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Buying a motherfucking VACUUM like an ADULT

Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
edited March 2011 in Help / Advice Forum
When Pixels and I moved into our little lushly-carpeted rental house, we bought ourselves a cute little vacuum to clean it with.

Time and heavy use, however, have revealed the little vacuum to be massively inadequate. It tries its little sucking heart out, but it just has too many enemies working against it: a long-haired cat, a curly-haired woman, a house in which every goddamned room is carpeted (yes even the kitchen what were they thinking), a barbarian who wears his shoes inside the house instead of taking them off at the door like a civilized person. Basically, it's a jungle in here, and continuing to use our little vacuum would constitute appliance abuse.

So, we need a new one. I'm just not sure how much of a new one we need, and we have two basic choices available to us within our $150-250 budget. Choice the first is to get a reasonably solid-looking new name-brand vacuum from Target or some place like it - something like this or this. They look a little clunky, but we live in a bungalow, so it's not like we're going to be dragging the thing up any stairs.

Choice the second is to get a refurbished Dyson - namely, this one.

Getting one of the shiny new $600 Dysons with the fancy pivoting ball is just not an option for us right now - money is an issue, and we're only going to be here for another six months anyway (and we're probably just going to sell most of our stuff when we move). So, is a low-end refurb Dyson better than a higher-end new Hoover? Or is there some even better third option that we haven't thought of yet?

Kate of Lokys on
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Posts

  • WildEEPWildEEP Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Dysons are awesome, I won't lie. I picked mine up for 380 from a department store during a sales day - 30% off day + 15% off coupon. The real key is to just not pay the retail price. I think walmart has them straight priced for 400.

    WildEEP on
  • SneakertSneakert Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I've gone six months without a vacuum before, not that big of a deal. If you're planning on selling most of your stuff, does that include the newly bought vacuum? consider not vacuuming or buying the cheapest piece of shit you can find and suck it up for 6 months.


    See what I did there?

    Sneakert on
  • brain operatorbrain operator Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Sneakert wrote: »
    I've gone six months without a vacuum before, not that big of a deal.
    They have a cat. Six hours without a vacuum can be a big deal. :wink:

    If you're going to be selling off your stuff, including the vacuum, I'd look at what you think you can still make off of it. If you're not going to sell it, get the best one. Either way, I'd say the Dyson's your best bet.

    That said, all three models indicated are upright models. Are you sure that's what you want? Kinda hard to vacuum a sofa or get into an awkward corner with.

    brain operator on
  • VisionOfClarityVisionOfClarity Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Sneakert wrote: »
    I've gone six months without a vacuum before, not that big of a deal.
    They have a cat. Six hours without a vacuum can be a big deal. :wink:

    Even without a cat that would be gross.


    We just bought a Bissell at Target and are trying it out today. It was only $75 and we have a medium haired cat and a rabbit. If it works I'll let you know.

    VisionOfClarity on
  • Robos A Go GoRobos A Go Go Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    You could also just borrow a vacuum or get a used one off of craigslist.

    Robos A Go Go on
  • jhunter46jhunter46 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We got this Dyson last year at target for less than $300 and it was one of the better investments we made. The thing seriously works better than any other vaccum I've used. It works so well it destroyed a small rug in the kitchen.

    jhunter46 on
  • The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I study industrial design, and Dyson are elevated near to the status of gods amongst some circles

    very expensive, yes, but worth it.

    If it helps any, people will throw away a vaccum cleaner because it's "broken". when really it just needs a filter clean or something

    The Black Hunter on
  • SwashbucklerXXSwashbucklerXX Swashbucklin' Canuck Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I have an alternate suggestion for you. Euro Pro's Shark vacuums are still relatively small but pack an awesome punch. You can find them for sale regularly at Canadian Tire for $100 or less (I seem to recall from Secret Santa threads that you're Canadian). Ours has survived years of two cats and a frizzy-haired lady.

    Also, tell your barbarian to take his damn shoes off. I'm a dirty rotten American who moved north from a place where people wear their shoes indoors, and I learned to take mine off. It's not hard!

    SwashbucklerXX on
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  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We just bought a Bissell at Target and are trying it out today. It was only $75 and we have a medium haired cat and a rabbit. If it works I'll let you know.

    As the owner of several Bissels and a couple Hoovers, it'll work great. They work just as well as a Dyson... for the first six months to a year. Two years if you don't put it through too much work, but with a cat chances of that are shit. Dysons just don't die, my current one has lasted 5 years of abuse (I used it to clean the garage during Cottonwood season once - that'll ruin most vacuums) and hasn't even needed new belts.

