Sirena vs ??? - Please Advice

[brooklynbrook]

Hey everyone,

I just found this forum and from a first glance, when it comes to vacuum cleaners, it seems this place has the most knowledgeable community out there. Looking for an advice here.

I live in a ~1300 sq ft apartment, 95% is a hardwood, the other 5% is a rug in a living room and a small rug in one of the bedrooms. I also have a 2 y.o. kid.

The only vacuum cleaner I had was a 79$ BISSELL 9595A, which is a complete garbage. I bought it because of high amazon reviews and threw it out after 2 months or so.

Now I'm looking to buy something better. Much better. Considering Sirena, as I like the water-based filtration. I've never been a Rainbow owner, but I really liked the presentation I saw like a year ago.

The Rainbow's price tag is too high. I was also considering the Dyson Ball Multifloor canister (just because of its suction power), but don't really like the the way to clean it up and feel it's gonna be a mess. I also look for quality and I read that Dyson is a large piece of plastic.

Is there some vacuum cleaner that could also wash? What do you guys think?

 

[sptyks]

The Sirena is a water vac like the Rainbow, but that is where the similarities end.


The Sirena build quality and features are far below the Rainbow's.


 


In other words: You get what you pay for!

 

[ralph123]

I would recommend that you look at the Simplicity Wonder and the Riccar Prima as alternatives. You really don't have to spend $900+ to get a quality vacuum.

 

[panasonicvac]

Dysonman1 would tell you the differences of the sirena to the rainbow. Another thing on dysons is that they are guaranteed to Scratch hardwood floors because they use plastic wheels. I would recommend a canister that have rubber wheels although I don't know which ones have them because I don't pay attention to canister vacuums.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Though you do "get what you pay for" the Sirena is not a bad machine. 


A Rainbow it is not, but again not bad.  I personally feel it is a little larger, and heavier than a Rainbow, it doesn't have direct connect wands, and a little more difficult to clean some say, I don't notice it so much.  The basin is really open which makes it easier to get hands and towel inside to wipe it down.


 


The Sirena has a 10 year warranty, has good suction, I'm not in love with the power nozzle, and the hose is relatively short 6ft ( I would prefer a minimum of 8ft.)  Sirena does not have a digital motor, and does not have a shampoo attachment.  The tools supplied are basic, but seem of good quality.  Two sets of extendable wands that together can reach a 12 ft ceiling.


 


The lack of a shampoo attachment did not matter to me, as I have a Hoover Spin Scrub and wouldn't have used it anyway.  Sirena does/can do water pick up.  I look for them to add attachments later on.  Right now they are getting established, and like I said, not a bad machine.   I have had mine since late January, and any problem I had was very quickly addressed by Sirena by email as well as giving directions to the nearest service center if it is required. 


 


I have an older Rainbow (D2 from 1970s) and would love to own a new Rainbow, but my checkbook was not cooperative.  With the Sirena I was able to purchase a new in the box machine with a 10 year warranty for a fraction of the cost of a Rainbow.   I can't vouch if it will last 40 years or more like my Rainbow has, but it is still a good value in my opinion.  I did not spend $900 for mine.  I purchased new in the box, never used for $270 on Ebay w/free shipping and warranty is not hampered by online purchase like Rainbow is.


 


 


 

[this post was last edited: 4/14/2016-13:19]

 

[brooklynbrook]

Thanks a lot everyone!

@sptyks: well, I see what you mean, but $900 is not just "You get what you pay for", I mean, that is still quite expensive when it comes to vacuum cleaners. At least, that's my feeling.

@ralph123: I took a look at Simplicity/Riccar. Looks like a very good option, I'm strongly considering it right now. I would never end up with Riccar myself. Thanks a lot for the recommendation. I'm 90% convinced to get it from what I've already read, but going to do just a little bit more research to fill the other 10%

@panasonicvac: this is an extremely important point you wrote there. I'm pedantic to the quality and state of the hardwood floors, so I'd be hugely disappointed by even minor scratches. Hardwood floor is not something you can easily change by ordering at Amazon.

@kirbysthebest: thank you for your detailed answer. I've never heard of Hoover before and it seems like a decent option to keep in mind if I ever have more than just an area rug. Do you have any experience with the RIccar Prima by any chance (recommendation from @ralph123)? I wonder what makes Sirena cost ~$900, comparing to $425 Riccar.

Cheers,
Andrew.

 

[vac-o-matic]

Water vacs....

Now think about using a water based vacuum. Are you really going to want to take it apart, fill it with water, then empty it out, clean it out with a towel, store it separate from the water basin(recommended), maintain the separator, when with a bagged vacuum, you just use it until the bag fills, pull it out, put a new one in! Much more convenient, especially if you're constantly cleaning up behind a 2 yr. old. With the only rugs mentioned, you could do with a mid-size power nozzle for those, and a nice bare floor brush for the rest. Just my two cents worth. I have two Rainbows, both vintage, a D2, and a SE with the later power nozzle. I have used each one of them maybe two or three times, all the time cussing when it came time to dump and clean them out, plus the room it takes to store them off their basin.

 

[rvarley]

Rainbow

I cant speak to the ease of using a Sirena, but I do have the latest edition Rainbow and don't find cleanup and storage too bad. The best thing about the water filtration vacs is that they never have that nasty stale vacuum stench that no amount of 'magic scented beads' in the bag can cover up. Is the rainbow more work to use than a bagged or bagless vac? Yes, a little bit. I also have a Riccar Prima and must say its a nice little canister for a reasonable price. The mini power nozzle is by far the best I've ever used.

