The WORST vacuum cleaners, Ever made. In History.

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

On the comment of Fantoms from 2001, I have a Thunder from right before they went bankrupt. It's the same as any Thunder.
 
Eureka/Sanitaire

As nice as they clean, I can't stand them.
Bulky, loud, cheap plastic parts,
The self propelled models have transmissions that wear out, and scream like a banshee overtime you turn them on.
 
I will also go against the crappy,plastic-crap bagless DUMPSTER vacuums-you all know the ones!Yes,for the most part includes Dyson!Also a Premier made Mastercraft upright marked as "commercial" used this at a radio station-the thing kept breaking fans and plastic fancases-who would think of a plastic fancase around a steel fan?Watched with pleasure as that horrible machine met its pressing-crushing death in the back of an E-Z Pack RL Goliath trash truck!When the compactor blade pulled it into the body-a few pieces of plastic dropped back into the hopper!Did save the bag from the stupid thing-still packed somewhere.The ONLY good part!
 
Bissell cleanviews are pretty damn powerful if you keep the filters clean but too bad they leak dust so much
 
any craftsman shop vac (built by vacmaster) parts break off easily

emerson built craftsman shop vacs are way better than vacmaster brand

xxx iforce worse than any other vac i've ever seen--power nozzle motor sound really loud like a jackhammer & elbow break off when pn hits the wall or furniture[this post was last edited: 9/3/2017-15:06]
 
@anthony

I think James Dyson is a brilliant inventor. I absolutely DESPISE his vacuum cleaners. I think they work well in theory, but when put into practice the machines are terrible. However, I REALLY love his AirBlade hand dryer. It COMPLETELY drys my hands. I think his Task Lights are pretty cool too, but I agree with everything you said about his cleaners.
 
Worst machines

The Hoover Windtunnel 2 was a very defective machine. My aunt had one. Many people have talked about how the filter would jam up with air and stop the machine. A new stick vac came out not too long ago made by Joy Mangano, who invented the miracle mop. People who have used it said it only runs for about 5 minutes before it gets EXTREMELY hot and it shuts off. It's useless.
 
Eureka Airspeed One has to be the worst vacuum I have ever encountered. Awful, flimsy, dust leaking glob of plastic. A foam filter and a thin screen material for all the dust it manages to pick up. I saw one where i work, used to clean the second floor common areas. A Regina Housekeeper would stand up better! Yikes!
 
I remember Clay Floyd saying

In 61 and 62 when he started working for the Denver Rainbow office , he and Mr Mench thought the new Westinghose canisters with the single fan motor were the cheapest things they had ever seen..LOL, Now he says they look wonderful compared to what is being sold!
 
Truthfully

There has been a lot of garbage put on the market, most of it in the last 35 years, along with more plastic comes less value.
 
I do love classic Dirt Devils, but I must admit, their quality sure is quite appalling.

I'm worried the wheels are going to fall off my Broom Vacs because the wheels are just plastic riding on plastic axles molded into the body of the vacuum. The plastic-on-plastic interface slowly grinds into red dust, increasing the tolerance of the fit and making the wheels wobbly. That, and the attachment is basically a simple cantilever beam-type mount, so the plastic slowly bends over time, giving my Broom Vacs "negative camber." Argh! The soft-bagged Dirt Devil Plus upright I recently bought had succumbed to these two issues quite badly, too. So badly, in fact, I pitched it. It was a shame; I really wanted that otherwise nice vacuum, but the axles were ruined, and the only way to fix it would be to get a new base. Good luck with that.

And don't even get me started on the fragility of the threads. Working on old Dirt Devils sometimes gives me indigestion; I'm worried I'm going to strip some plastic threads on an NLA part and ruin the vacuum.

The Can Vac, too, has all of these issues. Not only that, but I have never possessed a vacuum whose bag pores clog so quickly. If it wasn't so annoying, I'd say the vacuum has a talent for crapping out. The suction starts out relatively strong with a new bag, then as soon as you start to put it to work it calls it a day. I feel like I'm changing the bag every time I use my Pro Series Can Vac because it's suffocating on a few crumbs. Smh.


In retrospect, why do I like classic Dirt Devils anyways? I'm a glutton for punishment I guess.
 
