Future of Vacuums/Vacuuming?

[mixman]

Human

As I mentioned before, there will always be basic vacuums for you. But the plain and simple fact is that electronics are here to stay. They are most likely in your car and in your home, heck you reaching us from an electronic device. They can be made to work in all appliances reliably. We have to hold manufactures to a higher standard....... especially if you are paying nearly $1,000 for that vacuum.

 

[cocobird5]

Niche Vacuums

I had an expensive Miele for 20 years before it died. I moved to a place with no carpet, and tried using a battery operated stick vac, but it quickly died. I replaced that with a Von Haus stick vac that needed to be plugged in. It was okay, but it was bagless, and I couldn't empty it without having asthma problems.

I decided I needed a real vac, so I bought a Panasonic canister. ???? 902. It is a very good vacuum and I like the job it does. But it weighs 27 pounds, and the wheels make it hard to move. When I use it, it's so heavy that it can throw my balance off if I'm not very careful.

I found a Miele C1 on sale, and it's coming Wednesday. It is 13 pounds. It's a straight suction cleaner, but since I don't have carpets it should be fine. I'm sure that it will last for a long time. I'm sorry I wasted my time and money buying all of these other things. Should have bought another Miele right away.

 

[electromatik]

While Kirby vacuums are certainly usually very reliable, they aren't without problems. My G5 was given to me because my poor Mom could no longer handle it due to it's weight. The entire TechDrive switch broke off at the METAL part, not the plastic part and now will no longer roll when turned off. Fortunately the switch broke when it was in "drive." The cord attachment that held the cord off the floor near the bottom of the bag snapped too so now the cord drops and drags the floor unless you hold it up. I plan to get it repaired if I can.

There is a huge trade-off for that reliability, however. It's big, bulky, inconvenient, very heavy, and very loud. Mom bought it in 1999 and I've used it for 18 years now. I can tell you that's about 17.5 years too long.

I also severely dislike Kirby sales practices. No stores nearby and fly-by-night salesmen. The salesman that sold Mom hers vanished without a trace within 6 months. We called the number he gave us to order bags and got a number out of service recording. Now that the local vac store closed we have to order bags and pay shipping.

I'd rather own and use something else, no matter how good Kirby's clean. I like many of the modern convenience options even though I am worried about technological problems.