Confusing market

[DeepOwl]

Greetings,
I'm new to these forums and newly searching for a vacuum for my apartment. With all my purchases I search out the best info and it seems this forum may be the top spot on the internet for vacuum info. I've been reading up for a week now and hope to figure out the best bang to buck vacs available in the US!
It's really amazing how diluted and confusing the vacuum cleaner market is. I'm not sure I've seen any other industry with each manufacturer offering so many choices with such little description of the differences and seemingly no hierarchy within their product range. It's truly baffling!
Anyway, around this town all you see is Dyson and then Shark and then the Hoovers, Eurekas, Bissells, and Orecks, with scant mention of Kirby and Rainbow.
I'm glad I found this forum and discovered some new ones like Aerus Sebo, and Sanitaire.
Anyway, I'm just a single guy in a 1000 sq. ft. apartment, 2/3 carpet, 1/3 tile and I've always had a buy nice or buy twice attitude. Hopefully there are some good threads around I can read up on to find a vac that does the job well, is low maintenance, proven durability, and takes up little space.
I'll be looking at all your wise words around here to decipher the insanity of the vacuum cleaner market!
Thanks in advance.

 

[oliveoiltinfoil]

Hello and welcome buddy, from the UK.

I'l get straight to it. I keep repeating myself here but it is such a universally great vacuum, I recommend the sebo felix. It is very compact, has an aluminium extendable handle, which obviously collapses for easy storage. It's built in Germany as well. The model has been out since 2005 and the some of the parts have been proven in other sebo units. They updated the model slightly in 2011 with a more efficient motor and more durable electrical connector for the swivel head, which brings me on to the fact it swivels and steers. It was the first vacuum to go on sale with swivel steering, beating the dyson ball by a few months.

The agitation is among the best out there. The bristles are firm and long in length. The machine is very quite, has variable suction control as well. The main unit can be dethatched from the power nozzle for doing stairs, car etc.

Some more information at a glance here man.

The only thing I will say is it isn't exactly cheap, but it is worth every penny. Also comes with a 5 year guarantee. Also approved by the British allergy foundation for filtration quality.

 

[dysonman1]

Made in the USA

Why don't you consider a Made in the USA vacuum cleaner? Maytag, Simplicity, and Riccar vacuums are made in St. James, Missouri by 200 Americans, who only have jobs because someone chooses American-Made. While the initial cost of a vacuum is something you have to consider, the REAL cost is upkeep. For example, the German-made Miele vacuums use bags that come 4 to a package for $22. The cord for the upright is $125 (you must replace the entire handle assembly). A new brush roller is $100.

Contrast that to the American-Made Simplicity or Maytag or Riccar. A metal brush roller costs less than $10 for replacement bristle strips. The cord can be replaced for $20. Bags are $2 each. The cleaning ability of these machines is fantastic. They were built to clean American homes and were engineered in America's heartland.

An excellent American Made vacuum can be had for $200. I love the eight-pound upright (weighs what a gallon of milk weighs). The line-up also features the amazing Maytag M1200, one of the best cleaning vacuums ever made. It has two suction motors for unbelievable cleaning. It will survive for several decades, as opposed to several years for Shark, Hoover, Eureka, Panasonic, etc.

 

[sebo_fan]

The Felix also has a long power cord and a brush roll on/off on the PN floor head. What attracted me to SEBO above the performance and reliability aspect is the maintenance and low running costs - it is very easy to do when cleaning off the entire brush roll and no screwdrivers required.

Costs are low as well where dust bags and filters are concerned. Almost twice as many bags for the feeble 4 dust bags Miele sell.

The other thing is you can buy a delicate floor roller brush OR make do with the standard stiffer bristles. You can't find that on almost any other brand, and SEBO also include a suction only floor tool for hard floors and tiles if you don't want to run the main PN head over delicate hard flooring. It also halves the weight of the Felix to 4kg - 2.2lbs.

 

[sptyks]

I would recommend ...

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">either  the SEBO Felix or the Maytag vacuums.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It all depends on whether you would prefer a quality German engineered vacuum like the SEBO Felix or a very high quality American engineered and manufactured vacuum like the Maytag , Riccar and Simplicity vacuum cleaners. All three manufactured here in the USA by Tacony Corporation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The SEBO will set you back close to $600 and I think the Tacony machines go anywhere from $250 to $1000. You may be able to negotiate considerably the cost of the Tacony vacuums, but not the SEBO.</p>
 


<p class="MsoNormal">These machines are engineered to last decades, not 2-5 years like the Walmart Plastic vacs. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>

 

[man114]

Rainbow

It requires a certain level of discipline to use one regularly but if you have to you do. It is one of the few vacuums my wife can use and empty without asthma issues. The more you use it, the less of an issue the water is, it becomes no different than using a bagless vacuum but you put water in first. I sell them withmy wife part time as she is a firm believer in them due to her asthma, of all vac makers owners of Dysons and Kirbys seem to buy with greatest frequency.

