Recommendation for a high filtration bagged vacuum?

[dustin]

Ok, to start off, we have 2 dogs (1 small and one large), and rescued 4 kittens in September (about a week old, the mother abandoned them in our wood pile). We have since found homes for 2 kittens, leaving us with 2 dogs and 2 cats. I know I am mildly allergic to cats, but we have no plans of getting rid of the two we have. I have been fine except the last couple weeks my allergies are kicking in. I am running 2 air cleaners 24/7 (one in my bedroom), and our furnace has a built in electronic air cleaner. Our house is two levels (main floor and finished basement), and we spend most of our time on the main floor. I have been trying to vacuum thouroughly every day, mostly with my Tristar CXL. None of my vacuums have excellent filtration, and I have been trying to sell off the worst offenders. I need a recommendation for a bagged vacuum with excellent filtration that will work well on pet hair and deep clean well. I am not going to run out and buy a vacuum within the next couple weeks (or probably months), I am just lookinng for recommendations to keep an eye out for (I don't really care whwther I buy used or new), I just need excellent filtration and good pet hair removal. I don't really have a preference of upright or canister, but an upright would need to have a hose/attachments. Our house is a total of about 2600 square feet, with mostly medium pile carpet, two rooms have short pile/berber, one small room has deep pile frieze/shag, and a couple rooms are hard floor. Not too concerned with price, I can always look for used, and weight is no concern, I do all the vacuuming. Thanks!

 

[stricklybojack]

Well...

assuming you don't need above floor cleaning on board and noise is not an issue, here's the best deep cleaner for the dollar i could find for the money, with Hepa, new. The somewhat lighter Hoover CH50020 is also a great choice and is linked on the same page i link to below.

http://abcvacuumwarehouse.com/hoover-ch50015-professional-14-inch-commercial-upright-vacuum.html

 

[jade_angel]

If you have a Tristar CXL, you might consider adding the HEPA pre-motor filter and possibly the post-motor filter cartridge - that would help quite a bit.

If you're looking to replace it, though, a Filter Queen is always a good bet. For new-production machines, Miele, Riccar/Simplicity and Sebo all have sealed, high-filtration systems.

Given your requirements, my recommendations for a new machine would be the Riccar Immaculate, Simplicity Moxie (equivalent), Miele S8 Kona and Sebo Airbelt D4 or K3, pretty much in that order.
Used, I'd recommend a Rainbow E-series (if you don't mind the water filtration bit) or a Filter Queen (preferably Triple Crown or earlier, with the PN, of course). If you go with a Filter Queen, see how the stock power nozzle works for you. If it works poorly, you can replace it with a Wessel Werk EBK360, Sebo ET-1 or Lindhaus (Stealth, I think?) with a bit of jiggery-pokery.

My experience with FQ's power nozzle is that it does a very good job on pet hair, but isn't outstanding at shaking loose the deep-down grit, and its height adjustment is cumbersome.

 

[suckolux]

My one long hair does bother me a bit also, its their dander from their grooming. He gets damp wiped a lot, or he likes some water play, so is invited into the shower once a month and a good dry. Seems to help me, but again , only one cat.

 

[sptyks]

I believe he said that an upright would need to have on board tools.


 


In that case I would highly reccomend the Riccar Radience. It has tandom air. Two motors, one direct air motor that also turns the brushroll and a second bypass air motor for straight suction for when you are using the above floor tools. When both motors are running you have incredible suction. The Radience also has a sealed system with excellent HEPA filtration for those with allergies. Check it out at the link below.



http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8_hPGgK1m0

 

[stricklybojack]

Yes i see, well on board it shall be...

Value wise it seems to me Fuller Brush is the best way to buy a Tacony product. This baby has a metal bottom plate, brush roll and handle plus Hepa filtration for just over $200. The Tandem Air previously mentioned has lots of hard to clean plumbing which may be a bad choice for a pet owner, and it's pricey. Also i have read it's clean air motor is weaker than the other vacs in the Tacony line and thus some prefer the single motor versions like this Fuller commercial.
The Filter Queen is great as long as you have someone else without allergies dump it out for you, and it's stupid expensive new.
If you want to spend more money fine, buy 2 Fullers and have one on each floor. I love to use the Tacony clean air i have (Powr-Flite label no tools) best of my (too many ) vacs.
Direct airs are the deeper cleaners, but if you vacuum routinely that shouldn't really be an issue. Fact is heavily used carpet gets dirty over time, especially shag, no matter how good the vacuum you have is...and you best defense is simply vacuuming more often.
All that said you don't know until you try it, noise, weight, maneuverability...lots of subjective considerations in the choice of vacuums out there, good luck.



http://www.vacpartswarehouse.com/Pr...&cagpspn=pla&gclid=COKi_OThpLwCFaE7OgodphIAdA

 

[dustin]

I don't plan on replacing the Tristar, I just put a new motor in it not too long ago, and it is a fine vacuum. I don't like the dusty smell I get with other vacuums, and the allergies that follow. I don't get a dusty smell with the Tristar, but still have some allergies. I will try the HEPA dome filter for the Tristar, but still want to think about another vacuum (of course lol). If somebody had the right machine to trade, you could end up with most of a collection as trade, I want to thin out my collection for a more practical machine with better filtration. I will look at all of the recommendations and see what happens.

