Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Someone is asking me this but I have no clue. So what would you recommend to someone that has $200.00 to spend on a vacuum cleaner.

Acerone wrote:

With and/or without attachments?

Carmine D.

What do they have in mind?  If they were looking at a bagless machine, I would say the Shark Infinity (Pet Care model; has a turbo nozzle) for $199.  If I couldn't get the Infinity I would say the Bissell Total Floors Velocity which is around $140.  It is a dual cyclone, unlike some of its brandmates which still have bin filters.  If they're willing to spend another $50 I would definitely point them toward the Bissell HealthyHome which is an excellent machine for the price in my opinion.

For a bagged machine, I would probably go with a Panasonic or CarpetPro.  Otherwise there doesn't seem to be anything decent around that price range.  For $250 they could get their hands on the TTI-made Royal or Hoover lightweight upright as well, which I also like.  Of course with the lightweight they would have to have a separate machine for attachment use.

Hope this helps,
MH

CarmineD wrote:

She didn't say. So I'm guess for that amount without .... All she said is she has mostly wood floors.

Acerone wrote:
If she has mostly wood floors, a canister would be a much better bet.  If there are area rugs, a power nozzle (or Heaven forbid a wide turbo brush if there are not any decent P/N-equipped canisters in that price range) would work as well.  This coming from someone who has nearly 100% laminate throughout the house and has tried uprights...been there, done that ;-)

Acerone wrote:

Easy.  ORECK XL Classic upright.  Standalone vacuum without all the other giveaways and amenities.  Retail is $150 before taxes and shipping.  With the remaining $50, a HOOVER S1361 cann and/or comparable straight suction cann, sold at most big box retailers.  Two vacuums for the price of one.  With money left over.  Both are bagged. 

There are other possibilities too.

Carmine D.

Hi Carmine,

I see your back :-)

I also forgot she mention that she would like a bagless vacuum.

Chris

Yes but does the Oreck have a brush on/off switch? ;-)

We had an Oreck, XL9100 to be exact, and it did a less-than-stellar job on bare floors with the high-speed brushroll...of course the tiny fan didn't help either.  Thanks to the squeegee-blade it didn't throw dirt back at your feet, but it didn't pick up so well.  Yet the machine is touted as being able to handle bare floors, strange.

Not to drift from the subject at hand, but one lightweight machine that really surprised me was the $49 Hoover Nano Lite (TTI-made) at Wal-Mart.  I bought one last summer when it came out, and I have to say it's not bad.  GREAT value for the price I thought.  The brushroll is aggressive and does a great job on carpets.  There's a belt shifter switch to move from carpets to bare floors (since it is a belt shifter and not a clutch, it should best be done with the machine off).  Yes, it is bagless, and it has the bin filter arrangement that I don't care for, however it does have a screen to separate hair from the fine dust as well as a slide-lever on the back of the filter to "tap" the dust off.  So far I haven't had any problems with it, and 2 others that I know of are in regular use with no problems so far, either.  Just throwing that out there.

-MH

Acerone wrote:

Hello Chris:

You were already familiar with the facts and circumstances of my post on the Forum about the DC14 COSTCO Exclusive.   I shared my experience with you by email several months ago.

In light of the bagless requirement: HOOVER WT bagless canister S3765/S3755.  $180 retail.  It does have a brush roll on/off switch and a cordwinder.  Rated a "Best Canister" by CR in October 2007.  The latter says alot about the vacuum since CR favors bagged vacuums over bagless.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

That's one canister I recommended to her.

How about a sanitaire sc785, and the eureka 3670 mighty mite combo,this is the best combo out there for that price range,also the company has and will be here long after the HYPED machines are long gone............

MOLE