What new vacuum would you buy?

[hooverwheelaway]

Or, as of late...

A Dyson.. ;-)

Gotta give you a hard time, Jeff!

 

[tolivac]

I am with Jaxsunst:I love my Kirbys as well-just have some Rainbows in my collection as well.I remember years and years ago-was going to college at the time-i spent my weekends at my brothers home-he lived in a trailer house-they had a Rainbow ModelC that I loved to use.One day the plumbing in the trailer got clogged-wasn't from that Rainbow-I dumpted it outside.the plumber saw the machine parked on the floor-he came while I was sweeping with it-so me and my brother than watched after the plumber.He asked if we dumpted the Rainbow dust cup into the toilet like some people do-we explained we didn't. He then showed use several WORN Roto-Rooter Blades he used to clean out the plumbing of a womens trailer he visited before ours-she dumpted her Rainbow into her toilet.the resulting mess hardened in her pipes --the plumber said it took almost all day to Roto-Root out.the blades he used were the sawtooth ones-all of the teeth were worn off!!Thats some serious pipe cleaning.The Roto Rooting at my brothers home took less time and no blades were worn out.

 

[hoover1060]

Mr Wheelaway...

well I wouldn't use the Dyson, if I had my Kirby back!!! ;-D

 

[Brneyedgrl80]

I have a question, does anyone like Dirt Devil's? I have an older one, you know, those red metal upright ones? And I also have a slightly newer one, it's about 5 years old. It's a green upright (not bagless) with the swivel caster wheels.

Are those vacs any good?

 

[hooverwheelaway]

The Kirby...

Well, I can't help the fact that I forgot it... I was out the door in such a flurry, so I could grace the group with my presence.. A Kirby was the least of my thoughts.

I'm actually itchin' to get it back to you.. I'd ship it if it weren't so d@#n heavy, and didn't have so many flippin' accessories.

 

[compactc9]

The good news, if the red Dirt Devil you have is a metal Royal type, that is a great vacuum. The Swivelglide I have to say is not that great. Like most of these new cheap all plastic vacuums, they just don't last, and really don't clean that well to start. But those old style Royals are excellent cleaners.

 

[tolivac]

Metal Dirt Devils-I am kicking myself for not buying one--they had Metal "Royals" At Sams Club out here a couple years back-they were rebadged "Royal Dirt Devil" Commercial upright. Very nice machines-the nicest Dirt Devils I had ever seen. the only plastic DD vacs I liked were the red plastic hand ones-and the red "Broom Vac" those weren't too bad.Too bad they no longer make them.Didn't know of any other store that carried them-the Royal Distributer out here said it was a Sams Club exclusive-anyone else seen them?Haven't seen any more of them at Sams Club.

 

[jdinstl]

The Electroklean 2000

backpack vacuum with power nozzle.

Actually, I did buy it, and it should be here Wednesday, if all goes well. I'm starting a Residential/Commercial cleaning and carpet care company, and wanted the Electroklean for commercial applications.

As far as the "which is the best" debate, I'll grant you that in this home, the very mention of the name Kirby results in a bowing of the head, or genuflection usually reserved to honor dieties. But I have wall-to-wall no pile carpeting just about everywhere. That, plus a toy poodle (poodles don't shed) are the only vacuum challenges I have.

But there are other issues:

* Low pile carpeting.
* Sculptured carpeting.
* Area rugs.
* Deep pile carpeting.
* Laminate flooring.
* Hardwood flooring.
* Ceramic flooring.
* Quarried flooring.
* Parquet flooring.
* Ranch plank (with depressed seams) flooring.
* Dog shedding, different consistencies of shed based on breed(s).
* Cat shedding, different consistencies of shed based on breed(s).
* Pet dander.
* Allergies.
* Health concerns (pulmonary-challenged persons)
* Traffic patterns, single person, apartment, house with children, pets, etc.

So what's The Best Vacuum? Personally, I think the answer to that question is as numerous, and about as empirically provable as the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin.

My answer would be: It depends on the application. The best vac could be anything from a skanky "old bag" that just sucks, up to a truck mounted extraction system -- and all points in-between.

In spec'ing out equipment for the biz and doing research, HEPA filtration became something to hold in serious consideration. The Electroklean has that, as well as an additional charcoal filter. Those became pluses with regards to the needs of others. Personally, I'd lived nearly 35 years without HEPA filtration on my vacuum cleaners, and I turned out ok. Oh, alright, maybe not ok -- but I lived -- allow me at least that, LOL. Yet for the parent of a child with severe allergies, or themselves, or caretakers of the elderly and infirm, HEPA filtration can literally be a godsend. Housecleaning can indeed, by stirring up particles, cause pulmonary distress.