One more nice thing about the Rainbow (which can be bought used on eBay for much less than new) - it can be used for washing floors and carpet. I'm not that impressed with the carpet cleaner, but the bare floor cleaner is nice. And it vacuums up the cleaning solution which removes the dirt and dries the floor. There is also an extra long cleaning hose (12' or 30') available that's really convenient for vacuuming hard to reach places. I use the Rainbow when I have time to do deep cleaning and a lightweight vacuum if I'm in a rush. Don't ask which I'd keep if I was allowed only one . No question Rainbow does more than most vacuums.

 

[speedqueen]

High quality vacuum for Hardwood Floors

And area rugs sounds like the perfect slot for an Aerus Lux Classic canister vacuum. Besides if you're not a vacuum enthusiast like us you will soon tire of wanting to clean out that Sirena or even Rexair/Rainbow for that matter. Bags for an Aerus are one of the most widely available in the industry without having to go to a specialty vacuum store like you might with a Riccar. You can also get those bags in everything from economy 1 ply to the Perfect brand HEPA bags. Just my $0.02. If you really want quality without hassle or much money search "Electrolux 1205" on eBay and find a vintage model in good shape with replacement vinyl hose.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

I second the Aerus. Been using Aerus Electrolux in my family since 1955

 

[dysonman1]

The Riccar Prima is an awesome, powerful, light weight vacuum with an exceptional hard wood floor attachment as well as the perfect flip over Dusting Brush/Upholstery Nozzle combination. Hepa bags are NOT expensive and the Hepa exhaust filter give a one/two punch to keep any dust in the machine, and not in your air. The bags are self sealing, so you touch no dirt, breath no dirt, and see no dirt when emptying. The very quiet motor is a pleasure to use, and the variable speed motor means you won't inhale the drapes or throw rugs when cleaning them. You cannot go wrong with the Prima. I've personally sold over a hundred of them to people from all over the country who visit the Vacuum Cleaner Museum/Factory Outlet Store.

 

[n0oxy]

vacuum suggestions

I would also suggest a bagged vacuum over water based, I much prefer canisters over uprights. The riccar prima with the mini power nozzle would be a good choice. The Aerus classic is good, though you may have to do some bargaining to get a good price, personally I'm not a fan of price haggling, but Aerus insists on selling their products through the in home method. Sebo also makes some great canister vacuums. If you want a vacuum that looks like the older metal electrolux models, the Perfect canister vacuum is a great choice. Miele also makes some great models, and finally, if you want a decent budget model, check out the Panasonic mc-cg902, mc-cg917 or mc-cg937

 

[brooklynbrook]

I'd go with Riccar Prima, but I'm uncertain because of its emptiness on amazon, ebay, etc. Is it only riccar.com where you can get it? What if there website go down in a few months, where do I buy the vacuum bags?

 

[panasonicvac]

Riccar and Simplicity

Is only sold at independent dealer stores, you cannot get them at any other website except only at riccar or simplicity's website. You can look at the "find dealer" tab on the website to see where you can get them at. You can still get bags on some websites or just at your local dealer store, I get mine at amazon.

 

[n0oxy]

riccar prima

I would not buy the vacuum from the Riccar web site, you will end up paying the full retail price, you can usually get it from a dealer at a much cheaper price. Tacony, which is the company who makes the Riccar and Simplicity vacuums is a bit behind the times when it comes to selling their products on line, they haven't really embraced that selling model yet. The prima is a great vacuum though, I think hyou would be quite happy with it.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Tom...Touch No Dirt, See no Dirt, Breath no dirt. Yet another Aerus Electrolux first!

 

[dysonman1]

Not an aerus first. The sealed self contained 14 layer hepa bag in a canister cleaner was invented and perfected by Air-Way in 1937 with the model 55.

 

[brooklynbrook]

@n0oxy: thanks for the recommendation. Going to a local dealer later this week. Let's see what's gonna be the price here in Brooklyn.

 

[kirbylux77]

Tom

"The bags are self sealing, so you touch no dirt, breath no dirt, and see no dirt when emptying."

"Not an aerus first. The sealed self contained 14 layer hepa bag in a canister cleaner was invented and perfected by Air-Way in 1937 with the model 55."

Not so fast there! You know Andy was referring to the self sealing qualities of the Electrolux Type C bag, not it's filtration. And even if he was referring to the bag's filtration, by the time the 4 ply bags came out in 1955, the Electrolux bags had an advantage over Air Way bags, since the bags not only filtered as well as the Air Way bag but it was also self sealing. And you know perfectly well you borrowed that saying for the Electrolux bags to describe the Riccar Prima bags....after all, you already have said the cordreel design for the Prima & Wonder was inspired by the Electrolux 1205, so why not borrow their saying for the bags.

And one other thing....the Air Way bag is perfect eh? Hmm, so much so that other collectors have said those bags tend to clog prematurely, & you yourself have suggested a few times using a Riccar/Simplicity Type F HEPA bag for the 8 lb upright & a Air Way bag top as a substitute for the Air Way paper bags. If the bag was REALLY perfect, other manufacturers would have copied it long by now, the fact they haven't is proof the design left much to be desired.

Rob