[2015] Best all around vacuum cleaner

[WinniWoman]

Since they stopped making the old Electrolux models, I have not been able to find the perfect vacuum cleaner. The old machines used to have an attachment for bare floors with a soft brush, and an attachment for rugs that WAS NOT a rotary- it was just like the bare floor attachment without the brush. This was helpful on the rugs at risk of snags or very flat rugs. The old Electrolux models lasted for many years- the new vacuums- forget it!

I have been through a Sears Progressive (broke after 3 years), a Hoover upright, a modern plastic Electrolux- all not suitable for the different floor types- made of plastic, crappy attachments, hard to push through thicker rugs, snags and rips up our flat berber carpet, or no suction! And- I find what you pay doesn't make a difference.

I am now just sweeping our wood floors with a soft dust mop as opposed to vacuuming. I am using a cheap $25 stick vac on the flat rug at risk for snagging and pulling and for the thicker rug that the upright can't seem to push through, the upright for the couple of area rugs. fI I need to reach to the ceiling for cobwebs or clean the baseboards I now have to use a duster.

It's making me nuts! Is there a vacuum cleaner out there that works for everything?

 

[vacationhopeful]

I brought a Dyson DC25 a year or so ago on QVC ... payment plan.

Have the "turn the brush off switch" on the fly at the top of the canister ... as I have bare wood floors, high $$ oriental rugs and junk rugs in the high traffic areas in the house.

Been pleased ... easy to empty and seems to get everything. AND I have done the 5-7+ vacuums looking, too.

PS If NOT happy, QVC has a great return policy .. send it back!

 

[WinniWoman]

Thanks for the suggestion, Linda! When the brush bar is turned off, how does it glide on the floors? I assume the rollers are plastic. They don't scratch? I have just spent a fortune having my floors redone. Amazon shows it as coming with a hard floor tool. I have to check into this further.

The fact that the brush bar turns off is great for my rugs! That's what I have been looking for.

This might be the one. Now I have to come up with the money..not sure if hubby will want to go for it....

 

[SMHarman]

I'd also suggest the Dyson for the same reasons. It has not scratched the floors in our gut reno apartment. The kids and chairs that lost their foot pads have though.
The ball makes it easy to maneuver and the filters are washable in the sink.

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

 

[noson7982]

Sebo Vacuum

The Best Vacuum I have ever purchased was the German Made Sebo
http://www.sebo.us/

 

[vacationhopeful]

..., When the brush bar is turned off, how does it glide on the floors? I assume the rollers are plastic...

It has a big rubber ball with 2 plastic casters while act as balancing wings. Easy to glide as the handle is on the ball area. I was surprised the first time using it as it seem so light and free moving (was NOT fighting the suction of the machine holding it to the rug).

Nor on the wood floors do I have it throwing sand and grit all of the place ... it sucks it up.

 

[presley]

I also use a Dyson for floors. I don't have the one with a ball. I bought an older model on woot for about $150. less than what they were selling for at Costco at the time.

 

[Passepartout]

I see the Dyson 'Ball' vacuums on Woot as refurbs frequently. Makes me wonder about their quality. So far my bagless Hoover seems to be working fine. DW came with an Oreck 'Hotel Vacuum'. POS! If I thought I could get it into the trash without her noticing, it'd be OUTTA HERE! She likes it because it's light and easy to use. Problem is, it doesn't suck!

BTW, I happen to have one of those old steel Electroluxes in virtually new condition. Cloth covered hose, handle with the flip-over hard surface/carpet head, retractable power cord and all. I see they are worth hundred$ on eBay, but I'm too lazy to box it up and sell it.

Jim

 

[NWTRVLRS]

Love the Dyson V6 Animal... Goes from floor to carpet without any changes... Perfect for everyday use to clean up small, messes... Goes from full vacuum to small handheld with attachments... And is cordless... Perfect for stairs!

