July 11, 2007
Time for a new vacuum? Dyson? Kenmore? Hoover?
I think it’s time for a new vacuum cleaner. I bought my current one when it was on sale at Costco back in 2000 - so my current one is over 7 years old. Of course, age isn’t everything, but the fact that not much seems to get picked up in the bagless part of it, and the fact that a lot of dust is on the surface of the unit is indicative that something might not be right. I’m not in a particular hurry to buy one - especially given the upcoming events and changes to my personal life.
That said, I did a quick search on the web, and while everyone raves about the Dyson - there are also a lot of reports about them breaking, being extremely heavy, and being… well… over hyped. They’re also pretty pricey.
Here’s what consumer reports said on the other hand:
MSN Shopping: Consumer Reports - Vacuums
Top-rated by Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports has detailed Ratings of more than 35 vacuum cleaners, including upright and canister models.
The Consumer Reports top-rated upright vacuum cleaners are:
- Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 35922
- Hoover WindTunnel 2 U8311-900
- Kenmore (Sears) Progressive with Direct Drive 36932
I sure wish there were some standard metric to compare vacuums against. All I want is something that doesn’t use a belt, doesn’t require filters, and ensure that the air that comes out of it is pretty clean. The current place I live in has carpets - so carpet performance is a must.
Would I be a social pariah for wanting a Kenmore? 
And speaking of which, I love the pricing scheme here: 36932 and 369333 are practically identical. The difference is that the 2 has a 30ft cord, but the 35ft cord. But right now, the 2 is $349 and the 3 is $279 (usually $349). I wish everyone would have a simpler product line ala Apple.
Update: Someone pointed out that my next place might have hardwood floors (or Pergo) since that’s the rage right now. If that’s so, this might be moot!
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3 Comments to “Time for a new vacuum? Dyson? Kenmore? Hoover?”
July 12th, 2007 at 7:52 am
I’ve always used a Kenmore canister, and I’ve been very happy with them. My first one lasted about 12 years. Then I upgraded to one with HEPA filtering. I’ll never go back. My wife prefers uprights, but since I do most of the vacuuming, we kept my canister.
Recently, I accidentally brooke the plug on my canister. Took it to Sears for repair (San Antonia). $90. Turns out, for $90 they have factory reconditioned uprights, including the top-rated Consumer Reports model, with a 1 year warranty for $90. It rocks.
The Kenmore upright works fine. I still prefer a canister. I find them much more flexible with the longer hose, more attachments, ability to vacuum under the beds, and less dust changing the bag than emptying container on the bagless variety. (By the way, we have four indoor cats and had six months of remodeling construction to clean up.) If you want an upright, I’d head down to the Sears repair shop and look at the factory refurbs.
July 16th, 2007 at 8:01 am
[...] looking back at this previous post, given my new digs, it appears I’ll need a lightweight vacuum - which sort of rules out most [...]
July 17th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Have you looked at a Halo? http://www.gethalo.com. I’m the Web Content Manager there….and I have one…it’s lightweight, suction is great AND it uses UV-C technology to kill dust mites, mold, bacteria, etc in the carpet. I’m not writing because I work there. I wrote this because I use one and it’s GREAT with pet hair (I have a retriever/chow mix) and allergy sufferers (pollen, ragweed, etc…I should own stock in Claritin!). It’s a thought anyways! Let me know if you have any questions - amchenry@halocompany.com. Ashleigh
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