Need a new vacuum

[saraha]

Our house is where vacuums go to die. I have been buying a new one about every year or so. Part of it is due to many people using the vacuum and not having any kind of regular maintenance schedule. The other part is there are 5 females and one male with long hair that all live here, and that’s a lot of hair.

Any recommendations?

[gardenmom5]

Miele

 

[WildflowerMom]

I asked this a while back.   Miele was the consensus but dh vetoed a canister and honestly it would've been hard for me to manage with my health.    We got an Oreck.  He loves it.   I'm so-so on it.   Whatever you get, get a vacuum with those little side brushes.    Now I have an oreck and a bissel zing (canister).   The zing will flat out suck anything up anywhere with the tools, NOT the regular vacuum brush sweeper so I don't use it for regular line by line vacuuming.    The oreck handles that.   Between the 2, we handle the dog hair of our heavy shedder and the human hair of our heavy shedder (me, lol).   I need tools (hence the zing) because I vacuum any and everything all the time, baseboards, ceilings, fans, countertop if needed, lol.    But I'm probably a little fanatical about vacuums.   I'll watch vacuuming and power washing videos for an hour for fun.  🙇🏻‍♀️🤣

[dsmith]

I had the same issue. I bought this to use in between vacuuming: https://smile.amazon.com/Fuller-Brush-Electrostatic-Carpet-Sweeper/dp/B01I0BTT2U?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1&psc=1

It takes less than 5 minutes to use on a large room and it's a perfect chore for younger kids. The brush needs to be cleaned often if there is a lot of long hair in the house and I end up using scissors to cut it off the brush if there's a lot. I haven't had a vacuum issue since I bought it.

[Spy Car]

Miele.

Always Miele.

Bill

 

[stephanier.1765]

I need one too. My Shark just doesn't have the sucking power it used to yet I'm afraid of getting something new that's going to hurt me. My back went out while vacuuming semi recently and I had only just started. I think I was maybe on my 3rd push. So getting a canister is scary to me because the Shark isn't a heavy machine and, with it's lesser than stellar sucking power these days, it's really not that hard to push and pull. Ugh, I just so stuck on what to get because I'm scared to death of the back thing happening again.

[Spy Car]

On 2/2/2023 at 10:38 AM, stephanier.1765 said:

I need one too. My Shark just doesn't have the sucking power it used to yet I'm afraid of getting something new that's going to hurt me. My back went out while vacuuming semi recently and I had only just started. I think I was maybe on my 3rd push. So getting a canister is scary to me because the Shark isn't a heavy machine and, with it's lesser than stellar sucking power these days, it's really not that hard to push and pull. Ugh, I just so stuck on what to get because I'm scared to death of the back thing happening again.

The Miele canisters, despite their power, are very lightweight.

They roll easily, and all one is "moving" most of the time while vacuuming are the wand and the hose, so there is actually far less mass being pushed around than using a upright on the average stroke. 

These are not like using a 1950s era steel-cased Electrolux.

Bill

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Spy Car

[sassenach]

3 hours ago, stephanier.1765 said:

I need one too. My Shark just doesn't have the sucking power it used to yet I'm afraid of getting something new that's going to hurt me. My back went out while vacuuming semi recently and I had only just started. I think I was maybe on my 3rd push. So getting a canister is scary to me because the Shark isn't a heavy machine and, with it's lesser than stellar sucking power these days, it's really not that hard to push and pull. Ugh, I just so stuck on what to get because I'm scared to death of the back thing happening again.

Have you tried replacing parts? My shark's performance dips greatly when the filters need to be replaced. Also dips when the brushes need to be de-haired. Recently I discovered that the tube leading from the base to the middle, technical terms here, was cracked and that was greatly reducing the suction. DH got a Dyson but I hated it and made him hold onto the shark. I finally got around to replacing the whole base for $100 and it's like a brand new machine. We've had this thing for at least 10 years.

[stephanier.1765]

38 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Have you tried replacing parts? My shark's performance dips greatly when the filters need to be replaced. Also dips when the brushes need to be de-haired. Recently I discovered that the tube leading from the base to the middle, technical terms here, was cracked and that was greatly reducing the suction. DH got a Dyson but I hated it and made him hold onto the shark. I finally got around to replacing the whole base for $100 and it's like a brand new machine. We've had this thing for at least 10 years.

