What's With The Hate On New Vacuums?

[funnynet1231]

Hello. Keep in mind this is just my opinion, but I don't get the hate for new vacuums. While yes, quite a few suck more than a actually good vacuum, there are still quite a few that are actually very good! I can recommend any of the new bissell cleanview or powerforce line of vacuums because I know from expirence that they are very good cleaners. The same with dirt devil, the new Power max and Razor vac vacuums are actually pretty good. Not to mension the dynamite. As odd as it sound I actually don't really like new hoover vacuums. I think the air is a very good cleaner that has a lot of power and cleans both carpets and bare floors very well, but vacuums like the T series and the new react line I don't think are quallity, and are definitly not worth the price. Just recently I got a black and decker air swivel and I think it's great! But of course this is all subject to opinion and expirience, so I'd like to hear what others have to say.
- Cam

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Many hate them

and refer to the4m as "plasticrap". Some are not well-built, cheap materials/construction. I believe that, like with all things, if you take good care of things, they'll last. I have plastic machines that run perfectly. I know metal ones were built like tanks. Even THOSE have been beaten up...it just takes longer for them to die. It's true, the plastic ones are lighter, etc... but, I prefer metal Hoovers. But, I don't bash.
Some feel the suction on a Dial A Matic, for instance, is awful. It's fine. I mean, how MUCH suction does one NEED? and, for that matter, HOW dirty is your house?The older machines have fewer amps, etc thus making them sound nicer, for one thing.
I've HAD to use all kinds of vacuums, (work, cleaning friends'/neighbors' houses,(even without gloves)! so, yes, I've seen what they can do.
I'll take my Hoovers any day.

 

[vacuumdevil]

There's a few reasons people dislike newer vacuums.

Familiarity is definitely one of them.

Definitely the quality of vacuums at box stores and with some brands has gone completely downhill. I think you'll find most people on vacuum land despise machines like Bissell . Because they're designed to be disposable.

Then who could forget styling old Royals and Art Deco vacuums just looks so much cooler even in the 1970's and 80's they were styled so elegantly.

Since you like Bissell. I have to ask have you ever been to a legitimate vacuum store and played with any of the higher-end vacuums?

 

[ultralux88]

Its not hate on NEW vacuums, its hate on low quality, poorly built machines. I tend to use only newer machines as daily drivers, but none of them are machines you'd find at Wal-Mart or such stores. I've used extensively many of the cheaper machines, and like many others here, I find it absolutely maddening trying to vacuum with a Bissell bagless, the suction drops off so fast, and even then they never clean the way I want in the first place. If you really want to know why we don't care for a lot of the cheap stuff, find a collector locally, or a vac shop that will let you try out some new higher quality machines, such as a Riccar, Miele, Simplicity, Sebo, Lindhaus, or other modern machine like that. This category of vacuum cleaners is more like what we have come to expect from vintage Eurekas and Hoovers, but with many new advancements like permanent belts, high filtration, and brush rolls that remove at the push of a button. Just compare how they clean, how they feel in the hand, and then vacuum with a Bissell Cleanview or something, I really think you'll see why there's not a lot of love for certain machines.

 

[dysonman1]

Hate on new vacuums

isn't coming for normal consumers. Vacuumland members are not like normal people.

Vacuum collectors tend to like vacuums they knew as children. People born in the 1990's will love the 1980's models. People born in the 1960's will think 1980's vacs are junk. Personally, I remember clearly saying (in the 1990's) "if there ever comes a day that people collect Dirt Devils, that will be the end of intelligent life on earth".

People tend to look at the past through rose colored glasses, which is why some folks will tell you that older is better.

The public, on the other hand, doesn't want any thing to do with those vintage cleaners. They want new, clean, fresh, and very futuristic - modern machines.
That's why "get a Shark" is the cry of the land from consumers in today's vac market. What will be the machine of tomorrow? What ever machine can interest the momentary, wandering eye of the public. And all the bristles and my-ellie cleaners will be in museums or forgotten.

 

[vinvac]

For me it is not hate, but rather lack of functionality.

I use the vacuum for almost everything. Many of the new vacuums don't offer a blower port, stretch hoses are in my opinion useless.

There are many great plastic vacuums on the market. I am not a fan of bag-less, but the bagged version of the Bissell is a great vacuum for the price. However it lacks good tools for the way in which I clean or use the vacuum.

Recently I have had to repair some Shark vacuums for folks, not major repairs but I find these vacuums also to be a decent vacuum. Other than the stretch hose, tools are somewhat better than most.

For me many of the older vacuums would not be a choice for me. (John Long - don't pass out) I have never been a Hoover person and always loved Eureka. Hoover was not popular here but Eureka was...I think it had more to do with them being made one state over. Kirby was always top on my list simply because it was my moms vacuum. Grandma had an Air-Way.

