OT: Upright Vacuum Cleaners

[rugbysecondrow]

Being the domestic diva that I am, I need a vacuum cleaner that works as hard as I do...who am I kidding, I need a vacuum cleaner the cleaning lady, my wife and (occasionally) I use. We have 50/50 wood carpet mix (all wood on main level, all carpet on walkout basement level) and we are looking for a new vacuum for our home.

We have a cheap Bissel that has been servicable, but its days are numbered.

We bought a Dyson Animal a month ago, which had high ratings and reviews, but I thought was a complete hunk of crap. Plastic, cheap feeling, clogged, and the biggest detraction, it had the smallest and the messiest cannister to empty that I had seen. I had to empty it out door just due to the plume of dust and mess it would create, then I would have to scoop out dog hair by hand from inside the cannister. I vacuum so I DON'T have to do this work by hand. I took this machine back, dollar for dollar, I can't think of an item I have been less happy with than the Dyson Vacuum.

Anyway, I have a short list, but I thought I would get some opinions. The two that have risen to the top: Sebo and Miele. I also like the old school Electrolux (now Areus) but I am not certain if the performance is much better for twice the cost of the other two I mentioned. I like the Kirby, but it is heavy and I find the interface between attachments and the motor to be inelegant. I want a vacuum, not a system which takes a bunch of space.

Any thoughts? Any other recommendations?

Thanks

[crownjewelwl]

i'd say miele...

i had a similar experience with dyson...complete crap

miele is built like a tank. our older one lasted 7 years before our housekeeper killed it (not the motor, but parts)

but it is canister...which lets you change the head since you have wood and carpet

[DfCas]

I like the Riccar with a bag in an upright. Quiet, smooth motor, and I really like a bag better.

[jcampbel]

We bought a Shark. Yes, we saw the infomercial and gave it a try.
Liked it so much that I got all the kids (married with families) one for Christmas. We all love it.
$165 or so, still working just as well 2 years later as it did when I bought it.

[bikerboy337]

We've had great luck with an oreck XL... i think it ran about $200 or so...

had it 10 years, going strong and is a great vaccum...

[wallymann]

we got one a few years ago, coming from a eureka upright with the see-thru whirlwind canister that was crap for vacuuming. wife and i and dog all have allergies to varying degrees, and live in a dusty older house situation.

went to the vacuum store and i am a super skeptic when it comes to people selling product. but the miele spoke for itself, it cleaned up stuff that i was certain my eureka wouldnt have touched. amazing.

we got a miele titan, cost was $600 or so. that's alot of dosh, but it cleaned so well it was honestly an easy purchase decision.

that said, its a canister. and that aspect of it sucks. the cord is too short and the hose is too short, so the canister is always underfoot and i'm constantly reconnecting from wall-socket to wall-socket. but besides the awesome cleaning, it's hepa-rated and uses bags which i now prefer -- the exhaust air is CLEAN and you just dispose of a full bag instead of trying to dump/beat on a canister to empty and clean it. it has variable suction, so you can dial back the power consumption for light cleaning (we leave it on max). and it has a powered-brush head, which really does the business. the on-off switch failed last month, but i was able to disassemble and replace the offending part lickety-split.

that said, i'm a life-long upright vacuum sort of guy, and i *wish* miele made an upright with the same cleaning power as this titan. went back to that store after a few years to look to see if such a thing existed, but the store had since gone out of business -- the store, not miele.

[gavingould]

huh. i've had a Dyson (DC24?) for 3-4 years and it's been very good.
hardwood/carpet/tile mix. have a dog too.
the canister does sometimes have a tendency to hold on to clumps of fur.