I have done all that, well except for replacing the base. I didn't even know that was an option. What a great idea! Costco had the same model I have on sale recently for not much more than that. I really should have jumped on it. They have one of the more expensive models on sale now and it's very tempting but I need to read reviews on that one before I make that leap.

[BusyMom5]

I have a Shark and a Dyson.  The Shark has the thing that cuts hair off the roller- Genuis!  Highly recommend.  The Dyson has better suction, but I have to clean the roller regularly.  I bought extra filters for both- the washable ones- so it isnt a big deal to change them out, then wash the dirty one when I have time.  

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, sassenach said:

Have you tried replacing parts? My shark's performance dips greatly when the filters need to be replaced. Also dips when the brushes need to be de-haired. Recently I discovered that the tube leading from the base to the middle, technical terms here, was cracked and that was greatly reducing the suction. DH got a Dyson but I hated it and made him hold onto the shark. I finally got around to replacing the whole base for $100 and it's like a brand new machine. We've had this thing for at least 10 years.

Yes, we've found that if we have trouble, it either has something stuck someplace, or we need to replace something. We wash and change out filters regularly, and we love ours. We have one of the newer ones with the additional fuzzy roller--it's AMAZING for floor dust on hard floors. 

25 minutes ago, BusyMom5 said:

I have a Shark and a Dyson.  The Shark has the thing that cuts hair off the roller- Genuis!  Highly recommend.  The Dyson has better suction, but I have to clean the roller regularly.  I bought extra filters for both- the washable ones- so it isnt a big deal to change them out, then wash the dirty one when I have time.  

Is that on the machine, or did it come with the replacement filters? There are so many models, and some come with minimal attachments, etc. I thought the cutting tool was very cool when I realized what it is. 

[WildflowerMom]

Today I'm packing up the oreck I just bought (discover model) and returning it Monday.    I don't recommend it.   

[wisdomandtreasures]

We finally just got a big shop vac after 6 or 7 Sharks and Orecks in 8 years. 

[KungFuPanda]

My Meile is over 15 years old by now. It’s probably and entry level model. I’ve never taken it for maintenance, I buy the knock-off bags, and I might swap out the filters (they come with the bags) about every third or fourth bag change. I am a negligent owner and it just works. It works on carpets, rugs, and hard floors. 

[Tree Frog]

I bought a new vacuum about 18 months ago and looked at getting a Miele. The small vacuum repair shops I went to said if you get one, get the top of the line made in Germany, not the less expensive ones made in China. They said the the ones made in China needed a lot of repairs, but the one made in Germany didn't.

I ended up getting a Riccar. I wouldn't recommend it. Because we have 2 dogs and lots of fur, I chose the one marketed to pet owners. In the 18 months I've had it, the motherboard has needed to be replaced (under warranty) and I discovered I need to hit the reset button numerous times when vacuuming one 1300 sf level because the vacuum shuts off. I've since been told the button that tells me when the bag is full doesn't work with dog fur (which is part of needing to constantly reset the vacuum). This is a vacuum marketed to pets owners.

The pluses for this vacuum are that it vacuums really well (! It gets the dog fur and my longer hair up) and the bags are easy to change out. 

Edited February 4, 2023 by Tree Frog

[Spy Car]

59 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

My Meile is over 15 years old by now. It’s probably and entry level model. I’ve never taken it for maintenance, I buy the knock-off bags, and I might swap out the filters (they come with the bags) about every third or fourth bag change. I am a negligent owner and it just works. It works on carpets, rugs, and hard floors. 

Our Miele is just shy of 25 years old. I have mixed the use of bags between genuine Miele bags and the 3M Filtrete bags (which are less expensive, and still high quality).

The only time I need to have the vac services is when *I* forgot to replace a bag *and* (instead of using a shop-vac)  I used the Miele to suck up a bunch of construction dust and debris. The worst possible scenario. I took it in. Had a service. No harm done whatsoever. That was 18 years ago.

Miele vacs are simply the best. They really are. Worth every penny.

The power is excellent. The canisters are lightweight and maneuverable and NO DUST comes out of them as one vacuums. Even with 3M bags. They are basically air purifiers.  And for those with greater needs (allergies, etc) they also have optional HEPA filters. And they are pretty quiet considering how powerful the motors are.

I consider our Miele one of the all-time great purchase I've ever made.

And it was an "engagement bauble" for my wife, so the romance...

Bill