Vacuum Buying Question...

[honestjoe68]

Hi guys,

I’m just wondering if anyone else has ever bought a vacuum cleaner simply because of the way it looks? I recently bought a Dirt Devil and the only reason I did was because of its appearance and color scheme. It was very cheap too, so I wouldn’t go buy a $500 vacuum only on appearance, but have any of you ever just bought an inexpensive vacuum just because you liked the way it looked?

I was moderately impressed by it’s performance, but I just love the metallic fleck gray, shiny black, silver and deep purple colors of this cheap vacuum.

Thanks and no need to comment on it’s lackluster performance or that it belongs in the dump.. LOL I really just want to know if people are influenced by the appearance of a vacuum... just a fun post with no real importance. It’s funny but the reason I’m asking the group this is I got home and was thinking.. why did I buy this? Haha. If anyone has any other questions about this or whatever.. feel free to comment as I love to discuss vacuum cleaners in a friendly, non judge mental post.

Thanks, Patrick

 

[s31463221]

Buying on looks......

Absolutely! One of my last eBay purchases was based on the looks of the machine! At this moment, it’s physically IMPOSSIBLE to use this vacuum because I don’t have a power transformer for it, and it’s 220 volts...do I regret my purchase? No way! This thing is SUPER cool, even if I’ve never heard the motor run!!

 

[tseg]

I've never bought a vacuum purely on looks, but certainly have shunned quality vacuums purely on looks.

 

[mariotron]

Don't feel bad!

I got Dirt Devil Ultra for the very fact it was the only bagged and direct air (It's weird but I like seeing the bag puff up) hand vac still being made and it worked pretty well for the piece.
Anyway, I don't see anything wrong with buying a cheep vac for looks as long as like you said spending a lot in it.

As for that Dirt Devil you got... how does it perform compared to it rival the Bissel Powerforce?

 

[completenutt]

Yes, I certainly do.  I like having them around the house just to look at.  I have even bought vacuums that I will most likely never use, to keep them on display as models of interesting design.


 


I truly appreciate the quality craftsmanship and engineering of any excellent appliance, especially vacuums, but am also fascinated with how different company's ideas can morph the shape and usability around the vacuum air-flow itself. 


 


I've also just come upon the idea that even though few new high-end vacuums will ever last as long as vintage ones by any classic brand, they are still viable vacuum cleaners in that they are usually more powerful, with more evolved tools, and emit infinitely better air back into the room then was possible in the 20th century... and are, hopefully, more interestingly designed with ergonomics that have become somewhat standard in things like handle design, etc.  And those details in vacs like the Ultracaptic, for example, make them look as much like art pieces as capable performers (albeit during a moderately short lifespan).


 


I have started to create photography using my vacs as subjects and I think I'm on to something.

 It's a fun side hobby.


 

 

[huskyvacs]

Yes, a lot of times I will leave a vacuum because it does not speak to me, it's just too plain or not interesting in terms of features. It's just bland and boring. A gray Eureka Boss Ultra? Left it. A white and grass-green Hoover Convertable? In the cart in less than 30 seconds! Same with a kind of bright turquoise Dirt Devil Featherlite which I think is a rare color.

 

[honestjoe68]

@s31463221
Hey Steve, that is a truly beautiful Electrolux vacuum! I don’t blame you as I’d buy that too just to have it around to look at, very nice! Thank you for sharing too, I appreciate it as I’m still kinda new here on vacuumland.

@tseg.. sounds interesting, may I ask which vacuums you’ve shunned on appearance and why? That would be interesting to hear and talk about. Thank you for sharing.

@mariotron
Hi Tyler, Love your Dirt Devil and I have the original hand held they made too and also like the way the bag puffs up when you turn it on. In fact it’s the only hand vacuum that everytime I see one at Goodwill or garage sales I buy it and refurb it then donate it back, as they are nice vacuums. Now as far as the Dirt Devil vs. the Bissell Powerforce.. I can’t answer that as the only Bissell vacuums in my collection are the Pet Hair Eraser Upright and the Handheld model, The Bissell Anna Upright Hybrid Cordless, the Powerglide Upright Cordless, Bolt Ion Cordless, the Bissell Air Ram Cordless, the Lift Off Cordless Hard Floor, the Zing Canister and the Bissell 3 in 1 Vac Cordless. So I can’t really compare as I have no idea how the Powerforce performs. I will say I am impressed and the Dirt Devil performed better than I was expecting. I would rate it along with Hoover vacuums that cost $100 or less. The only thing I didn’t realize and don’t really like is for a “Pet” version of a vacuum it has poor filtration (No HEPA), so I probably won’t use it much as I sneeze with dust and dander in the air. But on a scale of 1 to 10 with Sebo, Kirby and Miele at 10... I’d rate this Dirt Devil a solid 6. Thanks for your comment.

