Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Hi there. I stumbled on this forum and wonder if you can help me in my search. I have spent thousands on vacuums over the years. Our house burned down this summer so I'm tasked with replacing everything including, of course, our vacs. But the reason I've bought so many is that I've never been happy with any. Ignoring all the older/generic/cheap ones, these are what we owned pre-fire: - Dyson Ball Animal (don't recall exact model number. It was purple). I was sick of vacuums not working and this seemed like a luxury that we were ready for. But - pun not really intended - it kind of sucked. Stupid thing was useless for picking up cat litter. The cord was horribly in the way all the time (having to remove the cord to access the hose was dumb). I liked the maneuverability of it. - Roomba (one of the originals). Hated this thing. It would wander around aimlessly, sort of picking up really light things, and I replaced the expensive batteries every few months. - Neato XV-11. HUGE improvement over the Roomba. Still, I had to replace the batteries too often. But performance-wise it worked. - Electrolux Ergorapido (NiCad). Not expensive, and it was handy. But the battery died quickly. Thankfully, bought it at Costco - Electrolux Ergorapido (LiIon). When I returned the above, I noticed they were now carrying the Lithium version. Bought it. This was a fine stick vac for spot use on bare floors. In the last couple of months I bought the following: - Dyson V10 stick vac. This $900 (Canadian) unit is by far the most expensive and I expected better. Again, it CANT PICK UP A SINGLE PIECE OF CAT LITTER! What the hell, Dyson? Otherwise, we like the concept, so we tried... - Shark Ion duoClean. Getting better! This thing's performance is good and overall the design is much better than the Dyson. But (and it is a big but)... the battery lasts maybe 15 minutes and it takes FOREVER to charge. It won't even START charging for over 3 hours after taking it out of the vac. If I put it in the fridge it can start charging in 20 minutes but still takes 4 hours to get me another 20 minutes. - Whole home built-in vac (installed in the rental home they have us in). I've never had a built-in before, and I must not get it... but I hate it. Hauling around a huge hose that just gets in the way. No Thanks. What to try next? I think I'm done with Dyson - which I personally believe is all name and nothing else. Have the robots come a long way? Both of mine were 4 (Neato) and 6 (Roomba) years old. They did OK at general daily maintenance, but couldn't depend on them for full clean. Would love some advice/opinions on what to try next.

I am so sorry about the fire and loss of your home and possessions. I know how difficult that is. As I have heard, and have said many times. The only perfect vacuum is the one that you like and will use. You can have the most expensive, or the most in style, and if it sits in the closet because you don't or can't use it; it's worthless. I would suggest that you visit a vacuum store, one that preferably sells more than one type of vacuum. If they are a single manufacturer establishment, don't make immediate decisions, go to another and look there as well. The issue with buying at the stores, like Walmart, Sear's, Sam's, Costco. You don't have anything but the box and some display items to guide you. Some will say to stay away from door to door salesmen. I will negate that advice, look at their product, but be prepared to say no many times. Some of those machines, I can think of a few anyway have a fire protection clause. If the machine is damaged in a fire they will replace it for a nominal fee. Good luck

Sorry to hear about your fire, must be heartbreaking to lose all your things, The Robot vacuum cleaners have come a long way over the past few years and maybe not replace your traditional vacuum but to be honest I do think they ever will. However, that doesn't mean that they will not do a good job of keeping on top of the cleaning as well as using your normal vacuum. You mentioned the Roomba. You could look at the 860 which is well priced but without the wifi and app that comes with the modern robot vacuum, perhaps save some money and a Dyson type one that a bit cheaper for your main vacuum. hope this helps.

Batteries do not have the power to match what comes out of an electrical outlet, so corded vacuums will always have more cleaning power than cordless vacuums. The vacuums you will find at big box stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Costco, etc are there because those stores thrive on selling large volumes of merchandise at low prices. They are not going to sell a premium vacuum because they can't make any money off them. Unfortunately you will have to travel around to some mom and pop vacuum shops so you can test different brands of vacuums you will never find in a big box store. There are some exceptionally high quality durable vacuums on the market today but you will never see them at Costco. Names like Kenmore (Kenmore sells a very well made vacuum cleaner), Simplicity, Riccar, Sebo, Miele, Lindhaus, Cirrus, Titan, Carpet Pro, CleanMax, PowrFlite (that's how it's spelled)and the brands that are sold in your home, Aerus Lux, Tristar, Miracle Mate, Kirby (not my choice but they have their rabid partisans), Filter Queen and Rainbow (aka the Mud Bucket, it uses water filtration instead of a dust bag, extra work but another brand with a rabidly loyal following who would lynch me for calling it a mud bucket, lol). One other thing, the revered old vacuum brand we knew here as Electrolux is now called Aerus Lux. Long story but Electrolux USA sold their name back to the original Swedish company AB Electrolux. What was once Electrolux USA is now called Aerus Lux. I would probably start with them because they still make one of the most durable and functional lines of vacuum cleaners you can buy. The Aerus Legacy and Aerus Classic models are made in the US and have been in production with only minor changes since the late 1980s for the classic and early 1990s for the Legacy. Their Guardian Platinum is actually a product of AB Electrolux of Sweden that is sold world wide as a premium vacuum. In Europe they are called simply Lux International and in Australasia they are sold as a Sauber. The US model has a different power nozzle and hose, both made in the US. Very nice machines. Aerus also owns Tristar and this is another interesting old brand with a history revolving around Howard Hughes, TWA and the Los Angeles aerospace industry. The clean nut Howard Hughes asked a major airframe manufacturer to make a vacuum for his airline, TWA. Pretty much the same innovative and unusual design is still made today, and it's still made from an aluminum-magnesium allow. It's all metal, simple and exceptionally durable. Miracle Mate is a Tristar copy from Canada. The former Canadian distributor for Tristar was dissatisfied with their customer service and began making his own vacuum. Both are expensive but used ones are reasonably priced and still plenty durable. Lots of choices so look around and don't confine your shopping to the big box.

No robots didnt come close enough to what traditional vacuums can do. I think sebo or miele are best. I wouldnt recommend dyson.