 

[floor-a-matic]

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Or U could go for a Lux & buy the Perfect HEPA bags</span>

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Dustin! Sounds like your cleaning needs could all be met by a high filtration upright made by Miele. The S7 "Cat and Dog" upright cleans all surfaces really well and has a nice long 39 foot cord. It's much quieter than most uprights and comes with a mini turbo tool to grab pet hair off of carpeted stairs and upholstered furniture. And Miele has a great reputation for minimal emissions due to a combination of high filtration bags and exhaust filters. The Cat and Dog is one of the few uprights on the market in a cool white colour!

Here's a great video clip demonstrating this great upright:

 

[dustin]

You know, I have been eyeing the Miele s7 uprights, is there any real difference between the Cat and Dog and the lower priced Twist (other than color and headlight?) I haven't used one, but it looks like it could fit my needs perfectly. I actually looked on the Miele website, and watched some videos on Youtube between my last posting and coming back to see your post with a video that I had just watched LOL. Thanks!

 

[kirbyvertibles]

For me I have never found any bagged vacuum that covers the dog smell completly I have 4 Pugs). Every one of my daily drivers has hepa bags.

 

[dustin]

You know, the only vacuum I have found so far that just plain doesn't get doggy odor (for some reason) Is my Tristar CXL- no clue why, I am using the standard bags and filters, I have almost intentionally left a full bag in it for weeks and it still doesn't have the slightest smell when turned on. It was starting to smell a little dusty though, so I washed the cloth bag and filters today, no more smell.

 

[ultralux88]

I suspect it's because of the way the Tri Star bags fill. The way the air swirls it does the bag from the front first, so I suspect it's not pulling the air thru as much dirt so less smell maybe. Just a guess. I'm not sure you can prevent the smell by filtration, esp. the dog smell. The smell is the oils in the hair rotting and letting odd an odor, and the odor molecules are far smaller than what a HEPA filter can trap. The best bet would be to get something with a charcoal filter, and not just that scotchbrite looking one, you need one with real pellets in it, like what a Riccar Radiance/Simplicity Dynergy has, or a Miele with the charcoal filter catridge. The Miele HEPA filters no longer have charcoal so you have to use the charcoal only one that's not a HEPA, but the Miele bags really are HEPA grade and don't let dirt past them. A Miele used with the genuine bags only, provided you make sure the bag is in right, will never get dirt in the machine.

 

[eurekaprince]

Hi Dustin,

According to Consumer Reports tests, both the Twist and the Cat and Dog S7 uprights are very similar in performance scores. As you said, the Twist has no headlight. It also does not come with a mini turbo brush included in the package. For some reason, the white Cat and Dog scored an "excellent" for bare floor cleaning, compared to "very good" for the Twist. Each version of the S7 comes with a different exhaust filter which may affect air flow which in turn may affect bare floor cleaning. But you can always change the type of Miele exhaust filter you want, so I don't think that should factor into your decision process.

So it seems that the only difference is in the headlight or lack thereof. If you don't need a headlight, than you can save about $200 on the Twist. But I think headlights are crucial in helping you see what's ahead of you and under furniture in order to avoid jamming the brushroll by an unseen sock or screw hiding under a bed!

Here is Consumer Reports' summary of their evaluation of the S7 Cat and Dog:

CR's Take
You'd expect a vacuum named Cat & Dog to prove its prowess on pet hair, and this bag-equipped upright doesn't disappoint. Along with delivering superb pet-hair pickup in our tests, the Miele aced our carpet and bare-floor tests while serving up impressive suction for tools. It is relatively quiet, and includes a brush on/off switch to safeguard bare floors and prevent scattered dust and debris. The Cat & Dog also swivels at the power head to ease steering. Among upright brands, Miele has consistently been among the top performers over the past several years.
Highs

• Excels at removing embedded dirt from carpets
• Performs well when cleaning bare floors; ideal for kitchens, bathrooms, and hardwood floors
• Does well at picking up pet hair, which is nice if you have a cat or dog
• Excels in capturing all the dust it picks up, which is good if you have allergies or respiratory illnesses
• Strong tool airflow, which is a factor if you will be using the vacuums accessories for cleaning
• Has suction control, which helps protect drapes when using tools
• Has a brush on/off switch, which safeguards bare floors and prevents scattered dust and debris
Lows

• Lacks a manual carpet-height adjustment, which is better than automatic systems at matching the brush to the surface

 

[sebo_fan]

Sorry but what a lot of nonsense - do you own an S7 - have you ever used the different filters?

It has nothing to do with the airflow at all! CR reports have been proved time and again on this forum by several U.S members that they are not law.

Miele vacuums are generally excellent, as are most German vacuums. However, the filter on board let alone ANY vacuum cleaner that puts charcoal or charcoal and HEPA at the front of the main exhaust will only save you from the odour of pet hair from the dust bag. It doesn't cover the smell that will eventually emit from the suction tube or hose on board!

Dustin - whatever you do get, make sure the vacuum's on board hose can be removed easily for ease of cleaning if it does have a hose (The Miele S7 requires 2 screws to remove the hose completely, thus their canister vacs are simpler though lack a long cord).

It isn't enough to just fully rely on a HEPA charcoal based filter if you want to be truly eliminated of pet hair odour. There's other factors that have to be taken on board.

 

[paulg]

Nilfisk ULPA

I have a Nilfisk ULPA with power nozzle. We have pets and allergies. You can tell the difference in air quality after vacuuming. And guests with pet allergies report no problems at our house unlike others.

 

[dustin]

So far, I think I'm going to aim for the Miele S7210 Twist, but plans *may* change, I'm going for an interview monday at a vac shop that sells Riccar and Panasonic