I'm in need of a new one with are new dog and shedding. All the talk is Dyson animal vacuum but the price, ouch. Hoover ,Bissel and other ones,which one to choose. Have a old Kerby which we use now.

We are at two years with the Dyson Animal. It flat out works, no regrets here. We have three dogs...

We had a Kirby maybe a G5, worked great but its very heavy. We move to a house with lots of stairs it got to be to much for the wife. We bought a parade of Hoovers, Electrolux and others before we broke down and bought the Dyson animal, weve got two dogs.

Brought the Dyson home and vacuumed the the rugs that were just vacuumed and it filled the container with stuff.

The Dyson did break the latch that hold the container in broke. I called Dyson to by a new latch. They would not sell it to me, rather they gave me a repair tag number and a location to drop it off, for me Sears was closest.

I havent dropped it off yet...

My wife is a clean freak she vacuums every day, at most every other day.

The Dyson was just under $500, the pile of sub $100 other brands cost more and the Dyson keeps going.

Price a new Kirby, its a cult

They give you a mortgage when you buy one

Read the reviews IE: Consumer Reports. The Dysons are not all they claim to be, plus for that kind of money lots of fancy advertising

Assuming Bagless

Number1,is the Hoover Windtunnel $130

2, LG $500 !!

3, Dyson (animal) $600!!!

4, Eureka $100

There are several more listed as Best Buys for $100 with performance equal or better than the Dyson

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Still Running Against the Wind

Do you know what month consumers report that was in about the vacuums?

Vacuums are all about the amperage of the motor. You want no less than 10 amps and 12 is even better.
I have a Hoover Wind Tunnel that has been going strong for ten years. Only had to replace the beater brush as our carpet wears like iron.
The Dyson has a twist motion which may be hard on the wrist.
This was pointed out to me at Sears by a salesperson.
Things to avoid are handles which move back and forth switches located in the upper handle and thin protruding plastic accessory holders.
Remember to get a lot of amps.

Bruce

They all suck.

We recently purchased a Dyson DC33 and my wife loves it. We had two dogs (one just passed away a few days ago). Amazon had a good price.

Amazon.com: Dyson DC33 Multi-Floor Upright Bagless Vacuum Cleaner: Home & Kitchen

I just used the 2012 Buyers Guide and just noticed that the last two pages are blank where they usually list the items in guide and the last review date?? I need to call them about this!

We should just sign up for the online version.

If you need more info just PM me.

EDIT: Well duh!, The most recent is the current issue 3/2012. Sitting on my family room table.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Overstock.com often has refurbed Dysons for sale. We bought a refurb from them 6-7 years ago and it is still going strong without any issues.

bob

We have been using a Shark Navigator for a couple of years and could not be more pleased. I have seen it advertised for as low as $169. The machine had great reviews and exceeded our expectations. Shark® Navigator™ Lift-Away® & Navigator™ Lift-Away® Pro User Website | NavigatorClean.com"

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John. SWCA #1586

Get one that the handle can bend almost to 180 degrees so you can vac easily under stuff. Get one that the dirt canister releases easily so you don't have to figure it out every time you dump it and spill all the dirt accidentally. If you're gonna use an upright with an attachment hose to clean furniture, the attachment brush is driven by vacuum and clogs with pet hair and the brush stops immediately. After trial and error I've settled on a Bissel upright for carpets and a Eureka handheld with powered brush for stairs and furniture.

P.S. I have ironing tips too.

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SOS USA

Oreck....and here are more letters so it will allow me to post to this thread. Nothing to add, just typing in some more stuff because when I tried to post it said I should have at least 10 letters. This amount should be about sufficient, so I will go ahead and attempt to post to the thread again. It should work this time.

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Even older, even crankier....

We bought the Dyson DC 14 all floor model probably 6 or 7 years ago. It is still as strong as it was the day we brought it home and have never had any problems with it. With 2 dogs we fill it 3 to 4 times a week. Prior to this we had the compaq which I thought was pretty good but I have to say the Dyson works circles around it.

