new vacuum cleaner (flooring, tanks, carpeting, gas)

[Izzie1213]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Best bang for the buck is a Panasonic canister vacuum. I have a couple of them that say Kenmore on them. I think it’s foolish to spend big bucks on a fancy European brand or Dyson when the Consumer Reports analysis says the much cheaper Panasonic does as good a job.

A few years ago (maybe 5-6) I brought a vacuum cleaner to be repaired at a small vacuum shop own by one guy, he also reconditioned and sold used vacuums. I asked him what vacuum cleaner was the best. He said Panasonic. I bought a Dyson though because of all the tools available for them.

As for bag less vacuums, I always take the debris canister outside to empty and give it a good shake to get all the dust off, downwind.

[arleigh]

The best vacuuming system in existence is the whole house vacuum. 2" vacuum tubes are plumbed throughout the house and to an external receptacle where the vacuum motor and bag are.
This handles everything including water and steam cleaning operations.
When the drum is full it is handled by the trash collectors.

[Izzie1213]

Originally Posted by arleigh

The best vacuuming system in existence is the whole house vacuum. 2" vacuum tubes are plumbed throughout the house and to an external receptacle where the vacuum motor and bag are.
This handles everything including water and steam cleaning operations.
When the drum is full it is handled by the trash collectors.

Your right about the whole house vacuum. My sister has one. No noise, the canister is in the basement. Whatever the filter misses is vented to the outside so all the little particles go outside. They installed it when the house was built, would be difficult to install in existing home in some instances but not impossible. The suction is stronger than any vacuum I've ever seen...and no noise!!!

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Facing a task I've been dreading. Decades ago, I bought a vintage Electrolux cannister vacuum from a repair shop. No idea how old it actually is now but I took somewhat good care of it and it kept right on sucking. It finally died. There are no repair places within an 80 mile drive, so I don't even know if it can be repaired or whether necessary parts would even be available. Before the carpets get really grody I've resigned myself to the inevitable...buying a new one. I find the endless ads for popular vacuum brands annoying and unbelievable. Yes, I have carpets; most are looser pile. No hardwoods. Not enough hard surface floors to bother with a fancier wet type. If my carpets need deep cleaning I'll get that done professionally. I prefer a cannister style as I use a vacuum on lots of things other than carpet.

The only small appliances shop within reasonable driving range carries Sebo vacuums. According to the owner as well as several websites they have a good reputation. I don't want to replace a so-so machine after a couple of years.

Anyone own a Sebo?

I owned a janitorial company… and I’ve had several Sebos.

They held up very well. And they took a lot of abuse. We used the X4 upright. It has a tube handle that you can take out and use easily. With onboard tools that are very accessible.If the tube does not stretch enough for your liking there is an extension that you can buy that fits in perfectly and locks into the tube so you can stretch it and it won’t come out of the tube.

You cannot turn off the roller brush. So if you do have any sort of hardwoods that you would normally vacuum, it will fling bits around. It has a very wide cleaning path, too wide for my little house. That’s why I bought a Felix. I prefer uprights to canisters mainly because I got very used to taking wide sweeps with my arms in order to cover more territory and get the job done faster. I used to vacuum like 2 miles a day.

After we got rid of the carpet in our house I bought a Miele canister. It did a fine job. I kept landing on the floor. With my wide sweep, it would draw the canister right behind me and I’d trip on it. I did it a number of times before I just said I can’t deal with this anymore and went out and bought a Sebo Felix.

I love the Sebo bags. They come with little lids so when you take the bag out you can seal the bag. I so prefer a bag to a dust cup. That being said, we have had to use Sebo bag knock offs on occasion. They are not good. And the bad part of the Sebo is that Sebo bags are expensive. But they are worth it if you have allergies.

And about once a year you have to change the brush roll. It’s pretty easy to do but their parts aren’t cheap. For us it was all a write off so it didn’t matter. You’ll know when you have to change the brush roll because you will find yourself really pushing the vacuum. And the amount of where on the brush roll will only be like an eighth of an inch when this happens. And it’s just not worth it, change the brush roll. After you do it the Sebo practically dances over the carpet.

