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After only 1.5 years of service, it would appear that my vacuum cleaner needs to be replaced. It was never a stellar vacuum, but it got the job done. At the time, the vac had great reviews online.

The TubeNet consensus is the way to go. So, what carpet vacuums (shop vacs and wet/dry vacs are exempt) do y'all recommend? My current one is a Bissell upright that I got from Best Buy for about $90. (I noticed they aren't selling it any longer) I don't want to break the bank, but I would like a vacuum that could suck a golf ball through a garden hose.

**EDIT**

Forgot to mention I have 2 dogs who track in dirt and leave behind hair.

TubaTodd wrote:After only 1.5 years of service, it would appear that my vacuum cleaner needs to be replaced. It was never a stellar vacuum, but it got the job done. At the time, the vac had great reviews online.

The TubeNet consensus is the way to go. So, what carpet vacuums (shop vacs and wet/dry vacs are exempt) do y'all recommend? My current one is a Bissell upright that I got from Best Buy for about $90. (I noticed they aren't selling it any longer) I don't want to break the bank, but I would like a vacuum that could suck a golf ball through a garden hose.

**EDIT**

Forgot to mention I have 2 dogs who track in dirt and leave behind hair.

They all SUCK! All joking aside... don't waste your money on wild claims. Go to your local Goodwill Store and buy one of those ten-year-old Sears canister vacs for five or ten bucks.

I also used Hoover vacuums for years until I bought a Dyson Animal Ball 2 yrs. ago. For months after that unbelievable amounts of dirt were picked up by it from my carpets during each vacuuming. Bagless is the way to go, and although they are costly I think the Dyson is hard to beat. The Ball is a unique concept that makes navigation with the machine unbelievably easy. Mine is still going strong, has a full complement of tools, and is easy to empty after each use. The downside is a difficult to use wand with the tools...and also cost.

TubaTodd wrote:After only 1.5 years of service, it would appear that my vacuum cleaner needs to be replaced. It was never a stellar vacuum, but it got the job done. At the time, the vac had great reviews online.

Any chance it just needs a new belt or something? I had to replace vacuum belts about every two years in my Kenmore, and it worked great for about 15 years of hard use until it ultimately died. Sometimes just a complete disassembly to remove clogged animal hair does the trick, too. The replacement Kenmore was a POS that just had sears name stamped on it.
My father-in-law bought an Elextrolux about 30 years ago, and it is still going strong. You may want to see if you could find one of those at a garage sale / craigslist. They were the "Rolls Royce of Vacuum Cleaners" (to borrow a tuba marketing ploy) in their day.
FWIW, I think the Dyson Ball is a good idea, but I have purchased decent instruments (and one or two vehicles) that cost less.

MartyNeilan wrote:Any chance it just needs a new belt or something? I had to replace vacuum belts about every two years in my Kenmore, and it worked great for about 15 years of hard use until it ultimately died. Sometimes just a complete disassembly to remove clogged animal hair does the trick, too.

It hasn't died and it still "works" but the suction isn't very good. Since I can't drop too much money on a vacuum in the next few weeks, I will likely give it a good thorough cleaning. It is bagless and has lots of parts that get emptied and cleaned out all of the time.

You know what? I have my old Hoover wind tunnel in the basement that still works and likely just needs a minor "overhaul." It still has MAJOR suction, but the motor is making bit of a grinding noise when I shut it off. I wonder if I can take it apart enough to give it a good cleaning.

Just go get a cheap one...we had a dirt devil for awhile and it crapped out on us faster than any other vacuum we had...and now we just get the cheap ones...when it dies, oh well, get a new one, not much money lost.

tubaguy9 wrote:Just go get a cheap one...we had a dirt devil for awhile and it crapped out on us faster than any other vacuum we had...and now we just get the cheap ones...when it dies, oh well, get a new one, not much money lost.

Yeah, I just can't see spending >$150 on one. I also don't really vision vacuums as disposable. The old windtunnel I have in the basement was nothing fancy, but did the job. I believe THIS is the current version of that model.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Hoover+-+Te ... merreviews

If I can't fix what I have, I may end up with that one. Although THIS windtunnel looks pretty good too.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Hoover+-+Wi ... &st=hoover

I got a free, used Oreck a couple of years ago from a family member. It has been great, though the bags are pricey (and must be purchased from an Oreck store).

However, it is not anywhere near "great" enough to justify their retail prices. At about 50% of their asking prices, it becomes a reasonable deal, IMHO.

Buy one that is easy to push and that will fit under your furniture. Nothing else is different enough between brands to matter (yes, this includes the Dyson and it especially includes the Oreck). The Oreck, for example, won't fit under most furniture--it's fine if you just vacuum down the middle of the room.

