Vacuum Cleaner Recommendations

It might be worth getting a membership to consumerreports.org; I think it's less than $20 a year, and really helps with such decisions.

We've had a Eureka Boss Smartvac for 4.5 years that I've loved. My hubby recently messed around with it and now it's on the fritz, but it cost $150 then, and I looked at walmart yesterday and it's $140, so for having worked so well for that long, it's been great. It is kind of heavy, so hard to lug up and down the stairs, which has been the only drawback for me (and I broke the wand/hose thing right away, but should have been more careful). Otherwise, I love that it does hard floors very well, because I hate sweeping. It does carpet very well, too. It has been rated a consumer reports best buy for a number of years, meaning it's a great vacuum for the price. I recommended it to a friend who bought it, and she loves it as well.

You can look on amazon.com and read people's reviews of all sorts of different vacuums, and see why they did or didn't like different ones that you are interested in, as well as compare prices. Good luck!

I have an Oreck and love it. At eight pounds, it's a breeze to carry up and down stairs. It's an upright with a bag. I vacuum hardwoods and carpets in my house twice a day (in the morning before I go to work and in the evening after dinner) because we share our home with cats that are shedding like crazy (and my son and I are both allergic to cats).

It's a little pricey but I've had mine for 5 years so far with no issues. You get a mini vac free which is good for baseboards, corners (like to get cobwebs), furniture, curtains (I vacuum cat hair off of mine), etc. My mom has had hers for over ten years now. Oreck offers free tune ups twice a year for the life of the vacuum. I took mine in once because it didn't seem to have as much suction as usual and they found where a paperclip had been sucked up, warped, and was causing the hose to get blocked. They took it apart, cleaned it all out free of charge and gave it back in under 15 minutes.

I absolutely LOVE my Oreck. Before my Oreck I had Eureka and Hoover vacuums and both only lasted about a year to a year and a half before they burned up and died.

www.oreck.com for more info.

We have a Miele and love it. Recommended for flat floors (wood, linoleum, etc) but great on carpets too. 20-30 yr expected lifetime. canister so easier on stairs than anything else. pricey, but has been well worth it for us. Best allergy vacuum out there. and has no emissions...per several consumer test groups including consumer reports. link: http://miele.com/products/index.asp?nav=30&snav=23&am...

If you choose a Kirby, hold out for $700-$1000 price tag. anything over that is way too much. Salesmen WILL come down in price. The repair shops around here HATE the new Kirbies tho. Both my mom and MIL have ~40YO machines, but the new ones are not made to last that long.

Dysons are great, ppl love em, but repairs are extraordinarily costly and take a long time as parts are imported.

We previously went through several cheaper brands ($200/under) and had to replace them every year. Then 2 yrs ago I got a $500 Kenmore PRogressive Direct Drive canister vac for Christmas. It broke on a regular basis and twice had to have $100 repairs (electrical issues kept burning the motor out). I'd recommend staying away from those.

Heres a link to my query some months ago when were looking:
http://www.mamasource.com/request/16733233881527943169

hope that helps!
Good luck!

I love my Dyson ball it moves on a dime! Go get one you will not be dissapointed I promise. I love it you will be amazed at the the stuff it picks up you can actually see it!!! Good luck

Sounds like we have a similar house (hardwoods + carpet). I have the Eureka Optima (Pet lover bagless). I have a 4 & 2-year old [daughters], 1 dog & 3.5 cats (the 0.5 only sleeps here!) and this thing is amazing! You can turn the brush off and vacuum the floors! It does a good job too. Before I mop the laminate, I vacuum & then use the dry Swiffer. The Swiffer pad isn't as dirty, just from the hard to reach areas and other missed spots. The Eureka also has a hose which you have to switch the suction from the floor to the hose but once you do, watch out- this thing has major power (the best I've ever had in a vacuum). The handle is also adjustable which is helpful if my husband ever HAS to use it (he's 6'1" and I'm 5'3"!). The deciding factor, it was less than $75 (from Best Buy)!!! I didn't want to spend a lot of $$ since I felt I didn't need to use it as much due to the laminate flooring but I use it all the time and it's wonderful. I know some people think bagless is a pain but as much as I use it, if I had a vacuum with a bag, I'd go through 52 bags a year!!! Here is the link: http://www.eureka.com/index.php?option=com_productdisplay...

I hope this helps :)

Hi S.,

I saw the Dyson model on TV that your last poster recommends, and it does look really cool. I don't have one, though, so I can't say anything about it picking up well.

I have to say that I love my Electrolux. It's the basic model without all the bells and whistles, which suits me fine. Downstairs the hardwood floor gets clean with the regular head, and upstairs the carpet head does a great job. It doesn't roll around things like the Dyson, but it's a great vacuum cleaner.

Regards, D.

I am not sure what to recommend. But I can tell you that the Eureak Altima is not good if you have pets. There are too many filters. I have 2 small children and a rat terrier. I have to stop and clean the filters and empty the container 2-3 times to clean 3 rooms. Good luck with your decision and I hope this helps.

We have a Dyson and it works really well! We have carpet and hardwood and it has a setting that you switch for floors from carpets. It is about $300-$400 but you can get it at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and use a 20% off coupon! It has a 5 yr warranty and is very durable.