Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

No area rugs, carpet what so ever. Just wood floors... What would you suggest?

Hello Ace:

Is this a hypothetical question or real life?  If it's real life, I have to know a tad more to answer with one make/model?  If it's a hypothetical, I can answer and give caveats.

Carmine D.

I can't really name you a best, because the term best often gets us into trouble.  What I would suggest in your case since you only have hard surfaced floors and no carpets would be a straight suction canister.   I would really see no reason for you to lay out money for anything else as you don't have a need for a powerhead. 

What I would look for is a vac with a fairly long hose, and a nice wide floor brush.   You will need to make a decision between a bagged or bagless model.  If you are sensitive to dust and such you may want to look for a vac with better filteration.   When I purchased my Riccar Surpalite last month I saw the Riccar Sunburst cannister that I really liked, I just couldn't justify bringing home two new additions to the family.   You could also look at flea markets or used shops for used Electrolux or Filter Queens, both of these seem to be in abundance and are proven to serve well. 

I hope this helps?

Not really THE Best... Best for is want' I'm asking for wood floors... I don't think she's asking for one with a powerful beater-bar...

Hi Acerone,

The "best" solution to this issue is a simple -- any reasonably priced canister with a good bare floor tool.  Of course my next suggestion is go to Sears and look for a Kenmore  canister with the standard bare floor tool in its attachment set. 

Why?

Because, first, you'll probably come across some sale items that may place a slightly better than simple vacuum at a good price because of a markdown.  Next, I am a tool fanatic and I especially like the way the Kenmore standard bare floor tool is made because instead of of a brush strip all around its perimeter it has a single row of bristles that runs across the width of the tool plus a couple of shot strips at front and back.  Just about now someone is thinking, "He's got to be kidding."  I'm not.  My test for this came about while I was trying to loosen peeling paint on the ceiling just at the entry of my apartment.

The design of the Kenmore bare floor tool allows grit to be directly sucked up -- not pushed about before it's sucked up on forward and back passes.  Avoiding pushing grit around is the reason we vacuum bare floors instead of using a plain old broom.  The fussy feel the like spares the finish on wood flooring from additional wear while cleaning. In any event because I have so much junk around to mess with, I tried an Electrolux flip tool and also an old GE nozzle to loosen paint long ago applied to acoustic tile.  Both left me under a continuous shower of paint flakes as I tried to clean away the peeling before applying primer .  The Kenmore bare floor allowed the flaking paint to be easily sucked in to my vacuum with minimal fallout as I moved it back and forth overhead.

However, to be super practical -- which is best to do in this instance -- find any affordable canister you like that offers good service above the floor and go to your local vac shop to buy a bare floor tool that is to your liking.  You'll find standard and wide width tools to suit your needs for not a lot of money.

Expensive niche brands like, Miele, FQ, etc., provide lots of optional specialized tools that cost an arm and a leg but that are no more beneficial than a tool you can find at vacuum shop for a quarter of the price.

Best,

Venson

A central vacuum with no inlet valves,just vacpans......................

 mole

mole wrote:

Good friend Mole,

Most respectfully, vacpansdefeat the purpose of vacuum cleaning.  The broom sets dust to flying.  The vacuum, central or otherwise with a nozzle for the task is meant to pull whatever you go after into the system thus ridding the potential of rasing dust.  The centtral vacuum is meant to excel in that it not only sucks up stuff but also but also rids the home environment of very fine particulate matter that might be released during use of a portable vacuum.

I have never understood the vacpan.  Oh yeah, it might be useful for the quick removal of debris fallen nearby but why go through the expense if all that is to be is to fling dirt all through the house toward a hole in the wall?

The central vac as a dumpster would better serve us if developed to remove perishable waste -- flour, husks, etc. -- from counter areas.

Venson

If strictly for floors and no attachments needed for above the floor cleaning, I'd use an Oreck Classic XL for $200. On the floors the vacuum goes by itself. By the time you get the cann out and set it up, the Oreck has the job done.

If area rugs are added in the future, ORECK works great without adjustments and brush turn offs.

Carmine D.

I like the Miele 300 floor brush especially the way it swivels. You need only use your wrist instead of your whole arm and shoulders. It can get into really tight spaces. Unfortunately, if you haven't tried one you can't appreciate how it moves. You might need an adaptor depending on which Vac you purchase. They have also come out with a longer version (Which I have not yet seen).

Lucky1 wrote:

Hi Lucky1,

I've seen ti too and it's cool but Miele is asking $65.50.  It's better to put that kind of money in your piggy bank and save up for a whole new vacuum cleaner.

Following is a link to Miele's accessory page -- http://www.miele.com/products/accessories.asp?cat=1&subcat=1&menu_id=5&nav=21&oT=27

The price on the 236 power nozzle is considerably lower than I'd imagined but lesser items especially the air-powered nozzles and minor tools are way out of proportion.  Miele can get away with this simply because it's Miele.

Venson

Lucky1:

You shot the top of the line Miele made brush for $65 and the customer [Ace] says no way.  What's your fall back position to make the part sale and keep the customer?

Carmine D.