    Another amazing vacuum that just doesn't die is a Filter Queen Majestic (I suggest staying away from the Rainbow. Looks about the same, but it's a steam cleaner). I inherited two with my parents' house, and both put my Dyson t shame, even though the older one is well over forty years old and has been used as a shop vac since I was a kid. New ones also cost enough that you might be better off just buying a new house when this one gets too dirty. Go with a Dyson.

    Hevach on
  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    if your going to sell the vacuum then buy a cheap one. If your going to take the vacuum with you? buy the dyson.

    6 months is not long enough time period to justify 250$ worth of expense when something that is 75$ (albeit shitty) will suffice.

    I have a DC14 and I love how I can take the dust bin right to the garbage and dispose of it. I also love how modular these things are. A coworker of mine was telling me how helpful their support center is.The only people I've heard badmouthing dysons are people who work in repair shops. I wonder why that is :P

    My only gripe with my DC14 is it's not good for cleaning out cars, unless you yank the seats out.
    (I recently swapped lesser seats for bucket seats in my stanza, Figured might as well clean if I'm doing this to my car.)

    Viscountalpha on
  • dlinfinitidlinfiniti Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Dyson DC17 on sale online at sears $246
    sale should be instore starting tomorrow to march 9

    edit: $50 out of your price range but if you wanna stretch you can spring for the DC23 model for $300

    dlinfiniti on
    AAAAA!!! PLAAAYGUUU!!!!
  • MyDcmbrMyDcmbr PEWPEWPEW!!! America's WangRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    You just want a new vac so you can...
    responsibility12(alternate).png

    MyDcmbr on
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  • VisionOfClarityVisionOfClarity Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We just bought this one and it worked like a charm on our carpet and cat fur.

    http://www.target.com/Bissell-Cleanview-Bagless-Upright-Cleaner/dp/B00284BM3A

    VisionOfClarity on
  • lonelyahavalonelyahava Call me Ahava ~~She/Her~~ Move to New ZealandRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Kate, you're a Kiwi, right?

    I saw an advertisement on 3news the other night that Godfrey's is having a massive vacuum sale. half off some good deals, with hoover and other brands also on good prices.

    there was one that Ecco and I were looking at that was about $300 but if you traded in your old vacuum, they would give you half off.

    That being said, i've never bought a vacuum, but I've heard many good things about Dysons.

    lonelyahava on
  • ShogunShogun Hair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get along Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Take it from someone who wanted the Dyson but ended up not buying the Dyson.

    Buy the Dyson. Damn your eyes do it.

    Shogun on
  • L Ron HowardL Ron Howard The duck MinnesotaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Are Dyson's really that good?
    I hear lots of things, good and bad about them. This is also the second thread about vacuums in like a month, and lots of mixed things in both of them about Dysons.

    L Ron Howard on
  • curly haired boycurly haired boy Your Friendly Neighborhood Torgue Dealer Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Are Dyson's really that good?
    I hear lots of things, good and bad about them. This is also the second thread about vacuums in like a month, and lots of mixed things in both of them about Dysons.

    i've got a passing interest in this too, now that i saw the latest sears circular. some of them are super ugly, and the price seems relatively high for the regular, although brief usage most vacs get.

    so yeah, enlighten away!

    curly haired boy on
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  • AurinAurin Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    About two years, three cats and vacuuming three times a week - my Dyson still sucks like a champ. All I do is empty it every time I use it. My other vacuums before the Dyson had nothing on this thing's suction.

    Aurin on
  • Judge-ZJudge-Z Teacher, for Great Justice Upstate NYRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I can echo the Dyson love. We have a Siberian Husky.

    Let that sink in.

    Our floors are spotless. Had a Hoover bagless, the thing was great at first, but started losing suction after about a year. No amount of filter cleaning would do.

    The Dyson? We're going on 6 or more years, the thing is still excellent. We got compliments on the condition of our rugs from the professional carpet cleaners we have come every couple of years or so. Only real maintenance I've had to do was remove some of the buildup that accumulates on the rotating bristle assembly.

    Yeah, it was expensive, but worth every penny. Get one of the less expensive models new, as suggested, and take it with you.

    Judge-Z on
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  • DaenrisDaenris Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Are Dyson's really that good?

    Yes, they're really that good. We've had the DC28 Animal model for about 3 years and it's worked awesomely. We empty it every time we use it -- which takes like 2 seconds -- and once in a while spend a few minutes getting all the fuzz/hair/etc out of the rollers, which we'd have to do for any vacuum.

    It is really expensive (luckily some people went together and got it for us as a wedding present) but at the rate it's been going, I fully expect it to be our vacuum for another 5+ years, so the price isn't so bad. Before we had the dyson, we went through 2 $150-200 vacuums that never really lasted for more than a year.

