NEED VACUUM CLEANER RECOMMENDATION

[rocketwarrior]

My sister is an upscale jewelry designer/wholesaler. She needs a cleaner for the studio/shipping area. There is danger of encountering stray earring findings, glass and ceramic beeds, etc. She uses a Dyson in her home - and likes it. But wanted some comment regarding damage that might be caused.
What cleaner would y'all recommend?

 

[qsd-dan]

Perusing an upright?

Kirby G6. Well built, very reliable, self propelled, (now) inexpensive, and has a Kevlar fan to resist foreign object damage.

 

[volvoguy87]

Canister.

A canister vacuum has the advantage of not sucking the dirt and objects through a fan. Old Electrolux canister vacuums are both plentiful and reliable. They are also easily repaired as most shops will gladly work on them. If she wants bagless, I've been very pleased with my Filter Queen. Quiet, great suction, and very easy to live with.

My 2 cents,
Dave

 

[gansky1]

I agree, a canister or (fan-motor) bypass vacuum is the way to go. One of my clients is a private jeweler and we have only ever used either a straight suction or bypass upright cleaner. Never had a need to go into the bag looking for lost stones or findings but it's nice to know it won't be mangled if there is a need. Much less chance of damaging the machine with a bit of metal, too. In a work environment, the Kirby is very good but clumsy in tight spaces and with a hose and tools-on-board upright, you can have a hose on the machine for quick edge cleaning or in tight spaces. There are 43 steps to change a Kirby over to hose-suction only use and most people never bother to learn how - LOL.

 

[hydralique]

Another vote here for a canister vac, but I'd be insistant on one without sealed throwaway bags as if something valuable does get vacuumed up you'll have to cut the bag open to look for it. Both Tristar and Filter Queen use cyclonic action to deposit dirt in bins that are immediately visible once you open the vac. In the 'Queen it's built like a shop vac and there is no bag at all. The Tristar is a little different in that there is an open-topped bag but once you open the top lid you can see the dirt. Either one is very pricey new but rebuilts are available on Ebay and most vac shops. Both are very high quality machines made of real metal (unlike the plastic-fest that every Dyson is) and will last virtually forever if treated well and maintained. Most of the 'Queens are two-speed, while most Tristars are one speed.

 

[rocketwarrior]

On what basis would y'all rule out another Dyson? [Passing on my sister's inquiry]

 

[paulg]

SHARP ECA50S equivalent

I have a SHARP (NOT SHARK) EC-A50S canister. It is no longer available but has a unique feature.
It has a "cyclonic" type dirt cup on the handle AND a bag in the canister unit.
Anything heavy drops into the dirt cup. "Heavy" is typically anything heavier than dust.
As the dirt cup is clear, you can see what object you picked up!
The vacuum is amazing. The dirt cup is so efficient that the bag almost never needs changing.
I think the "cyclonic dirt cup on the handle" vacuum is available through SAMSUNG now.
I'll totally agree with some folks here. I too have a FILTER QUEEN and its filtering method makes it ideal too for your task. The unit is built to last and last and last unlike typical plastic vacuums. I can't image jewelry being damaged provided the vacuum does not have a powered agitator.

 

[nmassman44]

I have a Miele Ariel canister that I love that doesnt have the power brush. I did get the turbine brush but rarely use it. Its powerful, much more suction than the Dyson. I also have a Dyson Animal upright that honestly doesnt have the suction that the Miele has. Granted the Dyson doesnt need bags but dealing with catfur that I do the Miele is the way to go. Plus with the Miele if she sucks anything up it wont get damaged.

 

[gansky1]

I wouldn't rule out a Dyson. She's familiar with it and is satisfied with the results in her home, there is no reason to think she wouldn't also be satisfied with one in her office-studio. The Dyson seems to handle debris pretty well and would be no worse at damaging anything picked up than any other cleaner with a brush-roll. Dyson has a couple of different brush roll options - the Animal & other models have a very aggressive, larger roll with stiffer bristles and other, lower-end(?) models have a smaller, softer bristled system that would probably serve her needs quite well.

 

[hooverwheelaway]

Dyson also makes a canister machine.  Best of both worlds; as Greg said -- she's familiar with a Dyson... so it wouldn't be too far of a stretch.

 

[volvoguy87]

Dyson.

Personally, I don't care for Dyson. Yes, they're innovative, but they are also of poor build quality compared to examples from Electrolux/Ares, Kirby, Filter Queen, and Tri Star. Dysons can also be a PITA to fix or have repaired. There are many people who like them and I'm not knocking them or their choices, I just prefer others.

Dave

 

[whirlykenmore78]

For Vacuuming a shop and shipping area.

Most likely a good commercial shop vac would do the job. Of course there is always a Sanitaire upright. Those are a tank of a machine but the belt and or fan can be broken by large debris however are easy and cheap parts to replace.
WK78

 

[whirlcool]

Add another vote for Miele. We've had our "Red Star" since 2002 and it's still going strong. So we saved money overall because we didn't have to replace it every three years like we did wit the previous vacs. It cleans a lot better than any we have had before. We found that a bagless vac seems to leak more dust into the air from faulty seals around the collection tube.

 

[mikeklondon]

Floor covering

I have only looked quickly but I cant see anyting about the type of floor covering ?

 

[tolivac]

A GREAT machine for that use would be a commercial-industrial vacuum such as the NSS M1-the machine is basically a commercial canister vacuum with direct air.A "scrap trap" on the snout of the machine catches large heavy items such as nails,pebbles,JEWELRY,and such so it won't go thru the fan.The lighter dust and debris is blown by the fan into the large cloth top mounted bag-the bag can be equipped with an inner paper bag.I don't work for NSS but endorse these machines.They can last for 50+ years!!For carpets-the vacuum can be equipped with a powernozzle.Bare floor tools areavailable from NSS-you can get straight suction carpet tools,as well-these would not damage jewelry items like a powernozzle could if they were picked up.And hand tools can be used on the M1.I own three and LOVE them!!

 

[rocketwarrior]

Thanks!

Bare floor. No need to retrieve stray debris - just protect machine. Thank you guys - she has a little noodling to do. Good thoughts.