[crownjewelwl]

you can get away with the lower end one...they have the same motor, just different bells and whistles...

we got one a few years ago, coming from a eureka upright with the see-thru whirlwind canister that was crap for vacuuming. wife and i and dog all have allergies to varying degrees, and live in a dusty older house situation.

went to the vacuum store and i am a super skeptic when it comes to people selling product. but the miele spoke for itself, it cleaned up stuff that i was certain my eureka wouldnt have touched. amazing.

we got a miele titan, cost was $600 or so. that's alot of dosh, but it cleaned so well it was honestly an easy purchase decision.

that said, its a canister. and that aspect of it sucks. the cord is too short and the hose is too short, so the canister is always underfoot and i'm constantly reconnecting from wall-socket to wall-socket. but besides the awesome cleaning, it's hepa-rated and uses bags which i now prefer -- the exhaust air is CLEAN and you just dispose of a full bag instead of trying to dump/beat on a canister to empty and clean it. it has variable suction, so you can dial back the power consumption for light cleaning (we leave it on max). and it has a powered-brush head, which really does the business. the on-off switch failed last month, but i was able to disassemble and replace the offending part lickety-split.

that said, i'm a life-long upright vacuum sort of guy, and i *wish* miele made an upright with the same cleaning power as this titan. went back to that store after a few years to look to see if such a thing existed, but the store had since gone out of business -- the store, not miele.

[Elefantino]

We've had great luck with an oreck XL... i think it ran about $200 or so...

had it 10 years, going strong and is a great vaccum...

15+ years on our Oreck. It's light, and it sucks.

[xjoex]

I bought a Miele, high quality uses bags, works well on wood and carpet. I went for the cat & dog model. Personally the car and dog attachment does absolutely nothing. Seriously the attachment is useless.

But the vacuum is great.
http://www.mieleusa.com/usa/vacuums/product.asp?cat=1&subcat=2&model=577&series=117&nav=&snav=&tnav=&oT=293&menu_id=6&active=Our%20Products&subm=Vacuum%20Cleaners&thirdL=Uprights&fourthL=Products&

-Joe

[zap]

Miele canister.

The cord is too short but the darn thing works and if you have allergies or even if you think you don't, you want a Miele.

[carpediemracing]

Just bought an LG canister Kompressor, blue/silver one. I know, it's not an upright, but we had two of them and this one is just better. Fits in the same space as we allocated for an upright. Canister is about as big as two footballs.

- on/off on handle
- height/length adjustment for the long pipe is a locking ratchet thing so it is easy to make longer or shorter and then it doesn't move once you set it there.
- canister is much lighter weight than I expected. Easy to carry around. If I could wear it as a backpack I would.
- motorized head fits under couches our upright head didn't go under
- "Kompressor" refers to a system where the vacuum "pats down" the debris in the holding thing. It's a big flat fan thing that does a windshield wiper movement inside the holding area to compress dust etc. Helps keep dust down when emptying, also allows lots of vacuuming before emptying the holding thing.
- "full" indicator light on handle you hold while vacuuming (we've never seen it go on) so you don't constantly bend over to see if the thing is full.
- long cord with a cord retractor that works
- belt reset on head - I caught a shoelace almost immediately after turning on the machine for the first time. I thought, oh, man, I gotta untangle the thingamajig, this is gonna be a pain. Picked up the head, saw a "belt reset" button. Hit it. Pulled shoelace out. Done. Wow. It's like going from nutted hubs to a quick release.
- lighter than the Bissel uprights we have (pet care and some HEPA one).
- Great on carpeted stairs - we have two sets of them.
- I just roll from the carpet to the hard wood/tile floors with the same head. There's an easy foot-tap height adjuster, easy to adjust. Think of it as an Ergo shifter for brush height. I'm constantly tapping it when going from one type of carpet to another, just to make sure it's on a good setting. For doing just hard flooring there's a different head.
- pretty quiet compared to the uprights we had. The cats don't scamper away until it's a few feet away, a couple don't even budge. Before they'd scramble if the vacuum was in the same room.
- easy to work attachments on and off, intuitive and easy to use detaching mechanisms.
- doesn't blow dust out like our petcare one (that's going to go away). Our HEPA one doesn't either so that'll be moved downstairs to where we have the litter boxes.