    Daenris on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    If you want a better vacuum than a Dyson, be prepared to spend thousands, not hundreds.

    They're fucking ugly (grey and purple/cyan and yellow, did a blind man pick these colours?), but they are brilliantly designed, well-made, and will last for a very long time.

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • Dark MoonDark Moon Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I currently have two 100lbs half wolf/half Great Pyrenees that shed, and this is a conservative estimate, 2.7 tonnes of hair per hour. Prior to these dogs, I had a much larger, hairier dog (golden lab cross with a hair salon) which expended 98% of its caloric budget purely on fur production and was often seen ejecting hearty tufts of hair at will whenever we displeased him. I present these pets as proof that I know what's what when it comes to highly demanding vacuuming environments.

    I've used a base model Hoover Windtunnel which was about $90 at Costco for the past five years with no issue whatsoever. It does everything I could ever want from a vacuum, and does it well. Spending $600 on a Dyson may make sense if your outdoor piles of cash are making the horses uneasy when they come in from the fields, but if you're not rolling in vacuum-buying money just buy a base level Hoover and call it a day.

    Dark Moon on
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  • DhalphirDhalphir don't you open that trapdoor you're a fool if you dareRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Is it possible to try them out before you buy them? Refurbished sounds good on paper, but oftentimes it doesn't fix problems the machine had beforehand.

    And other times its like a new appliance. Its just really hit and miss sometimes.

    Also, you probably know this already and were planning on it already, but carpet is overrated try to get a house without any carpet at all if possible in future as it makes cleaning approximately thirty five trillion times easier (don't need a vacuum at all)

    Dhalphir on
  • HorusHorus Los AngelesRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Get a used industrial vacuum used for hotels or large companies, they are durable and long lasting. They should hold their retail value well to resell.

    Horus on
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  • EWomEWom Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We have a $70 dirt devil with the plastic container instead of bags, which is nice, and something inside it that's supposed to make everything swirl around. I would not reccomend it, I don't know the exact model, but it's a pile of shit. The top part of the container always gets plugged, and then it just stops vacuuming, and all the shit inside is swirling around so you don't really notice, until you turn it off and there's nothing int here, but a little bit of dirt/hair and a big gob of shit in the hole.

    EWom on
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  • LaemkralLaemkral Captain Punch King Chester, VARegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I'm one of the Dyson folks. My mom's Dyson is quite a few years old, and it's still cleaning like a champ. My Dyson is brand new, only used it a few times, but I absolutely love it over other vacuums I've used. You'll use your Dyson for YEARS, earning back all the money you would have spent on bags and filters for other machines.

    Laemkral on
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  • sterling3763sterling3763 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Also a fan of Dysons. And Sears actually has these on sale today.

    sterling3763 on
  • useless4useless4 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    My mother's dyson was bought the week Best Buy started carrying them (god, it's been over eight years or so?!?) and she uses it regularly in a standard sized house without animals. It's still going strong.

    useless4 on
  • The CatThe Cat Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited February 2011
    Even if you are moving, a vacuum cleaner is one of the smaller appliances. Just chuck it into the truck/shipping container/strap it to the roof. You know, unless you're going on the lam :P

    The Cat on
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  • useless4useless4 Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    The Cat wrote: »
    Even if you are moving, a vacuum cleaner is one of the smaller appliances. Just chuck it into the truck/shipping container/strap it to the roof. You know, unless you're going on the lam :P

    Even then, if on the lam you will look less suspicious with a Dysons... "They can't be that sketchy... they have a quality vacuum!"

    useless4 on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Get a barrel vacuum, not an upright. And a turbine head, or a motorised if you want to really attack your carpet.

    Something like this. If you can't afford it now, save your pennies until you can. It works out considerably cheaper in the long run. Amy and I have had our old DC 11 for about 7 years now, and it still works as well as the day we got it, and we've never spent a cent on it.

    You don't need to have a Dyson serviced, you can rinse the filters yourself at home, and there are no belts to wear out. Also, if you do somehow mange to break a part of it (Amy dropped the bin off of ours and cracked it on the paved driveway), new parts are available, and they're cheap. For instance, the whole bin was $40.

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • XaquinXaquin Right behind you!Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Just chiming in to support the Dyson

    they are incredible. They take care of our Dog, Cat, Rabbit and our 6 year old.

