Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Ready to get rid of my 10 year old Kenmore. It's been good to me, although I've had to fix it (myself) a numer of times--and I'm dissapointed they still haven't fixed the shotty quaity--like the plastic parts tha break on everyone hoe connections

Considering dyson dc21 (and buying the smal powerhead, which is important to me--I've got two sets of carpeted stairs) Also found good reports on  the high-end kenmore bagless.

I'm not tied to bagless, though. I would consider a riccar, miele, or bosch..... Hepa is important to me. reliability is very important. but performance on different piles of carpet  AND hardwood THE MOST IMPORTANT.  And yes, it has to be a canister.

THANKS SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!

I would suggest the Riccar or Simplicity for the price you are looking at.  For a good quality canister, you really should go with a Vac Shop brand.  I would also avoid any bagless machine if filtration is important, as they tend to be very dusty messes.  You also need one with a electric powerhead for the carpet.  All canisters typically come with floor tools, and also have mini turbo tools available for stairs/furniture.

Elvis Presley [you must live in Las Vegas].

With a budget of $500, I would also strongly recommend that you shop at several of the local vacuum stores in your area for canisters that meet your cleaning needs and desires.  RICCAR/SIMPLICITY are excellent choices.  If you read the threads started by Techphet you'll note that these brands are certified as S-Class sealed HEPA vacuum cleaners and extremely reliable.  This is the best rating for filtration for vacuums and the vacuums have excellent warranty periods and features.  Other brands equally worthy and available in your price range are the MIELE and SEBO.  You'll see similarities in features and performance in all these brands and models and the decision for purchase will be based on price and personal preference.  BOSCH brand is typically a vacuum cleaner store brand with  models in your price range. 

Generally, the higher price big box store vacuums, like your Kenmore cann, have a 7 year useful life.  You did well with 10 years, but only through your own personal care.  Vacuum store brands, like MIELE and the others mentioned above, have industry reputations for lasting 20 plus years.  Oftentimes, these get passed down to family members when new models are purchased and continue providing excellent service and performance.

After you shop, if you have specific questions, please ask here and you'll receive answers.

Carmine D.

Maybe a rebuilt vacuum done right with a 5 or 7 year warranty on the motors parts and labor,There are many mega buck used or hardly used canister tank powerhead cleaners out there,

Look at the thread about which vacuums are best for rebuilding,these guys know their stuff,many of the machines mentioned will outlive any plastic wonder out there.

If it has to be new ,look into the Bosch formula bsg71360,add the turbo and hardfloor brush,great package,also the powerhead can be used as a hand vac.

MOLE

Wife's pressuring me to make a decision ASAP. Anybody want to point me to a good vac I can order online? Rebuilt is OK--if it's warranteed and from a trustworthy place. My only concern about a bagged model is the cost of bags for expensive vacs. But there are definitely things about the dyson I consider to be sub-par--like the length of the cord and the flimsy hose. Does the Kenmore bagless solve these probs?

Again--not against canister--and would love it if one of you very knowledgeable experts could just link me to a canister--bag or bagless--I could click on and buy, and know it will be good.

Thanks again!

ElvisPresley wrote:
Stay away from any of the Kenmore bagless canisters.  They use filters located in the bin, lose suction quickly, and emptying it will make quite the mess.  Kenmore so far has only had one cyclonic bagless canister recently, the Iridium, around 2005-06 and has since been discontinued.  Their only cyclonic model now is the PremaLite which is an upright.  It seems to work well, but there have been complaints about the handle breaking so to me the durability is questionable.  In fact you would really be better off staying away from any Sears vacuums.  The quality has really gone downhill and they are not the same as the Kenmores from even 10 years ago.  Horrible, cheap plastic vacuums at high prices.

The cost of bags would be an issue for considering a bagged model, all of the models that have been suggested use cloth Filtrete bags for maximum filtration.  While they are very hygienic and you can get a lot of use out of one before having to change the bag, they are expensive to replace and while they don't clog as fast as paper, they will still clog eventually.  That being said, I would much prefer that over a bin filter bagless although when it comes down to it, I will take my Dyson any day.

You mentioned the Dyson DC21 canister in your initial post.  I have that model, purchased it new March of last year, and love it.  It has been a great machine, very powerful (cleans like you wouldn't believe) and so far I've only had to wash the pre-motor filter once.  The hose on the DC21 isn't flimsy by any means, it's not the slinky-type hose you see on the uprights that is meant to collapse into the handle, even though that particular hose is well made.  The DC21 hose is a very durable, crushproof hose similar to the hose you see on a Miele.  The Motorhead is one of the best-performing electric power nozzles out there, aggressive helix brushroll that can be removed in 2 pieces for cleaning if necessary.  There is no need for a lifetime belt because there IS no belt...the brushroll is directly driven off of the motor through a gearbox.  The DC21 also comes with a very good bare floor tool, with staggered-row bristles in the front to allow debris to be vacuumed up vs. just sweeping them around.   And, of course, true to the Dyson name, there is no loss of suction or airflow, even when picking up fine dust.  The only downside I can see to the machine is that the cord is a bit short (though the length of the hose does make up for that), and it is a bit bulky when all of the accessories are attached to the cleaner.  Other than that it's a fantastic machine, has been very reliable (Dyson is rated second-best in reliability next to Kirby according to Consumer Reports) and I do not regret buying it at all.  Here's the link to the DC21 canister on the Dyson website. 