@completenutt
Hello Bill, WOW.. Love your idea and your pictures are VERY Cool!! In fact I would love to have some of them hanging on my walls, especially in the huge guest room which is wall to wall Vacuums from my collection. That would look really nice! I too love that Electrolux canister.. cool colors and funky style and design. I also agree with you regarding the airflow path being part of the design, that is one of the things that always fascinated me about Dyson. I am very happy that ergonomics has been considered too as there is nothing more aggravating for me than a poorly designed handle or worse yet, poorly designed dirt bin, which typically increases the maintenance time and clean up of the bagless vacuums. I also Love things like the vacuums like the Hoover Dual V Windtunnel Upright Vacuum, that can be used a bagged or bagless machine. I prefer Bagged vacuums hands down, but a lot of my collection is bagless because my collection consists of mainly new and still available vacuums. With about 250 total vacuums, I think the Bissell Anna is the only one I couldn’t replace easily. Thank you for sharing and I’d love to see more of your pictures too. Also, If I promise to not share or post them anywhere else, may I use your pictures as wallpaper on my iPhone and iPads, etc?? I really do like your pictures.

Ok, thank you so very much everyone for answering my question and contributing. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has made purchases on visual appeal only. But again, this Dirt Devil was a Walmart falling price of $49 bucks too. Although now that I think about it, I did buy my Simplicity Fetch Pet S30PET Upright Vacuum because it is Metallic Grass Green and I fell in love with the color! But in my defense I was already in the market to add a Dual Tandem Air Simplicity to my collection.

Much thanks, Patrick

 

[honestjoe68]

@s31463221
Hey Steve, that is a truly beautiful Electrolux vacuum! I don’t blame you as I’d buy that too just to have it around to look at, very nice! Thank you for sharing too, I appreciate it as I’m still kinda new here on vacuumland.

@tseg.. sounds interesting, may I ask which vacuums you’ve shunned on appearance and why? That would be interesting to hear and talk about. Thank you for sharing.

@mariotron
Hi Tyler, Love your Dirt Devil and I have the original hand held they made too and also like the way the bag puffs up when you turn it on. In fact it’s the only hand vacuum that everyone I see at Goodwill or garage sales I buy and refurb then donate back, as they are nice vacuums. Now as far as the Dirt Devil vs. the Bissell Powerforce.. I can’t answer that as the only Bissell vacuums in my collection are the Pet Hair Eraser Upright and the Handheld model, The Bissell Anna Upright Hybrid Cordless, the Powerglide Upright Cordless, the Bolt Ion Cordless, the Bissell Air Ram Cordless, the Lift Off Cordless Hard Floor, the Zing canister and the Bissell 3 in 1 Vac Cordless. So I can’t really compare as I have no idea how the Powerforce performs. I will say I am impressed and the Dirt Devil performed better than I was expecting. I would rate it along with Hoover vacuums that cost $100 or less. The only thing I didn’t realize and don’t really like is for a “Pet” version of a vacuum it has poor filtration, so I probably won’t use it much as I sneeze with dust and dander in the air. But on a scale of 1 to 10 with Sebo, Kirby and Miele at 10... I’d rate this Dirt Devil a solid 6. Thanks for your comment.

@completenutt
Hello Bill, WOW.. Love your idea and the pictures are VERY Cool!! In fact I would love to have some of them hanging on my walls, especially in the huge guest room which is wall to wall Vacuums from my collection. That would look really nice! I too love that Electrolux canister too.. cool colors and funky style and design. I also agree with you regarding the airflow path being part of the design, that is one of the things that always fascinated me about Dyson. I am very happy that ergonomics has been considered too as there is nothing more aggravating for me than a poorly designed handle or worse yet, poorly designed dirt bin, which typically increases the maintenance time and clean up of the bagless vacuums. I also Love versatile concepts like the Hoover Dual V Windtunnel Upright Vacuum, that can be used as a bagged or bagless machine. I prefer Bagged vacuums hands down, but a lot of my collection is bagless because my collection consists of mainly new and still available vacuums. With about 250 total vacuums, I think the Bissell Anna is the only one I couldn’t replace easily. Thank you for sharing and I’d love to see more of your pictures too. Also, if I promise to not share or post them anywhere else, may I use your pictures as wallpaper on my iPhone and iPads, etc?? I really do like your work.

Ok, thank you so very much everyone for answering my question and contributing. I’m glad I’m not the only one who has made purchases on visual appeal only. But again, this Dirt Devil was a Walmart falling price of $49 bucks too. Although now that I think about it, I did buy my Simplicity Fetch Pet S30PET Upright Vacuum because it is Metallic Grass Green and I fell in love with the color! But in my defense I was already in the market to add a Dual Tandem Air Simplicity to my collection.

Much thanks, Patrick

 

[honestjoe68]

@huskyvacs

Sorry, I posted before I saw your comment. Wow, the same colors I like too. I would love to own a turquoise color vacuum and I love my grass green Simplicity. I so agree and am very tired of Black, Grey and Red vacuum cleaners. Red, only as I don’t like that color but Black and Grey makes them look so boring and basic. Thank you for your comment, I appreciate it.

