How to Pick a Vacuum Cleaner

I could not spend the money they wanted for a Dyson...I just could not do it. I have had 2 Dirt Devils in almost 20 years and was in desperate need of a new machine. I had the money to spend, but am far too practical to buckle under consumer pressure to get the name brand, so did research. I read reviews..alot of them.

I decided to go out and look and handle them. I really liked the Dyson ball. It was lightweight (on my list for hauling up and down the steps in our multi level house)...moved great...had alot of pluses. I almost walked out of the store several times with one. But the pushing $500 price tag (with coupons??) was too hard to swallow.

My other top runner was the Shark Navigator, which was closer to $200. Small and light with its own "never loose suction" guarantee. In the end thats what I got and I LOVE it. I am very pleased with my purchase. I have had it over a year now and it works fantastic.

By the way, I do home childcare, vacuum 1-3 times a day, have 2 cats who track litter all over plus the hair, plus my own family. I am very hard on anything home related, but manage to get many years out of any of my purchases.

If you can't or won't (like me, do the high Dyson price tag)..seriously look at the Shark Navigator.

I just ordered a new Dyson this weekend. I was hesitant about spending so much money on a vacuum, but after having such bad luck with the cheap ones we just did it. I researched all different types and brands before getting the Dyson Animal D25, can't wait until it gets here!! Good luck it took me a long time to finally decide on that one.

We always believed in never spending more then $100 for a vacuum. We would get a year or two out of them and figured that was ok. We finally broke down a couple years ago and bought a Dyson though and I'd never go back. I absolutely love it. Vacuuming is so much easier. We got the one that is good for pets because we have a dog that sheds and it works great. I vacuum almost every other day but it works so well. The hose is in the handle and the stairs are easy to do. I don't even think about vacuuming the kitchen floor, the furniture, the rest of the house all with only one tool and I'm not having to think about getting a new vacuum all the time. It's well worth the price and I love it. My son vacuums and so does my husband without complaints and I think it's because the vacuum is so good.

I love love love my Dyson!! I wasn't thrilled about getting a bagless, but it's not been as big a deal as I thought it would be. I like being able to see if it's picking up dirt (or if it's clogged), and I end up dumping it far more often than I would if I was changing a bag that I couldn't see when it's full. That keeps the suction high and extends the life of the vacuum (not burning up the motor).

One word. Dyson. Hands down!!!!! I like the all floors model.

We have a dyson animal and love it. It cleans up well after people, a dog, and three cats. The hose on it with an attachment is long enough to leave the vacuum at the bottom of the stairs and do all the stairs with the attachment. The only time I noticed it ever lost any suction, I read that the filters might need to be cleaned. I pulled them out rinsed them out really good as instructed, let them dry overnight and it was good as new again. If you get a clog anywhere from vacuuming large items, it is so easy to remove a small section remove the item and snap the vacuum back together. We use it on our tile and hardwood floors too and it does an amazing job. Ours is about 5 years old now and when we first got it we had just finished vacuuming with our old one took the dyson over the same room and had a full canister. We got ours at Bed, Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon.

I've owned bagless, Kirby, and Aerus (used to be Electorlux until they sold their name to Eureka). The bagless were awful. Emptying that muck was the pits! Kirby was bulky and wouldn't go under furniture, beds, etc. I opted for Aerus. Wonderful vacuum. My first one lasted 24 years. That's when I tried a couple of bagless brands. My mother had a Kirby which I inherited, and daughter has one now. I've had my current Aerus for almost 10 years and no problems whatsoever. You may pay more, but you won't have to buy another for years!!! Can't say that about most vacuums.

Dyson. I have to say we had one vaccuum cleaner for years (can't remember what it was) but after it broke we didn't have any luck keeping a cleaner working for more than a couple of years. We finally broke down and bought a Dyson and its been great. I think its worth the money in the long run and you can get them on sale online (we got ours at Costco with an $80 coupon but Home Depot had great prices as well at that time). I couldn't believe we were going to spend this much on a cleaner but if you think of it as a long term purchase, its worth it. Good luck!

Dyson is really worth the money!

We have an Oreck (sp??) and I asked my cleaning ladies once what they thought and they said the Dyson is great for about a year but that they loose their 'suck' after a while. They said they like the Oreck better ... I will say definitely get it serviced every few years, I was asking about the Dyson b/c I thought the Oreck wasn't working as well, and all it needed was a tune up.

We use a small vacuum that has a strap that goes over your shoulder for the stairs.

I love Sear's Kenmore canister. LOVE IT.

I feel like my Dyson is worth every penny. I too love the satisfaction of seeing the dirt that I am picking up and emptying it out - doing that doesn't bother me at all. I feel that it's more sanitary than those nasty bags. And the suction really is amazingly better than anything else I've ever seen, used, heard about.

Yes, Dysons are worth the money. I have a Dyson ball and love it (have owned that one for about 3 years now). Then we moved into a house with stairs and a ton of carpet, so I went to Costco and bought the canister Dyson. Love that one even more! It's made to be able to sit on the stairs without falling and has both the large vacuum head and the smaller one (for upholstery, or for the vertical part of the stairs). It came with a bunch of attachments, and the main pole is totally height adjustable (so both my 5 year old, who is super short, and I, who am 6' tall) can comfortably use it. The suction is pretty incredible, and what they say is true - no loss of suction. I'd recommend Dyson to anybody. Costco has the cheapest prices on them by far.

For the first time in my life I put down the bucks and got a Dyson. I don't regret one penny! I have two small boys, a cat and two dogs and a house full of carpet.
It's so easy and light to push and goes anywhere and very user friendly.
And yes it has an attachment that you can use for stairs.
Honest my vote is for a Dyson.
I got mine on sale at Best Buy :)
C.