I enjoy using all vacuums, some more than others. So hate is not a good word but personal preference might be a better choice of words.

 

[rvarley]

I don't think its a 'hate on' new vacuums. If the vacuums in question are the ones in the original post, it's more a dislike of cheap, throw away vacuums from big box stores. Many of them may clean well enough, after having experienced high quality, high end vacuums, those cheap ones seem . . . cheap. As for plastic, with the exception of Kirby or Royal, most new vacuums, including some darned good ones, use a lot of it.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I really agree with Vinvac comments above.

For me, I dislike how most stores only focus on uprights vacuums for the full size market. You don't see many canisters, and most stores only sell small bagless straight suction ones if they have any. Otherwise, it's all bagless uprights and stick vacs, which is what most people seem to want.

And I agree most of the attachments on the newer uprights are bad if you really want to clean house with them. I think most people just use a Swiffer or rag to clean everything and only get the vacuum out to clean the carpet once in a while, otherwise it just gets stuck in the garage or back of the closet somewhere, and then put in a yard sale later on when it's time for a new one.

Now, I will say, my mom bought a new Hoover Windtunnel Rewind and I am pretty impressed with it. The hose at least doesn't make the machine fall over, and the brush roll shuts off when using the hose or cleaning hard floors. It rolls smoothly too on rubber wheels, and it's not as high pitched as some.

I've also used a cheapo BOL Bissell Powerforce, and didn't even find that to be too bad, if it wasn't for the nasty bagless setup. Now, the bagged version I could probably live with. Lightweight and simple to use for carpet cleaning.

I do like the Sharks also, and agree their attachments are better than many of them.

 

[tseg]

My Miele C3 is new and plastic but I love it. It is sealed no leaking exhaust and am hopeful it will last for many years. I've had several department store vacs they really degrade in cleaning power after only several years.

 

[bagintheback]

I agree with a lot of what dysonman1 said. People like what they grew up with. Hoover Elites are really loud and brittle, but everyone had one when I was much younger, so somehow I'm inclined to prefer an Elite to a present-day (and perhaps even better made) upright Hoover. Nostalgia really hurts sometimes.

Some of it might have to do with affordability though. As a collector, I know that I could order a near-perfect condition refurbished Kirby G5 for about $200 and get it by the end of the week. Or I could go to Sears and get a "good enough" Dyson for a similar amount. Most consumers don't know this, so the market revolves around whats selling at the moment. Right now it's bagless machines under $200. I wouldn't buy a $1000+ Avalir over a $200 Sears special. The Avalir doesn't make sense to me at $1000. A ~$200 G5 does though.

Most of us could agree Tacony makes great vacuums. But how many can actually afford a new tandem-air Riccar? I think for some consumers it's easier to buy a new Bissell (which aren't that terrible anyway) every few years than buy expensive dealer models with crazy expensive HEPA bags.

Basically, if you know the market there's still good brand new vacuums if you can afford it. If you know where to look, you can get older nearly-new refurbished vacuums at a decent price. Convertibles may not be on the shelves any longer, but it's had worth successors. And honestly, on board tools are super helpful and I'm glad they exist now.

Hopefully that made sense. If I saw a Convertible next time I was at Target, I would freak out and buy as many as I could afford. But you never know, I might get bored and go back to back to a 21st century design. Most consumers probably would too.

 

[n0oxy]

vacuum dislikes

As Tom said, the average consumer does not think the same way as most of us on this forum do, most consumers want cheap bagless uprights, so that's what the manufacturers produce, you have to make what the consumer wants, even if it's not the best or the most ideal.
My biggest issue with a lot of the new vacuums is lack of quality. I don't have a problem with plastic vacuums, I have several that are made very well. I prefer only canisters, I don't like uprights, but that's personal preference. I believe canisters are more flexible and with a power nozzle, will clean just as well as an upright. However, if someone really wants an upright, I can think of several that I would have no problem recommending, but none that are found in the big box stores.
Another difference between most consumers and vacuum landers is that most of us do not like bagless vacuums because they clog much too fast and lose performance quickly. The only kind of bagless machine I would use is one that uses water filtration such as a Rainbow or Sirena.
It is true that the good quality, well made vacuums do cost more than the big box store ones, there's no getting around it, but, they will last for 10 or 20 years or more in most cases, so you get what you pay for, but again, most consumers do not want to pay for quality, they want it cheap even if it means replacing it every two years.
Mike

 

[nicktechtalk]

Newer Vacuums

I just don't like how cheaply made some of the newer machines are today. I like things that are built to last which most older vacuums are. There are still plenty modern brands with new machines that I like however, such as Miele, Sebo, Kirby, Rainbow, etc.

