Seeking Moms Advice on a New Vacuum Cleaner

In recent years I have had both a Dyson (model 7) and the Kenmore Intelliclean. I had problems with the Dyson including hoses that broke within the first year, the upholstery accessory broke off staying lodged in it's storage place and the hook on the waste cup bottom broke. I had them replaced under warranty, but I spent a week or so without a vacuum. It also tends to be kind of large & difficult to manuever, plus heavy to carry upstairs if thats a concern. I had bought it in 2004 before the price really skyrocketed. About a year ago I bought the Kenmore Intelleclean after reading that it got the highest rating from Consumer Reports. I've been very happy with it. If you can wait, try to buy it on sale. I saved about $50 or so. It cleans up kid crumbs easily (I have 3 - 6, 4 & 3) and the Intelliclean feature lets you know when area is clean by turning from red to green. It is a bag machine & it comes with a pricey fabric hepa bag. The sales folks recommend replacing the bags with paper hepa (yellow) bags. Its much cheaper & they work just as well. I recently looked at them in the store & it looks like they've improved some of the features over the model I have such as a longer cord. As a fellow stay at home mom who's in the same boat regarding the maid, I'd say your money is better spent on the Kenmore, it's more reliable.

1 mom found this helpful

I have an Infinity by Shark I love it. Works just as well as a Dyson but much cheaper. A little hard to find I bought mine at Target but I do not believe that they sell that model any more but Bed Bath and Beyond carries the vacuum.

I love, love, LOVE my Dyson Animal. I've had it for over 2 years now and it is wonderful. My only regret is not buying one sooner!

hi K. :)
I will ALWAYS suggest the DYSON!!! :) :) :) This vaccum is WONDERFUL...suction is incredible. The price for the base model is like $350 i think and if you don't need anything but just to vaccum like normal..then thats the way to go. I have my own cleaning business so i've used SEVERAL types of vaccums and nothing has come close to the dyson. I even suggested it to total strangers at Target one day...they bought it! :) Its crazy but i swear by it!
good luck, have fun picking out what works best for you!
S.

I have the Dyson Slim and I love it. About $350 at Best Buy. Worth the money. I will never own anything other than a Dyson after having this one! It is light weight and picks up everything!

I've had great luck with Riccar. Good luck

We have pets and love our Dyson...they are worth every expensive penny!

Hi - I have a Kenmore Intelli-clean system. It is an upright that actually tells you when the floor is clean. It really brushes the heck out of carpet and rugs. I think it is $298 now and only sears sells it.

R.

I have a Riccar. You can purchase them at a true vacuum store, not the big "box" stores. It's pricy ($500), but terrific. I have 2 kids (almost 4 and almost 1) and 2 dogs. It uses a bag, but I have learned that bags really are better. You don't spread the dust and dirt in the air when you empty into the trash. That's important in my house b/c my oldest has asthma. An extra bonus, it's made in the USA.

I had a Eureka Boss before this and it was awful!

the best va. is dyson it's expensev but it's the best trhing i had ever try
i have 2 Dog and 3yr old boy in need it try it. you can buy it from homedepot.

I love my dyson...very pricy, but it leaves vaccuum lines which makes me smile! I do have a cat, so it picks up that hair, however I wouldn't consider trying to vaccuum food up. I also have a Hoover floor cleaner that I mop the floors with, which I love, and I also have a shark (like a small cordless vaccuum) that my kids use to vaccuum up their crumbs after dinner.

Hi K.!

I have gone through several vacuums over the years until my sweet husband bought me a Dyson a couple of Christmas' ago.

It was a splurge, but I haven't had any problems and I love being able to see true results.

Have a great week...

L.

I can tell you NOT to buy a Eurake Boss. I bought one in September of 07. It clogges all the time. It doesn't get the baseboard dirt, unless you pull off the hose & attachements. If you want a good inexpensive one, buy a windtunnel. I loved mine had it for 10 years before it died. My girlfriend swears by her Dyson. I would have bought one, but couldnt remember the model that would work best and Target didnt do a good job of listing features. Then of course they is my all time favorite, the Kirby. My mother had hers for 30 years, my brother is still using it today. Rebuilt it a few years ago and it is going strong.

It's expensive, but if you can afford it, you must get a Dyson vacuum cleaner. Dyson is the best. If you pay full retail, I think it costs somewhere between $450 and $500. However, Bed Bath & Beyond carries them, and you can use their 20% off coupon. This vacuum cleaner has no bags that need to be changed, which is great. I know it's very expensive, but you will never have to worry about "killing" your vacuum cleaner again.

I have the Dyson vacuum. I got it as a wedding gift a few years ago and at the time it was $500 it may have gone down in price by maybe $75 but the quality is superb. In college I spent a year in England and my flat mate had one and we definitely put it to good use. There are 4 -5 kinds; I have the original yellow one, they have one specifically for pets, and a light weight one, etc. I am sure if you look online you'll get more info.

Before I got Dyson I would get a $100 vacuum either a Dirt Devil or Hoover and maybe a year later I'd have problems with it.Granted the Dyson is difficult to drag up the stairs (tried to tell my hubby w/ need two vacuums, one for upstairs area and one for the downstairs floor, but he didn't buy that )

Hope this helps.

We have a Dyson DC 17 and love it. It is WELL worth the money.

I have a Hoover WindTunnel Supreme and love it!

Kenemore all the way!!!

I just bought a Dyson vacuum. Although pricey it is worth EVERY PENNY. I love it. It vacuums my hardwoods and carpets with a simple flip of a button. I really like it. They are just costly upfront (~$300).

Dyson!!! Love it. We have the swivel ball one (it's yellow).

We have two Kenmores ... one upright and one canister. We've owned other brands before, but these were fairly inexpensive and highly rated in Consumer Reports (plus I inherited one of them). I wouldn't part with either one!

I love my dyson. However, it does not always pick up the bigger crumbs created by little kids. Take that into consideration since they are kinda pricey.

I absolutely cannot live with my Rainbow vacuum cleaner!!! It puts all the "junk and gunk" into water; I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

I have an Oreck XL21 and LOVE it! It's expensive, but so worth it. It's really light and has a 21 year warranty.

FYI, In January, Consumer Reports chose it's quick pics:
• Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 35922 , $300, CR Best Buy
• Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 36932 , $350