Is there an independent Dyson dealer in your area? I would highly advise checking one of them out as they will give you a much better deal (and include more accessories) than buying online or at a big-box store. 

Whichever you choose, bagged or bagless, good luck with your purchase,
-MH

Motorhead wrote:

To be more specific:  The DC21 cord length is 16.4 feet, on the short side.  The machine weight is 23 pounds, on the heavy side.  The dirt bin capacity is .44 gallon, on the smallish side.  

CR rated dyson uprights reliability [bought between 2003 and 2007] not canisters.  The DC21 is really the first dyson cann in the USA [launched in April 2007], save the DC11 [MSRP $499] launched in April 2004 that was scrubbed in the USA after 9 months.  Most stores stopped selling the DC11 within a few months leading to dyson's official death notice in the USA in February 2005.  The DC21 is dyson's encore to the cann market in the USA after the failed DC11.  It is still too new and untested to have a repair history for reliability. 

The March 2008 Consumer Reports [that rated dyson uprights' reliability] also rates canisters by SEBO, MIELE, BOSCH, RICCAR/SIMPLICITY and dyson [the DC21].  The DC21 received the lowest CR rating of the brand names mentioned. 

Carmine D.

ElvisPresley wrote:

Elvis:

In an effort to be sensitive and responsive to your requests here is a consideration for you/your Wife:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=6471597&st=el6988d&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1096380579514

It would not be my first choice, not even my 3rd, or 4th with a budget of $500.  But I understand how wives can be and their tendencies toward quick purchase from the hip action. 

BEST BUY stores do not carry the Electrolux in stores but only on-line [I believe, but could be wrong].  SEARS stores do.  The Electrolux Oxygen is rated number one [BEST] in canisters by Consumer Reports [March 2008].    Since you are a SEARS Kenmore vacuum buyer/user and now looking at the dyson DC21, the Electrolux is one that should be on your list. 

IMH, the Electrolux Oxygen is a better buy than the dyson DC21 in all ways save one, the warranty.  It's cord length is 21 foot [with a cord winder which the DC21 lacks] and has an 11 foot hose for a max cleaning range of 32 feet.  That is bests the DC21 range by about 4 feet.  It's 14 to 22 pounds [depending on the model] vice 23 pounds for the DC21.  It's bag capacity is one half gallon [2 quarts] vice the 0.44 gallon for the DC21.  The Electrolux power nozzle for carpet cleaning has an adjustment for rug heights.  The dyson DC21 does not. 

The Electrolux warranty is 2 years vice the dyson DC21 which is 5 years.  Price is $400 for the Electrolux vice $500 for the dyson DC21.  A 20 percent coupon, very common, from BED BATH and BEYOND can match the Electrolux price on the DC21.  Sales at KOHL's, using the discount and store credit card, for purchase can match the dyson DC21 price on the Electrolux Oxygen. 

Hope this assists you.  

I regret that you/your dear Wife are reluctant to do the shopping and research for this $500 vacuum purchase at several local vacuum stores in your area.  BEST in a vacuum and other household appliances is often a subjective mental attitude.  It's based on human preferences and factors as much as product performance.  These are intrinsic to all and vary for all. 

Carmine D. 

Yes and this is coming from someone who is EXTREMELY biased against Dyson (hence the double post).  My advice would be to try as many brands out as possible (Dyson, Electrolux, Miele, Riccar/Simplicity, etc.) and decide which one is best for your needs.

My biggest complaint with the Oxygen are the amount of burned out electical parts from switches to wands to hoses that we have been getting in for repair. I like the Bosch Formula for around $500. Several customers have dropped by after their purchase to say how much they like it as well.

 

Lucky

 

CarmineD wrote
While Carmines comparison stats are correct,  the Electrolux despite it's consumer rating is also very troublesome in the hose, wand, and powerhead areas.  While the machine is soundly made everything else on the unit is a step down in quality especially the wands (electrical issues and prone to breakage) and powerhead (can be overly noisy and prone to break belts and necks).  The paper bags that came standard with the unit clogged quickly and needed to be changed often but that can be aleviated somewhat by using the more expensive "Clinic" bags. Personally I'd look for a Riccar 1500P at a local dealer but if you must buy online I would tend to lean towards the DC21 or even save yourself some more money and look at the Eureka 6500...it's very similar to the Electrolux ,costs far less and for whatever reason seems to have less issues.  As a warranty depot for Eureka / Electrolux it's suprising how much more of the Lux product we see.

Dusty