Honestly, I have used a number of vacuums — I’ve used the Shark, my stars those are loud. Our first set of vacuums were Panasonic‘s, they were OK, a little heavy. The old fashion Sanataire, I don’t know why anybody wants those, Meile, those were nice for the house, could not hold up to the commercial use. Oreck, honestly in my opinion a total waste of money. Any time somebody gives you a bunch of stuff free for buying of vacuum cleaner that’s a clear sign of the vacuum cleaner isn’t worth it.

My other preference is to always have a bypass motor. The Sanataire does not. I think most home vacuum cleaners do. A bypass motor is essentially what it means, if the vacuum picks up a screw it bypasses the motor. In a Sanataire, if the vacuum picks up a ********* break your motor.

Regarding the Felix? It also has a tube that you can use and stretch out but, it’s kind of like a really strong stick vacuum. Want to use the tube? Ben over to pull it out. It doesn’t click to stay upright you have to lean it against some thing. So it falls over a lot. That’s kind of annoying. It does very well on regular dust and cat fur balls, but kibble bits? I literally have to pick the vacuum a little and pull it over the kibble. Otherwise it pushes the kibble into a pile. So it’s not the easiest vac to use. After 21 years of doing it tor a living, I am really kind of over vacuuming which is why I now have a Roomba.

[Thundarr457]

When I was growing up we had one of those Electrolux Canister vacs that was built like a tank and lasted forever. In our current house we have a central vac which sucks up everything but the hose is heavy and long and we use it occasionally. The best vacuum for the buck IMHO is a Eureka Mighty Mite, its under $100 and can suck the chrome of a bumper. The hose and attachments are plastic but the thing does a fantastic job. I have had mine for 15 years and it still works like a champ.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by arleigh

When the drum is full it is handled by the trash collectors.

Assuming you even have such a thing which I don't. Haven't lived anywhere with trash pickup in over 20 years! I have no interest in installing a central vacuum system. I want something portable that can handle a lot more than the typical handheld!

[LKJ1988]

Never heard of a Sebo. I was never into vaks jack. I will stick with my Dyson stick.

[KCZ]

About the first time I had to take a bagless vacuum outside to empty it into a trash can when it was 20 below zero, the vacuum would go in the can as well.

[M3 Mitch]

Originally Posted by Parnassia

Facing a task I've been dreading. Decades ago, I bought a vintage Electrolux cannister vacuum from a repair shop. No idea how old it actually is now but I took somewhat good care of it and it kept right on sucking. It finally died. There are no repair places within an 80 mile drive, so I don't even know if it can be repaired or whether necessary parts would even be available. Before the carpets get really grody I've resigned myself to the inevitable...buying a new one. I find the endless ads for popular vacuum brands annoying and unbelievable. Yes, I have carpets; most are looser pile. No hardwoods. Not enough hard surface floors to bother with a fancier wet type. If my carpets need deep cleaning I'll get that done professionally. I prefer a cannister style as I use a vacuum on lots of things other than carpet.

The only small appliances shop within reasonable driving range carries Sebo vacuums. According to the owner as well as several websites they have a good reputation. I don't want to replace a so-so machine after a couple of years.

Anyone own a Sebo?

It's quite possible your old vacuum only needs brushes in the motor, the older ones are set up so the brushes can be easily (relatively easily) replaced. That might be both cheaper and more satisfactory than buying a new one. Just sayin'.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by M3 Mitch

It's quite possible your old vacuum only needs brushes in the motor, the older ones are set up so the brushes can be easily (relatively easily) replaced. That might be both cheaper and more satisfactory than buying a new one. Just sayin'.

Certainly possible which is partly why I'm dithering over the decision. I can't get my old vacuum repaired or even looked at locally. I'd need to drive 80 miles to reach a repair shop and there's no guarantee they'll even be able to fix or get parts for it. That's 160 miles to take it there and another 160 to bring it home.