Need Vacuum Recommendations - Please!

Oreck Classic works fine for me. I have a mix of tile and carpet in my home, which is two story. I also have 3 dogs. The classic was $200, they even financed it for free for a year! You don't need the Oreck with all the bells & whistles, the Classic is fine. Bags are not expensive and they sent me a small Oreck handheld vac (can't think of what the name of these is) for free for buying the Classic. It is very light so no problem to carry up & down stairs or to vacuum the stairs themselves. I've had it for over 2 years and it is working fine.

I have tiel throughout my house and I have a Bissel Feather Weight Bagless. I had a cordless rechargeable, but it worked for a while and they I never had enough power to do my whole house. So my husband got me the Bissel for Christmas. I had a cord and yes I would prefer a cordless, but it always works and works well. It picks up everything. I do have to empty it at it is bagless less, but once you get the hang of it,it's not bad. To me it's worth it for the pick up power. I do wish the word was detachable ( as it is not), but that is the only thing I don't like about it. Also as a bonus it breaks down to a dustbust size and even cleans the small crevaces all over the house where little rocks from my driveway hide (it picks up the rocks like a charm!!). I hope this helps.

I have a Dyson and love it, but also have a rechargeable in the kitchen for quick crumb pick ups. I got it at Costco, and for the life of me, can't think of the name! It isn't wonderful, but is good for those in between times and has a dust buster that can be taken out of it and used as needed. Let me know if this is the type of thing you are looking for and I can find out what it is.

I hate my Dyson. I can't wait for it to die. It's a nightmare on tile and hardwood and you have to lug the whole machine with you when you vaccum stairs because the "17 foot hose" doesn't stretch very well and ends up dragging the vaccum along behind you. The attachments decrease the effectiveness of the suction. All in all, it's the worst purchase I have ever made.

Kirby or Rainbow are the brands I would consider!

I have a swivel sweeper that i bought at bed bath and beyond for $30. I love it. I had one that broke so I chucked it but went out and bought another because I liked it so much. (It lasted a few years). I'm on #2 and have had it for 1.5 yrs. Honestly, even if I had to buy one every year, I would cuz they work well. I have all tile, and lots of rugs (some low pile rugs, one shag - works on all of them)
Best of luck!
Jen
PS - my sister bought a Shark and when she came to visit me she used mine and loved it.... then was mad cuz she paid more than 2x what I paid for mine and mine worked better.

The only vacuum that I love is the Dyson. There is an option to get it cheaper at Kohls by using the 30% discount. I looked online and the following is 319.00 - Dyson™ DC14 All Floors Vacuum - and with the discount it would only be 220+.

The kohls coupon can be found at one of my favorite coupon sites - http://www.retailmenot.com/view/kohls.com

Good luck!

I also have a Kenmore canister and hate lugging it around. I leave it downstairs where we have mostly wood and linoleum in the kitchen. It is under a bed in the downstairs guest room. Upstairs I keep a Hoover upright bagless that I bought at Cosco for $99. It is good, cheap, easy to maneuver, and comes with a hose you can unhook and use with attachments on-baord. The Kenmore was in the $250+ range. I had first bought a Dirt Devil brand but it was so LOUD I could not use it and returned it to Target. I will be reading your responses with interest since I would love to give away my Kenmore and buy a simply stick broom that works for the kitchen area, but the one I tried from Walmart (not sure of the brand) I returned since it did not pick up hardly anything. Now I just use a broom most days and then a wet swiffer. I am wondering if the swiffer vac is any good?

A broom. It works on small carpets--you'd be surprised what the vacumm leaves behind- and works on hard floors. It's lightweight and can be stored away easily.

I've never been able to find a cordless that works well. It's been years since I've tried so maybe they've improved them.

My downstairs, quick cleanup vacuum is a Bissell Easyvac that I bought for $29 the day after Thanksgiving at Walmart. It is a corded vacuum but it's small and light and I just keep it in my laundry room and pull it out to clean my tile floors in the kitchen and my wood floors in the entry and dining room. I actually have used it on my carpeted stairs as well since it's so much lighter than my other vacuum and it did a decent job there as well.

Good luck with your search!
K.

I love my Kenmore canister vac :) My mom always had Kenmores, and still does. Good luck on waiting for it to die, you'll be waiting a while!! (I've still got my mom's old one, and while it's not the greatest like the newer models, it still works! haha)

A few years ago I tried a Bissell 3-in-1 cordless stick vac when I was living in a dorm. It was great at first, but after a while, the battery wouldn't hold a charge for more than about 10 minutes! It was ridiculous! I just looked on their Web site & they don't even have a cordless one anymore haha

I never tried another cordless, or any stick actually, yet. I'm going to stay away from cordless tho... I don't want to have to buy a new one every year because of the battery!

I would also suggest reading reviews on Amazon. Make sure you read the ones rated lots of stars, and the ones rated with only 1 or 2. That way you get the good & the bad :)

The Dyson is the best vacuum ever made!!! And it comes in a small compact one!

I love the swiffer vac for in between vacuums, it works really well and is inexpensive and lightweight, but it doesn't do carpets