Far too many terrible vacuums to post individual models

Based on what I've seen as far as design and build quality going from most overpriced and terrible down to cheapest and terrible then I'll have to rate based on actual cleaning ability after some use since the question is not specific enough for me to give any one specific when there are so many bad vacuums that have been made.
Costly but crap
Oreck (any XL) made like they were running out of plastic and had already ran out of metal. The worst design ever, terribly inefficient in every way, just looking inside one makes me wonder how in the hell did these ever catch on. I just had a buyer come look at an XL (that only had the high speed wire come loose like so many of them do), it's working perfectly, no rattles brushroll is spinning freely. She puts her hand down by the brushroll and says "No suction!" I'm like wtf? How can you even tell by doing that? Then she leaves. Priced at $35 perfect condition¿ I test it apart and find nothing wrong. She was right it's a piece of garbage,dirt devil's are better!

Next is all Electrolux made between 2000 and their end of production on vacuums in USA! Way over priced, way over designed then nothing was tested failure rate was 100% every model developed the same issues from year to year and they did nothing! Servicing them is a real treat too! Never get it apart without something cracking or breaking. I've modified parts inside where the diverting valves are to get them working. Far too much time and effort for a vacuum repair!

Dyson all models but the DC17 and similar, very few models will run without clogging up when the wand is used plus the tiny hole in the wand makes it useless. Plastic dries out and they crumble into dust! Dyson even has a warning not to allow sunlight to land on it! Plus the guy can't say anything without a million hidden pages of text to define exactly how he can even say what he says!

Fantom had 2 of these 1 was a super cheaply made and ultra weak designed poc I smashed it on my driveway to get the cord and motor out of it, not 1 screw was removed and I got it out in a few seconds. The other was a very nicely designed well built heavy duty vacuum that simply had no suction. Factory assembly problem with the very first 2 main parts in the assembly. There's a gasket that goes between the exhaust and the main duct as it transfers between them. The parts need to twist into place and when this happens the gasket does not slip with the right piece. It slides and covers the exhaust ports about 65%. Reducing suction greatly. Entire machine must come apart to correct it. This blunder put them out if business 90% failure rate and they knew about it but still sold them anyway!

Now that I've stepped on a bunch of toes,to the cheap ones! These are in general the worst overall you can pick any model that dirt devil made! Pick any model that eureka! made. Eurekas have a very strong motor and good design for air flow up to the hose but sharp bends and tight inlets to bagless canisters restrict the passage of debris from passing into areas creating clogs constantly. Also terrible on off switches and the world's worst brushrolls. 9 out of 10 I get used in bulk will have bad brushrolls, melted, or if they're wood warped or unbalanced. I won't touch them anymore. Junk!

Then there's all hoover and Bissell that were made as their first introduction to bagless, every single one made before 2010 was pretty much a joke and had no business even being sold.

With so many terrible vacuums that don't even deserve to be called vacuums I couldn't even begin to dwell on a few very bad models. It's really a sad and sorry lot of vacuums once bagless caught on? I'll never understand it but it is what it is. Not many vacuums made now will last more than 5 years. (For regular owners who do no maintenance even less). I just picked up Hoover's TOTL bagged, floor model brand new, they sell for over $200, not 1 message at $65 with 10 bags included! If I didn't have 300 bags for my 35 year old Kenmore I bought new from sears in 1985 i'd keep that Hoover! Pictures show 2 nice bagged hoovers and the Oreck I'm going to smash!

Sorry if I hurt any feelings but that's how I see it, junk is junk no matter what package it's put in.oh yeah Regina never made a good vacuum and Royal is an embarrassment but luckily they sell commercial or they'd be gone and take dirt devil with them that's the best thing that could happen 🤭👺💩

zinda-2021081215134309528_1.jpg

zinda-2021081215134309528_2.jpg

zinda-2021081215134309528_3.jpg
 
Zinda,

I have absolutely no idea what is going through your mind. You just said any vacuum cleaner that eureka made was a bad design? That statement makes me think you've never tried the vacuums you're referring to. You do realise that eureka has been serving America well for their vacuums since 1909, right? They've made interesting and deluxe uprights and canisters in the 1990's, robust and new age designs in the 80's and 70's and all before that metal based, well built, deep cleaning F&G style upright vacuum cleaners.


