What's the Best Vacuum??

If you are in the Chicago-land area and would like to get a Dyson - I've seen the "Target-Red" one on clearance at a couple of target stores, maybe no one liked the color? I've heard the dyson's are pretty great - I would like to get one, myself. Also, the 20% off coupons for Bed, Bath & Beyond do not say anything about not using them for the Dyson vacuums under the "restrictions" on the coupon. And the best part - they accept expired coupons, there, too!
Good Luck &
Happy Vacuum Shopping!

Hi J.!

I have to swear by my Kenmore canister vac. It is the best. Easy to haul around, switch attachments, store, change bag, etc.

My mom is a professional housecleaner (for 20+yrs) & she too swears by it. Housecleaners would know, they get to try out all types of vacuums. A couple of housecleaners don't understand why people by the Dyson. The Kenmore has EXCELLENT suction. My mom has one, my sister, my mother-in-law...it's a very good vacuum & not too costly. Oh yeah, it is top rated in the Consumer Reports.

Good luck!
Care

I have a dyson animal and I love it. It works on carpets and hard wood floors. Highly recommend it for houses with kids and animals!!

I just bought the Dyson Slim All Floors DC18, since we only have two & 1/2 rooms w/carpet and hopefully will be switching those over to wood w/in the next year. I paid $280 with a 30% off coupon at Kohl's in April ( I finally got the 30% off, whoo hoo! mostly get 15% ones!) and it's the best vacuum evah! It still has wheels, but does pivot like the new one w/the ball. The only downside is that you cannot get the power turbo brush head option attachment with this one. It must not fit on the pull out tool tube. That is kind of ackward too for using in crevices...but I just use my Miele canister vac to vacuum the couch/chair now since the Dyson is ackward. You have to check out the different models and find which is best for you, but I LOVE the dyson. The stuff it sucked out of my carpet, I was SO happy when my Hoover finally broke down and the husband said he couldn't fix it this time ;)

I held off for years on buying a Dyson b/c of price....broke down and bought one this year and am so glad I did! My housework is cut to a minimum b/c it's so efficient and sucks up everything. I use the scope to suck flies out of the air - a tip from another mamasource mom I got before I bought mine.I LOVE IT!!! Go to Bed Bath and Beyond with one of their coupons and they'll give you 20% off even though they're not supposed to.

Love my DYSON too!!! :D

I actually would recommend not purchasing a Dyson. I thought it was God's Gift to the Vaccuum world. I should have done more research and look at models. It's VERY heavy, doesn't manuvuer well, attachements are not great.

Hi Jen, All I know is that my neighbor and her sister bought one and they say it dosen't pick up cat hair very well. Take care A.

We have a Dyson Animal(purple) and we love it! Works great. Good suction and doesn't lose suction. Just like they say. Definitely worth the investment.

HTH

S.

Dyson all the way!!! We LOVE ours and the first time i used it, i couldn't beleive what it picked up! Well worth the money. I have never had an problems and i know a lot of people with them and i have never heard a bad thing about it!

I have a secret yen for Miele vacuums (Dyson's are pretty-looking and I think they are good quality but I hate the guy in their commercials. Shallow, I know.) But most of our house is hardwood floors and I have a hard wood cleaner and didn't have the budget to spend $400 on yet another floor machine when our ancient vacuum from my mom died.

So I ended up buying a full size Dirt Devil on sale at Sears for about $40, which is perfectly adequate for the small amount of carpeting we have. Although - not nearly as pretty! I'd go to a vacuum cleaner store if you have one near you and just talk to the salesperson (plan to not buy on first look) and look at the models and think about your needs. Do you need to carry the vacuum between floors? Then you might want a lighter model. Canisters tend to be more powerful and longer-lasting, but I thought they were bulky to store. Does the vacuum come with the crevice tools and so on that you want? Also, HEPA filters and bag/bagless preferences.

Hi J.! I love Elaine's advice about the 20% off coupon. That is so key when you are spending any kind of money on a home item. I'm 34 and have gone through 3 other vacuum's before my Dyson. I got "The Animal" model because of 2 small kids, 2 cats, a dog and a hubby and I cannot even express in words how much I ADORE this cute little purple machine. I used my prior vacuum throughout my house during the day and came home with the Dyson that night and proceeded to vacuum and I still had a full canister Clearly a superior vacuum than my bissel)! It is seriously insane how much this thing picks up. I did a lot of research online on the different options and I picked this one and could not be happier. I'm not sure if all of the models have this, but on 'the animal' it has a ball like thing that helps with getting next to walls and weird angels (basically the handle moves and the base that's on the floor doesn't...if that makes sense). Really...you would not be disappointed. Just get one that has all the bells and whistles that you need for your family/house. Good luck!

