<p>Share your experiences with me! Make me feel better?</p>
<p>I had a vacuum cleaner forever. It was great but it finally died. I bought a cheap bag less vacuum. It was worth what I paid for. It’s 2 years old and worked ok for the first 6 months. I was so tired and I thought my H and I could go to Meijer and buy a new vacuum. But H (he’s on medical leave so we have lots of together time) said to try the local vacuum store and see if they could fix it or what to do with the vacuum I already have. </p>
<p>Of course these cheap Chinese appliances aren’t worth repairing. So I bought a new American made vacuum. A 600 dollar vacuum cleaner. What was I thinking? Seriously! But it looks substantial, like the one I had for close to 20 years. The store says it should last 10-12 years at a minimum. Better than buying a new vacuum every 2 years. Right?</p>
<p>Yea, I also bought 2 new sports bras. Paid a kings ransom for them also. </p>
<p>I have a 17 yr old vacuum that works great. I recently had it repaired at the vacuum store. The owner who I know from another activity told me as long as my motor is good it is worth repairing. I inquired about a vacuum for my adult S and he said whatever we buy don’t buy a bag less. He also advised to not buy a Dyson. He felt they have great marketing but it is the most brought in vacuum for repairs. My D bought a cheap vacuum from Bed a Bath Beyond and like your vacuum it stopped working effectively after a few months. I know our local thrift store has a large selection of Hoover wind tunnel machines. I figure they must be terrible machines
I think with all appliances large and small they just don’t last as long anymore.</p>
<p>It sounds to me like you made a wise choice. When I left my old house I left my central vac. I purchased a German made vacuum, and I haven’t had any problems with it. I admit, I recently purchased a cordless Dyson too, and it’s good for it’s intended purpose.</p>
<p>I adore my Shark Navigator Lift-Away and wouldn’t trade it for any other brand! With 4 cats and 2 fluffy, mid-sized dogs, I need something that will clean everything and do it right the first time. Mine is almost 3 years old and D-at grad school in another city-will be moving to a new fully carpeted apartment this summer, so I think I’ll give her mine and pick up the newer model! I got it on sale and paid $175 for it…</p>
<p>We here at CC do love to talk about vacuum cleaners! </p>
<p>I’ve had my Oreck upright for over 13 years. Love it and no repair issues. it was a Christmas present from my in laws. I think it cost around $300. So worth it!</p>
<p>I have a 22-year-old Kirby. I have hated it since day one. Mostly because the pushy salesman would not leave my house until I finally agreed to buy it. That was when I was young and still nice. A few years later, another saleman showed up at my door. As soon as he told me who he was, I told him if he didn’t get off my property right now, I would call the police. A little extreme, but I was not so young and nice by then.</p>
<p>The vacuum spit fire at me once so I had the cord replaced. A couple of years ago, I had the motor replaced. If it breaks down again, it’s going in the trash, but I paid so much money for it that I felt it deserved a few repairs.</p>
<p>Deb, you might check out Consumer Reports to see what they say about your vacuum. They review them fairly often and have an objective way of measuring how well they clean (which is my main criteria). And they also provide ratings for some other not-so-important features. It’s interesting because some of the cheaper vacuums get much better scores for cleaning than the more expensive vacuums. </p>
<p>No trouble with my Dyson here. It’s 10+ years old, low end model. I will never regret going bagless. When I was a young, naive young bride of 19 (whose mother did all her laundry/cleaning until the day before the wedding…yikes!) I never knew to change the vacuum cleaner bag. Years into the marriage (several moves, so not an exorbitant amount of dust accumulation ) my husband asked when I last changed the bag. 8-| Uh…never? Suffice it to say, bagless was the only choice for us when it came time to replace! </p>
<p>My 13 1/2 year old Oreck just died. I love how light weight is is, but wish it came with a detachable wand. I also have a Sears canister that is pretty good. </p>
<p>My mother always had an Electrolux, so imagine my surprise when I started using “other” vacuum cleaners with cheap components. There’s something to say for a hose that doesn’t twist and kink. Likewise for an electrical cord that is long enough to allow one to vacuum an entire room without moving the plug.</p>
<p>The cheaper models I used didn’t even come close to having the suction that the Electrolux had. I’m convinced that those who have never used a well made vacuum have no idea how clean a house can get. But since I knew, I finally bought an Electrolux. I’m pretty sure we paid more than $600 for it, so, no, you are not crazy. At the rate we were replacing vacuums before this purchase, it’s already paid off.</p>
<p>My cleaning lady says it’s the best vacuum she’s ever used. Many of her other customers have a Dyson.</p>
<p>Price is a better predictor quality than is where it is made, China or not. And the ‘Chinese appliance’ was probably an appliance made in China to contract specifications provided by a US company, and designed to be as cheap as possible.</p>
<p>My house has a built in vacuum cleaner and we do use it for the weekly vac up. But I have a Dyson on hand that is easier to use for quick use. I don’t think I paid much for it. Easy to use is great to have to pull out of the closet, in addition to the heavy duty one to use for the whole house clean up. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone. We hate buying cheap stuff that’s made cheaply and breaks easily. I think I will enjoy my new cadillac of vacuums lol! It was rated highly by Consumers Reports. </p>
<p>We have a wonderful central vac, but when I don’t feel like lugging a 40 foot hose upstairs to pick up a few crumbs or dust bunnies, I get out my non-electric Bissell floor sweep. It does an amazing job on picking up surface debris. </p>
<p>So Deb922 what brand did u buy? I’m a vacuum junkie lol but I will never find the perfect one unless it can vacuum floor to ceiling, wall to wall by itself.</p>
<p>Dysons vacuums used to ROCK until they changed over to the stupid ball thing. The only problem with my Dyson was that it was made of plastic, and mine died a premature death when I dropped it onto the concrete garage floor from the top of the stairs. Could not feel any love for the stupid ball model! So, deb, don’t feel guilty about splurging on your machine - my new vacuum is the Ferrari of vacuums for which Mr B paid $1000 (he will pay for anything “made in Germany” except cars). :)</p>
<p>And yeah, bras are the most expensive part of my outfits. I’m not kidding. Next time I’m in Paris, I will try the custom shop recommended by Tish. JK this time. I cannot afford a $700 bra! :)</p>
<p>I thought that I had heard that the old Electrolux were much sturdier than the new ones – like, made by a different company. Can someone enlighten me?? I think that’s what I recall from one of our old vacuum cleaner threads.</p>
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