Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

The Wall Street Journal did a comparison test of handheld vacuums for the Christmas Holidays.  The competitors were the Shark cordless Hand Held for $34; the dyson DC16 Root 6 for $149; the Black & Decker cordless for $54; the ReadiVac cordless handheld for $38 and the Dirt Devil Kurv for $52.

Best overall and best value is the Shark cordless according to Charles Passy, Catalog Critic for the Wall Street Journal.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:
Interesting, however, and this is my opinion but I would much rather have a corded hand vac over any of these.  It always seems that cordless vacs that have power lack run time, and vice versa.  For example the Dyson DC16 seems to have plenty of power (I've tried a few), but only runs for 6 minutes before it needs recharging.  For me, I usually end up using a hand vac longer than I expect when I get it out, so that wouldn't be acceptable. 

I can see why people would want them for quick pick-ups, though; out of all of them, I think that 18-volt Black & Decker "Pivot-Vac" seems to be the most promising.  Although I noticed that it sells for around $75, so I don't think that's the one the WSJ was referring to.  And I still wonder about the run time on that one.

But best value and best overall is a Shark?  That's a first (at least what I've seen, anyway) ;-)

Happy New Year,
Motorhead

Every now and then Shark aka EuroPro comes up with a good item.  I bought the $80 EP619, a "limited edition" lightweight vac for Bed, Bath and Beyond, and liked it a lot.  My only complaint was that replacement HEPA filters -- a must -- ran about $18 a pop.  They are not easy to thoroughly clean and you can easily run through three or more in the space of a year if you want the machine running optimally.

Shark/EuroPro is a staple for HSN and the like.  Most of its goods get a play from shoppers looking to buy cheap.

Venson

Motorhead wrote:

It is the B&D Pivot Vac which the WSJ purchased from Wal*Mart for $54 which is the every day Wal*Mart price.

Carmine D.

Venson wrote:

Hello Venson, HAPPY NEW YEAR

Shortly after the WSJ article appeared I received an email from dyson pitching the DC16 Root 6 hand held.  The dyson ad claims the dyson DC16 has twice the suction of other handhelds on the market and never loses suction.  I took the opportunity to email dyson with the results of the WSJ comparison tests for the handhelds and asked for dyson's reaction to the WSJ test.  To date, I have not received a response.

I agree with you about Shark/Euro-Pro.  It is a contender in the US vacuum market.  It has raised its stock over time with US consumers who like to buy on the cheap, especially vacuums, if they get a bang for their buck.  Obviously Shark/Euro-Pro is providing what the US vacuum consumers want based on the increased availability of the products in big box retailers.  I think this is especially true now with the consumer credit crunch.

BTW, from a historical perspective, the WSJ consumer editor tested several major big box upright brands a while ago, among which were the dyson and Shark Infinity.  If I recall correctly, the Infinity, which at the time was selling for about $200, fared well against the upright competition too according to the WSJ.

Carmine D.

ed us more than other handheld vacuums—they clog and lose suction. Most of the handhelds we tested clogged within one minute. And some handhelds lost half their suction after picking up as little as one teaspoon of household dust. This gave us an idea.
 
Dyson Root 6™ has twice the suction power of other handhelds and it doesn’t lose suction. The key is our patented Root Cyclone™ technology. Perfect for quick clean-ups, Dyson Root 6™ also recharges up to three times faster than other handhelds, and performs up to six minutes before its LED indicator tells you it’s time to recharge.
At Dyson, we focus on products that frustrate us. Recently, nothing has frustrated us more than other handheld vacuums—they clog and lose suction. Most of the handhelds we tested clogged within one minute. And some handhelds lost half their suction after picking up as little as one teaspoon of household dust. This gave us an idea.
 
Dyson Root 6™ has twice the suction power of other handhelds and it doesn’t lose suction. The key is our patented Root Cyclone™ technology. Perfect for quick clean-ups, Dyson Root 6™ also recharges up to three times faster than other handhelds, and performs up to six minutes before its LED indicator tells you it’s time to recharge.