I think Dyson loses a lot because of the brush roller. It isn't even an airflow issue there, even freshly cleaned I don't think the Dyson brush roller can compete with Rainbow's power head, it is too narrow to groom as effectively. Rainbow focuses the suction centrally, it seems to make the results more even. You'd be surprised at the number of Dyson owners that buy Rainbows, you are probably 80% of the way to a sale walking in if you demo to a Dyson owner.

Kirby owners also are big Raibow buyers. Couple of things here. A Kirby isn't cheap, but the owner can likely afford the Rainbow if they did. Most people don't set the height properly. They are hard to maneuver. So the big heavy Kirby skips along or digs into the carpet leaving the Rainbow to pull a lot of stuff out, and gets into tighter places.

Is the Rainbow that much more superior, not really, it might have modestly better airflow and has a better powerhead that requires less user intervention (unlike the Kirby) and thus for the average user probably cleans better, but has the water to deal with.

Rainbow is a machine with its own purpose and is not for everyone, it has the advantages of not losing airflow, no airborn dust and provided you empty it and never store the basin on the machine it is completely odorless.

Longevity is good, D4s are holding on strong, lots of them. It is artificially skewed because Rainbow offers incentives to upgrade and a lot of people choose to do so before they get no trade in value (for example since the newest model the D3 has no trade in value, and the D4 likely won't once the next model arrives).

 

[ornery]

Direct Air

You say "bang for the buck". I say, direct air. They are the ones with longevity measured in decades, not years. They are the ones used commercially. They are uncomplicated and easy to repair, with low priced parts still available even for vintage machines.

The money you save for the initial price of a direct air, over a quality "tools on-board" machine, will buy a powerful little canister and then some. You won't need one with a power head or anything fancy at all.

 

[davetranter]

Hi, DeepOwl

As a U.K. resident, I won't weigh into the pro's and cons of the various models available in the U.S. today. I admire your attitude towards buying quality goods. Most of us on this forum have the same attitude. Have you considered buying 'used'?? There are plenty of cheap, used machines out there which have already lasted years or even decades, and which will last as long again. Check with the 'wise ones' on the forums for spares availability. Just a thought. ;-)

All best

Dave T

 

[DeepOwl]

Thanks for the welcome and the weigh-in!

I always appreciate individual info. Sorting through a ton and making comparisons. As I was looking through Sanitaire and SEBO's sites I saw they put the db rating on their vacs. My job is recording sound for commercials and documentaries. My ears are important to me so finding the quietest vac possible is now one of my new factors. I wish more manufacturers added that spec to their sheet!

I'm on a few different forums for sound recordists and Volkswagen TDI enthusiasts so I've learned not to go to a forum like this with a question like 'what vacuum should I get?' Truly the answer is: the best vacuum for YOU! Everyone has different needs in their equipment and no piece of gear is the perfect tool in every situation. But every piece of info from experts and enthusiasts helps build a clear picture of what's out there and what will work for me. Thanks!

 

[ornery]

The Compromise

My wife and I bought our first vacuum in 1979. After coming from homes that used Kirbys, quiet was top of our list too. We ended up with a Riccar by-pass machine. Lasted about 18 years, and worked fine. It was replaced by a Sharpe by-pass which worked as well, but was heavier. Neither was loud, but after getting our first dog, we found the Sharpe seriously lacking for prying fur out of our area rugs.

I have found that is no problem for a direct air vacuum, but at the cost of higher noise level. I put a sound meter next to the top of the handle of my 60+ year old Royal Model 131 and it had an A weighted sound level of 78dB. My 30 year old model 880 runs at 90dB with the meter in the same spot. That spot is in a tight oak floored hallway only 30" above the motor. The manufacturers measure at the position of the operator's ear, which is about 60" away from the motor and probably not near a wall of any kind.

The Model 131 is still capable of easily removing the fur from our rugs, yet fairly quiet. I believe the vintage Hoover convertibles would work similarly. The modern Sanitaires and Royals work better, but quiet is NOT one of their attributes.

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3lgbNmARMI

 

[DeepOwl]

Still on the search

Been busy with other stuff though. I've been trying to find info on the Maytag M1200 and M700, mostly looking for prices but it seems impossible to find anything so I imagine it may be impossible to find one to buy as well.
I've also been looking at the Sanitaire bagged uprights. They seem to have many great qualities and it's easy to find one to buy.
The SEBO Felix is a beautiful piece of machinery but I'm not convinced it's the right vac for me...especially because it's pretty expensive in the grand scheme of things.
Anyway, if anyone has info on pricing and availability of the Maytags I'd be interested in finding out more.
Thanks!

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Contact

Member Tom Gasko dysonman1 he can help with everything Maytag/Tacony .

Dan

 

[tazcatsdad]

Check this website out

<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;">Maytag's website has a link on it to help you find a local dealer of the M1200 and the M700 so that you can determine pricing and whatever other information you're looking for.  Hope this helps.</span>


 


<span style="font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva;">Bill W.</span>



http://maytagvacuums.com