I need a vacuum cleaner, but don't want to spend a fortune

[Silock]

Must be able to handle gigantic amounts of pet hair.

Recommendations?

[Silock]

Originally Posted by RJ

We own one. It was worth every penny. And we have two dogs, BTW.

Own which? The Dyson or Riccar?

[Silock]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Here are a couple of models tested my Consumer Reports with excellent pet hair removal.

Cheap model:

Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 $80

Expensive and best performer for pet hair:

Hoover Platinum Bagged UH30010COM $300

The $80 job might be worth a try before spending 5 or 10 times as much.

Thanks

[Inspector]

I remember my folks buying a Filter Queen back in the 60's. It had a hair dryer and a paint sprayer.

It might have also had a toaster. I can't remember that far back very well.

[JOhn]

I bought a Bissell with the canister, and so far it works great. I have 2 cats and 3 kids so it gets a lot of use. Does well on pet hair, and more importantly does well with all the small crap that the boys leave on the floor. I've had it about 1 1/2 years and so far so good. fwiw it was also very inexpensive, under $75

[RJ]

Originally Posted by Silock

Own which? The Dyson or Riccar?

The Riccar. Which I believe is the same company as the one Pitt Gorrilla mentioned in the thread link I posted. Made in Missouri.

Also, fwiw, I was told by a gentleman who owns a local vacuum repair/sales store that bagless are not at all good with pet hair because they clog easily. I'm inclined to believe him based on personal experience. We returned a couple of bagless (and expensive) Hoovers before buying the Riccar. That's been a few years and the machine has never clogged.

[Mr. Laz]

Dyson DC25 Blueprint ($180.00 off) + Bing Cashback

---

Dyson DC25 Blueprint - $180.00 off at Best Buy (and don't forget to use Bing Cashback). In-store pick-up option available.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dyson+-+...&skuId=9549429

The unit is normally $530.00, but is on sale for $349.00. I went through Bing to get cashback, which shows a range of 5-15%. Not sure yet how much I'm getting off, yet.

The Dyson DC25 Blueprint is exactly the same as all other DC25 units. The color difference only signifies a difference in bundled accessories. The Animal (purple) comes with the "mini-turbine." The Blueprint (white) comes with the "flat-out" head. The Original (yellow) is cheaper and does not come with either of those specific attachments.

Go to Dyson's website to compare the vacuum models: http://www.dyson.com/store/hmc.asp. The comparison charts inexplicably leave blanks for HEPA filter and Brushbar for the Blueprint, but I called Dyson and confirmed that they are included. I also bought a unit and can confirm that it has both features.

[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Riccar was rated very highly by Consumer Reports, but it's the canister version. Some people don't like canisters. Their uprights were middle of the road.

Im certainly not Consumer reports. However, I have tested several vacuums over several years. I dont take into consideration, weight, price, inches of lift.

I take into consideration, durabilty for the dollar. For example, if I use a vacuum for 5 years and paid 500 for it, I spent 100 a year. In that sense the Ricaar lasted 4 or 5 years in the field before I retired it to my house. Where I still use it. The second best machine I ever had for durability lasted 6 months in the field and had too be thrown out. That's a difference thats hard to argue with. The vacuum lasting 6 months would have to cost me 50 bucks brand new before it would be competetive with the Ricaar. 50X2=100 bucks a year. This is something that Consumer reports doesn't value. They look at weight, cost and how well the machine does when you take it out of the box.

Im telling you that 10 years down the road the Ricaar will still be working as well as the day you took it out of the box as long as you dont throw it down the stairs and stuff like that. You wont beat it for bang for the buck. You wont beat it for durability. They are tanks.

I also recommend that you always get the commercial version of vacuums. The difference is simply a different color and a 50 foot power cord. The longer cord is nice. But they are no more durable, just a longer cord.

[teedubya]

You suck!!!

[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by Mr. Flopnuts

Well, I hope it wasn't one of those 1600 dollar vacuums. You won't regret buying a Dyson. It is by far the best housecleaning decision we've ever made.

The problem I had with the Dyson was that it had a plastic beater bar with fixed brushes. The brushes on the Ricaar were replaceable. For about 10 bucks I can replace them when they wear down. All brushes wear down. It's the #1 reason that most vacuums get replaced. The brushes wear down or the belt stretches and the vac dont perform the way it used to. In the Dyson I used the beater bar was plastic and once the brushes wore I had to replace the whole beater bar. A lot more than 10 bucks. It was just more of a disposable build type. The Ricaar is a better vacuum in the end.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Crazy Horse, who owns a cleaning business, swears by the reliability and effectiveness of Riccar vacuums. Said Dysons started off well, but didn't hold up over time.

We've had our Dyson for 5 years and have never had an issue with it. Works like the day we bought it.

[doomy3]

We have a Dyson Animal with 2 golden retrievers, and it's one of the best things we've ever bought.

[CrazyHorse]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

We've had our Dyson for 5 years and have never had an issue with it. Works like the day we bought it.

Impossible.

You're saying that after 5 years theres 0% wear.

[doomy3]

BTW, Target has the Dyson Animal for 50% off right now, for $274.50 if you can get there before they sell out.

Here's an inventory tracker:

http://www.target.com/gp/store-info/...sin=B000I5REVA

[SenselessChiefsFan]

We havea dyson and love it.

[RJ]

Originally Posted by CrazyHorse

The problem I had with the Dyson was that it had a plastic beater bar with fixed brushes. The brushes on the Ricaar were replaceable. For about 10 bucks I can replace them when they wear down. All brushes wear down. It's the #1 reason that most vacuums get replaced. The brushes wear down or the belt stretches and the vac dont perform the way it used to. In the Dyson I used the beater bar was plastic and once the brushes wore I had to replace the whole beater bar. A lot more than 10 bucks. It was just more of a disposable build type. The Ricaar is a better vacuum in the end.

That's an excellent explanation.