vacuum advice?

[aquarius1984]

Of course nothing beats a true IBAISAIC Hoover!

Miele to complement where the I wont let the Hoover go, like the car and DIY jobs

 

[aquarius1984]

Kirby Heritage 1983 - my choice if I didnt have a real Hoover.

 

[timborow]

Eureka at Sam's

Is this the one you guys are talking about? Will it work on hardwoods as well an Oreck? What is the sound level? I have thought about buying one to replace my Oreck, but didn't know how it would work for hardwoods?
Tim

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[ronhic]

Hoover Turbopower

...Now THAT was a good cleaner....

When mums blew up after 15yrs she replaced it with a Dyson...

Oh the shame of it all!

 

[ttuee2006]

Timborow

Yes, Tim. That's the Commercial Eureka I was referring to earlier. They keep changing the price around! Sometimes it's on sale for as little as $75. Either way, it's a GREAT buy, and I can guarantee it'll outdo an Oreck any day of the week.

Want an example of what kind of suction I'm referring to? I made a video here a while back for a friend who wanted me to do the Convertible, Sanitaire, and a 5-amp Eureka for sheer suction power.

Click the link below for what kind of cleaning power the 6.5 and 7 amp Eureka/Sanitare machines have. Keep in mind, NONE of the vacuums in the video have a brushroll even installed.....AT ALL!!!!

 

[timborow]

ttuee2006

Wow! Great video. I'm impressed with the cleaning power on carpet. I only 3 area rugs in my entire house. The rest of the floors are hardwoods. Do you think it would be a good idea for me to buy one as my main vacuum? The Oreck does have a squeeqee to keep the dirt from scattering. I do like that part of it. I'm just wondering if this Eureka would scatter dirt on bare floors?

Do you have any videos of one being used on a bare floor? Once again, great job with the video.

Thanks for your help,
Tim

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Ttuee2006, I'm shocked that you would recommend a Hoover over a Miele or Tacony machine! (But then again, you also called the Hoover Convertible a POS in your video, not sure many vacuum gurus would agree with that statement... though I'll admit, my Convertible is one of my least favorite Hoovers too, I wouldn't call it a POS) The Hoover canister might clean similarly on hard floors, but the Miele and Tacony machines certainly filter better and last longer.

I would NOT recommend that Eureka for this application (the yellow one at Sam's club). If the her current vacuum scratches the hard floors, this one will sand them so she can refinish them! It's got plastic wheels (not rubber), and an aggressive brushroll that cannot be turned off at all. Maybe the people recommending them didn't read the requirements of the person needing the cleaner.

I agree with the Miele. I found my used Miele Plus canister at a thrift shop for 15 bucks... so they can be had used quite reasonably. It's quiet and while the agitation isn't very aggressive, the suction is tremendous. I was shocked at how much crud was in the bag after only a few uses... and my flat carpet is regularly vacuumed with Royal, Kirby, Electrolux, Rainbow, Filter Queen, and Dyson... I can't believe there was anything left for the Miele to suck up! Miele also has a stick vac type machine that might work well in this application since the friend doesn't like canisters... no brush roll option though.

 

[ttuee2006]

I probably should do another video of the Sanitaire on the hard floor. Although it doesn't have a squeegee, the vacuum power is such that nothing ever scatters. Even cat litter on my floors from the ferrets.

To Bobby.....I hate to disagree with you, but ANY vacuum with wheels is going to behave the same way on floors. I used to have Pergo floors in this house before a flood destroyed them. I even used a cheap Hoover stick-vac on them with plastic wheels and it didn't scratch the floors. For reference, the floors scratched EASILY.

The Eurekas and Sanitaires don't actually put the nozzle on the floor itself unless you make it. Even on the #1 setting on mine the nozzle never actually touches the floor. The bristles on the brushroll are much softer than most vacuums on the market today, and revolves at less than half the speed of most canisters or plasti-vacs on the market.

I honestly don't care much for the Miele machines. While they are highly rated, I think they're overrated! They do clean well as long as the filters are kept clean, but the bags are expensive, you have to take out a loan to replace the secondary filter, and might as well take out a second mortgage if you ever have to replace that brushroll! God help you if the cord winder gives up the ghost.

