favorite hand vac?

[vacuumfreeeke]

I haven't seen a hand vac discussion here in a while. I am actually thinking about getting one. Would be good for getting cat hair off the sofa and ottoman and maybe to use in the car. Of course I feel the same way about hand vacs as I do about big vacuum... I prefer ones with revolving brushrolls over straight suction, and balloning bags over bagless machines. The two machines that I can think of are the Royal Prince or the little red Dirt Devil that was so popular back in the 90s. I had a Dirt Devil when I was about 5 years old... my family took it away from me because "boys shouldn't play with vacuums"... I assume the Royal would be quieter but a little less powerful than the Dirt Devil version. Do any of you have have either machine? Opinions?

If I get one of those, is it worth it to get the attachments and paper bag converter?

Are there any other machines I should consider?

Thanks!!

 

[ridgidvac]

Royal Prince

best hand-held vac w/power brush (I have 3 of those Royal "Prince" vacs) so far.

 

[lux1521]

The Royal metal hand vacs are generally a superior machine. They have about the same power as the plastic Dirt Devils, and the build quality is far superior. They are also quieter, and sound nicer in my opinion. Regardless of type, both have issues with long hair. It gets wrapped around the belt pully very easily.

If you get a metal hand vac, and want to use paper bags (Royal type H) I would be careful about clogging and possible overheating issues, especially with pet hair.

With the plastic hand vacs, the later 3 amp models clean better and I think they might deal with paper bags easier. The plastic hand vacs have a tendency to collect dirt in the base plate which falls out after use. For some reason they just don't have enough power to bring it up to the fan. I almost never have this issue with the metal models.

If you want any other details about these, let me know. I have been pretty quiet on here since last summer, but a hand vac thread always gets me talking.

 

[williamr1248]

favorite hand vac?

I can tell you my least favorite hand vac would be the one that came with my Kirby Legend ll. It has a nice long cord and matching Kirby cloth bag but is it ever LOUD. Never use it because of the noise and the bag is difficult to empty.
It does have a nice light on the front and matches the color and trim of the Kirby Legend.

 

[petek]

I use my Royal Prince for the carpeted stairways, does a good job. I had a plastic Hoover Handvac with rotating brush a few years ago. It didn't work as well and worse being plastic the cat hair tended to stick to the vacs outsides with static electricity, annoying.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

The Hoover Handivac II model S1021-030, for it was perhaps the last hand vac Hoover made that was supplied with attachments.

The Handivac series descended from the Pixie cleaner.

~Ben

 

[vacman117]

Royal Prince

I have one Prince and about 10 red Dirt Devils. I prefer the Prince Big time.It has special paper inserts you buy and just pull it and toss it out. I have about 12 packages of unopened inserts. And the tools do not have the best suction, but they are good for light cleaning needs.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Thanks... I think I will look at the Royal Prince. Has anyone tried the new bagless "Classic" version? I bet it's awful! Cute though.

 

[lux1521]

I have never tried the new plastic model. My local Miele dealer sold them for a while, and said they were ok. They do have far more power than the older units. Actually they're probably overpowered, as 6 amps is a lot for a hand vac. For a collection I would look for the rarer blue version that is part of the "purpose for pets" model line.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

A HOOVER

brush vac or Twist'n vac is great on staircases. I have a blue ROYAL.. offers???

 

[riccarlover]

John...

Could we see some pictures?
Thanks!
Clayton

 

[vinvac]

You truly can not beat the Royal metal hand vac. I have used many other brands and still think the metal Royal has them all beat.

I did not know that they also have a paper bag liner that works very well. The Dirt Devil version (which by the way is not bad either - the older style)also had a paper bag adapter.

They are great for quick touch ups before company arrives, making sure Coco and Soloman have left no hair behind. Stairs steps, car, vans especially, small areas. They also work well with the hose attatchments.

Morgan

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Thank you for your input! I haven't treated myself to a vacuum in a while and that craving is starting to hit... I need to scratch the itch LOL... I think I'll go with a Royal over the DD kind... not even considering the Hoover or Eureka versions because I want a soft bag. I may get a Dirt Devil (it would match my beloved Broom Vac) and a Prince (to match the 801).

I would like to get the attachments with the one I get... can anyone tell me which attachments came with the set? I think a hose, dusting brush, crevice tool... but was there also an upholstery tool and extension wand?

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Vacman117... I saw your video on Youtube of the prince verus the dd... thanks for doing that. It was fun to watch and it allowed me to compare the noise levels of the machines. I think the prince is the one that I will seek out, and if I ever stumble upon a cheap read dd I will buy it just to match the Broom Vac.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Oh man... I just did the exact opposite of what I said I was going to do! I bought a red dirt devil instead of the Royal Prince. The Royal Prince I wanted started out as a buy it now of 50 dollars... well I put in a bid for it and got outbid and the price went to over 50 dollars... I didn't want to spend more than 40, especially since shipping is on top of that. Not worth it for a hand vac IMHO. So, I got a dirt devil for 16 bucks with shipping including manual and box, but no attachments. I am going to look for a good deal on the attachments... and if I see a Prince in the future that is a good price, I'll get it too.

 

[vacman117]

Handvac

The Hoover Sidewinder is pretty good. Quite powerful and helpful for tight areas.

 

[chestermikeuk]

What Do You Use Your handiVac For???

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[vintagehoover]

Haha! Brilliant, Mike! I knew you'd taken photos, I didn't know you'd filmed it as well!

Just to explain, at our mini-meet at Mike's place last year, we were getting ready for lunch, and there were crumbs on the tablecloth left over from breakfast...so naturally, I reached for the Dustette! What else would I use?!

 

[arh1953]

Whisk

Mine is this Eureka, very powerful little thing. I am searching constantly for the Hoover model that looks like part of the Quickbroom of the 70s. I swiped the plug out of a Royal hand vacuum that wouldn't pick up light lint. Just that one, not all of them.