Help! Shopping for New Vacuum and Overwhelmed
- Thread starter nycwriter
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It would be confusing to me if I were new to the forum. Everyone seems to have their own opinion which is a good thing. If it were me I would read consumer reports, and stay away from Rainbow( I apologize to those who love their Rainbows). Kenmore still makes a good canister although they won’t last as long as they used to. A refurbished Tristar would also be nice. Eurekaprince had the best suggestion. An upright for carpets and a small straight suction canister for bare floors. Consumer reports recommended both an upright and a canister in past issues.
nycwriter
Well-known member
I really appreaciate the science behind the Rainbow. But from a practical standpoint, you're making a huge sacrifice fussing with the water ... rinsing and drying the pan (REALLY drying, otherwise it attracts roaches -- a particular problem in NYC), every time you want to vacuum. Sometimes it's nice to just pull the sweeper out for a quickie 2-minute cleanup. That's impossible with a Rainbow. And again, I don't have the closet space for multiple sweepers (even ones that hang on hooks).
Wow, just back from shopping at two stores. Both high end and honest. First store. They showed me the Panny 973 and he's not sure how much the owner would move on it. Amazon has it for 265 I think it was and he has it for 342 and will give me bags and a stair turbo deal. He also loves the Sebo canister, but that's 899. Seemed ike a great unit, but not for me at that price. He would love to install a central vac system with 4 wall units and a kick in the kitchen. He's the one who does the install. He was in helping out today. He said for 1300 he'd be able to do the whole system and that would include the Sebo power head, turbo power head (small for stairs), a large horsehair floor brush, the sock, a full set of heads. It's the smaller DrainVac motor unit that he'd vent to the outside (I have a two story townhouse). They sell and like the Riccar, but only the sub 200 models. They have a used 1700 in the back, but won't sell it until they get a hose and powerhead in used for it as the new head goes for 200 or more he said and that wouldnt' be a good deal for me.
unless I can find a lower cost, used head/wand/hose for that unit, it probably won't be a good deal for me.
Second store:
He sells a ton of Meile. He also has a 2003 Silver Moon in GREAT shape. No marks on it. The owners traded it in for a new $1500 Miele as they are new and quieter (it was a black unit). The Silver Moon comes with a brand new wand/controller. He wrote down Silver Moon with SEB236 PN. Is that the power head that swivels? He would throw in the turbo head for the stairs, the finger head for blinds, the swivel head floor unit that is the newer Miele design he said. It doesn't really fit into the back of the unit as it has a dovetail fitting, but the one that does fit (he has a newer one he'd throw in if I wanted it) doesn't swivel. I think I'd rather have the swivel. He has the Simplicity Moxie for 599 I think it was, but he really felt the Miele was a much better value for me. He has a demo Sebo unit for 499. It was an orange unit with a soft bumper around the motor unit. I do love the head on the Sebo as it gets really close to the edges and pulling out the roller seems like a great idea. He pointed out that the Miele has a chevron brush and you cut the hair in two places to clean the brush. I assume that would work just fine. He sells Panny also and said that he didn't like the 902 as they've had some problems with them and his tech spoke up at that point and said the same thing. He too said the Miele was in such good shape and was a great buy since it has the new hose etc... He's throw in a years worth of bags and an extra hepa/charcoal filter (I think that it has both as an all in one).
I have a few choices and I hope that I've share properly. I have an offer for the Simplicity Moxie on Ebay for 220 I think it is and I doubt that will hold up for another 6 days, but you never know. For that price it would be a no brainer I would think but I love the Miele's control of suction etc... from the handle.
Thanks again to all of you. He has the Hoover anniversary model, but for a bit more he said the Silver Moon just blows it away.
unless I can find a lower cost, used head/wand/hose for that unit, it probably won't be a good deal for me.
