairs carpet(dogs sleep on the landing). The other big plus is that it's a breeze to empty, and you get the same suction start to finish.

I have no idea how we allowed a bag to last as long as we did. We nearly fill the canister with each vacuuming.

 

[James]

For the same reson everybody doesn't have a Rolls Royce in the garage $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ :yikes:

Pfft...I am pretty sure that anyone who can afford dirtbiking can afford a rainbow. Besides, avoiding puffy eyes and a runny nose all year is worth a few $$$$$...yeah? :)

I got rid of carpet and pets to solve this issue. I can use a $20 dust mop now.

 

[Patman]

I seem to recall the one the salesman brought to our home about 18 years ago was around $1000 plus all the junk that they want you to add to it. Besides my allergies aren't THAT bad.

 

[XRpredator]

I seem to recall the one the salesman brought to our home about 18 years ago was around $1000 plus all the junk that they want you to add to it. Besides my allergies aren't THAT bad.

Don't get me started on vacuum cleaner salesmen. I 'bout had to pull iron on the Kirby guy to get him out of the house. :yell: