All right vacuumlanders, I’m plugging in! First off, I’m simply floored to find a room with so many people this wrapped up in vacuum cleaners - corded or otherwise. There is such an unbelievable mess of different models, brands, options etc. - more possibilities than you could shake a brush at and I don’t know how anyone can keep it sorted. I’ve been sucking up the knowledge all I can over the past two days solid and I’m just about burned out! How you all do it, I have no idea, it seems a little crazy to be honest - but can say crazy over vacuums is the right kind of crazy for me right now as I am desperately in need of a new model for my home. Wouldn’t you know my inexpensive Shark Navigator burned up the night before our landlords were due for a walk-through and my wife is beyond embarrassed over the carpets (of course they were just happy to see them in shape, but for her it’s a matter of pride in keeping a home). Now, the only reason I had a shark Navigator bagless was to rescue one of my own rental properties destroyed by tenants in another state - surprisingly it lasted 2 whole years before giving up to hair wrapped around the roller brush axle. Ironically, my previous vacuum, a Kenmore Canister, suffered the same fate, although at least it was possible to access the roller underside to replace things, such as the belt, which I did to extend its life to 14 years until the hair removal (not attended to whilst I was away on military deployments) finally claimed it. Unfortunately, the motor was obsolete by the time it died or I’d have kept it longer. So, long story short I’m hoping to tap your insanity and expertise to find a reliable, long term vacuum that will handle a mix of carpet, wood and polished concrete floor on two levels with stairs, three long-haired young ladies and a dog (non-shedding thank heaven), in an upright that carries all necessary attachments for floor/ stairs etc (or may as well be a canister), has a real motor and solid parts, is cleanable by the average teenage daughter, and oh, yes actually cleans. Weight is not a show-stopper and I’m not above paying what a quality vacuum is worth. I’ve read up on new uprights from Sebo (X4 or Felix - too many extra $ attachments needed to do stairs properly), Miele Cat&Dog (not sold on the ability to clear clogs), a bit on Riccar/Simplicty 7850 (though older can I find one?), and there’s where my madness ended. My local repair shop has Riccar and Miele and I’m headed there tomorrow. I have summarily rejected any flashy plastic junk from big box retailers or any store person who can’t explain the machine. Thanks for any and all suggestions or advice!
The right kind of crazy...
- Thread starter raguirre
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vacuumdevil
Well-known member
buy German
Buy German and stop having to think about it.
Buy German and stop having to think about it.
compactc9guy
Well-known member
i have the machine for you Aerus Electrolux Legacy or Tristar Compact Cxl or C9 tuff as nails !
Maybe you could save up for this...
but only if you can get it in your area.
Vorwerk! They have a German background and they have released their Kobold system which consists of a bagged stick/upright unit which you can get various floor tools for to keep your floors healthy and clean.
It's all optional so it's a bit dodgy, but you can have a carpet cleaner (which doesn't work for non-woven carpets), an upholstery brush and a general floor head which automatically changes settings.
I will warn you, it's nearly impossible to buy though. It's available door-to-door, and here in the UK the motor-unit is worth about £749.99!!! For all the other tools and possible delivery (which I doubt, but it's possible) you'd be talking over a grand. You can buy older Vorwerk models for less, but again, that depends. I don't know if you can get Vorwerk in the US.
but only if you can get it in your area.
Vorwerk! They have a German background and they have released their Kobold system which consists of a bagged stick/upright unit which you can get various floor tools for to keep your floors healthy and clean.
It's all optional so it's a bit dodgy, but you can have a carpet cleaner (which doesn't work for non-woven carpets), an upholstery brush and a general floor head which automatically changes settings.
I will warn you, it's nearly impossible to buy though. It's available door-to-door, and here in the UK the motor-unit is worth about £749.99!!! For all the other tools and possible delivery (which I doubt, but it's possible) you'd be talking over a grand. You can buy older Vorwerk models for less, but again, that depends. I don't know if you can get Vorwerk in the US.
Commercial vacuum or a Kirby.
Direct air vacuums like Sanitate, Royal all metal and Kirby are the best cleaning carpets and are bulletproof. Now Kirby's will work on hard floors but you might want to use the hard floor tool in canister mode or get the hard floor plate.
If you get one of the Sanitares or Royals they dont have attachment but a good bagged canister like a Melie (if you want save a few the Eureka mighty mite) would be great for above floor and hard floors.
If you dont want get a new Kirby you can get good refurbished one from Ebay or Great vacs for a good price.
Direct air vacuums like Sanitate, Royal all metal and Kirby are the best cleaning carpets and are bulletproof. Now Kirby's will work on hard floors but you might want to use the hard floor tool in canister mode or get the hard floor plate.
If you get one of the Sanitares or Royals they dont have attachment but a good bagged canister like a Melie (if you want save a few the Eureka mighty mite) would be great for above floor and hard floors.
If you dont want get a new Kirby you can get good refurbished one from Ebay or Great vacs for a good price.
Post-vacuum repair shop experience...
Well, I headed there hoping to find justification for the Shark Lift Away - hoping their 5 year unlimited VIP warranty was proof they had turned things around in the reliability department. I really liked the 3in-1 felixibility, but it was not to be. They had the very model I was considering there in for repairs and it was the same old story - inaccessible parts designed to wear out and fail, requiring complete replacement of nearly half the unit due to normal use over time - the replacement cost of which was clearly built into the price of the premium warranty - so I was just basically paying for my future replacement part/labor up front. Not going to buy another ‘disposable’ appliance. After that disappointment I expected to walk away with a Miele upright or Sebo Felix as the best option that would approximately handle the carpeted stairs and under furniture cleaning - provided more is spent on extra attachments and/or extended hoses. As it turns out, the easy sell was for the Riccar Brilliance, with an additional wide turbo brush for under couches etc. We bought on the efficiency of the tandem two-motor setup, the additional hose reach (over the Miele), and the easy availability of parts and responsive service provided by Riccar, whose factory is located not at all far from here in Missouri (vs the German Sebo). It was a good deal at $250 under list and half-off the turbo wand & first set of bags. The 2 free service visits and proximity to a dedicated repair shop were also good selling points. Although we saw an ad for a used version half an hour away for quite a bit less, we had no regrets paying a bit more knowing this supported the local shop’s efforts to sell good machines made by good companies. A good day and we have Never before hurried home just to vacuum the house but it is now brilliantly clean, with a nearly full bag in one go.
At the shop we saw quite a few classic vacs so I grabbed this picture for you all of, I’m a told, a pair of 1929-era Kirbys that were the shop owner’s grandfather’s from when he owned the shop.
Cheers all, happy vac-ing
Well, I headed there hoping to find justification for the Shark Lift Away - hoping their 5 year unlimited VIP warranty was proof they had turned things around in the reliability department. I really liked the 3in-1 felixibility, but it was not to be. They had the very model I was considering there in for repairs and it was the same old story - inaccessible parts designed to wear out and fail, requiring complete replacement of nearly half the unit due to normal use over time - the replacement cost of which was clearly built into the price of the premium warranty - so I was just basically paying for my future replacement part/labor up front. Not going to buy another ‘disposable’ appliance. After that disappointment I expected to walk away with a Miele upright or Sebo Felix as the best option that would approximately handle the carpeted stairs and under furniture cleaning - provided more is spent on extra attachments and/or extended hoses. As it turns out, the easy sell was for the Riccar Brilliance, with an additional wide turbo brush for under couches etc. We bought on the efficiency of the tandem two-motor setup, the additional hose reach (over the Miele), and the easy availability of parts and responsive service provided by Riccar, whose factory is located not at all far from here in Missouri (vs the German Sebo). It was a good deal at $250 under list and half-off the turbo wand & first set of bags. The 2 free service visits and proximity to a dedicated repair shop were also good selling points. Although we saw an ad for a used version half an hour away for quite a bit less, we had no regrets paying a bit more knowing this supported the local shop’s efforts to sell good machines made by good companies. A good day and we have Never before hurried home just to vacuum the house but it is now brilliantly clean, with a nearly full bag in one go.
At the shop we saw quite a few classic vacs so I grabbed this picture for you all of, I’m a told, a pair of 1929-era Kirbys that were the shop owner’s grandfather’s from when he owned the shop.
Cheers all, happy vac-ing
completenutt
Well-known member
Great choice!
Enjoy using it!
Enjoy using it!
power nozzle canister
I would get a canister that has an electric power nozzle. Some people suggest getting a machine such as a Kirby for the carpet and a canister for everything else, I guess that works but you can get a machine that will do both and do them well. You can't go wrong with a Miele or Sebo, perhaps a Miele C3 Cona or a Sebo D4 or E3, the D4 is a bit larger than the E3 but both will clean very well. You might also consider the Riccar Prima or Simplicity Wonder, these are basically the same machine, made by Tacony, just different colors. Aerus also makes good machines, you could probably get an Aerus classic at a good price. There's also the canisters made by Metropolitan vacuum, very powerful and well made, one of a very few canisters that still uses a two stage motor. There's also the Electrolux ultra one deluxe, this is one of the quietest canisters available.
Mike
I would get a canister that has an electric power nozzle. Some people suggest getting a machine such as a Kirby for the carpet and a canister for everything else, I guess that works but you can get a machine that will do both and do them well. You can't go wrong with a Miele or Sebo, perhaps a Miele C3 Cona or a Sebo D4 or E3, the D4 is a bit larger than the E3 but both will clean very well. You might also consider the Riccar Prima or Simplicity Wonder, these are basically the same machine, made by Tacony, just different colors. Aerus also makes good machines, you could probably get an Aerus classic at a good price. There's also the canisters made by Metropolitan vacuum, very powerful and well made, one of a very few canisters that still uses a two stage motor. There's also the Electrolux ultra one deluxe, this is one of the quietest canisters available.
Mike
Thanks for all suggestions
Thanks Mike, great list of options. Hopefully the Riccar will work out. And thanks to all for the suggestions. It’s re-assuring just knowing you guys are out there still caring about something called quality.
Thanks Mike, great list of options. Hopefully the Riccar will work out. And thanks to all for the suggestions. It’s re-assuring just knowing you guys are out there still caring about something called quality.
dysonman1
Well-known member
You made a great choice.
That Riccar should serve you well. I have little experience with their tandem air vacuums, but I have plenty of time "behind the wheel" of some of their bypass vacuums. The Tacony machines seem well built.
I hope to get my hands on a tandem air Tacony machine at some point...
I hope to get my hands on a tandem air Tacony machine at some point...
dartman
Well-known member
I now have a Compact C9, Royal/Stark 4650 canister, Royal 413 canister, Royal/Stark 5700 upright, and some battery and ac stick vacs. I think my favorites are the 4650 and the 5700 depending on what I'm doing and which ones handy but I've been using the Compact and it does very well with a new motor and is super easy to use and a very simple design that works forever. Sounds like you have the modern version of one of the old school canisters with a great powerhead, good luck with it.
dartman
Well-known member
Well just looked it up and that brilliance looks like a nice upright style vac, hadn't researched one but looks like a high quality machine.
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