zozee

I clean my dad's house weekly. It's fairly large, with carpet, hardwood, and area rugs to care for. The area rug in the living room drives me nuts with its fringed edges. Grrr. If I get the least bit too close to them, the threads snarl up the beater brush. If I don't get close enough, dust and dirt remain so that I have to use a handheld vacuum on the fringes.

He has carpeted stairs, a huge carpeted loft area, and 3 carpeted bedrooms.

No pets (except when my sister from out of state visits with her dogs).

His current vacuum (Hoover Windtunnel) gave up the ghost and I need to buy him a new one. He's not opposed to spending up to $500, but I have a hard time with that price. He says it's up to me since I'm the one who has to use the thing. He doesn't vacuum. (He didn't even know where it was stored!)

So, who here can recommend their vacuum cleaner or tell me what to steer clear of.

I prefer something with a swivel head, not too heavy (15 pounds tops), good cleaning , probably a bagged model, one that transitions easily from carpet to bare floors, and isn't terribly noisy. I've been comparing many online and went to two places today (a Sew-Vac place where I was shown the Sebo Dart and others, but liked the Dart best). I was comparing it to the Shark Rotator Lift-Away. Biggest difference is price and bag vs bagless.



Not Dyson--the new ones are terrible. The old ones (which I had) were great.

Chime in and help a girl out. My dad isn't a cheapo; he appreciates quality, but I don't want to spend his money any differently than I'd spend my own.

JT

The best vacuum I have ever bought is a Shark. I have both the Shark Rotator and the Shark Rotator Professional. While you can by the Shark Rotator in stores like Walmart & Kohl's, I bought mine online from Shark, and with it I got a free steam cleaner, which works great for bath and kitchen tile.

I first bought the Shark Rotator (Red & White) and it blew me away. It's lite weight and very easy to use. When I brought it home, I first vacuumed with my old clunky Kirby. I pulled so much more out of the carpet with the Shark.

Then a couple years later, we got new carpet upstairs, not knowing at the time how thick the new carpet was. I could vacuum with the first Shark, but it was harder to push because of the density of the carpet. I contacted Shark online, asking them if they had a vacuum that would handle the density of my carpet. I got the Shark Rotator Professional, which has 3 setting, hardwood, regular carpet, and dense carpet. So ow I don't have to carry my vacuum downstairs to do the family room, I use my red & white one downstairs and the Professional upstairs, since it handles all carpet types and hardwood.

Love them both. No other vacuum that I've had even comes close to Shark. Check reviews.

Sandra in Minnesota

Thanks for posting - I have been looking for a new vacuum after 45 years with my old Kenmore. She did lead a good life!

SewingSew

I have a Dyson and I have a Kirby. I don't like either one. I find the Dyson unpleasant and awkward to use. I can't get underneath anything. The plastic tubing that is supposed to reach ceiling corners and such, doesn't have enough length or flexibility to reach things comfortably. And I have to unwind the entire cord just to be able to use that feature. Oddly enough, the best vacuum that I ever had was a Kenmore canister. It had a head with double beater bars, a headlight, and a very long retractable cord, loads of attachments, and it was lightweight. It did a great job with suction and lasted for 25 years. My next vacuum will either be an Electrolux or an Oreck canister. I have heard great things about them. I would suggest that, regardless of what you choose, that you read reviews and also research the history of the company. At least that's what I would do. $500 is not pocket change, and once you choose the vacuum, for better or worse, it's yours for awhile.

GingerK

When we moved, we found that the central vac in the new house had little/no suction and for whatever reason, DH did not investigate further. We bought a Dyson upright and I hate the thing with a passion. Only good thing about the experience was that we did get a good deal on the thing. It is horrible to move up and down stairs, is hard to maneuver and does a lousy job on hardwood. It would definitely chew up the fringe on your dad's rug.

Back to the non-functioning central vac--after I complained enough, DH decided to check the thing out. There was a broken connection in the tube in the basement. When he fixed that--a very minor repair--it works very very well. I especially like that it has outlets on every floor so it is just a case of moving the long hose from floor to floor.

My neighbour has a Shark and loves the brand so much that this is her second. She wore out her first.

Research is definitely key. But for me, having sold a 2 1/2 storey house with central vac and now having a 2 story house with a repaired central vac, I would definitely investigate the cost for installing such a system in your Dad's house. It would also be a selling feature down the road. And definitely look at the bag-less systems. The cost of something you are just throwing away, can really add up after a while.

coopah

We have had a Rainbow vac for 20 years. It was well over $500, but we have only had to replace one belt. I have autoimmune, so need to get any dust and pollen out of the house. The dirt goes into a water resevoir, and when the vacuuming is done, the water is disposed of safely and away from the house. This wouldn't be for everyone, but for me, it has been worth the investment.

Battle Axe

One of my pet peeves is sending a man to the store to get vacuum cleaner bags. I never had one come home with the correct ones. So I went to bagless, those with a canister that you just dump. I own 3 Dysons. And I do like them but I've never tried a Shark.

Roberta

WE have a Dyson Animal machine. We were burning out motors on others because of the Borzoi dogs we had over the years. The fur would wrap around the brush area and overheat the unit.
I will say the Dyson has held up really well but I wish it were lighter but not having a bag to replace is a real plus. Of course now I have to cut all the wrapped up fur on the brushes but at least I don't have to buy another bag.

SusieQOH

I really like my Shark. It has a small beater bar brush that I use for the furniture and it also releases the canister so I can get under things. (when the mood hits me haha)

Jo Anne B.

Riccar is what I bought to replace a worthless Dyson. OH MY!!! What a difference! Highly recommend a Riccar. A bit pricey but well worth it. This machine does require bags.