    Worth every penny

    Xaquin on
  • DrZiplockDrZiplock Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    Dark Moon wrote: »
    I currently have two 100lbs half wolf/half Great Pyrenees that shed, and this is a conservative estimate, 2.7 tonnes of hair per hour. Prior to these dogs, I had a much larger, hairier dog (golden lab cross with a hair salon) which expended 98% of its caloric budget purely on fur production and was often seen ejecting hearty tufts of hair at will whenever we displeased him. I present these pets as proof that I know what's what when it comes to highly demanding vacuuming environments.

    I've used a base model Hoover Windtunnel which was about $90 at Costco for the past five years with no issue whatsoever. It does everything I could ever want from a vacuum, and does it well. Spending $600 on a Dyson may make sense if your outdoor piles of cash are making the horses uneasy when they come in from the fields, but if you're not rolling in vacuum-buying money just buy a base level Hoover and call it a day.

    I have heard excellent things about that vacuum.

    And not going to lie, it might be nice to have a bag that I can just pitch without getting shit everywhere.

    DrZiplock on
  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    i have had my animal for probably 5 years now. For the most part its been great but for some reason it really has issues with the rug we have in our living room. takes like 5-6 paces to get most of the hair. we have a dog and two cats so we havea shit ton of hair to deal with so its a bit of a nusiance. it seems to do alright on our carpeted basement so i don't know what is up.

    mts on
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  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    We just bought this one and it worked like a charm on our carpet and cat fur.

    http://www.target.com/Bissell-Cleanview-Bagless-Upright-Cleaner/dp/B00284BM3A

    This is the one I use as well. It is a powerful fucker. Don't spend $300 on a vacuum, it is not worth it. That is, unless you are really fucking handy and can strip them apart and fix them. I would be hard pressed to spend more than $150 on a vacuum anymore.

    Since you have cats? Just get a cheap little 12 amp for $75 (like this one). Cat hair and litter are pretty much "destroyers of the vacuum." Plus that little wand up there is handy at scrubbing hair and shit from your upholstery.

    bowen on
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  • Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    There has been some excellent advice in this thread - thank you, H/A. For the record, we've decided to just make our little vacuum struggle on a little longer. It gets the job done, it just takes a few passes over the area, and if the choice is between "spend an extra 20 minutes vacuuming every week" and "have an extra $200-300 to spend on awesome fun non-grownup things," well, $200 buys a lot of NES games.

    Once I graduate, though, and we get settled somewhere else, we're totally buying a Dyson. Or getting a place with hardwood floors.

    (Also, I am delighted that someone got my reference).

    Kate of Lokys on
  • dlinfinitidlinfiniti Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    There has been some excellent advice in this thread - thank you, H/A. For the record, we've decided to just make our little vacuum struggle on a little longer. It gets the job done, it just takes a few passes over the area, and if the choice is between "spend an extra 20 minutes vacuuming every week" and "have an extra $200-300 to spend on awesome fun non-grownup things," well, $200 buys a lot of NES games.

    Once I graduate, though, and we get settled somewhere else, we're totally buying a Dyson. Or getting a place with hardwood floors.

    (Also, I am delighted that someone got my reference).

    awesome
    the shoes inside thing makes a world of difference btw
    but i suspect you know this already :P

    dlinfiniti on
    AAAAA!!! PLAAAYGUUU!!!!
  • mtsmts Dr. Robot King Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    well we have hardwood and still use the dyson.

    mts on
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  • darkgruedarkgrue Registered User regular
    edited February 2011
    I'm very happy with my Miele vacuum, but they are kindy pricey (I spent $2k on mine 10+ years ago). The thing that really attracted me to that particular brand is the entire vac is HEPA-certified, not just the filter. Everything their vacs do goes through the filters (most have filter bypasses). For me, that was a big deal, since I'm allergic to dust and dust mites, and even a good name brand vacuum would give me an allergy attack just from the dust it'd start circulating.

    Dyson's very popular, but I'm not a big fan of their design. My sister has one, and I don't like the way it handles (it has this bizarre kickstand thing that I hate with a passion), nor the really narrow cleaning path. I have some questions on the durability of some of the smaller plastic pieces as well. Also, emptying that bin is instant allergy attack for me, so I always have another family member empty the bin if I'm doing the vacuuming there.

    That being said, I've heard too many people praise theirs to not say that if you don't have serious allergy problems, you'll probably be happy with the Dyson. If you can, I'd recommend seeing one in person and pushing it around a bit.

    darkgrue on
  • jefe414jefe414 "My Other Drill Hole is a Teleporter" Mechagodzilla is Best GodzillaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2011
    An ex had 4 cats. I ended up getting her the purple one for pets (this was pre-ball joint Dysons). I was amazed at how well that thing worked. She used it every day to clean her apartment (wall to wall carpeting + furniture).

    jefe414 on
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