Need Recommendations for Vacuum Cleaner!

I had spent $100 a year on getting a new vacuum and each year it would die so I finally broke down and bought a $350 Dyson and I have already had it over 3 years and I love it! Goes back to that old saying, "You get what you pay for". I have a yellow one and the model is a few years old now but next time I know what my first choice will be and I recommend it to anyone.

I bought a dyson 4 years ago, it's the yellow one I think a DC14 or something...it's the best vacuum I've EVER bought...I have berber carpet, hardwook floors, vinyl and tile in my home...I use it everywhere. It cleans really well and is not very heavy. I got mine at best buy for $400 but I got a $100 gift card for the store that we were able to use for something we needed. I know Kohls has them and they do go one sale and if you have a kohlscard you can get other discounts too. I definately think it's worth every penny..

I have an Orek and LOVE it. That being said check their website, sometimes they have really good sales. I think we paid less than $400 for ours, and it also came with a cannister vac and a really nice iron. That is the only vaccum that I have ever owned that I really loved. Sorry I know you were looking for something lower priced.

I love my Dyson (D14?) that I've had a year. My inlaws have an Oreck that is great - much easier to lift up the stairs, but I think my Dyson pet attachment works better at cleaning the stairs (though it's not as easy to get out and hooked up as I had expected).
My mom recently bought a Kirby. It is WAY TOO heavy (she doesn't have stairs) and bulky for me, but is also like industrial strength and does a good job on all types of floors. I really like having a bagless vacuum (my Dyson). Good luck!
Note: I also have a Shark vacuum, and it does not clean regular/long carpet well at all - I use it on tile and hardwood between real cleanings. I don't consider it a true vacuum - more like an electric sweeper.

We just purchased a Electrolux (sp?) and I LOVE it! Works great on all: Hardwood, Tiled flooring, Carpeting (I have Berber carpet) and the attachments are super easy to work with. Not to mention it is not so loud and high-pitched that it kills the ears.

Hi L.,
I have a Eureka "The Boss" vacuum and I LOVE it! I got it for Christmas last year and it is under $200. They have them at Walmart and Bed, Bath & Beyond. It has a bag (which I like better than a canister, traps everything better) and an excellent Hepa filter. The attachments are great, especially the one for the stairs. It is pretty light weight too. I have a friend who has the same Eureka and a Dyson and she loves the Eureka just as much as the Dyson. Good place to check out reviews is http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/index.htm Good luck!

I bought a Kirby about 5 yrs ago and love it!!!! It cost about $1000.00 with the shampoo attachement. To do it over again, I would not purchase the shampoo attachment. The vacumm is great with great attachments and tools. It's a real machine made from metal not plastic. I change the belt about once a year and have had zero problems. You have to order the bags from them, but they come super fast in the mail. When I put in my last one, I just call them and they arrive about two days later. Cleans the floor better than ANY vacuum I've ever had and I have 2 kids, one dog, three cats and we always have tons of people in our house. I give it a 10 out of 10.

A few years back I got a Bissell PowerTrak from Kohl's (big sales) which is bagless.... I also have a Hoover with a tool rack (not bagless) for upstairs. The Bissell is great for getting the dirt that tracks in, while the Hoover is good for getting dust bunnies out of the corners.

Both have long cords so I can plug them in at the top of the stairs and do the stairs by moving the vac about three times. The Bissell came with a crevice tool and a round brush...the Hoover has crevice, round and the small upholstry brush (probably better for stairs.

My next vac will be another bagless. I never know when the bag is too full. At least I can see the dirt and filter on the Bissell so I can know when to clean it.

I love my Dyson!! I've had it for about 4 years. Has attachments for doing stairs and furniture, is great on carpet and hardwood. I would get the one with the ball, though. That one is lower to the ground and would go under kitchen cupboards nicely. I didn't get that model when I got mine because it was so different but I would have gotten used to it and now wish I had.

for less than $100 at Bed Batha nd Beyond with the coupon, get the Shark rechargeable... I love mine. it's light, I keep it close, so I actually use it... no bags, rechargable battery. I also like the shark steam cleaner.

Hi L., sorry I don't have any recommendations, but I am curious about new vaccums also. I have a 500# vac, that I want to leave in my basement and would like a new one for the main part of my house. stairs, hardwood kind of the same as you, but I would lkike to pull the hoses out of the machine and use them and plug them back in. I don't want seperate hoses. I also have 3 dogs and 2 cats so it needs to do great with pet hair. So if you get any good recommendations could you please pass them on to me. I am really curious what all these wonderful moms come up with.
Thank youi.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Cindy

We have had many vacuums over the years, and the best one we've had is our Dyson animal. Yes, it's expensive, but I think it's worth every penny and then some! It's outlasted all of our other vacuums, and we've only had it 2 years.

You can usually find a good deal on Dysons at Kohl's, if you get a 20% or 30% off coupon in the mail.

My daughter just bought an Orek upright that came with a canister and an electric broom for the kitchen. I think it was about $300 for all of it, plus Orek has a GREAT warranty.

I went through several bag-less vacuums and with two dogs, I wore them out within a few years. I finally bought a Hoover Windtunnel with a HEPA bag, and I will never go back to a bagless.
It wasn't in my price range, but the Oreck XL is a wonderful vacuum and great service available. My mom has one, and my brother is looking to buy one soon, too.

I love my panasonic mc-v5725, they came out with a new model that lowers and turns the brushes off to do hardwood, or tile, and if mine weren't still alive and kicking, I would get it. They are about 300 in Fenton, but when I go back home to alma, they are 225. You can't get them at the big chain store, you can get them at the local vacuum places, there is one on leroy st in fenton. It has enough suction to pull the dust bunnies from aobut 2 ft away with the hose. All on board attachments, foot action release, just pull to get the hose unattached to use it.

The down sides... does not lay down flat as some do. I use it on stairs but it is a little harder than some to use on stairs. The hose is a bit short for my husbands liking. The air exhaust comes out pretty powerful and points down a little so it will blow a dust bunny away from you if you are on hard surfaces.

I am thinking that the new model that is designed for hardwood has taken care of a few of the drawbacks as well, but I have used oreck, rainbow, bissell and dirtdevil, and this is the only brand that I will ever buy again, because I HATE to vacuum and I never have to go over hte same space twice.

I know you said you don't want to spend a lot, but after going through 2 vacuum cleaners in just a few years, we invested in the Dyson and it was beyond worth it. It' works so well, is easy to use and is very durable. No bags to mess with or replace! When I had a problem with the hose, it wasn't even under warranty and they sent me a new one free of charge. Great customer service. Very worth the money! You can find them on ebay for less money too!

i just bought the Shark rechargeable too and love it! I have mostly hardwood floors with some area rugs. It works great! I've only had mine for a few weeks so I can't comment on how long it will last etc. I bought mine at Costco for close to $50. They had it on sale a few weeks ago.

I love my Oreck. I have had it at least five years and it still works great. I know they have them at Costco right now. I saw them. What is nice about these also is that they come with a maintenance plan for two years. You just drop it at a store and they clean it, change belts, etc. It is a free tune up!! I believe it also comes with the small vaccuum for the stairs which I love too. My sons is my stair cleaner and loves to do it. My mom and sister have them too. My sister got the more expensive hypoallergenic model because she has allergies.

L.,
We have a Dyson, and I would not trade it for any other vacuum! Our whole family owns one. We have had ours for 5 years or so, and it still works great - the best investment we have made! Prior to it, we spent over $100 about 18 months on a vacuum cleaner - now, no worries!

Check out Miele. I loooooooove mine. They cost between $###-###-####, but are worth it. I will never use another!