So - and it's just my opinion, mind you - I don't really think there is such a thing as The Best Vac. There is such a thing as The Best Vac For Your Application. My awesome Kirby's are overkill for the carpeting in my place -- but would be totally impractical for a totally hard-floored place.

Also -- bear in mind this forum does not represent the average appliance owner. This forum is made of people interested in appliances, who educate themselves regarding their appliances, who appreciate and use them, and MAINTAIN THEM. Moreover, this forum is populated with people who enjoy research.

The average Joe/Joline out there grabs the cheapest one off the WalMart shelf, rips it out of the box, dumps it on the floor, fires it up and charges about the house like the proverbial bull in a china shop. They'll brag to their friends about how expensive and top-of-the-line their carpet or flooring is -- then pinch pennies until Lincoln screams in pain on the care equipment.

If I use a Ford F350 Diesel to pull stumps, I'll probably pull stumps all day and night without a problem.

If I use a Volkswagen Beetle to do the same, the results will be painfully different.

Is that due to a lack of quality construction on the part of Volkswagen? Or mismatching of application to tool by me?

Just my long-winded, wordy, sleep-inducing two-cents worth...

John

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Zzzzzz

John, that was nothing short of perfect!

 

[singsonglee]

newer Vacuum

I agree with Gansky1 that that vac would be a good buy for you make sure that you get the tools with it. One thing to keep in mind when buying a vac. is make sure you get a direct air vac. The reason for this is that the dirt passes through the impeller and throws it up into the bag so no matter how full the bag get you still maintain full suction power at all times where as a "clean air system" vac is always trying to pull the air through a dirty bag and seals off with fine dirt and dust you've lost about half of your suction power and you motor has to work harder to maintain suction. Go with Eureka or Sanitaire or oreck thses are still direct air vacs.

http://[email protected]

 

[compactc9]

I have to disagree on that, the reason that a direct air vacuum might keep its power longer is because the bags are generally bigger with a larger surface area. However, all vacuums no matter what sustem they use need airflow to move the dirt from the floor to the bag. As the bag fills, any vacuum will lose a certain amount of its power, also, the cheap thin single layer paper bags lose their power much faster than a good 3M Filtrete type bag. Direct air vacuums, in general do not have as good of filtration, and tend to break more often, as the dirt passing thru the fan can cause problems when too large of objects are picked up. The impeller just moves the air, the movement of the air is what carries the dirt to the bag. I have seen many Riccars, Panasonics, Windsors, and other better clean air vacuums have adequit (but not preferrable) cleaning power with bags that looked more like flower sacks. Its always best to chage the bag on any vacuum when about 1/2 to 3/4 full for best cleaning power and longest motor life.

 

[sikiguya]

Well...............

Everyone has given me great information to mull over. I wanted hubby to look at it all but he has been busy at work. I am leaning toward the Sanitaire though since many people have commented on how great they areand how they will last if I take care of them.
The Rainbow E2 would be wonderful but it's expensive and the people who sell them on eBay are flaky. Most seem like rip offs (different sellers have same auction up but in several different locations in the US and reference each other indirectly but won't give you much info-just wierd).
As far as the HEPA, I know I need something with decent air filtation but my house comes with a whole house HEPA filter built in as well as a whole house air exchanger. This should help alleviate some of my son's allergy/asthma problems (hopefully anyway).

Thanks again to everyone for their great help. I love popping into this board to see what is going on. It's so fun and everyone is so nice!!

 

[kenmore1978]

clean air vs dirty air vacs

"The reason for this is that the dirt passes through the impeller and throws it up into the bag so no matter how full the bag get you still maintain full suction power at all times"

Oh no you don't. If a bag is full it doesn't matter whether the air is being "pushed" or "pulled" through the bag. Clogged is clogged

 

[tolivac]

I have found I can get MORE dirt into a direct air vac than a clean air one.The fan does seem to "pack" the dirt into the bag better.This would also apply to my NSS M1 vac-its bag can hold over 2 bushels of dirt-and when its full-its pretty heavy.Use this machine for those really DIRTY jobs-cleans better than a "shop vac"at those transmitter sites I have worked at-where the Tx hasn't been vac'ed out in months. One particular vac I have-the Riccar Radiance-REALLY packs the stuff into its bag-the One fan "pushing" and the other fan motor "pulling" air thru the bag.-and the Filtrete bags DO make a difference in clogging-this applies to both designs.If you can get Filtrete style bags for your vac-get them-they are worth the cost-they may even save you --because they can hold more dirt before getting clogged.The only time I "clogged" my M1 is by vacuuming out a fireplace with it-it swallowed up ALL of the ash before clogging.I promply replaced the paper bag to prevent fire hazard.