 

[SMHarman]

I see the Dyson 'Ball' vacuums on Woot as refurbs frequently. Makes me wonder about their quality. So far my bagless Hoover seems to be working fine. DW came with an Oreck 'Hotel Vacuum'. POS! If I thought I could get it into the trash without her noticing, it'd be OUTTA HERE! She likes it because it's light and easy to use. Problem is, it doesn't suck!

BTW, I happen to have one of those old steel Electroluxes in virtually new condition. Cloth covered hose, handle with the flip-over hard surface/carpet head, retractable power cord and all. I see they are worth hundred$ on eBay, but I'm too lazy to box it up and sell it.

Jim

It's like the Bose and TiVo refurbs. You trial it don't like it and return it. Then it can't be sold as new.

Checked out cleaned. New dust and scratch free canister and on to the next user.

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk

 

[klpca]

I love my Dyson too. I'm not sure which model I have but it has the ball. I bought a refurbished model on Overstock and added the 3 year warranty. I haven't needed to use the warranty, but buying it that way saved me over $100. My vacuum looked new when it arrived.

It does a great job on both hard floors and carpet. The container is easy to empty. The machine just makes sense. The attachments store on the vacuum, they are easy to use. Mine has been cleaning up after a Labrador and an Aussie mix and has done a great job. They seem expensive but they are worth every penny.

 

[JudyH]

I got a Shark Pro for $159 at BJs. I have mostly tile floors, and one large oriental rug. I have cats, and a sandy environment.

I am humiliated by how much dirt this vacuum picks up. Dirt I can't see.

I love it.

 

[Elan]

We've had our Dyson DC25 for about 6 years now. I won't claim that it's the best vac on the market, but I've been impressed with it's performance and reliability.

Here's a thread that I started prior to settling on the Dyson:

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101844&highlight=DC25

 

[SueDonJ]

I love the Dyson Animal (ball, not cordless) for the way it easily picks up what seems like a whole puppy that Ted sheds every other day, but not for the way it catches on the corners of throw rugs. I've actually sat down on the floor and put a few stitches into the rugs - not the kind of sewing I enjoy doing.

My old Oreck upright didn't have pick-up anywhere near the Dyson but the Oreck canister works better than the Dyson, even better than Swiffer dry cloths which I think are the greatest invention ever, on our wood and tile floors.

 

[DeniseM]

I have no idea what the best vacuum cleaner is - I'm just waiting for a vacuum spammer to inform us.

 

[WinniWoman]

I love the Dyson Animal (ball, not cordless) for the way it easily picks up what seems like a whole puppy that Ted sheds every other day, but not for the way it catches on the corners of throw rugs. I've actually sat down on the floor and put a few stitches into the rugs - not the kind of sewing I enjoy doing.

My old Oreck upright didn't have pick-up anywhere near the Dyson but the Oreck canister works better than the Dyson, even better than Swiffer dry cloths which I think are the greatest invention ever, on our wood and tile floors.

I was thinking of just getting Swiffer dry cloths INSTEAD OF a vacuum cleaner for the wood floors- is that sufficient?

 

[SueDonJ]

I was thinking of just getting Swiffer dry cloths INSTEAD OF a vacuum cleaner for the wood floors- is that sufficient?

I think so. Plus whatever is in the wet cloths solution hasn't harmed my wood floors one bit. (I have the simple stick Swiffer to handle the few wood floors in this house but plan on buying this one for our next house which will have wood floors throughout.)

 

[stmartinfan]

I'm also a Dyson fan. The old yellow (non ball) model I bought 17 years ago got handed down to my daughter and is still going strong. Only repair has been to purchase a new hose after original one got a hole after many years of being stretched to reach my very long staircase.