The only vacuum that will work better than the typical cheap upright is a canister with a bigger motor, but the convenience issue makes it not worth it. The best solution is a central vacuum system--not because it picks up any better but rather because the micro-dust that makes it through the filter is ejected outside the house rather than back into the room.

I've used Hoovers, Kenmores, Dirt Devils, Orecks, Kirbys, and even a Dyson, in coming to the conclusion above.

Rick "whose house now has central vac and will never go back" Denney

After 3 different vacuums only last about 2 years, we broke down and bought a Dyson. Five years later, the thing is still a workhorse. Zero problems with it whatsoever. A year or so ago, my mother-in-law bought a new Hoover that, according to her, was at least as good as the Dyson only much cheaper. After several, man-like, chest-thumping, "my vacuum is better than yours" conversations between her and my wife, they ran a comparison. The event was at my in-laws home. Her new Hoover and our Dyson, both with emptied bags/containers. MIL ran her Hoover first for a couple of minutes in the living room. My wife then went over the same area with the Dyson for the same amount of time. In just a couple of minutes time, the container on the Dyson was about 1/3 full... after having been vacuumed with the Hoover. So, different patch of carpet, this time the Dyson first. When the Hoover was run over the same area, the bag was essentially empty. The Dyson had done my wife proud. The real victory was for the father-in-law and myself since we no longer had to witness the vacuum trash talk.

steve_decker wrote:After 3 different vacuums only last about 2 years, we broke down and bought a Dyson. Five years later, the thing is still a workhorse. Zero problems with it whatsoever. A year or so ago, my mother-in-law bought a new Hoover that, according to her, was at least as good as the Dyson only much cheaper. After several, man-like, chest-thumping, "my vacuum is better than yours" conversations between her and my wife, they ran a comparison. The event was at my in-laws home. Her new Hoover and our Dyson, both with emptied bags/containers. MIL ran her Hoover first for a couple of minutes in the living room. My wife then went over the same area with the Dyson for the same amount of time. In just a couple of minutes time, the container on the Dyson was about 1/3 full... after having been vacuumed with the Hoover. So, different patch of carpet, this time the Dyson first. When the Hoover was run over the same area, the bag was essentially empty. The Dyson had done my wife proud. The real victory was for the father-in-law and myself since we no longer had to witness the vacuum trash talk.

Not like I am really wanting to duplicate this test, but what were the 2 models of vacuums in this test?

A couple of FWIW. Several years ago a relative for Christmas gave me a new top of the line upright Eureka vacuum cleaner. It worked well for about 6 months and then it quit. Well being a handy guy (my hobby is doing frame off car restorations) I went to take it apart. I was stunned -other than access to replace the drive belt and bag - you could not take it apart. Completely encased in plastic. The only way to get to the motor was to completely destroy the one piece all enclosing plastic housing. It was so frustrating that I couldn't bring myself to throwing it out right away and kept it in the garage for 6 months before I did. I have a really old Sunbeam that my folks probably bought in the late '60's that I can completely take apart to fix (and have) that is still going strong after 40 plus years which I use for my second floor. The problem the last couple of years - replacement bags are scarce.

I replaced the the Eureka for the first floor after much research and bought one of the best vacuums I have ever seen - a Samsung Quiet Storm canister vac. It wasn't cheap but does an excellent job - especially pulling up dog hair from two long hair dogs that really shed. Pet hair is really tough for vacuums and I think probably is one of the leading causes of vacuum failure. The Samsung is really built to a high quality level and can be easily taken apart to fix - which I have never had to do. Now the downside - Samsung no longer imports vacuums to the US. I don't know why as they were highly rated. I suspect most people want cheap and disposable nor do they have even the simple skills anymore to fix anything or I guess the desire to do so. If it initially works as well as an expensive one they will buy the cheap one. I've had the Samsung since I believe 1995 and it has a lot of carpet to clean. It has never had a problem. I just replace the belt and filter every couple years or so. When I found out that Samsung was no longer in the US I did buy about enough bags and belts to last another 10 years which is a bet on its continued longevity.

Since you mentioned that you have a couple dogs I would make sure the vacuum you buy can handle fur as I suspect that is what burned out the Eureka I had after 6 months. If you do buy an expensive vac I would keep in mind buying one that you can reasonably expect will have replacement parts available for the expected life of the vac. Whether or not there are going to be replacement parts available should I need them has been the only downside to the Samsung I bought.