 

[compactc9]

The Riccar Radiance is a great vacuum. I would have bought one of them if I couldn't get the central vac in the house, but I did, so no Radiance yet. One thing I have noticed abut Riccars in general is that they seem to get more dirt into the bags than many vacuums do. I have seen so many of the 8955s come in with bags that are completely packed full. Just for curiousity, I have tried a few of them to see how much power they have with these bags, tehy still have enough to keep going. I think the bag chamber design has a lot to do with how much you can get in a bag. Better bag chambers allow a air space around the entire bag, so that as the bag fills, air can still move freely through. Bad bag chambers let the bag set on or very very close to the motor intake so that as the bag fills, the dirtpiles on top of the motor intake and suffocates the vacuum. I see this mostly with the cheap clean air vacuums. Riccar ever puts a frame over the motor filter to keep the bag from coming close to it, keeping the breathing space. I can see how a direct air vacuum would do well with this. The paper bag breathes very easily through the cloth or vinyl outer bag.

 

[tolivac]

Compactc9:-that is a point the design of the machines bag enclosure.Of the vacs I have the Air-Way canister's enclosure is clever-the bag is enclosed in a screen cylinder that equalizes pressure in the bag as it fills.also older "Luxes" had this.and of course the design of "Vertical bag" canisters such as the Compact-TriStar,vortech Force,miracle Mate,And others.These machines have their hose intake at a tangent to the bag-they use vortex currents to keep the bag unclogged by keeping the debris they pick up in motion as the vac runs.Very Effective.The Riccar Radiance--the bag in it could be termed a "side Fill" bag-the second motors suction sucks thru the side of the Radiance bag chamber.At present the bag in my Radiance is almost full and it has almost full suction power as checked on a Biard Meter-with the Radiances hose.The Radiance does use a Filtrete style bag.It can pack it tightly full before it needs replacing.when I checked it thru the hose-I am measuring the airflow of only one motor-the Clean air one.The brush-and push fan motor are not operating in the hose mode-can't measure the airflow with both-would like to-the design of the Biard meter won't allow it.

 

[knitwits1975]

I like my Kirby G4 the best.

 

[compactc9]

I wish there was a way to measure teh airflow from both motors. My boss said that Riccar had some kind of meter hooked up to the bottom, they had to take the brushroll out and put this adapter thing in it, I would love to see what it gets, my boss said it was over 100 "inches of airflow"(???????)he seems to think that airflow and suction are the same, no idea why. So I would like better ratings eventually.

I actually work in a vacuum store, we sell Riccar, Lindhaus, Sanitaire, and VacuMaid(central). Riccar also just came out with a line of central vacs, made by Cyclovac. They also use the saem power nozzles and floor tool as the canisters, Radiance tools as the Radiance, and a plastic telescoping want for the floor tool, the power nozzle uses the canister type wand too.

 

[tolivac]

I am with Knitwits1975-I like my Kirbys the best among the machine I have-Next would be the metal Royals.I feel Tri-Star Compacts win in the canisters.
Compactc9:Is the Lindhaus sort of like the Sebo upright-there is a Sebo dealer here and got the Sebo X4 automatic-nice machine.The biard meter is a device commonly used by Kirby DTD salesmen.It doesn't measure vacuum "pressure" as in inches of water-but a relative reading of CFM.It tries to measure how much air the machine moves rather than the pressure.It doesn't read in CFM-but a numerical reading so you can compare machines-like one machine will give a higher reading than another.I got a few of them from a Kirby dealer that went out of business.It was brand new-never used.Got some dirt meters from him too.It would be interesting to somehow adapt the Biard meter to read the total airflow thru the Radiance-but would involve an adaptor and a hose-those could spoil the readings.The Radiance is an excellent machine-but still do like my kirbys better.somehow the Radiance still fascinates me.It is a VERY effective machine-better than most out there-Think the Kirby will outlast it.I also like my metal Royal "Classic" uprights-excellent floor cleaner-again better than most "clean-air" uprights.

 

[compactc9]

We actually have one of the Kirby aifflow meters at work, I use it once in a while to see what the different vacuums get.

The Lindhaus is somewhat like a Sebo, but still very different. The biggest difference is that they are a 2 motor upright, with the powerhead beeing detachable from the vacuum. They look somewhat like stick vacs, but they are full sized and full powered. They did just come out with single piece uprights too, they come in both 1 and 2 motor models. They make very good vacuums. The US government uses them in all of their buildings. here is their website:

Professional Cleaning Equipment and Vacuum Cleaners - Lindhaus

Lindhaus produces Vacuum cleaners, carpet cleaner machines, electric brooms designed and built for different types of environment.

www.lindhaususa.com