Second store:
He sells a ton of Meile. He also has a 2003 Silver Moon in GREAT shape. No marks on it. The owners traded it in for a new $1500 Miele as they are new and quieter (it was a black unit). The Silver Moon comes with a brand new wand/controller. He wrote down Silver Moon with SEB236 PN. Is that the power head that swivels? He would throw in the turbo head for the stairs, the finger head for blinds, the swivel head floor unit that is the newer Miele design he said. It doesn't really fit into the back of the unit as it has a dovetail fitting, but the one that does fit (he has a newer one he'd throw in if I wanted it) doesn't swivel. I think I'd rather have the swivel. He has the Simplicity Moxie for 599 I think it was, but he really felt the Miele was a much better value for me. He has a demo Sebo unit for 499. It was an orange unit with a soft bumper around the motor unit. I do love the head on the Sebo as it gets really close to the edges and pulling out the roller seems like a great idea. He pointed out that the Miele has a chevron brush and you cut the hair in two places to clean the brush. I assume that would work just fine. He sells Panny also and said that he didn't like the 902 as they've had some problems with them and his tech spoke up at that point and said the same thing. He too said the Miele was in such good shape and was a great buy since it has the new hose etc... He's throw in a years worth of bags and an extra hepa/charcoal filter (I think that it has both as an all in one).
I have a few choices and I hope that I've share properly. I have an offer for the Simplicity Moxie on Ebay for 220 I think it is and I doubt that will hold up for another 6 days, but you never know. For that price it would be a no brainer I would think but I love the Miele's control of suction etc... from the handle.
Thanks again to all of you. He has the Hoover anniversary model, but for a bit more he said the Silver Moon just blows it away.
funeraldirector
Well-known member
Good Option
CTSOONER,
If he will let the Moxie go for $599 grab that. You will appreciate the 28' cord, longer hose with a great swivel and a good power nozzle. Also USA made. That unit pulls more water than the Miele vortex motor does at about 115" vs 100" or so. The Silver Moon is getting old unless he wants to give it away for about $350. Mine was new in 2004. The Sebo D4 with ET-1 should run a little more than a hundred over that Moxie cash.
Brian
CTSOONER,
If he will let the Moxie go for $599 grab that. You will appreciate the 28' cord, longer hose with a great swivel and a good power nozzle. Also USA made. That unit pulls more water than the Miele vortex motor does at about 115" vs 100" or so. The Silver Moon is getting old unless he wants to give it away for about $350. Mine was new in 2004. The Sebo D4 with ET-1 should run a little more than a hundred over that Moxie cash.
Brian
Anhedonius
Member
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If you can afford a townhouse, NYCWriter, you shouldn't be doing your own vacuuming.
The Sebo is going for 899. I think that's what most online have it for too. So the Moxie is a better unit? Hmmmm I fully believe it, but the controls aren't on the handle and that's a nice thing to have with MS as it's tough for me to get down on the floor to change settings and stuff. I will need to play with the Moxie tomorrow I guess. I should also wait the 5 days to see if my bid gets accepted, although I'm sure the price will be going up considerably. What would a good ebay price be to get the Moxie 2 (I guess that's the one with the newer hose relief).
vacuumfreeeke
Well-known member
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- Dec 14, 2006
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- 1,997
What about...
I'm only suggesting this because you liked how easy your Fantom was to use the wand on (by the way, you must have gotten a good Fantom, becuase I was never impressed with the hose suction of any Fantom upright I ever tried.... they did great on carpet, but the hose was terrible. I think the earlier ones were better).