 

[ultralux88]

I always loved the 50s and 60s machines myself, but I was both at the end of the 80s, I do notice the trend of collectors being most fascinated with the machines they remember from their child hood and I do have machines in my collection for no other reason than that: think Fantom. No real attraction to me other than the strong sentimental draw. But the majority of the machines I have I never knew of until growing up. When I was still rather young I was guilty of being fascinated with crap like the Regina Housekeeper, and various Dirty Devils, but as I experienced various machines, observed more about how they are made, and how they are to use, I began to see how better machines were better than the lower quality offerings. As I grew up I just gravitated towards the machines that were most pleasing to use, and cleaned how I felt a vacuum should. I found it maddening trying to use a Eureka whirlwind when the filters clogged every room, or the direct air Hoover twin chamber bagless thing, I used it til the cup was full, emptied it once and decided it was disgusting and gave it away, I never wanted to have to clean that awful filter again!

 

[human]

Why I hate modern plasticrap vacs:

Okay, I'm not going to sugarcoat anything here. I absolutely LOATHE modern plasticrap vacs. As far as I'm concerned, they're a waste of perfectly good petroleum. Here are my top six reasons (in no particular order):

1. They're built for disposability--This is wasteful of resources and should be outlawed.
2. Most are bagless--Who in their right mind would want to get filthy wasting time and effort cleaning a cheapo bagless machine when you can just pull out a bag, toss it and put another in. It makes absolutely no sense to me.
3. Older machines are designed to be serviced--If you know how to use a screwdriver, you can keep them running for decades.
4. They're flimsy--Part of being built ultimately for the landfill is there's zero build quality there. They're literally designed to break so you'll have to buy another one.
5. Older, superior machines can be purchased cheaply--When I can get a pristine Electrolux metal canister at a thrift shop for the price of a fast food meal, why the hell would I even consider buying a piece of disposable plasticrap at Wally World? I work hard for my money and I don't like wasting it.
6. They cost Americans their jobs--In this insane race to the bottom in price and quality, these plasticrap vacs are made in overseas factories by workers being paid slave labor wages. Older machines were made in America by Americans making a decent, living wage.

I could go on, but you get the idea. The way I see it, modern plasticrap v1acs are bad for the environment, bad for your health, bad for your wallet and bad for people

 

[ultralux88]

I don't paint all vacuums made of plastic with the same broad brush, but essentially this is how I feel. I'd never call my Radiance, or my Rainbow E2 black plasti-crap, despite being primarily made of the stuff. I tend to prefer the name "big box garbage". Not all of them are truly horrid, some can be worth using, but they are all inferior to a truly well made machine, and that is based on both my personal and professional experience in actually using and working on vacuums of all kinds.

 

[human]

I agree with you. There are a few plastic vacuum cleaners with decent build quality, such as the Electrolux Discovery II and its descendants, but the cheapo plasticrap is far more prevalent these days.

 

[crazykirbydude]

A Thought...

What if the PlastiCrap Vac companies had to take back and recycle their old machines, and the consumer gets $5 towards a new machine, and the old machine could either be refurbished or recycled. Some computer and cell phone companies do this, so why not vacuum manufacturers? All thoughts aside, some PlastiVacs are OK. The Bissell PowerForce line is decent. You get what you pay for. You also have to consider that some people can't afford a new Miele or Rainbow. People with low income have priorities. Feeding children takes precedent over buying the best vacuum possible. The PlastiVacs fit that bill.

 

[luxkid1980]

Human hit the nail on the head (at least for me anyway). It makes little sense to buy a brand new big box store deal of the day machine when you can recycle one from either a vacuum store or somewhere like a thrift store for much less money.

I feel the same way regarding other items like kitchen appliances. Last weekend, I came across an electric Sunbeam FP-11A fry pan at a local thrift store for $5. It's a cast aluminum pan. It even had the original Sunbeam cord set. I believe this particular model frypan debuted in the late 1950s and it still worked like new. Granted it had a few scratches, but that is to be expected after 50+ years. I looked online for a few minutes trying to find a new comparable pan that was non-stick and had the heat control setting from warm up to 420 degrees. I couldn't find one, at least not with the same build quality. For me, there are so many good, used items for sale (for next to nothing) that it's almost pointless to buy anything new that likely won't last beyond 5 years.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I feel the same, and I'd rather have a vintage appliance than a new one in most cases. Although I still enjoy looking at new appliances in the store, large and small, but I wouldn't pay full price for any of them. You can find many of the same small appliances both new and vintage at thrift stores for a fraction of the price what they sell new.