What features do you look for before buying a new Vacuum cleaner?

Whether or not it’s a dyson.

Seriously, I skimped on vacuums for many years before biting the bullet, and my dyson has been worth every penny.

I’ve had great luck with my bagless Bissell vacuum. I think new it would have been around $100 but I bought it refurbished for $30. I’ve had it for three years and just make sure to wash the fliter by hand after a few runs.

My in laws’ yard is nothing but sand they have to vacuum twice a day…they’re hard on vacuums. They had a dirt devil that only kept up for a two months. Then they bought a Bissell and it’s still going strong two years later.

I’ve never owned a dyson so I don’t know the difference, but my Bissell has been exactly what I’ve needed and they’re pretty affordable whereas the dysons are expensive.

Good luck!

You can also check out reviews and research the vacuum you’re looking at before buying it. Just get the model number of the one you’re looking at and do a quick search to see what people are saying about it. Amazon is a pretty good site to use for looking at consumer reviews.

My Father was the head of the plant that made vacuum cleaners for Genreal Electric. They stopped making them in 1977 when he retired. during his employment there, he was constantly bringing home the newest prototype to try out. I won’t have to buy a new vacuum for the rest of my life! I hope you are able to find one to suit your needs tho.

If you can find them anymore, look for a vacuum with a beater bar. At one time all Eureka uprights had them, but now I think you have to get a Sanitaire (Eureka’s commercial vacuums, and they aren’t that pricey either) to get one with a bar. These are only available in stores that specialize in vacuum cleners. The combination of suction and beater bar work better than anything else in my opinion.

I like my bissell. What I notice is that vacuums have some of what you want, but never everyhting. If you have a pet, consider one with a pet hair attachment. I bought mine after reading many reviews on Amazaon. The model I ended up purchasing was better rated than all of the dysons.

@ andrew – how expensive was your dyson?
@dragonfly – your Bissell idea seems to be a hit with everyone. Thanks for the great suggestions :)
@scamp – Lucky! How many vacuums are sitting in your basement unopened?
@Chuckie – I’ll keep an eye out for the beater bar. What is that exactly? Maybe I’ll google it later
@tinyfaery – hmm I will definitely check Amazon for reviews too.

Thanks to all who have answered so far !!

Things I look for:

1. Light weight is important to me.

2. A handle that moves with the angle of the vacuum so you don’t have to back and rotate and all of that.

3. Good ratings for capturing allergens and not releasing them back in the air.

4. Killer good on pet hair.

Consumer Reports shows you the parameters so you can pick which are most important to you. One person’s perfect vacuum might not be “the one” for someone else.

@PnL: Dysons are more expensive than other brands. Looks like they’re out of your price range. :(

Well, if you do decide to get another, I suggest a bagless. And if you buy it through an amazon link on fluther, we get a cut. ;)

@Andrew where can I find the amazon link? Sorry, I’m new to fluther.

I need to buy some things next month for when my son is born and I often shop through amazon.

@dragonflyfaith:

To link to any product, just do “product name” : amazon without the spaces around the colon. Like this:

dyson vacuums

Thanks! I’ll do that next time I buy something from there.

@andrew You guys should publicize that more. Revenue is revenue. I would be happy to toss some of my business to the Fluther store. Of course, since FLuther I have less disposable income . . .

Personally I love my Bissell. DON’T get a Dirt Devil, it’s nothing but junk. Matter of fact my Bissell’s beater bar stopped working so I took it in and not only did they fix that at no charge, but replaced, not fixed, but replaced the dust bin. You see my oldest got a little wild emptying the thing and busted it. They didn’t charge me for that either. Basically anything they could fix or replace they did and said oh it’s under warranty. It’s like I got a new vacuum for free.

oh and Andrew now I know why your sister says she’s lusting after a Dyson. LOL!

Oreck hands down best I have ever used. It also last for years I changed over when I got tired of buying a new vaccum every other year. Check them out they are worth every penny.