Panasonic had a feature that was really cool on a lot of their vacuums, called a quick draw wand. You can see in the pictures below that the wand is really easy to just grab and snatch a stray dust bunny or cobweb and stick back in and continue cleaning... You can also get a 30 foot extension hose for these models... some of them had metal brushrolls and sole plates too (mostly the commercial models)... I've always really liked this feature because of how easy it is to use. Some of them even allowed for the brushroll to be turned off for bare floors (though I'd still recommend getting a bare floor brush and extension hose). There are some flaws with them though, the hose snaps tight and pulls the machine down, but if you have the extension hose, you can lay the machine down flat on the floor and not worry about it. Also, the plastic nubs on the wand that keep the hose attached (a push and twist kind of thing) break off easily. The system that disengages the belt for bare floor use is also problematic as it pulls the belt off the motor pulley and can break and stretch belts (typically a problem if someone tries to do this with the machine running)...
I think these are much easier to use than the systems where the wand is integrated into the handle... you don't have to put them in the upright postion to take the wand out and don't even have to let go of the regular handle.
The Sebo Automatic X series also has a similar system (like my Avatar picture), but you'd defintely need an extension hose and to lay that machine flat too or it will fall over just like the Panasonic... and the brush doesn't groom the greatest on medium or thick carpet and the brushroll can't be turned off for bare floors... still a quality machine with a lot of useful features...
I'm only suggesting this because you liked how easy your Fantom was to use the wand on (by the way, you must have gotten a good Fantom, becuase I was never impressed with the hose suction of any Fantom upright I ever tried.... they did great on carpet, but the hose was terrible. I think the earlier ones were better).
Panasonic had a feature that was really cool on a lot of their vacuums, called a quick draw wand. You can see in the pictures below that the wand is really easy to just grab and snatch a stray dust bunny or cobweb and stick back in and continue cleaning... You can also get a 30 foot extension hose for these models... some of them had metal brushrolls and sole plates too (mostly the commercial models)... I've always really liked this feature because of how easy it is to use. Some of them even allowed for the brushroll to be turned off for bare floors (though I'd still recommend getting a bare floor brush and extension hose). There are some flaws with them though, the hose snaps tight and pulls the machine down, but if you have the extension hose, you can lay the machine down flat on the floor and not worry about it. Also, the plastic nubs on the wand that keep the hose attached (a push and twist kind of thing) break off easily. The system that disengages the belt for bare floor use is also problematic as it pulls the belt off the motor pulley and can break and stretch belts (typically a problem if someone tries to do this with the machine running)...
I think these are much easier to use than the systems where the wand is integrated into the handle... you don't have to put them in the upright postion to take the wand out and don't even have to let go of the regular handle.
The Sebo Automatic X series also has a similar system (like my Avatar picture), but you'd defintely need an extension hose and to lay that machine flat too or it will fall over just like the Panasonic... and the brush doesn't groom the greatest on medium or thick carpet and the brushroll can't be turned off for bare floors... still a quality machine with a lot of useful features...
vacuumfreeeke
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Here's a video I made of my Sebo upright so you can see just how easy it is to use the hose on....
ctsooner
Honestly, I would buy a TOL Riccar/Simplicity bagged PN canister. The extra money is well worth it.
Honestly, I would buy a TOL Riccar/Simplicity bagged PN canister. The extra money is well worth it.
NYCWriter
Honestly, I would buy a TOL Riccar/Simplicity Tandem Air bagged upright. The extra money is well woth it.
By the way, The Riccar/Simplicity Tandem Air uprights combine the best of two worlds. Excellent deep carpet cleaning performance and Excellent above floor attachment cleaning performance.
Honestly, I would buy a TOL Riccar/Simplicity Tandem Air bagged upright. The extra money is well woth it.
By the way, The Riccar/Simplicity Tandem Air uprights combine the best of two worlds. Excellent deep carpet cleaning performance and Excellent above floor attachment cleaning performance.
durango159
Well-known member
CTSooner
I think the Simplicity Moxie is your best bet. Better quality of Royal SR30020. SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER CLEANING POWER over the Sebo. The Sebo you looked at for $899 was probably a D4 with ET-1 power nozzle. I love canister vacuums and I clean houses for a living. One of my clients just got this Sebo vacuum for $899-- I ABSOLUTELY HATE the machine. It is extremely non user friendly, annoying to use, hard to maneuver and a terrible cleaner, and I'm an energetic, in-shape 30 year old male. The Simplicity Moxie or Simplicity Verve will run circles around that machine along with a Miele. The Verve on eBay is still a good deal for you at $475, a slightly shorter suction unit over Moxie which will be a little lighter weight.
