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Thanks to all of you who shared your opinions. The Dyson seems like the best working machine BUT I just cannot swing that kind of money right now. My plan is to make the rounds of the stores to compare feel etc. I will let you know what makes the final cut.
Seriously, then get a Shopvac. Even for carpets, it is going to give you the most suction. You can buy attachments as well that make it more like a regular vaccuum.
The only thing is that, while it does have a filter (I use a #5 to get all fine dust particles), there is no bag. This isn't an issue for the smaller vacs but the big ones you usually have to clean/dump by hand, which can be difficult. Also, the filters aren't cheap (~$25/ea.) so I would try to find a place that sells them cheap.
But I am telling you, I cleaned out mine the other day and there was a massive amount of dog hair in it--enough for one sweater. With the larger Shopvacs, you don't have to clean it out as much as other vacs--unless you are picking up a lot of hair--but you do have to remember to change the filter frequently.
Ditto...I kick myself everytime I think of being talked into carpeting in my MH at first I wanted ALL vinyl because I live on dusty acerage but nooooo the nimnod in the sales dept. spent an hour talking me into it. Never again. If I can ever buy again, it will be a carpet free home or I will budget to rip the stuff up before I move in.
One of my projects is to rip up my carpeting and just paint what ever is beneath it until I can afford different stuff...I have a friend who did that and it took them 5 years to save for what they wanted but the painted floor lasted and worked!
painting the subfloor.... what a GREAT idea!! after 7 years of critters running around and tracking in mud, throwing up, etc. etc. my carpet is in AWFUL shape..... it was the cheap, Home Depot grade to start with, so between that and my not-stellar housekeeping ..... well, you get the picture.....
i also think the shop vac idea is a good one.... i use one in my car and it works GREAT.....
The Shark...hands down a winner. It picks up all our Pom's fur and more. We have the lightweight one and it works wonders...It wasn't outlandishly expensive either!
I have a Bissell Pet Hair Eraser bagless vacuum. It cost me about $185 or so, I think. I've had it for about 3 years and don't recall exactly how much I paid. I like it, but also have issues with it.
Good:
It has really good suction. Except for when it doesn't.... (See the "Bad" section.) But when the suction is good, I feel really happy with how it picks up. Not just the hair, but the amount of dust it picks up always blows my mind. Really good suction, with a caveat.
Fairly lightweight and easy to maneuver and push around on the floor.
The canister can be detached from the upright casing, so it's easy to cart around if you're vacuuming the furniture or whatever.
The hair/dirt receptacle is easy to remove/empty/return.
There's a small beater-bar attachment for upholstery. I wouldn't use it on anything with a loose weave, but it works great for de-dog-hairing my duvet cover!
As long as I empty the receptacle after use, the vacuum doesn't have any funky vacuum odors.
It picks up pretty well on the hard-surface floors, too. My old Hoover Wind Tunnel didn't -- it just blew the stuff out the sides. But this Bissell works well on the hard floors.
Bad:
In mine, there's a foam filter located above the hair/dirt receptacle that clogs with dust and hair. In order to get good suction and pick-up out of the vacuum, I have to clean that filter: I take it outside and beat it with a toothbrush to dislodge the dust. I have to do this at the beginning of every other vacuuming session. (I have a small place. If you had a big place, you'd probably have to do it more often.) This is a PITA.
The attachments are not good, especially the "duster/brush" attachment. The bristles are hard and it's angled strangely. I don't like it. (And I found that I could not use my old Hoover attachments on the Bissell attachment.)
The extension pole came apart/broke.
Sometimes the dog hair gets caught up in the beater-bar part of the assembly. I'm a weirdo who regularly maintains my vacuum by taking it apart and cleaning out all the nooks and crannies, but I could imagine that for others less assiduous, the vacuum might wind up having a short life-span.
My old Hoover Wind Tunnel (also bagless) was easier to use and the filter didn't clog as easily and frequently as the Bissell's filter does.
However, I do think the Bissell has better suction.
If I were to rate them, I'd give the Bissell 3 stars out of 5, and I'd give the Hoover Wind Tunnel 3.5 stars out of 5. (I really hate that stupid foam filter!!)
The Bissell is still working well enough for me that I'm not willing to cast it aside for a Dyson, but I do kind of wish that I'd just bitten the bullet and bought the Dyson in the first place. However...my brother has a Dyson Animal, and I hate it. It's SO HEAVY. I have to use both hands to push it around on the carpet. And I think the attachments, extension poles, etc. are very complicated and not at all intuitive. Are the ball Dysons easier to maneuver?
I also have the Bissell Pet Hair Eraser, which was about $200, and has lasted me two years so far. I have pretty much the same review as above. I also hate the foam filter...I like that it's not a filter you toss out and replace, but it needs super frequent cleaning. I also have a small home (and one 35-lb short-haired dog), and I don't feel like I ought to have to dismantle the filter and clean it out with the frequency that is necessary. It doesn't clean very easily, either. You can rinse it, but then it takes forever to dry, and must be totally dry before reinstalled, unless you want wet dog smell every time you turn your vacuum on from then on out.
The only suction problems I've had have been when the hose has gotten clogged, but it's simple enough to take apart if you do get a clog. I do feel like it does only a so-so job keeping up with my pet's hair, and given my dog and the size of my house, I cringe to think if I had a big home to vacuum or multiple dogs to contend with. It wouldn't be the right vacuum. As it is, it works, and cleaning out the odd clog is more in my budget than going the Dyson route.
I love my Eureka, Boss® Smartvac™ 4870pz. Never a problem. and I have long hair kitties and kitty litter to pick up.
was $150 few years back, about 10 years.
My roomie has a Dyson, and honestly, hmm why doesn't it work? for $500 it spits the kitty litter everywhere and doesn't pick it up until going over the same area numerous times. It did this and then I thought and research online, clean it... so I did, took it apart, cleaned filter, used an air compressor,... anyway, it still sucks..! in the bad way. he got burned.
painting the subfloor.... what a GREAT idea!! after 7 years of critters running around and tracking in mud, throwing up, etc. etc. my carpet is in AWFUL shape..... it was the cheap, Home Depot grade to start with, so between that and my not-stellar housekeeping ..... well, you get the picture.....
i also think the shop vac idea is a good one.... i use one in my car and it works GREAT.....
Yah...I'm another not-so-stellar housekeeper. I have a full size PU truck and can haul the carpet to the dump, I just need to find someone to do it in exchange for some trees - got 10 acres worth and hopefully someone will want some of them for wood.
I have had every brand of vacuum cleaner you can name (except Kirby). The good ones have lasted a year, others just a few months.
I have had my Dyson 6 years now, I have three indoor cats and a dog, that's all I am going to say, I don't want to tempt fate.
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. Never again. If I can ever buy again, it will be a carpet free home or I will budget to rip the stuff up before I move in.
I have to use both hands to push it around on the carpet. And I think the attachments, extension poles, etc. are very complicated and not at all intuitive. Are the ball Dysons easier to maneuver?
