<p>Did not read all the posts but love my Miele</p>
<p>A friend is looking for a new vacuum. I mentioned the Roomba to her, but then another friend says her Roomba needs to be emptied and the brushes cleaned after every use. That seems like a lot of work.</p>
<p>My central vac has worked beautifully for 6 years. great suction and hardly ever needs to be emptied, like once a year, but central vac is not an option for my friend.</p>
<p>Are others with Roombas finding that they are high maintenance?</p>
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<p>LOL!:D</p>
<p>I opened a resurrected thread once without realizing it was several years old. I read one post and thought “Bingo. I completely agree. Well said.” And then I realized it was my own post I thought was so on target! :)</p>
<p>Dyson Animal. Best ever.</p>
<p>Bethie, I am still thinking on a roomba. With the cat hair issues in my house, would be very nice. However, they seem to not last long, and I think anything costing multiple hundreds of dollars should last a decade or more. My impression is that with a Costco membership, there would be a longer guarantee. Costco is a distance from my house however, and I’d not have much use for a membership otherwise. </p>
<p>I considered a Dyson, did not like the price, bought a similar Eureka for 1/3 the price that cleans very well. However am regretting the purchase, as the belt breaks frequently, if it tangles in rug fringe. And now think I prefer bagged vacuums, as emptying the container seems to necessitate an immediate shower due to my allergies.</p>
<p>I have a lab who sheds so much, our house resembles one huge white hairball at times. I finally broke down and bought a Dyson which was marketed specifically for animal hair. It works like a charm, has had no issues in the past years we have owned it, so I guess it was worth the cost.</p>
<p>I see what you mean about emptying the chamber, though. I don’t have horrible allergies, but that certainly gives me a sneeze or two when I empty it.</p>
<p>I have or have had the Hoover wind tunnel, Dyson animal, central vac, Miele upright and Miele electric broom, Hoover tempo wide path. I prefer a bag to the bag less,after a bout of fleas in the house many years back. I just feel more comfortable throwing out the bag.
I like the Hoover tempo because it was cheap ($73 on amazon) as opposed to over$400 for the Miele. The necessary routine maintenance on the Miele cost a minimum of $20 every 6 months but usually more $100 (hepa filters, expensive bags)! I consider the Hoover to be almost disposable, meaning that I will replace it with the same when it dies. The bags for it are inexpensive and plentiful (generic works) and so are the belts. </p>
<p>I like my central vac but it isn’t as “sucky” on the carpets as the Hoover or Dyson. </p>
<p>Dyson seems to have so much suction I worry sometimes that it is shredding the carpet. Dyson is easy to empty the schmutz (just release the dirt into a trash can) but there is always a residue of dirt and dust and “god knows what” stuck to the canister, yuck!</p>
<p>^^^In our case, I think the “god knows what” is pet dander.</p>
<p>YUCK indeed.</p>
<p>LOVE MY ROOMBA!!! $300 at costco, and so much fun to watch…</p>
<p>I always rely on Consumer Reports when I’m buying appliances because they do extensive testing and don’t rely on advertising dollars. They test and compare vacuums (which I can’t do when I’m only buying one model, so how do I know I got the best one?) frequently. Their most recent tests indicate that more bagged vacuums were rated excellent for cleaning carpets than were bagless vacuums. </p>
<p>For the bagless models, CR tested and rated 62 vacuums including three Dysons. The Dyson Animal came in 32 (and rated only “acceptable” for picking up pet hair). The other two Dyson models were ranked # 57 and #58. The Dysons have scored well below average in several previous CR tests also. Seems they are not worth the money as others have indicated.</p>
<p>^^^I haven’t compared my Dyson, but it picks up hair perfectly-the entire container is completely full just with one cleaning. But it was pricey, no doubt, and possibly not any better than a cheaper model. And then there is the issue of emptying all the grossness…</p>
<p>I have had my Dyson Animal for many years - I think it is going on 10 years old (I think). I have never had a problem with it and it works as well today as it did the first day I used it. I use to vacuum several times a day - we had a yellow lab. Sadly, our dear wonderful furry family member passed away a year ago :(. I now vacuum probably once a day…maybe every other day. I know it is an expensive machine but it is a work horse that lasts and is dependable. For me the Dyson Animal is REALLY the best vacuum cleaner!</p>
<p>I’m sure, as the CR tests indicated, that the Animal does a decent job. But apparently, a LOT of other, far less expensive, models do a better job. </p>
<p>The 2nd highest rated model (I don’t remember the brand/model) cost $130!</p>
<p>At my second home I have a vacuum that received very good marks by CR. I did not want to spend the money on a duplicate Dyson. While it was considerably less than the Dyson it is pretty much a hunk of junk. Always seems to be jamming up. The suction is nowhere near as powerful as the Dyson. The auto rewind of the cord never seems to work. The kicker is that the bag-less canister never is able to fully empty so I have an old spatula set aside that I use to dig/dislodge everything out so that the canister will empty - gross! As soon as it kicks the bucket I am getting another Dyson.</p>
<p>My cleaning lady likes my Electrolux much better than the Dyson’s she uses at other homes she cleans.</p>
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<p>Well, hmmm. My Dyson does a perfect job-it picks up the hair and dirt off the floor. How does it get “better” than that? Since I have not made a lot of other comparisons, however, I could certainly see the possibility that a cheaper model could do just as good of a job. I bought this one in frustration because my Miele and my Hoover just weren’t cutting it with respect to the yellow lab. </p>
<p>When this Dyson craps out on me, I’ll probably take a look at CR before I make my move.</p>
<p>Less about the vacuum and more about CR. I stopped looking to CR for info as I have had three bad buys based upon their ratings - a dud of a washing machine, a terrible refrigerator, and the not so great non-Dyson vacuum. Both the washing machine and refrigerator have been replaced. Waiting for the vacuum to go. Consumer Reports subscription - not renewed.</p>
<p>My Dyson is the only vacuum I have owned that has lasted. Everything other upright pretty much broke within a couple years or would lose suction to the point of frustration. Haven’t tried any new dyson spin offs because my Dyson is still going (about 8 years at least) and does a great job.
I do have an old Hoover canister vac that is 35 years old and still works great (including the cord rewind). But I’m pretty sure they don’t make that model anymore:)</p>
<p>I know CR says Dyson isn’t that great but I guess they didn’t have animals or want a vacuum that lasted more than 6 months. The dyson was expensive but considering the time I’ve had it and lack of repairs and frustration I think it’s been cheapest in the long run.</p>
<p>I am very happy with my Miele canister, but it did cost $800 or so. I ended up with two as the first one required a repair that was estimated at $300 so I decided to purchase a new one instead since the original was then ten years old. My in-laws were able to have it repaired near their lower-cost-of-living repair shop and the 15 year old model is as good as new for only $39.</p>
<p>The newer version of the vacuum is much lighter making it far easier to use on the stairs and carry from one floor to the next. We have mostly bare hardwood floors but the electric beater attachment is excellent on carpet and all of the little attachments that ride on-board are also helpful for upholstery and window sills & door panels. Bags are expensive though.</p>