I don't know anything about the Miele Silvermoon so I'll let others opionate on that. I can tell you that the SEB236 power nozzle that he'd give you with it does swivel and its a good power head with chevron brush and headlight.
I don't like the first store that you went to. I don't like how he recommended Sebo for canister or central vac. I don't like his price for the Panasonic. The teal blue colored Panasonic MCCG973 canister which is the model you posted that the guy is selling for $342, has been discontinued by Panaonic for about 18 months!! This machine is a leftover of his. As a leftover I could it see it being priced at about $220 since it's probably a display model with no box. It was $220 we would discuss it, at $342 it's a definite pass.
The link below is spec sheet and webpage for the Simplicity Moxie is their second from Top of the Line unit. It has everything at your finger tips on hose handle to include: On/off entire machine, on/off power nozzle, variable speed suction control, bag check indicator, filter check indicator. Toe operated handle release pedal, toe operated 6 position height adjustment. These machines are very quiet, with lots of power, power nozzles are virtually maintenance free, other than removing hair from brush roll which this machine does a good job of sending hair to the bag and not collecting on brush roll. The brush roll on the Simplicity is steel. The brush roll on the Sebo is plastic. Be sure to test this in store, the Moxie is a great machine but due to its high performance it is a heavy canister for carrying and wheeling around on carpet!!!
http://simplicityvacuum.com/images/PDF/Moxie_SpecSheet_0210.pdf
I think the Simplicity Moxie is your best bet. Better quality of Royal SR30020. SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER CLEANING POWER over the Sebo. The Sebo you looked at for $899 was probably a D4 with ET-1 power nozzle. I love canister vacuums and I clean houses for a living. One of my clients just got this Sebo vacuum for $899-- I ABSOLUTELY HATE the machine. It is extremely non user friendly, annoying to use, hard to maneuver and a terrible cleaner, and I'm an energetic, in-shape 30 year old male. The Simplicity Moxie or Simplicity Verve will run circles around that machine along with a Miele. The Verve on eBay is still a good deal for you at $475, a slightly shorter suction unit over Moxie which will be a little lighter weight.
I don't know anything about the Miele Silvermoon so I'll let others opionate on that. I can tell you that the SEB236 power nozzle that he'd give you with it does swivel and its a good power head with chevron brush and headlight.
I don't like the first store that you went to. I don't like how he recommended Sebo for canister or central vac. I don't like his price for the Panasonic. The teal blue colored Panasonic MCCG973 canister which is the model you posted that the guy is selling for $342, has been discontinued by Panaonic for about 18 months!! This machine is a leftover of his. As a leftover I could it see it being priced at about $220 since it's probably a display model with no box. It was $220 we would discuss it, at $342 it's a definite pass.
The link below is spec sheet and webpage for the Simplicity Moxie is their second from Top of the Line unit. It has everything at your finger tips on hose handle to include: On/off entire machine, on/off power nozzle, variable speed suction control, bag check indicator, filter check indicator. Toe operated handle release pedal, toe operated 6 position height adjustment. These machines are very quiet, with lots of power, power nozzles are virtually maintenance free, other than removing hair from brush roll which this machine does a good job of sending hair to the bag and not collecting on brush roll. The brush roll on the Simplicity is steel. The brush roll on the Sebo is plastic. Be sure to test this in store, the Moxie is a great machine but due to its high performance it is a heavy canister for carrying and wheeling around on carpet!!!
http://simplicityvacuum.com/images/PDF/Moxie_SpecSheet_0210.pdf
Thanks guys. So many choices, but getting closer. I've read a ton on the Silver Moon and the new 236 head alone is 236 new and this is a new hose with a new PN head. It seems to get great comments other than the cost of things to keep it going. He's throwing in the swivel floor head along with the finger head for blinds and the turbo head (non powered) along with a bunch of bags that are 18 each. It's not even that scratched and it felt good in the store when I played with it. I didn't play with the Moxie, but I will tomorrow I hope.