When I want a real vacuum cleaner, I break out the 6 HP wet-or-dry shop vac.

It sucks up small animals and any unattended tools.

The other vacs are just powered floor dusters in my experience.

Riccar SupraLite still going strong, but had to have belt replaced after 8 yrs.

Also....MADE IN USA.

On my 4th dog to go along with my Dyson Animal and it has worked perfectly for the past 4 years.

We like our Dyson.

Bought a Dyson Animal (purple with "ball") three years ago to try and keep up with the hair from two yellow and one chocolate lab. Really did a nice job at vacuming up hair from the carpet and wood floors. Two drawbacks, dumping the canister, which is hard to do w/o getting a "dust cloud" in the room and the weight of the vacum cleaner. It weighs a ton! Hard on the arms and shoulders after pushing it around for twenty minutes.
We recently gave it to my daughter and ordered a new Oreck Platinum and couldn't be more satisfied. It's like pushing a feather around the floors and carpeting. Does an equal or better job of picking up dog hair (we're down to two labs, but have a new Pointing Griffon puppy arriving mid-April........they're not supposed to shed as much as labs!)
It was expensive, around $500 delivered, but included a really great portable vacum and a supply of replacement bags all at no additional cost. We used to have Oreck's until both my daughters absconded with them when they went to college. Believe it's a good product and also comes with a good warranty.
BTW, I have a collection of Hoover's and Eureka's in the basement.......all junk IMO.

We have a very ancient Kirby that's no use. My wife had/has a rainbow and she hates the canister following her and omg the water basin is horrible! With 3 cats and a 90 pound fur ball (golden retriever) we want to spend the money once! I appreciate all the feedback! Maybe we will just buy a fleet of deshedding machines. Seemes it may be the path of least resistance.

I've been very pleased with my Dyson dc 28 animal. Had for almost 3 yrs now. It is a bit heavy, but for how well the thing works compared to the hoover wind tunnel, it's worth it. With 2 dogs , every 3 to 4 days I get enough hair to make another dog or two. I also like the washable filters on these Dyson models.

What he said!! DC-17 6 years...

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RIP Shipmate

I use a Hoover Windtunnel. I've never had a problem with it, and it works great.

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Misty

The older Kirby machines would be fabulous for pet hair except they all have fairly soft bristle brushrolls. The new G-5 and up models can be equipped with a stiff brush pet hair brushroll. Wish they would make one for my 24 year old Legend model so I could still use it. We use a Kenmore Progressive 360 canister now. It is a pet hair terminator, though I HATE dragging the canister around. Well made machine, as it should be for the $400 price tag.

I will not use a bagless vacuum for pet hair. Too messy to empty indoors. Good thing the Kenmore series is popular,as there are quality aftermarket bags available everywhere.

I'm kinda surprised nobody mentioned the Pflugel. Great machine at a fair price.

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Forum consigliere

gotta url for that?

Mr. Pflugel doesn't do internet-Mrs Pflugel caught him surfing porn and from then on it's strictly word of mouth. They do advertise in the Pixley Statesman's Special March 14th holiday issue though.

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Forum consigliere

We had a Kirby when I was a kid It went 20+ years strong. Now the wife has a G4 Kirby that is about 12+ years old and going strong. I took it to a Kirby shop and gave it a tune up about 5 years ago and it runs as good as new.

You couldn't give me any other vacuum that doesn't have the Kirby name on it. Yes a Kirby is heavy, but it's built to last, and if the performance gets low take it to the shop and get it a tune up for about $50-$60.

Once you've gone Dyson, you'll never go back. I'll get you her sister's number....

Contrary to popular belief, the motor amperage isn't the most important factor. Airflow is.

While looking for a good sturdy high performance vacuum for work, I visited a local privately owned vacuum store.

We ended up with a Royal commercial duty all metal vacuum.

No fancy tubes or tunnels. And no on board cleaning tools. Just raw power and suction with an outstanding brush. The brushes on the roller can be replaced easily. No plastic parts in the motor either.