We have the purple Dyson. I am very happy with it. We've had it for over 4 years now and still works like the first day we got it. I love not having to buy bag after bag. I bought mine from Kohl's when they had it on sale and used an extra % off coupon. We have a golden retriever and it sucks up everything. I think the purple one we have is called the "animal". Not sure if that means anything more about being better for pets, or if that's just the name??

I LOVE my Dyson!!!!

We just recently purchased a new vacuum, and did a lot of research before making our decision. We bought the
Kenmore Direct Drive from Sears, which happened to be Consumer Reports #1 choice. I love it so far, and it really does pick up everything, and is great for hard wood floors too. It does use a bag, which I actually like b/c I hate dumping the dust, etc. out. The bags last pretty long, but of course that depends on each household and how much dirt there may be.

If you own your own home consider putting in a center vacuum system. It is the greatest vacuum you could ever have. Just plug the hose into the wall and away you go. The power is unbelievable.

S.

I wanted the dyson. DH thought the price was outrageous, he wouldn't get it. We decided to get the Bissel Healthy Home. I hate it! In order to clean my carpet, I have to go over the floor two or more times, each time I pick up more dirt and disgusting junk. The filter also clogs ALOT. It is filthy and gross to clean out. Ick!

I have done the Dyson test before. My best friend has the purple animal dyson. First I vaccumed with my own vac(a hoover at the time), then I used the dyson. The hoover picked up, but the Dyson picked up a lot more. And I had already "vaccumed".

I say go for it. Get a Dyson at BB&B and don't for get to bring your 20% off coupon!

Hi, J.. Just thought I would let you know that if you are looking to save some money you do not have to go with the big name vacuums. Twice on Oprah, I saw her talk about the best vacuum for the money, and it was not a Dyson or an Oreck. I was surprised to find out that they thought it was the Eureka The Boss Smart Vac Ultra. It tested well by consumer reports fo noice level and emissions, something that will be important to you once you have your little guy. It was a Consumer Reports episode and the vacuum retailed for under $200 at that time. Checking Consumer Reports Website is a good way to compare. Good Luck!

I tried the Dyson and didn't like it too well. It doesn't go under things like coffee tables - too think. They have them REAL cheap right now at Big Lots in Montgomery/Oswego.

I was deciding between the Dyson & the Oreck. After testing both the Oreck won hands down for power & ease of use & carrying up & down stairs. I have had my Oreck for 2 years & LOVE it!

I know two people who just got Dysons and they LOVE them. They think it's a great vacuum. I know it's pricey, but not the most expensive one out there. I have a Kirby, which I bought in 1989 for $700. It's still running strong almost 20 years later. I don't know how long Dysons last, but I think they're a much better value than a cheaper brand. I would recommend Kirby, but I am sure they are more than $1,200 now. My mom had an Orek that lasted for about 15 years so you could consider that too.

I've had a Dyson several years and don't know what I did without it! A lot of stores carry the brand now so watch for sales and coupons... especially Bed, Bath & Beyond or Linenes n' Things with 20% off.

My husband did a ton of research & decided on a SEBO. It was $800, crazy I know. It has a ton of filters if you're allergy prone & it's hospital grade. We've only had it a couple of months so I'm not quite sure if it's worth all that cash. We decided against the Kirby (also good, but $$$$) b/c of their unethical sales practices.

J., we have the dyson, and it is wonderful. You can see it sucking out all of the dust and dirt, and when we first got it I vacuummed with out other vacuum, then with the dyson and it picked up so much more it amazed me. We got ours at Bed Bath and Beyond and used a 20% off coupon, which helped.

Hi J.!
I am the owner of a house cleaning service and thought I could share some of the experiences that I've had with various vaccuums. First of all, my favorites are Oreck and Royal. They are a little bit more expensive than most but they last a lifetime as compared to most other brands that last a few years. My mother has had her Royal for 10+ years. Every so often she brings it to a shop for a "tune-up" but she has never had any problems with it. One of the houses that I clean has an Oreck and has had it for about 5 years and it works beautifully. Dysons are great too if your considering those. Two of my clients have a Dyson and they haven't had any problems with it. I have used other brands i.e. Bissell, Eureka, Hoover but none of them compare with Royal or Oreck. Hope this helps!

I have a bissell that I love. Has a canister and does a good job. I have replaced the filter once in 2 years because it really hasnt' needed it. They are about $100.

I was buying vacuums at Costco and returning them every other month for a while there.... I just kept getting the next up in price each time, hoping to find one I'd like! I like buying things like this from Costco because you can return it even a year or two later and get a refund if it breaks! I hate having to deal with the manufacturers! When you need a vacuum, you need it now, ...not a month from now if/when they fix it!

Anyhow... I finally ended up finding, loving, and keeping the Infinity vacuum by Shark! It guarantees to not lose suction, just like the dyson... and so far, I've had it about 8 mnonths...it hasn't lost suction! It sucks up stuff to the sides of where I'm vacuuming! It's easy to empty and clean, bagless! Upright! But what I love best is the handle comes out with an easy release button I can hit with my knee real quick while vacuuming...and it extends up to 6 feet reaching cobwebs, stairs, edges of walls, behind the couch...etc... I love it! It sucks up anything and everything! I used it to sweep my hard surface floors too!! I can do the entire stair case with out the heavy console of the vacuum hitting me in the back! It stays below while I go up with the handle/hose! It's awesome! The only other vacuum I've seen that can do this is the Kirby...also great but super expensive....and too many attachments I have to go find and change out!

The best part is...I only paid $200 for it vs. $500 for a dyson!

The bad part is Costco no longer carries it! :( But if mine ever breaks, I will use my costco store credit for something else and go by this same exact vacuum somewhere else!!

Good luck, hope you find one that works for you!

Hi. We bought a Dyson 6 years ago and it is just now having problems. It still has suction but I think the brushes need to be replaced. We are deciding on whether to get the brushes replaced or just get a new one. We have many pets and it has done us well over the years. When we had a regular vacumm we would go through one a year at $250 a pop. We paid just under $400 and it lasted 6 years and 5 dogs, 10 cats and a rabbit later. Oh, and 2 kids and a granddaughter later.
Hope this helps.

Hi J.

I wanted a Dyson too but couldnt swallow 500- 600 bucks so while at Sears looking at the Dyson the sales associate showed be Comsumer Reports #1 rated vacuum which is a kenmore direct drive. It is a bag vacuum which I was a little leary about but it turns out the bagged version is number 1 and the canister version is like number 3. The vacuum has some weight to it but I LOVE IT! It has a clean sensor that lets you know when the area is clean and you can hear the power in the motor change accordingly. The regular price is $350 but Sears has it on sale for $250 a lot. Just go online or go to the store in the vacuum area and ask an associate about the consumer report #1 and they will know.

Know exactly what you mean. They are definitely an investment. I have 3 kids, a dog, 2 cats, and oh, not to mention the husband :)) We are on our 3rd sweeper. I have purchased Hoover in the past & have been very pleased. I caught a clip about sweepers on one of the morning shows one day. Research has shown that a top of the line sweeper isn't always the best. You don't have to spend a lot of $$$ to get a good one. We have a Hoover right now with an allergen filter & it is bagless. I love it. I have a child w/ allergies & asthma so I wanted something good. I also checked in a consumer report magazine. Disons didn't get the best rating. Hope this helps. :))))

I have my own home daycare, so I do a lot of vacuuming. About
two years ago, I bought a Dyson and I think it's great. It picks up a lot and is very easy to empty. I have had other
vacuums in the past, (Bissel, Hoover, etc.), but now I think it
is better to spend the extra money and get a really good vacuum, expecially if you have small children crawling around on your carpet.

Hi J., I own a Kirby now for about 10 years. I have 4 children, 1 grandchild, 2 dogs and 1 rabbit. As you can see I need to vaccum every day because of the traffic and animals. It is pricy, but I have not had any trouble with it. So if you balance out the cost over the years, it is cheaper. It is still going strong, and definately worth every penny. My oldest, now on her own a few years, went out and bought one after trying some of the brands out there. With all the attachments to do most everthing, call for a demo. They come to your house, at your convenience.

I have had my Dyson animal vacuum for just over 3 years and I love it! All I've had to do is wash the filters every couple of months. I have two black labs so I probably wash the filters more than I have to because of that, but it is well worth the price! It works equally well on wood, rugs, and carpet. It even sucks up the chunks of dog food! Good luck!

I concur with all the Dyson responses - we love ours! I actually dropped it one day on accident and a piece broke off the hose. We called to get a replacement part fully expecting to pay (afterall it was definitely my fault) and they insisted on sending the part for free. Not only is it a heavenly vacum but their customer service was very nice and personable!

I have the Dyson Animal. We have had it for about 4 years now and no issues. I have a shedding dog and it works great.
I like the attachments for the stairs and how long the the hose is.
I had a couple of questions and the customer service people were very nice.
Good luck to you!

I LOVE my Dyson. I actually look forward to vacuuming now - strange, I know! It's very lightweight, does a great job, and it's really easy to empty the canister. Maybe I'm just a "visual" person, but I get some kind of weird joy out of seeing how much stuff this thing gets off the floor! I also like that it's easy to switch it from carpet mode to bare floor mode. Overall, it's the best vacuum I've had - and I went through a few before I finally decided to spend the money on the Dyson. If you decide to go with one, make sure you get it at Bed Bath & Beyond or Linens & Things so you can use the 20% off coupon!