I call the Convertible a POS because it sticks in the craw of the die-hard Hoover gurus! I think it's a shame that Hoover would release a machine like that that was so handily outcleaned by the antique brethren it replaced. My pre-1920 Hoover 105 with it's 1.8 amp motor will hand a TOL Convertible it's ass on a silver platter any day of the week!!

Timborow, honestly if you've only got 3 rugs, you're much better off with a canister. Get something like an older Lux with a good floor tool and you won't be disappointed. I hate to say it, but your friend is better off with a canister too if she's got mostly wood floors. If she's a die-hard upright fan, I can't stess enough that the commercial Eureka will probably do as good, if not better than the $700 Mieles some of these guys are touting!

If scratching the floor is really THAT much of a concern and you want rubber wheels.....has anyone thought of just using fat rubber bands? I mean a set is like what.....$1.50 at Office Max? Get the short, stubby ones and stretch them over the wheels. Problem solved!

 

[dogboy44]

I vote for Miele!

We got a Miele in 1988, we have used it twice a week give or take for 20+ yrs, it has been in for service I think once or twice (really) we got a new hose once, a new floor brush once. Our house is clean, we don't baby it at all. It still looks really good, I should take a picture.

 

[gansky1]

I've been cleaning houses, offices and the like for 13 years and even though I do like the Sanitaire/Eureka machines for carpet, it would be the very last vacuum cleaner I would even bother using on any hard floors. They may be able to pick up some of the dirt, but most of it will scatter out behind the cleaner and merely moving the dirt around is NOT cleaning. I use straight-suction backpack vacuums daily and wouldn't trade them for anything. I have five of them in service at various locations as well as four or five uprights - Sanitaire, Hoover Convertible (the worst of the lot IMO) and the very favorites - Windsors.

For most applications where the majority of surfaces being cleaned are hard-surface floors, you cannot do better than a canister vacuum with a good floor brush. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a decent cleaner, the frequency of use and regular care for the machine (change the bag) matters more than the brand or the amount you spend. The $139 Eureka from Sam's club that was mentioned before is a good choice for carpeted areas or large rugs. I would recommend visiting a couple of vacuum shops, trying a few cleaners and tools, even ask if you can leave a security deposit or credit card number and try cleaning with the prospective vac in your own home. See how you like it's handling, cleaning and tools, then make a decision.

If she is truly set on an upright, the Kirby is a fantastic cleaner and will last for many years with proper care. The Kirby can be used as a "canister" with a hose, wands and floor tool (look for another floor-brush, the Kirby version is a joke) but changing the machine back and forth can be a PITA which is why many Kirby attachments are found virtually unused at estate sales ;-)

 

[danemodsandy]

TriStar:

Panthera:

While TriStar is a good machine, the quality of newer units doesn't seem as high as the older ones. The canister motor is no longer Ametek/Lamb, wands are now plastic instead of chromed steel, and so it goes. The way to get a good TriStar is to buy an older one; they made the classic "pig" design up until about 1993. Those are in the price range mentioned here. There is one difficulty, though: the price of repair and replacement parts. A genuine hose lists for $160, the rug tool for around $95, a replacement power nozzle for over $300. It's a little like a used Volvo; the car can be had cheaply, but putting it back into the condition it should be in can be an expensive process. I have about $400 tied up in my TriStar CXL, which was actually not in bad shape when I got it (for under $100) and had the majority of its tools. But filling in what was missing was expensive; it's absolutely complete and like new now, but I wouldn't recommend the process of getting it that way to anyone who didn't prize a good vacuum cleaner. If you luck out like Greg did and find a complete one in good condition cheaply, that would be great, but those deals are pretty uncommon in my experience.

All that having been said, classic TriStars are GREAT vacuums. They have a quadruple filtration system (cloth bag, paper bag, motor filter and afterfilter). When dust goes in, almost none of it gets blown back out; you don't see dust again in an hour the way you do with many vacuums. They do not have that "dusty" smell in use that most vacs have. And they have enough power to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch.

 

[jmirawm]

I love it Greg !

After Janet and I had the discussion about lugging around a canister, I told her what she needed was a backpack vacuum ! I copied and pasted this in an email to her. We will see what she says. LOL. tom

 

[toggleswitch2]

Live and learn.

http://www.vacuumcleaners.net/vacuum_cleaners/categories/backpack_vacuums_com.html