Of course it vacuums well. With a 10-11 month old boy crawling around and picking stuff up to put in his mouth, drool-covered hands that pick up any dust etc, and lots of cats we have to vacuum regularly. Even so it's a lot of "Hey, you found a lint, good boy!" as I grab a piece of rug the cat clawed out that he picked up and was about to put in his mouth.

Sis in law recommended the Sebo (?), haven't seen it in action.

[CaptStash]

One more for the Miele parade.

We bought our first one sixteen years ago. It just died, and the local dealer gave us a trade-in credit towards a new one. We went with the "Quartz" model. It's awesomely light and does well with both the carpet and wood floors.

The Quartz is towards the lower end of the product line and works as well as the high end model we use upstairs. The higher end models have some controls on the handle where the hose and attachments plug in. I like the Quartz better to be honest, and don't think the higher end bells and whistles give you enough bang for the buck.

CaptStash....

[Mikej]

I'm gonna check the vacuum boards for some bike talk...

[Ken Robb]

the current Consumers Reports has a test on vacuums. If you can't find a copy I can summarize their best recommendations for you.

[1/2 Wheeler]

Search your local Craigslist for a Kirby G5 or newer.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/hsh/3570358371.html

The Best there is. I would never pay retail but even at 1/2 of retail you can't go wrong.

[jr59]

We've had great luck with an oreck XL... i think it ran about $200 or so...

had it 10 years, going strong and is a great vaccum...

15+ years on our Oreck. It's light, and it sucks.


Yes and double yes!

[PQJ]

Discussion begins and ends with 'Miele'. My circa 2001 entry level Miele still works as well today as it did the day it was bought. I think I've had it serviced twice in 12 yrs of owning it.

[HenryA]

Search your local Craigslist for a Kirby G5 or newer.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/hsh/3570358371.html

The Best there is. I would never pay retail but even at 1/2 of retail you can't go wrong.

^THIS^

Kirbys last and last and you'll be glad because they work very well. Kinda like buying a good Ti frame bike.

[559Rando]

huh. i've had a Dyson (DC24?) for 3-4 years and it's been very good.
hardwood/carpet/tile mix. have a dog too.
the canister does sometimes have a tendency to hold on to clumps of fur.

We have a DC3 and it's been great. Funny thing is that I wanted to buy the cheapest Miele, but the 20% off coupon @ Bed, Bath, Beyond didn't work on Miele. The Dyson's been good and not using bags is saving us some bread. The Miele was more manueverable, though.

I was ready shell out after being so disappointed with our previous vacs. We don't have pets, but my wife has allergies and a sensitive nose.

the current Consumers Reports has a test on vacuums. If you can't find a copy I can summarize their best recommendations for you.

My wife and I have had 4 or 5 vaccuums in the last 10 years, including a Eureka that Consumer Reports said was a "best value." The Eureka was worst vac we've had.

[Ken Robb]

My wife and I have had 4 or 5 vaccuums in the last 10 years, including a Eureka that Consumer Reports said was a "best value." The Eureka was worst vac we've had.

Why did you need so many vacuums?

[tuxbailey]

I have had the DC 14 All floors, refurbished since 2007 and it has been great. bought it from woot.

[mandasol]

We had a Sebo and that thing was totally awesome. When it lays flat it's only a few inches high so it'll go under any furniture or bed, automatic leveling, hepa filter, easiest pull out hose I've ever used, and just worked great. Probably my favorite vacuum and may get another if one of my other vacuums goes out.

Also, have a Royal professional, and that thing is solid steel even the fan blades, and will probably keep running even after the armageddon. Massive suck, heavy, big, and looks like it's from the 1950's even though it's a new model.

Still have one of the early dyson's and it actually works pretty well, but I hate the dust it kicks up when you empty the bin, and it's huge and can't really get into any small spaces or under any furniture.

We also have a back pack canister vacuum and that's the easiest to use and move around with, vacuuming goes really quick with that. The only thing is the head is not motorized so it doesn't pick up as much especially hair, pet fur, things like that.

