suck it.

January 21, 2012 7:19 PM

which vacuum cleaner should i get?

i have hardwood floors with the dining room and living room covered substantially by floor rugs. i also have two pets (weimaraner and mini dachshund). i need a new vacuum cleaner. what do yo recommend? i'd like to stay $100 or under—unless you can convince me otherwise. (i'd also love to get a roomba but that is beyond what i can lay out for my floors!)

posted by violetk to Home & Garden (13 answers total)

We use a EuroShark cheapo for quick pickups and a Dyson animal hair for weekly.
posted by k8t at 7:37 PM on January 21, 2012 [1 favorite]

I bought a Eureka Mighty Mite about a year ago. It was cheaper then (about $85), but at $100 now it's still worth it. My parents have a much more expensive Miehle that isn't appreciably better. Although the head is somewhat small, making it crappy for large houses, it's the best vacuum cleaner out there for less than $100.
posted by anewnadir at 7:37 PM on January 21, 2012

I'm really fond of my Electrolux ErgoRapido. $90 on Amazon now, I've seen it for less on sale at Target. It's really light and easy to maneuver, there's a handheld vacuum that pops out, and it's easy to empty the canister. Plus, I love the orange color. And the charger base glows blue, which is kind of neat.

No pets in my house, so can't speak to that, unfortunately.
posted by charmcityblues at 7:37 PM on January 21, 2012

We have this Dirt Devil Featherlite Bagless- bought it after seeing it was highly rated by Consumer Reports and hearing from my mother that she had been pleased with the same model after several months.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:38 PM on January 21, 2012

Eureka Boss 4870 series is among the best in the sub-Dyson/Miele price range: the standard upright is c. $150 but you can usually get discounts at the Big Box and Beyond, and factory reconditioned ones for under $100. Loudish, heavyish, but solid and does the job on both wood and carpet.
posted by holgate at 7:48 PM on January 21, 2012

I'm really liking my Shark, which so far has done wonders despite a) very light carpets and b) very dark cats.
posted by thomas j wise at 7:51 PM on January 21, 2012

I second the Dirt Devil Featherlight Bagless. I managed to get it on sale for about $60, and it was fabulous when we had our perpetually-shedding beagle. As a plus, it is very easy to use the attachments, and the filter replacements are not at all hard to find.
posted by Lulu's Pink Converse at 8:21 PM on January 21, 2012

Whatever you end up getting, get a carpet rake, too. A carpet rake is a force multiplier.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 8:26 PM on January 21, 2012

Oh SHIT.

I thoroughly vacuum shopped but a few months ago. I settled on this vacuum and I like it a lot.

Hoover WindTunnel T Rewind. Under $100.

http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-WindTunnel-Upright-Bagless-UH70120/dp/B002HFDLCK

What's good about this vacuum:
-Reusable filter element. You just rinse it under water. Other vacuums do not have this.
-Auto-rewind cord. I swear the worst thing about vacuums is the damn cord. This thing is like a magic trick when you're done. Kick the switch and the cod flies up in there, every time, even when its a bit twisted up.
-One piece handle. This is only a big deal because the shitty Eureka I last had broke at the handle.

Bonus: I didn't shop for this, but it has that hand-held brush roller attachment thing that is great for cleaning my couch and my stairs.

I am a male and I got excited over my new vacuum. I recommend it.
posted by colinshark at 8:56 PM on January 21, 2012 [2 favorites]

3rding a Dirt Devil in the under $100 range - mine is an older one and works well.

You could think about adding an old fashioned carpet sweeper - my Bissell Sweep Up was just $12.99 and it works amazingly on carpets and hard floors for the price. It won't always substitute for a vacuum, but I use mine much more than the vacuum because it has nothing to plug in or recharge - no cords! It's $12.99 with free shipping right now direct from Bissell on their site. (I have no connection to or Dirt Devil except being a customer.)
posted by caclwmr4 at 10:50 PM on January 21, 2012

Apparently the most important feature in a budget vacuum is which direction the exhaust blows. Some do blow forward, which sorta is opposite the point of vacuuming!

Make sure the exhaust blows up or behind, whatever you buy.
posted by jbenben at 11:17 PM on January 21, 2012

Another key feature to check is the strength of the coiled spring inside the hose. If it constantly collapses, you're not getting any suckage.

I have a Bissell Upright Pet Hair Eraser. (I'm sure I bought mine at Meijer for less than Amazon's price.) It sucks, and not in the good way you'd like a vacuum to suck. After a relatively short time (a year?) the aforementioned hose started to collapse occasionally, right around the point where the hose meets the plastic end piece (which is also the place where the hose bends around the bracket that holds it on the vacuum's body.) It's just a not a strong-enough coil inside the hose to hold up to a lot of use.

When the hose stays open, it works well. I like all the rubberized attachments, but honestly? A pair of rubber gloves works just as well to scrape hair off upholstery, and a rubberized broom like the kind used in hair salons works really well on short carpet to get up pet hair.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:03 AM on January 22, 2012

I really like my Bissell - it works well on both hard wood floors and area rugs. I have an older version of this one at Macy's that we got for our wedding 2+ years ago and still runs great.
posted by echo0720 at 11:31 AM on January 22, 2012