Comments on: Archives 4/10 – 4/16 2005-2008

By: Alexis

Alexis — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 16:32:13 +0000

Miele is the brand recommended if you have allergies because the canister is also fully HEPA sealed – dust doesn’t escape at the outer seals like it does with others vacuums. Price range is about $450-$1200. Price depends on what features you want and they do have rather nifty features. They are sold, around where I live anyway, in sew-n-vac shops.

By: Mary Beth

Mary Beth — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:07:27 +0000

Roomba was fun for awhile. Machine didn’t work out as planned because it would get hung up on little things like edges of drapes and carpets. Had to “update” the computer a couple of times and had to toss it when the charging unit quit charging. No way to fix it. Sad.

Dyson is heavy “workhorse” machine bought before the fancy plastic colors. My complaint is that they keep improving it. Now it has the ball traction, better than the one I bought. Amazed at all the dust it picks up.

Oreck: Lightweight! Maneuverable! Was our home vac, then moved for a # of years to become the office vac in a woodworking company where it did a great job sucking up wood chips and sawdust, now the sewing studio vac (mine, all mine LOL). Still my fav and I don’t care that I have to buy bags. I can run it when I don’t feel strong.

By: Kathleen Fasanella

Kathleen Fasanella — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 18:25:23 +0000

I recommend the Consumer Reports online site.

This isn't directed at you because I know you mean well but I will never give another dime to Consumer Reports. Never. Many people I know have canceled their subscriptions. CR was great when they stuck to their mission of objective product reviews but now they're getting into politics and disasterously at that. They promote themselves as being objective, they are not. Not anymore. They're in bed with USPirg et al who get their funding from plaintiffs attorneys aka Big Law. Overlawyered says it best:

Speaking of which, Consumers Union, publisher of Consumers Reports, confirmed once again that it falls into the “hostile” and not merely “unreflective/ uninformed” category with this deplorable hatchet job, which provoked a slew of angry, substantive comments; see also blog posts including those of Carol Baicker-McKee and Sheeshamunga.

By: ch

ch — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:36:18 +0000

I recommend the Consumer Reports online site. They were really helpful in sorting out the different strengths of different types of vacs. We needed good hard-floor cleaning and major allergen control and ended up with a highish-end Kenmore canister vac, the name of which I can’t remember. By going up a model, I got a handle I can better telescope for my short self and, better yet, my kiddos as they get older. As it turns out, one of the tools is the EXACT size of the space between the spindles under the banister across the top of our staircase (no wall there). I never would have thought of checking that width first, but it’s been a lovely advantage. As with all things, check filter and bag replacement cost. With fine dust, you’ll need to replace more often. BTW, CR hates Dyson, though I have friends who love theirs.

Good luck

By: Richard_C

Richard_C — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:00:46 +0000

I don’t know if you want a wet/dry vac but if you do and you only want to buy one ever again in your life then I’d go with a Rigid. Pricey, but the performance and warranty are pretty much unbeatable. http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Wet-Dry-Vacs/index.htm

By: Leslie Hanes

Leslie Hanes — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:22:41 +0000

My first Dyson was the big, bulky upright. I hated it. I had to be feeling well just to move it around. The ones I have now are a lightweight version of the upright.
Yes, they are plasticy. But I don’t care, they have wonderful suction. You never have to buy bags, so for me that’s a trade-off for the plastic.

By: Esther

Esther — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:59:13 +0000

By: kathleen

kathleen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 19:59:54 +0000

I have a sneaking suspicion that Dyson is like a home sewing Bernina. I’d prefer the equivalent of an Adler. Adler is a far superior machine (not even a fair fight), costs 1/4 to 1/3 the price (of a bernina) and you can amuse yourself polling people to see who really knows what by whether they know what it is. I want a not famous but much better machine. I saw Dyson’s at Sam’s. It was gunked up with plasticy fashionable decorator colors (that I don’t like anyway) and that it’s designed that way makes me suspicious. I have to pay for that. I will pay for a good machine but I want the money to be spent on features rather than a “pretty” molded plastic carapace. Maybe it’s good, it just reminds me too much of the decorator, color coded groupings of buttons on a home bernina. And the swoopiness of it. Give me a good solid stainless steel canister that you can shine up with a brillo pad and I’m a happy girl. Like a bernina, it worries me that dyson is entirely too popular. I’m thinking machines made by Metropolitan can only survive in today’s market because it’s a better machine and just enough people know that. The dyson and metropolitan cost the same more or less but one is stainless and the other’s plastic.

By: Robyn S.

Robyn S. — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 18:51:42 +0000

I’ve heard great things about Dysons. I am tired of buying semi-cheap vacuums and then having the stop working after a year or two. Next time, I’m definitely investing in something better.

By: kathleen

kathleen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:22:49 +0000

When DH got home from grocery shopping, I told him I've decided we need to go buy a new home entertainment system.