Best side cleaning vacuum I ever saw.

I suggest visiting a local store. Consumer Reports is great and I use them often. But they don't always include other brands when testing.

A frequent topic on a dog forum I belong to.

Dyson is by far the most popular and the owners swear by 'em.

Bring money tho...

We have an Orek bag type. Works fine but I'm not a huge fan. The wife bought it without my knowlege. Coulda bought a Dyson for the same money.

Oreck as well.
There, 14 characters.
Wait a minute, now it's 35
Wait a minute, now it's 61
Wait a minute ...

I am going to be different and say fix the one you got. I just fixed an Oreck that had a broken housing where the beater brush goes in. I spent about $70 and got the housing a new beater brush and some new belts. It runs like new. Hmmmm $70 verses $500. I like that. Don

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"Don't worry be happy"

"Vacuums are all about the amperage of the motor. You want no less than 10 amps and 12 is even better...

...Remember to get a lot of amps."

I'm not an electrician and have always been confused by this . . .

Is amperage not a measure of electrical current draw?
When we do amperage checks on motors at work, we are trying to determine the condition of the motor's windings. I already know the horsepower rating and higher-than-rated amperage usually indicates excessive wear. What does "higher amperage" have to do with the effectiveness of a vaccuum cleaner?

Is this another example of the faulty logic that the more electricity that it uses, the greater its' performance?

As an example: In the residential water supply business, we frequently have customers who request a higher horsepower pump than what is required for their wells. Their misunderstanding is that more horsepower equates to more water. And this is simply not true. The horse power of a properly sized pump motor is based on several factors: Static water lever, total dynamic head, (tdh) supply line size, supply line distance, etc. The desired amount of water delivered is received by matching the proper size motor to the proper sized pump! A well pump consists of two primary components; a motor and a pump end. A vaccuum cleaner consists of two primary components; a motor and the mechanism it is attached to.

Someone please explain the shortcomings in my understanding.

Back to the OP's question . . .

I would ask my self and then price & compare what commercial users, such as hotels use.

As an example; when in the market for a new chainsaw, I ignored what the big box stores sell and turned to a business that SPECIALIZES in commercial outdoor power equipment.

Just a thought.

My wife and I have done animal rescue for years. We've been through a lot of vacs. We bought a new house about 6 years ago. at that time we had 5 dogs. Since then 2 have passed away.
Now we have 3 dogs downstairs and 2 cats upstairs. About three years ago I bought a Dyson DC25. I was initially disturbed about the expenditure, I could have purchase a nice Mdl 19/66 for that price, but now I am sold. Easy to use and clean, trackball works great and it does a fantastic job! So yeah, I LIKE it.
Mike

Consumer's Reports (this month) had a report on vacuum cleaners. All you need to spend is $200.00 for a top model. Check that out.

My sister had a Dyson and she stopped using it. She said she had to empty it outdoors or there would be dust all over the house. I have the same experience with my shop vacs.

I bought an Electro-Lux canister unit (at BJ's Club) because my house cleaner said she liked it. It is very quiet and nicely engineered (but pricy). It also uses fairly expensive vacuum cleaner bags. They are nice because the self-seal as you remove them so there is no dust around at all. It also has a secondary filter to keep the air clean. I recommend it (I have a dog and two long-haired cats.)

I say, "Nay" to any bagless.

I have had a couple of Kirbys. One of them had all the attachments. I mean ALL. It had the grinding wheel with the slot for sharpening knives. It had the rug shampooer. It had a buffing wheel. It had the flex cable for the buffing pad, and a couple flavors of buffing compound. You could turn the thing back on itself and it would polish its own alloy castings, almost like Azimov's self-repairing robots. Okay, like a metaphor for Azimov's robots.

The Kirbys are all gone now, with different exes, lost in time, like tears in rain.

Clyde the Lab and Buddy the Pappilon live in the basement with me. I have laminate floors and some throw rugs. The wife gave me her old Oreck and it seems to work OK when I get around to vacumming. It sure fills up fast.
My question: How can these two dogs produce so much hair? They seem to produce twice their own volume of hair every few days! And I brush them in the garage with a Furminator and follow up with a regular brush every other day! Unbelievable!

