Your recommendation for vac to clean 1 wall-to-wall carpet

[tseg]

I have a Miele U1 upright for my top floor, Miele C3 for my main floor, what vacuum should I buy for my basement with one big wall-to-wall carpet and not a lot of tight spaces to maneuver? Despite appearances, I'm not committed to Miele. I'm considering a Kirby from an historical allure standpoint... but what used Kirby should I consider if I go down that path? What other options are really good for wall-to-wall carpet, 1 big room?

 

[vacuumman]

If you want to get a Kirby, I recommend looking for a G7 Diamond Edition, since it has a unique 2-speed switch that no other Kirby model has.

 

[panasonicvac]

I would suggest going to a local vacuum store and try out other TOL brands like Sebo, Lindhaus, Riccar/Simplicity, Sanitaire, Oreck, etc. And see which one fits best for you overall.

If I were to recommend a used modern Kirby to anyone, I'd go for as newer as you possibly can. For one, you know what they say the newer the better. The Avalir/Avalir 2 has two carrying handles, an LED headlight, slightly more powerful, etc. Also, you'd get a better chance of finding matching colored parts for them since they're more recent. And you could send in the Avalir/Avalir 2 to the rebuild center and it would cost the same price as you would send in any other Kirby.

Anyways, that's my two cents here.

 

[human]

You really can't go wrong with any Kirby but for my tastes, I'd stick with one that takes disposable filter bags. I simply loathe dump bags but your mileage may vary.

 

[eurekaprince]

I'd recommend the Kenmore Elite with the beltless brush roll. Besides being top-rated by Consumer Reports, it's a very cool looking design!

 

[tseg]

Thanks for the input. Let me stew on it. I guess Kirby does not have a HEPA system?

 

[panasonicvac]

Kirby's bags filter very well. But the vacuums themselves are NOT sealed like Miele. I'm actually surprised that you don't want another Miele, I'm curious to hear why if you mind me asking? Honestly, that would be my overall recommendation is to get another Miele.

 

[tseg]

The U1 upright is not only heavy, but takes a fair amount of effort to push/pull on carpet. I think the Kenmore Ultimate takes equal effort. While the Kirby is heavy, I understand there is some level of mechanical assist when pushing/pulling... is this true? I like a canister vac if having to operate in confined spaces, but for large tracts of wall-to-wall I'm thinking upright. I've also been checking out the Sebo X4 and X7. I like the X7 headlight and the X4 price. I think the new X7's just went up in price, about $250 more than a new X4, which can still be found.

 

[tseg]

... BTW, I used to own a Sebo Felix (that the ex wife now has) and while there are some good things about that vac, I was not fond of the balance, with it being particularly top heavy... also wished it had a headlight.

 

[jo]

Seeing that you like quality…

I’d recommend a Aerus Electrolux upright. Depending on how heavy you want the vacuum to be there are two options…the regular upright which includes attachments or the Lux Lite which is lightweight but does not include attachments.

The regular upright with attachments would probably be my top suggestion because if you decided you like it better than your upstairs Miele you could always swap the locations. But it does sound like an upright versus a canister would be best for the basement. Perhaps you might want a canister for your upper floor and the. Put one of your uprights in the basement?

I love the canister style because it is so versatile, gets into tight spaces more easily and generally are easier to push on carpet because iyou are just pushing the wand and power nozzle. You can quickly change to clean along baseboards, dust furniture, vacuum furniture, convert to bare floor vacuuming and above floor cleaning with a canister more easily than an upright or upright with attachments. The only drawback on using a canister would be that you are toting along the canister behind you constantly but if it’s lightweight, it’s not so cumbersome. I’ve wanted and tried a central vac too in the past…found toting a 35 foot hose around is actually more cumbersome than just using a canister with a cord. And personally I’ve found the Aerus Electrolux canister the easiest to use with their bullet tank shaped design and the two dual combination tools taking the place of 4 tools and self adjusting power nozzle really make using the machine about as easy as it gets. And I do see that you have the Miele canister on your main floor. Sometimes when I thought I had the best arrangement for that floor, but swapped anyway between floors, I’ve discovered that I liked swapping even though I thought I wouldn’t so maybe you might like a canister on your top floor as well. They get under the beds beautifully and I’m assuming the top floor has most of the bedrooms.

It is fun to have something different so buying the same thing per floor might get a bit boring….but this some from someone who has multiple Aerus/Electrolux canisters. I have used many different styles and brands of vacs and always end up back with the same thing as my favorite but I had a lot of fun using many different brands of vacuums over the years.

Going Kirby might be a bit overkill for the purpose and they are very heavy though the transmission does help remove some of the effort using them.

Just some extended thoughts…may be more than you wanted but a well educated and thought through decision will make for a satisfactory purchase.