Patrick

 

[completenutt]

Absolutely! I'm not sure how they'd look full size though. The pics are from a good camera on a smartphone and edited on a fun editing app, but I'm not sure if they'll look pixelated or as rich in color if blown up in size.

I was wondering if there was such a thing as a bagged/bagless machine. I'll look it up. Sounds intriguing!

Yeah, ease of emptying out the dirt cup really depends on the placement of the filter inside the cup. For example, a vac I had in the late 90s was a purple Dirt Devil bagless upright. It had a post motor hepa, but the filter inside the dirt cup was conical in shape and waffled and stuck in the middle of the dirt cup and emptying was a mess.. You poured out the larger pieces and then when you pulled out the conical filter, you had to bang it on the side of a trash container to release the tons of dirt still in the valleys on the filter. The dust plume was gross, and it was hard to contain it all! Thank goodness even cheap machines don't have that configuration anymore! That's why I was so impressed with the Electrolux UltraFlex and UltraCaptic... the first I'd seen with a filter free removable dirt cup on a cyclonic bagless. [this post was last edited: 5/11/2018-01:32]

 

[compactc9guy]

Nice

I think its great to add vacuum to the collection no matter the reason .I got an Electrolux discovery 2 because it was in a garage sale the lady said if no one buys it its going in the dumpster,so i grabbed it brought it home .That was 2 years ago il never get rid of it , because i was able to save it and it works very well so thats the reason i got it for ahah any reason is good to add another vacuum enjoy.

 

[panasonicvac]

Oh definitely for sure

Everytime I see a vacuum that I really like from the looks of it, I would be like "Man I've got to have one of those in my collection."

 

[broomvac]

Since I own more than one post-G3 Kirby, I guess I too have acquired a vacuum simply for its looks. Lol

Glad you are enjoying the new Dirt Devil! I like the models similar to that one which have the sideways cyclone at the top of the bin.

 

[diabeticdoode]

lol I wanted to buy this exact Dirt Devil based off the colors. Love that I'm not alone!

 

[kirbysthebest]

Bought for its looks

How shallow.

Of course I have, my most recent a Eureka FloorRover. Bought it for its unusual looks, actually like it very much as a good vacuum.

 

[sensotronic]

I bought this based purely on looks and it has to be the worst vacuum I have ever unboxed.

 

[honestjoe68]

@sensotronic

Thanks “Betty” for sharing! I would have done the same thing if this round ball vacuum had been offered in the USA.. I love oddly shaped vacuums. One of my deepest regrets is not buying the Hoover Z700 as it was so fun and quirky.. like a transformer. I’ve heard they had lackluster performance as well.. but it just looked fun! I still search from time to time but cannot find one in really good, almost new condition or if I find a spotless newer Z700 it’s outrageously priced! :-(

I also regret getting rid of my Dirt Devil Ultra MVP and the RoomMate and Broom Vac.. just because they were unusual in design.

I’ve learned my lesson as far as keeping my favorites and not having to re-Buy them or regret.. that’s why I’ll NEVER get rid of my Bissell Anna Hybrid Vacuum!

I think that’s why I enjoy my Shark Rocket Powerhead as it’s reminds me of the Dirt Devil RoomMate but on steroids! Lol. Then of course there is my Sebo Felix (thanks again for sharing how well you and your Mum like the Felix) as it’s got a unique look. I also have a Kenmore Crossover Ultra Bagless Upright that is unique and I love it’s dark red/purple color scheme that is reminiscent of how 80’s vacuums were trimmed and decorated! Thanks again Betty lol keep up the excellent work on your YouTube videos and I hope AO.com sends you a bunch more cool things! Thank you for sharing your pre-Dyson Ball Vacuum haha did you keep it by chance?

Thanks, Patrick (and Robbie and Kermit). Air Hugs!

 

[sensotronic]

The Z400 and Z700 cleaners are absolute monstrosities and make the Miele S7/U1 uprights look like compact lightweight cleaners by comparison. I can say this with authority as currently I have a Z400 next to my Miele Dynamic U1.

I think you are confusing me with someone else as I don’t have a YouTube channel but I may put up a video of my 11 kitty cats riding on my roomba one day.

 

[tseg]

"@tseg.. sounds interesting, may I ask which vacuums you’ve shunned on appearance and why? That would be interesting to hear and talk about. Thank you for sharing."

I prefer vacuums with some semblance of style, so the X series Sebos (and all 'commercial' looking vacs) don't do anything for me, even though I know they perform well. Likewise, too 'spacey' looking vacs, with multiple tubes like a roller coaster ride or hard angled bits making it look like it is from a transformer movie don't do anything for me either. A Dyson Ball multi-floor may be an example of this. An optimal vacuum style has sleek lines, like a Miele or Kirby... although Kirby continues to have a huge opportunity to reign its bag system that continues to look like a cow flop on a sports car (thus, I don't have one).