If you give your dogs a warm bath at the beginning of the shedding season they will blow out their coat in just one week. Brush daily for one week after the warm bath and you are pretty much done with the shedding for the season. For my German Shepherd that meant two bathes a year; a manageable number and a lot less fur in the house.

Thanks for the tip. I'll do it. With the Lab, I swear the shedding season is 365 days a year!

[Tim the Toolman] MORE POWER! (grunt grunt)[/Tim the Toolman]

We (she) used to have too @#$% many cats. Now we are down to two. I bought an Oreck XL a few years ago because I got tired of lugging the Kirby around. We went through a bunch of bagless type models and i got tired of cleaning all the filters free of hair and muck. I went with the Oreck as they use the same Hepa rated type bags as the Kirby, take forever to fill, and the thing can be lifted by only my pinky finger it's so light. It's very easy to get into corners and under the coffee table and edge of the sofa. I didn't like the price tag, but after a couple years of cat hair, bird feathers, and tracking in all the dirt we can it's still going strong.

We have had as many as ten dogs living with us at one time & all of them in the house daily (seven Irish Setters, 2 Great Pyrenees and one Schnazamo). Currently we have 4 Irish Setters (with a batch in the oven) and one Schnazamo.

I literally have tried them all - and I have 2 Hoovers and one Sharp in the garage you can have free if you will pay for the shipping. The Dyson Animal with the ball is the best of the bunch and is on it's 5th year - my TherMax is better than the Dyson and has carpet rinse/cleaning function as well but it's not very easy to use.

No bags to buy - no water to fuss with and dog fur, dog dander, dirt and the stuff dogs track in is picked right up with the Dyson - I don't empty the container in the house - I take it outside right into the trash can then take the air hose and blow it out completely. You will be astonished at what it will pick up.

Shop around you will find it just under $500 if you try.


Pete

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Don't tread on me

Come on guys. We're men. We don't discuss vacuum cleaners. We get out the pressure washer and blow everything out the front door.

Pete nailed it...we've always changed the bag or emptied the container out on the patio or in the garage. I can't see emptying it in the house...

I like the Electro-lux. It seals the bag as you remove it. No need to run out to the outhouse to take a ****. And it is very, very quiet. A nice touch. And if you get something caught in the beater bars a solenoid shuts the motor before you burn up the drive belt.

We just bought our second "Eureka Boss." It's a true HEPA and has bu-koo suction. Our previous same model Eureka went about 8 years and it's stilll going strong. The only reason we got a new one was because the normal wear parts to restore the original to new condition would have cost more than the new unit. My wife is a "clean freak" and used the original like a borrowed horse. This current model is the "Pet Lover"-a bright yellow upright and it performs as well, if not better, than the original "Smart Vac Boss. In all honesty though the "Pet Lover" model is virtually identical, except for color, as the original. Same bags, filters and so forth. The yellow paint and the name "Pet Lover" artifically ups the cost. I got it for only $99+tax at a local vac. shop. It was called a factory refurb but you couldn't tell if it was ever used or not. A new machine is only about $150. It came with a factory warranty so what more could a person want? I see on the Wally World site they sell the same refurb units for a little less with the same warranty. No shipping charges if you have a Wally nearby to pick it up at. That's where I would have gotten this unit had they been able to get it to me before Christmas. Bags and filters for this model are on sale by lots of vendors selling on Ebay. Again tremendous savings. The complete vacs are sold on Ebay also. I used an Ebay seller named Crucial Vac recently to order from and they ship fast with excellent customer relations. Hope this helps and if you get one of these Eureka's I know you will be happy with the cost and performance. We were and thats why this is our second one.

This.

I love our dyson animal with the 50 ft cord, but you have to be very carefull with it. If you keep the nozzle in the same spot for more than 2 seconds, it will suck the thread out of the carpet.