Jon

 

[panasonicvac]

Yes the Kirby G series have a self propelled transmission that makes the vacuum easier to push and pull.

If you're looking into the Sebo X series, I'd recommend the X7/X8. They're actually improvements of the X4/X5. But if you would rather pay less for an X series, I would actually recommend to look into the Essential G4/G5 instead.

What I personally like better than Sebo is Lindhaus. My favorite would be the Healthcare Pro. It is in my humble opinion is the best overall upright vacuum cleaner that I've ever used. Though unlike the Sebo Felix, it does not have a variable speed control and the powerhead does not swivel but the bare floor tool however does. You can also add headlights to it. If features does not matter to you, then I would check out the Valzer 5. Or I would look into the Diamante 300/380. They still have the feature to turn off the brushroll which is something that the Sebo X series do not have. But if you rather pay less for an upright, the Activa 30 is what I would look into. And finally for canisters, I love their Aria Platinum model. Even though I'm not much of a canister person myself. But I also really like their Aria Elite as well.

Anyways, wish you the best of luck of finding a new vacuum!

 

[tseg]

Any experience with the Sainitaire TRADITION SC688B? A no frills vac built just for carpet with commercial motor. Makes me think this could be a good fit for a basement rec room (even though the kids have grown up… maybe grand kids in the future?).

 

[tseg]

Well, a bit of an impulse buy, ordered the Sanitaire 888N… designed like the old Hoovers, on sales for under $250, 145CFM direct air flow, lots of stainless steel, 2K hour commercial engine, allergen disposable cloth bags. Since I have 2 higher end Miele’s (actually my C3 has all attachments and both electric and non electric hose and heads) I thought this was a good compromise on price vs. performance for intended use. Thanks for everyone’s comments on what to consider. I’ll let you know how it turns out… this basic model has been around a long time and is pretty proven. The latest N model has very good consumer reviews, with 85% giving 4’s and 5’s and the lower scores only given due to weight.

 

[panasonicvac]

Nice! Make sure to buy plenty of belts for it. The Sanitaire SC888N is basically the same thing as the SC688B. The only differences though is that the hoods and the handle grips are different. The SC688B has a plastic hood and a straight handle. The SC888N has a metal hood and a looped handle.

 

[blackheart]

Excellent choice!

For carpet cleaning power the bag on the back Sanitaires are an excellent pick.

 

[tseg]

I thought the 888 looked cooler than the 688... but I'm not clear of the weight difference between the two? Amazon lists the 888N package (metal hood) at 16.2 lbs, and the 688 package (plastic hood) at 17.0 lbs. Meanwhile, I have seen reviews of older versions that said the 888 is 20lbs. I wonder if weight was taken out of this newest N model? The 888M package is listed at 19 pounds. The 888EUR package is listed at 21 pounds... maybe the European version has 5 pounds of required literature to tell you how energy conserving it is?

 

[tseg]

I've already bought extra belts, I understand this to be this vacs primary flaw... I think one more difference between the 688 and 888 may be that the 888 has a transparent underbody plate while the 688 is solid red... but now I am comparing to a bottom shot of a 688 that is a few years old, so maybe it is different now.

 

[panasonicvac]

I was just looking at Sanitaire's website, I think the SC888N is rated lighter than the SC688B because the SC888N has a pigtail cord and they must've taken the cord off when they measured it. The package weight shows that the SC888N is definitely heavier than the SC688B.

 

[tseg]

My SC888N arrived today. I LOVE it! It is perfect for the application. Even on setting 2 it is easier to push and maneuver than the Miele U1 on the same carpet. I'm also happy it came with the grey cord. I saw pictures with a red cord... just too much red. The beater bar is something to behold coming from 2 different Miele power heads. The motor is interesting, on one hand there is a high-pitched blender whir, but in parallel, because of the beater bar it also has a deep, guttural sound. It very much reminds me of the purple Hoover my Mom had when I was a kid 50 years ago. I'm glad I sprung for the chrome top rather than the less expensive and lighter plastic version. This vacuum really feels of quality and durability. I wish they still made the one with a headlight. I love that it is complete repairable. You can't see the loop handle in my picture, but that is a nice feature when pulling back the vacuum, much less strain than the old-style plain pole handle. It had been a while since I vacuumed this carpet, and after a thorough vacuuming I checked out the bag and it felt like an inch+ of sand/fine grit was at the bottom of the bag. Because it is the thick cloth bag, not completely easy to ascertain exactly how much was in there. With 145CFM I bet it pulled stuff out of the carper the Miele or the plastic disposable vacs in the years prior hadn't touched in the past 20 years. It's nice to be back to a vacuum on each floor again. What a great vacuum on carpet... quite a one-trick pony.