Let's talk about vacuums.

Mamasaurus

The kind for cleaning your house, not the kind in outer space.

So my dirt devil's cord is more electrical tape than anything else at this point, and it's 8 or 9 years old now. I have a $50 gift card for Bloodbath and Beyond plus a 20% off coupon for there that is not applicable toward Dyson vacuums. I think it's time to go shopping for a replacement before my dirt devil burns the house down, and hey, I need something to do while I wait for this baby to finally get out of my uterus.

I hear a lot of really good things about the Dyson models, but they are are all at least $100 more than the competition. Plus, I can't use the coupon (but I can use the gift card on anything I want). I have noticed another brand, I think Eureka, that claims to have better suction on carpet than the Dyson...but I will be using it both on carpet/rugs and hardwood floors. It also needs to be able to suck up pet food with the hose pretty well since rather than moving my furniture twice a week, I just slide the hose under there and suck up whatever chow my pets have scattered. Oh, and I suck up house centipedes with the hose as well, so that's another reason it needs to have good hose suction, not just good floor suction. I do not want one of those f*ckers crawling back out and seeking vengeance or whatever.

Also pertinent:

--I do not think I want another dirt devil but am not totally against it if the new models are better. We started losing the cord war about three years into owning it, which is way too soon IMO.

--I would really like to have one I can fit into a closet.

--I do not want a roomba or one of those other robot vacuums unless they are really, really the best thing ever because I can't use it to suck up bugs and I think it would scare the grilled cheesus out of my pets.

Are Dysons worth the money? Are they a lot better than competitors, or just a little better than the next closest competitor? What vacuum do you have, and are you pleased with it? I figure that if there can be an epic thread here about simple human trash cans, somebody must have an opinion about Dyson vacuums. ML PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO BUY.

 

alzi

our Dyson was a gift, so we did not have to shell out the $$$, but we love it. we have the animal - it is great. this is in comparison to a shark that was a piece of crap.

flexiblebride

I have no advice, but the "Bloodbath and Beyond" had me giggling.  : )

MontereyBride

You can totes use the coupon on Dyson. 

sprky79

I got the Shark which is the same amount of awesome sucking potential as the Dyson but half the cost.

Kristie33

I have a Hoover windtunnel that I really like.  They were rated very high by consumer reports and the ratings are all pretty good on amazon.  It was around 100.   Not that I have lucky charms on my floor, but if I did I am pretty sure I would watch in complete amazement as this vacuum sucks them across the floor from about three feet away.  Just a guess of what would happen....

I have also heard great things about the Shark Navigator.  I don't think it was around when I made my purchase.   

MontereyBride

I also love my Dyson. 

That I bought at BBB.

With the 20% off coupon.  

Pseudonim

I had the Kirby come round and show the all in one, all singing, all dancing model. It was actually really good and I wold have bought it if I had had the money.

Otterama

I'm a little bit in love with my Shark.

UsuallyLurking

I (we) love our Dyson.  We have 3 dogs - a malamute mix, lab mix, and beagle.  Not easy in the shedding department by any stretch of the imagination.  I also have a 2 year old who loves cereal, and cereal is remarkably similar in size to pet food.  The Dyson handles all of this, and much more, without problem.  I actually find myself not dreading vacuuming because I like the Dyson so much.  We had a Eureka before, and it was awful.  It did the carpet just fine, but on hardwood it seemed to just blow everything away from it rather than sucking it up.

Mamasaurus

MontereyBride:

You can totes use the coupon on Dyson. 

It says right on the coupon that I can't use it on Dyson products. 

Are you thinking I should try it anyways and see if maybe nobody notices? I am willing to try to pull one over on a hapless cashier if it saves me $75.

MontereyBride

Mamasaurus:

MontereyBride:

You can totes use the coupon on Dyson. 

It says right on the coupon that I can't use it on Dyson products. 

Are you thinking I should try it anyways and see if maybe nobody notices? I am willing to try to pull one over on a hapless cashier if it saves me $75.

I have never ever been denied at BBB.

I've purchased Tempurpedic pillows, my Dyson, etc. and they always take the coupon. Always. They have told me 'oh yeah, it says we're not supposed to but we do anyway.'

I was under the impression that all BBBs were equally awesome in this way.  

luckybride513

we bought our Dyson on black friday

I like it

its easy to maneuver and the filter is washable

 

shatterangel

I have the Hoover WindTunnel Max. I really like it. It has a lot of suction on the floor and for the hose. I think I paid around $180 for it when I got it. I know that they have a lot of different WindTunnel models, I think that all of them I looked up had good reviews, which was why I chose to get one. I also like, that on the model I have the cord winds into the vacuum. 

circa1978

sprky79:

I got the Shark which is the same amount of awesome sucking potential as the Dyson but half the cost.

I will second this. The Shark pro is awesome and $200 before the 20 percent off coupon at BB&B. 

dirtyred

I have the Dyson Animal ball and you will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands.  It's frigntening what that thing can suck up.

katherineUTC

alzi:

our Dyson was a gift, so we did not have to shell out the $$$, but we love it. we have the animal - it is great. this is in comparison to a shark that was a piece of crap.

Agreed. I followed the amazing reviews on Amazon and got a Shark about a year ago. It worked really well at first. This past January, it started making an awful noise, we took it apart, did all the troubleshooting, etc but couldnt fix it. Customer support was non-existant, I couldnt believe how bad they were, they said I could ship the whole thing back for a fee and then it might not even be covered under warranty, etc. We bought a Hoover. Shark, never again.

cbwm

We have three cats who shed like motherf?ckers and a 3.5 year old. We got the Dyson Ball as a wedding gift almost six years ago and it's still as amazing as the day we got it. I will never own another brand of vacuum. Ever. 

We did the test where we vacuumed with our old vacuum and then went over the same area with the Dyson and, well...we were disgusted.

I LOVE how The Ball maneuvers. I also love how obscenely easy it is to empty the canister thing. Legit one handed handling. lol 

Overall, I say it's totally worth every penny.  

sagoon

I have a Dyson that I bought in 2005.  It works just as well now as it did then.  It's more money up front than a conventional vacuum, but it pays for itself when you don't have to replace/repair it every three years.