Tell me about your vacuum...

[Deleted]

What brand of vacuum do you have, how long has it lasted, and would you buy it again?

Here's the backstory: We're looking at buying a new vacuum cleaner and found one we like at a local independent vacuum shop. We've never heard of the brand before (Riccar) and it's a bit pricey ($300-500, depending on the model we choose). I think it's worth it if we love it and it lasts, but that's a chunk all at once. 

Please tell me about your experiences!

[sparkythelawyer]

I adore my shark

[nahoku]

Ditto @crackhabit.  It's worked great.

[brandienee]

I have a shark navigator pro... It is amazing. I can't afford a Dyson, and this is comparable. Plus it detaches from the regular floor cleaning thingie (my own scientific verbiage)and that means when I clean my stairs I don't have to carry a whole heavy vacuum with me. I can also clean my hardwoods with it. I love it.

[Deleted]

Shark Navigator. I also got mine off 1saleaday.com. I bought the Shark steam mop at the same time for $30. Great appliances!

[daisyheadmaizie]

We have an Oreck. When I worked at a hotel, my boss was going to toss it because it wasn't working well. My H cleaned out the 9485 paperclips that had been vacuumed up, and it has worked fantastically ever since. We've had it for almost 8 years now.

[kcr1972]

Second Dyson Animal. I bought mine a month ago. It is awesome!!

[laptopvixen]

It's a Hoover Windtunnel.  I fucking hate it and want to smash it every time I use it.

I FUCKING HATE.IT.

[fuckyourcouch]

Mar 5, 2013 21:55:25 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

I would recommend mine, but it sucks.

I was coming to make this very joke.

[Deleted]

Mar 5, 2013 22:11:06 GMT -5 laptopvixen said:

It's a Hoover Windtunnel.  I fucking hate it and want to smash it every time I use it.

I FUCKING HATE.IT.

This was my last vacuum. It finally died with an electrical spark after 7-8 years. 

[HiC]

I have a Miele that is about 10 years old. It's great....worth every penny.

[Doc_Lobster]

We have had a Dyson for almost 7 years. I like it a lot and would buy it again.

[AmeliaBedelia]

We have a Shark Navigator and love it.

[verycontrary247]

Dyson Animal Ball- 3 years old. LOVE IT.

It was expensive, however with 3 cats I vacuum A LOT and our old ones would crap out within 6 months. 100% worth the price.

[dirtyred]

Dyson Animal Ball. 

This thing has so much suction that the carpet was literally a different color after the first time we used it. 

[muffin0]

we have an oreck. We got it from Costco. I like that it has bags and if it starts smelling all we have to do is change the bag. (we went through like 4 bag-less ones and after a month or so they smelled so bad even after changing filters and cleaning)

[anniegoolahey]

I have the Dyson DC33 Multifloor. It's a year old and works as well as the day I bought it, and it's used at a minimum once a day. Other vacuums have lasted around 9 months with everyday use. It was $400.

[Deleted]

I have a Miele and love it.  I was needing a new vacuum as DD went in for environmental allergy testing and tested positive for EVERYTHING.  I did a ton of research and found out way more than I ever wanted to know about vacuums.  So, here you go:

By law, any company can slap a HEPA filter on the side of a vac and call it HEPA filtered.

If a HEPA filter is not 100% sealed, what runs through the filter is still thrown back into the air.

No bag-less vac is sealed.  

Check out this video that shows how Dyson actually increases the dust particles in the air vs. a Miele.  www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zVua6jrTm8

Dyson is not the only vac that never looses suction.  To boil down the loss of suction, some vac use the power of the suction to move the heads while higher end models use a separate power source.  

When a vac states that it removes 100% of dust mites, it really isn't a big deal.  What causes allergies is the dust mite poop so you need something that will filter a fraction of the size of a dust mite.

Look into the particle size of filtration.  The Miele filters as small as lice and scabbies (if you have kids you will want this)

Riccar offers some 100% sealed HEPAs and I have heard good things about them also.

ETA:  My Miele came with a 20 year warranty (from the store) and the mom and pop shop I bought it from offers free cleaning of the interior of the vac and all attachments once a year.  I was buying a new vac every couple years at $100-200 a $600 vac w/ a warranty was worth it.

Also, this vac has literally cut my dusting by at least half if not more.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the input everyone! I looked at the Miele again today, but decided to go with the Riccar. Our mom and pop shop has a better service and warranty program for the Riccars, and it seems to do everything we need for a better price over time.

I should have stated that bagless models need not apply. I can't handle my H's old Dyson because the dust goes everywhere when emptying it. The Riccar has a HEPA bag and filter, but I know the Miele is a bit better re: emissions. I did pretty well with my old Hoover with just a HEPA bag, so I'm hoping this is enough. I have 3 days to return it for the Miele, though, so I'll be vacuuming non stop until Friday to make sure I'm satisfied. At least my home will be clean!