I think it's between the silver moon with 236 head and the extras for 456 vs the demo Moxie for either 499 or 599.. I can't remember which now as I wasn't looking at it as seriously as I should have. What would a fair price be for the floor model Moxie that will come with everything. he'll give me a 1 year warrantee on the Miele. I've purchase a Simplicity from him nearly 20 years ago and they have a top rating from BBB etc...
it seems like I can get a higher end vac with the Miele as it comes with everything, but you guys keep going back to liking the Moxie. I've learned more in 24 hours about vacs than most people will ever know so thanks.
I think it's between the silver moon with 236 head and the extras for 456 vs the demo Moxie for either 499 or 599.. I can't remember which now as I wasn't looking at it as seriously as I should have. What would a fair price be for the floor model Moxie that will come with everything. he'll give me a 1 year warrantee on the Miele. I've purchase a Simplicity from him nearly 20 years ago and they have a top rating from BBB etc...
it seems like I can get a higher end vac with the Miele as it comes with everything, but you guys keep going back to liking the Moxie. I've learned more in 24 hours about vacs than most people will ever know so thanks.
durango159
Well-known member
The Moxie is a good buy at $599. MSRP new according to their website is $1300!!! It's really a work horse of a vac!!!
http://simplicityvacuum.com/products/canisters/premier-power-team/moxie/
http://simplicityvacuum.com/products/canisters/premier-power-team/moxie/
nycwriter
Well-known member
Anhedonius ...
I can certainly afford my own domestic help. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, good help truly is very hard to find. In my 17 years in New York City I have yet to find a housekeeper who can measure up to my standards (and unsettlingly enough, I don't think my standards are all that high).
Alas -- even Joan Crawford had to do her own vacuuming.
I can certainly afford my own domestic help. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, good help truly is very hard to find. In my 17 years in New York City I have yet to find a housekeeper who can measure up to my standards (and unsettlingly enough, I don't think my standards are all that high).
Alas -- even Joan Crawford had to do her own vacuuming.
eurekaprince
Well-known member
Hey guys....lots of people are recommending Simplicity and Riccar canisters. Though I love the idea of buying American-made products, aren't the power nozzles on Tacony's canisters really noisy? I read on Vacuumland somewhere that the Miele pn canisters are much quieter than the Taconys. Does anyone own both?
I'd love to hear the answer. I'm going back to the store and I'll try both. the Miele has their upgraded 236 head with LED's. It will be a good test. I just came in assuming that even a 2003 Miele nearly top model with today's hose/heads would outperform and be a better value than a Moxie, but it seems like it's not. I'm learning a ton and thanks again.
Wow such an extravagant thread.... hey its a vacuum cleaner, they all do the same thing for the most part. The best vacuum to get is the one that's fits in your closet and you get the best deal on with extras. Upright or canister depends on type of home, levels and flooring types. More carpet= upright. More hard floors= canister. The Brands are all similar and try to copy each other. The most common quality high end sold vacuum brand is Miele. You'll see Sebo too and third maybe the Riccar/Simplicity which I think is a good machine, but not readily available and its the same machine under two different names. Aerus builds great vacuums, that's the brand I have and they come with 10 year warranties, electric turbo brushes and long 7 foot hose. I don't know of any other brand besides Aerus Lux that gives you a 10 or 20 year warranty. The top of the line Miele S8 now has a 10 year warranty also.
Go with Miele or Aerus, you will like.
Go with Miele or Aerus, you will like.
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