What's With The Hate On New Vacuums?

[kenkart]

It goes further than just hate. Lol

I really try to be open minded but I just loathe anything new. I bought a new simplicity wonder. Used it twice and gave it to one of our good friends if I had to use that damnable hose grip I would give up cleaning and live in filth. Went back to a 1205 with a pn1 most of the time I'm using something straight suction as I'm not too fond of a clunky power nozzle of course I won't use a self cleaning oven and I really hate a frost free fridge

 

[kloveland]

Cleaning methods have changed and I think more people are using disposable cleaning products like Swiffers, etc. I also agree that people want something fresh and new even though it's sort of reinventing the wheel. Like the new Sharks with multiple rollers to me a canister with a good floor brush would do just as well on bare floors.

Also, I think that there are more pets in the homes now than have been in the past. I know that growing up most of my family didn’t allow pets in the home. They were considered outside animals. Today, manufactures are making pet specific vacuums for homes with pets (or so people think). It’s all marketing and giving the public what they want.

 

[rolls_rapide]

There is plastic... and plastic

Decent plastic machines have their plastic casings made of a decent grade of ABS.

The rubbish end of the market has ABS of such a poor grade, that it is akin to the polystyrene door racks in a refrigerator. This plastic feels quite light, but cannot withstand much abuse. Where wheels are made of the same stuff, they squeal something awful (eg. TTI's Vax).

Some of the dearer brands have slimmed down on the quality of the plastic. I was dismayed at the thinness of plastic casing on a Bosch cylinder cleaner. Other folk have had concerns about Miele's upright machines' bag doors.

 

[luxkid1980]

@ kloveland - You're right.

I get a kick out out of seeing vacuums which are labeled in some way to denote they are specifically for cleaning homes with pets. I think that the average consumer somehow thinks that because a vacuum has the word pet listed in the name that it will clean pet hair better than one that does not. That of course is not necessarily true. Or, because it is significantly more expensive than another type that it must clean better.

I wonder if the used market for vacuums was the same years ago as it is today. Vacuums were considerably heavier based on materials available so consumers had to use what was available but another factor was that they were designed to be serviceable. As someone else mentioned, the majority of cheaper vacuums are just not made to be fixed; its far cheaper to thrown them out. Even if you are on a budget, you would likely still come out ahead cost wise if you bought a used, higher quality vacuum versus something that is available new in a big box store. Eh, maybe some folks have a germ phobia and wouldn't dare consider a used anything.

 

[ultralux88]

If I can't afford a brand new quality item, I'll buy it used for the same price as some cheap piece of garbage, and laugh all the way home.

My thought process on ANYTHING when I judge the quality of it:
Will it last, will I have to replace the damned thing in a year or so?
Will it function properly and to my liking, will I find it aggravating to get it to do what it is supposed to?
Is using it more aggravating than not using it?
Does it make sense, or was it designed by morons?
Will it require more time futzing than I'll spend using it? Think Windows...

There are more, but these are the things I think of when I look for something. I'll just buy whatever the best thing I can afford, new or used.

 

[kirby519]

Unlike todays generation. Many of us grew up with limited incomes. Therefor when a purchase was made you learned how to properly use and maintain that equipment. Of course at that time equipment of any kind was made to last and be repairable. Those of us 50 and over don't want to be in a position to have to buy some thing new every few years.

We make a selection and plan on keeping it for many years. Todays generation uses something for a year or two and then it is "junk" and needs to be replaced with a new and "improved" version. Not that improvement are not good. How ever some of the so called improvements. Are just gimmicks to sell you some thing that is way over priced for time it will actually last.

Like mentioned above. vacuums targeted at pet owners. I have any number of Kirby's over 50 years old and newer to the Sentria II that will pick up pet hair and dander better than anything on todays market that claims to be designed for "pet" hair. I have a Rainbow that will do the same(and by far not a favorite choice as a vacuum) .

The millennials have no idea what hard times are. The have grown up in a disposable world because it is the most convenient that way. That is why many of us refer to todays equipment "plastic crap". Because it is designed to be discarded after a few uses.

 

[electrikbroomgu]

Todays vacuums

My mom, who is closing in on 79 years of age said it best while walking down the vacuum aisle at the then closing Kmart. "What a bunch of ugly cheap looking toy rubbish". Their wasn't a vacuum she liked in the entire store.
Wind the clock back 30 years or so at the very same Kmart and we could look at the majority of cleaners on sale and find something we would actually want to take home. Convertibles, F&G Eureka's, several decent Hoover and Eureka canisters, Regina Electribrooms (which she still loves to use today) Dirt Devil hand vacs and many more cool machines. And many of these cleaners were easily capable of lasting 20-30 years with care.

Example- her DD red hand vac was purchased by her mother in 1987 and is still in good usable condition with little other than belt changes, her Regina powerteam Electrikbroom from 1982 is still kicking despite weekly use and her 1973 Elux Model L is still mostly original other than hose and power cord and still runs perfect!