I've heard really good things about Roomba's, so that's on my list for the next vacuum to try.

[Ken Robb]

When I lived in single-story homes I liked uprights and had good luck with self-propelled Hoovers. They really were nice on deep-pile carpets.
When I moved into a multi-level home with carpeted stairs the upright had to go. I bought a used Miele canister with powered sweeper head that is a better compromise because it is so good on the stairs.

In La Jolla we have a shop that only sells and services vacuums. They offer the same warranty on a used Miele as on a new one so I bought a used one. 10 years and it's still fine. There is an indicator to show when a new bag is needed. The bag slides easily into a guide so it is perfectly positioned. Each bag has a flap that stays closed unless the bag is in position for use and the access door is closed. When I change a bag the flap closes so all the dirt stays in the bag. The unit also has a HEPA filter on the exhaust. I think each package of 4 bags has 2 HEPA filters so they can be changed with every other bag.
I never tried one of their uprights but the design, construction and performance of my canister is very good.

[saf-t]

On our second Kenmore Futura (first one lasted > 10 years), and love it. Got the last one on sale 'cause it's apparently an unpopular color (for bikes, absolutely important- for a vacuum, not so much).

[corky]

love my dyson, does not suck*




* actually it does...... rather well

[bthornt]

I have a Dyson Animal, and I would recommend against purchasing one. It's performance is adequate, but not significantly better than other vacuums I have owned in the past. The problem is that the Dyson is considerably more expensive, and its performance doesn't warrant its high price.

[bargainguy]

About 15 yr ago, we purchased a Hoover WindTunnel U9425 self-propelled on a recommendation from Consumer Reports. Still going strong even after replacing belts etc. Only downside is that it's a bit noisy, but we knew that from the report.

[SoCalSteve]

I'm gonna check the vacuum boards for some bike talk...

Post of the day!!!

[rugbysecondrow]

On our second Kenmore Futura (first one lasted > 10 years), and love it. Got the last one on sale 'cause it's apparently an unpopular color (for bikes, absolutely important- for a vacuum, not so much).

personal preference really. Also, we have a 1960's ranch with finite storage space so we just like the self-contained, stand alone nature of the upright.

It seems Miele is the favorite. I am going to check some of those out. I am still intrigued by the Sebo so I am going to see them as well.

I agree with what others have said, bagged seems to be the way to go.

As for dyson, I wanted to like it, for the money I wanted it to work well, but it didn't perform to its pricepoint, IMO.

Thanks for the guidance and let me know if you have any other feedback.

[rugbysecondrow]

I'm gonna check the vacuum boards for some bike talk...

Which is your personal favorite and I will look there?

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Len J]

Im going to take a different tack here.

Background. We usually have 2 large >150 lbs, dogs in the house and one of them is usually long haired....so our vacuuming needs may be different than most.

After going thru many of the most highly recommended uprights and having them last lass than a year or so, we retrofitted our house with a central vacuum unit with the main unit hanging on the wall in the garage next to the trash cans.

That was 4 years ago and the cost was less than we expected and we've had no problems since. Paid for itself IMO.

Bigger motor, easier to use, easier to empty, bullet proof. If you are going to be in your house for any length of time, it's worth considering IME.

Ymmv

Len

[bart998]

After going through several "plastic" vacuums I gave up and just bought a Sanitaire commercial. I used one in a bike shop for 9 years, bearings/cables/ what-ever, nothing ever broke that thing. I've had mine for 12 years now... I get it serviced every few years, still going great.

[learningtoride]

..

[flydhest]

I have a Sebo. Used to have a Miele. Check the Riccar. I think they are made by the same folks who make one of the other two. All three good. Miele is not worth the premium, in my experience. They are King hubs compared to the Campy hubs of the Sebo.

I have one with a double filter/ true HEPA. It is a canister. It is great.

[GasPowered]

Miele.

I did quite a bit of research when our upright went out. Went to a dealer that had both Riccar and Miele. I went with the Miele upright. That was two years ago... Love it!

Cheers