My current Dyson animal (ball) version works great too and we use it on our hardwood floors and hand woven rugs, as well as carpet. It picks up stuff like crazy. Head area was popping apart after something got wrapped around the beater bar and cracked the connector (An operator error issue!) We took it to the local authorized repair place, they fixed it for no charge, and it continues to work great

With a dog, we find we must vacuum the wood floors to get up hair, plus stuff like crumbs under our table. A Swiffer would just move that stuff around. I use a wet Swiffer in bathrooms, but only after I vacuum first.

 

[TUGBrian]

friend I know who owns a cleaning business says the only one that survives the day in day out use without destroying itself is the oreck.

while not currently in the market for a vaccum, id lean towards that brand if I ever had to buy another one!

 

[taterhed]

Costco has the Dyson animal plus...2 models actually. The smaller one is now on sale for $350. 5 year warranty and Costco's ridiculously good return policy.

FWIW, Target (which also has Dyson) has a vacuum (shark?) with a Swiffer-like head on it to trap dirt/dust on hard floors, suck up most of it and swif the rest. I'm not brave-enough to try it, but it looks very useful.

We have the Progressive (ok, but 5 years max and cheap plastic) Miele (expensive and not as strong as the sears--already had 1 $150 repair out of warranty!) but lasts a long time.

I think we're going to Costco the Dyson.

 

[MuranoJo]

Here's another one chirping in on the benefits of the Dyson animal. (I think we have the Animal 25--got at BB&B with one of their 20%-off coupons.)

We've had this for at least 8 years and love it on all surfaces. (No problems at all with it, so can't explain the # of refurbs.) As Linda mentioned, there's a button to push to change from brush action to non-brush when you want to vacuum hard wood or linoleum, for example. And I recently purchased the attachment which allows you to lay the accessory wand flat and vacuum under a king-size bed or hard-to-reach low-height furniture. IMO, the very best attachment you can get separately is the soft dusting brush. I use it to dust delicate oil paintings, lampshades, furniture, shelves, etc. It's quick and does a great job, vs. using a Swifter, IMO.

 

[Talent312]

The top three from "Consumer Search" (a digest of reviews)...

Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away -- Best bagless vacuum
The Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away is one of the most versatile vacuums you can buy, converting from an upright vacuum to a canister vacuum -- and reviewers say both work equally well. Its range of accessories, all of which store onboard, give it an extra-long reach for cleaning hard-to-access areas. This quiet-yet-powerful vacuum cleaner is a strong contender against far more expensive models, but at a price that owners say is a great value. The Rotator gets raves for its maneuverability.

Hoover WindTunnel T-Series Rewind Bagless -- Best cheap bagless vacuum
In one professional test, the Hoover WindTunnel UH70120 is a top choice, earning Excellent or Very Good ratings for all cleaning tasks. Owners agree, saying this Hoover is easy to use and does a great job on carpeted floors. It's particularly beloved by pet owners, who are pleased with how well this vacuum picks up pet hair. On the downside, it is noisy.

Dyson Ball Multi Floor -- Best for for hardwood floors
Formerly known as the Dyson DC65, and still widely sold under that name, the Dyson Ball Multi Floor is the answer for those who primarily have wood floors. It gets excellent reviews for cleaning everything from chunky items like kitty litter to finer messes like pet hair. Owners also say it easily makes the transition from hardwood to carpet. A few say its ball technology makes it a bit difficult to navigate on hardwood and tile, but most say that just takes some getting used to.

Their 2 cents.

 

[WinniWoman]

Thanks everyone for these great suggestions!

 

[Passepartout]

Coincidence??? Today's Amazon Gold Box deal is the Dyson 'Ball' DC41 refurb in purple for $200. Retail on these is $600. Sooooo here: Too late.... they're gone.

Jim

 

[stmartinfan]

The reason refurbished models are available is likely because the machines are pricey enough originally to make it worthwhile. Most of the cheaper brands end up in the landfill, rather than being fixed up and re-sold.

I know Dyson recently had a trade in offer where they would give you a some money off on a new model when you brought in a old vacuum. They do upgrade their models periodically, so I'm sure there are some people who want the latest one.