What's the best economy vacuum cleaner?

Go green and get a carpet sweeper, or go high tech and get a robot vacuum.

Oreck and done!

Edit: I just looked and the prices on these guys are jacked now. I got mine a few years ago for 120.00 and it works great.. not they are up there also like 300 – 500. I’ll keep looking, sorry.

I have run a cleaning business for 30 years, and I have also worked in janitorial for various cleaning companies. I have spent countless hours fixing, unclogging, and cleaning vacuums of various types and brands. Although I have never tried the Dyson vacuum, I have found the other various bagless vacuums to be miserable failures. Many of them work well but in my opinion, there are so many filters that must be either cleaned or replaced, maintenance is a constant and time consuming issue. Ordinary bagless vacuums are a bad idea.

When I look for a vacuum, I want one that if there is a clog, I can fix it myself, and that replacement parts (such as a hose) are not expensive. I also have found that the fewer bells and whistles it has, the fewer things are likely to break and the less it costs. I understand the problem with vacuums where you must buy bags, and how suction reduces as the bag fills. However, this is less a problem to me than a vacuum that requires constant maintenance.

I like this brand and this model. It’s straight forward, with no bells and whistles. I have had mine for 18 months, and it works great. I can purchase hepa filter bags too. The one thing I don’t like about it is that if you want to use the hose attachment, the beater bar continues to run (just like many models), so I must be careful. Here’s the link: http://www.vcdiscounter.com/mcug383.html

I have a Bissell bagless model, and it’s ok. As @snowberry says, though… cleaning the foam-like filter is a pain in the ass. I’ve owned Hoovers in the past, and they’ve been ok, too. I really want a Dyson. In my dreams!

I have a Dyson Animal and a Rainbow. Both expensive to buy new.
A vacuum salesman will tell you to avoid the bagless or canister vacuums. Get one that has an engine close to the roller.

@flimfann It’s kind of interesting that if you stroll through Walmart or Sears, most of the vacuums on display are bagless. Of course, the salesmen there will tell you bagless is best.

Ahem… Sorry @augustlan I have a Dyson Animal. I love my vacuum cleaner. Okay, I know I am supposed to clean the filter, but I have gone over a year without cleaning it and it still picks up very well. But it is pricey. I have seen them on sale in the 300.00 range. My mom has a light weight Eureka, with a bag, that is pretty old but still picks up well. It probably sells in the $100.00 range.

I would like to highly reccomend this Kenmore Canister Vacuum from Sears. It is $225.99 which is a little more than you wanted to spend, but it will be money well spent.

We had a similar Kenmore canister vacuum that we purchased over 20 years ago that just gave up the ghost, without having any problems up until the end. And even then, we could have had that one repaired, but we opted to get a brand new vaccuum.

What I love about the new vac is that it is easily moved around and works well like an upright on carpet and has good suction, that doesn’t get clogged up. It uses bags, which IMO, are much better than the bagless type. They don’t get clogged up and you don’t come into contact with the dust like you do with the bagless types. This model also has a HEPA filter so it doesn’t blow mold back out the back end. The hose and the wand can be taken off for easier storage. It also works very well on flat tile or wood or laminate floors. It also has a light that indicates when you need to change the bag (and you don’t need to change it very often, which is much nicer than dumping and banging out the cup of the bagless vacs after each use, Yuck!) And because it is a canister with a wand attachment, you can easily get to places you cannot go to at all with an upright. It’s not only good for vacuuming your house, but works very well for cleaning out the car too. Another thing I like about it is that it is not too loud. I use some of my friend’s upright vacs when I house sit for them, and some of them are so loud that I have to wear ear plugs. The canister body itself, works as a kind of muffler. It also has a very nice foot pedal to wind up the cord automatically. And the on/off switch is on the handle of the wand, so you don’t have to bend over to turn it off. And it switches easily back and forth from regular suction to suction with the agitator mode for your carpet. And it comes with all the attachments you need to get into tight spots or to vacuum your couch cushions and pillows. The wand has a long extension too, so that you can reach up high to get spider webs off of your ceilings. I just can’t say enough about this vacuum, I love it! Plus Kenmore is a long trusted brand that will be easy to get parts for if you need them later on down the line. The people at Sears were extremely helpful when we asked our millions of questions and they let you try out the vacuum right there in the store. That sold us.

I should mention that I do love my Dyson and my Rainbow. Fantastic vacuums.
I got the Rainbow used ($10), had $60 of tune-up done, and now it works great.

I haven’t tried it but I’ve heard good things about the Hoover Tempo, it’s about $80. You can also get a refurbished Dyson online for about $200. Overstock has a refurbished Dyson DC14 for $206.99. You could also try going to Thrift Store and pick up an older reliable vacuum like a Kirby.

I just checked my link, and it’s out of date. To see it, put this information into a search engine.

Panasonic MC-UG223 Lightweight Upright Vacuum
Model: [MC-UG223]