The first job I could get when I was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1963 was selling Rexair (now Rainbow) vacuum cleaners door to door - straight commision.
These machines use water for a filter so no gradual stop-up or bags to buy.
They also suck up water and clear drains.
I still have a 1960 cleaner I got while I was working for them. My mom and sister bought Rainbows in the 60's and when they passed away I inherited theirs and still have them on my boat and one as a shop vac.
They are easy to work on and parts are easily available.
New ones cost over $1,000 but I see used ones in vac repair shops. Building one out of used parts is a possible option.
Still, if I was starting out, a big shop vac is a viable option for cheap.

TubaTodd wrote:Not like I am really wanting to duplicate this test, but what were the 2 models of vacuums in this test?

The Hoover, now about 2 years old, is a WindTunnel (not sure of the exact model, kind of a grey/green color if that helps) and the Dyson is a DC07.

I brought the old Windtunnel up from the basement. I took it apart as far as I could do "easily" (couldn't get to the motor without some major disassembly) and used my other vacuum to suck out the old dirt and grit. I reassembled it, wiped it down a little and put in a new bag. It's not quite as loud as it was, but it still makes a noise when it shuts off....albeit a softer noise. The suction is still awesome. I went over my rugs and it still did a great job. With my newer one if I run over a leaf, it breaks the leaf into little bits and then I have to run over the bits a couple times to pick it up. (FAIL!!!) With the old vac it just snags the leaf and I move on. I used the extension hose to clean under the couches and tables. The power was MUCH better than my Bissel. I guess I'll start using my windtunnel again until it flat out croaks.

For those who are curious, my Windtunnel is a 10 year old version of this model...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009O ... d_i=507846

The only difference is the color. (Mine is dark green) I will likely buy this vacuum when mine finally dies.

HI-
We have a Bissell 3760-4 machine--good unit!
Regards-
mark

All of my stuff is between 10 and 20 years old. I keep fixing them and they keep working. Vacuums are pretty simple as long as the motors work, the beater-bars turn, the filters are clear&clean, and the deposit-bags are emptied regularly. Motors can be replaced, but in some cases the cost is high enough to consider buying a whole replacment vacuum cleaner. I have an adopted, broken, (read: FREE) Oreck XL upright (20+ years, carpeted attic room), a Kenmore drag-behind canister (>12 years, first foor, hardwoods), a Hoover upright convertable (~10 years, 2nd floor, carpeted), and a Craftsmann shopvac (garage). I would have a hard-time buying a "new" one......unless the motor burned-out......then I'd prolly get another used one as sugested by TubaTinker. I had an old late 50's Hoover canister that was fab' until the motor quit.

If all you are doing is vac'ing open carpet, then the Orecks is a pretty nice package.
I give the nod to Hoover for canisters...at least the old ones

TubaTinker wrote:They all SUCK!

Reminds me of...............

Don Van Vliet: You know, once Stravisnky called me to his house, when I was doing a thing called Trout Mask Replica. Laura Huxley called and said, "The master must speak to you." And I didn’t go. I didn’t go due to the fact that I was deeply involved with the album and the people I was with would’ve probably run right out the doors if would have left at that time. I didn’t go and I’ve never forgiven myself for that. But, I did sell Aldous Huxley a vacuum cleaner in the desert, in Lano. An Electrolux.
Byron Coley: Really? Was it any good or was it a bum cleaner?
Don Van Vliet: Oh yeah, very good. I wouldn’t have done it other wise. I have a hard time selling anything. But that was one thing that was really worth it, because at that time it had a bag, a little paper bag, and it sealed off and you could dispose of it very easily.
Byron Coley: Did you go out there especially to sell it to him, or were you a vacuum cleaner salesman?
Don Van Vliet: I didn’t know it was him when I met him. But after being there for a minute I thought, "This fellow is an awfully powerful, unusual individual." He could hardly see, you know, he was very tall, and he looked down like this and said, "I want that". I said, "Well I assure you sir, this thing sucks."
From: 1979 interview by Byron Coley

also...interesting stuff here at the Cyber-Space Vacuum Cleaner Museum

Update: Since my last post I'd been using an old Hoover Windtunnel that was my wife's grandfather's. It worked great for a while then something got lodged in it and I for the life of me can't figure out what or where it is. Last week I took the plunge and bought the Hoover WindTunnel HEPA. So far I really like it.

I had used a Hoover Wind Tunnel vac for many years. It was very good. Then, I bought a Bissell "Healthy Home" Microban Hepa vac which is proving to be a real winner.

Ace

snorlax wrote:A few years ago my spousal unit INSISTED on buying a Kirby G6 because it was so good for the high-piled carpet we had all over the house.

The darn thing has a TRANSMISSION and cost about as much as the first car I owned (a heap, admittedly).

Then she decided to rip up all the high-piled carpet and have the hardwood floor that was underneath it refinished.

LOL One of the funniest posts this month.

Ace