 


And for you to say what you've said about the Royal company... simply makes me think you've never seen a vacuum cleaner made older than 2005. Maybe consider giving these mentioned vacuums a try some time, they really are a treat! Now enjoy some photos of real, sleek, thoughtful designs from these reliable and well known vacuum cleaner companies of the past. (Shark is really no example of any sort of quality, design, cleaning performance, nor budget. Just thought I'd let you know, and that's a fact
smiley-laughing.gif
)


 


smiley-w3.gif


regularrett69-2021081513162003618_1.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_2.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_3.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_4.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_5.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_6.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_7.jpg

regularrett69-2021081513162003618_8.jpg
 
I think he means Eureka!, The version of the company after the Chinese buyout. All vacuums from this era had an exclamation point on the logo, and were mostly garbage. The Royal company only makes rebrands of Hoover, Dirt Devil, etc nowadays, the metal ones were sadly discontinued a couple of years ago.
 
Yeah but the name does, all they are now are older model Walmart vacs painted orange with a heavy duty cord on them.
 
Feel free to send me the official Royal website, but I haven't seen anything branded Royal brand new since 2016. Not even the new Dirt Devil's in Walmart say Royal on the label. I've definitely seen the commercial line windtunnels that are branded as royal, and the residential windtunnels branded as royal but as far as I am concerned those were discontinued and there's no website for the company either..


 
 
Wow

Huh. Looks like TTI gave up on the name altogether, as it is not even displayed on their brands list. I did not know that. All there seems to be are surplus parts at sites like Bank's Vacuum.
 
Well we have one…

My Mom won’t let me delete… it is a Hoover Quik Broom II. It runs and cleans fine but the dirt seeps out where the dirt cup is supposed to seal. She used it to clean one rug and there’s a cluster of hair and dusting hanging out of the top edge of the dirt cup! Deplorable!

I had a Dirt Devil small bagless upright from around 2007. Trash find…it is impossible to push because the rubber strip behind the brush roll designed to prevent dirt from flinging out the back on hard floors gets stuck on carpet. Also the filter and screen clog almost immediately causing poor suction.

Jon
 
The Evolution (or De-Evolution) of Vacuum Cleaners

In a nutshell, There was the Eureka Roll-Easy in the 50s, to the "Fall-Easy" today with its shoddy construction and tendency to "fall over" due to ridiculously short hoses.
 
Probably already been said.....

Eureka bagless Whirlwind whatever..... Awful awful machines. Use them once and the filters clogged and you were done. You needed to completely empty, clean, rinse, and dry the filters not to mention sometimes replace the HEPA filter on the back to be able to use it to vacuum your carpets again. Absolute worst vacuum I had ever used.
 
Don't get me started on Dysons

We've had "a plenty" of Dysons over the last couple of decades.  A few uprights, a couple of cordless.  I hate them with a passion.  I pretty much don't like plastic.  I restore and collect cars, and I hate plastic there as well.  I want the least amount of plastic possible.


 


I'm not fond of the whole bagless brigade.  I like things that last, things that can be repaired and returned to service.  Things that just work.  


 


I'm not a fan of our consumer throw-away society, always buying and throwing away in the never-ending pursuit of utility maximization.  Manufacturers across the board cater to this consumer drive for the latest and greatest widget. 


 


All the plastic wonders produced this century are my least favorite models.  I ask you, will this be around in 40 years?


 


 


 


 


 

gvox-2022012007054307075_1.jpg
 
The worse for me wasa  Shopvac all around  canister wet/dry with a done torn fitler no bag  full of  garbage ..........


 


 


Spew dust like mad  loud motor  .... poor thing   .


 


 


So me and my  ex bf at the time put a  new fitler  , hose  wand  paper bag . We  took it outside  turn it on let it run for a few minutes, no bag  ,no filter  after a  clean tub just get the dirt out the motor  . After her Italian tune up ..... it ran good with a fitler bag and cartridge filter  .He had it foa few years  after that  . This was circa  2007???


 


But the aboslute worse of em all must of been  my brother 's   Eureka cordless  stick  vac made more noise than it pick up anything  looked like a toy  sounded like one  your better off  using a broom  loll  MyCc8 would run circle around   it !


 


Thats why i  will always, always run vintage, metal body  , heavy, bulky,  caniter like Fitler Queens  31x  or  Compact& Tristar .
 

Latest posts

Back
Top