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BS: Vacuum Cleaners
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Subject: Vacuum Cleaners From: Tony Burns Date: 12 Nov 99 - 06:37 PM There is no music content here. You have been warned!!! My vacuum cleaner is on its last legs. After years of buying low end machines I've had it. I want to buy my last vacuum cleaner. My mother was 23 when I was born so I've always figured I'll have 23 years after she passes on. She is still very much alive so I figure this one will have to last me 30 years. Any experiences, opinions, rumours you have heard will be read carefully and added to the pile of data used to make the selection. I am pretty sure I don't want another machine that takes bags. Although I am partial to canister machines Gail prefers an upright. Other than that the field is open. Are those machines on infomercials any good? What do you suggest? What should I avoid? Let the games begin. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Micca Date: 12 Nov 99 - 06:57 PM Key question are you UK or USA? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Tony Burns Date: 12 Nov 99 - 06:59 PM Good point Micca. I'm in Canada. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: catspaw49 Date: 12 Nov 99 - 07:01 PM That'd be answer "E"----None of the above Spaw |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Gary T Date: 12 Nov 99 - 08:19 PM Kirby makes a good product. Upside: it cleans quite well, comes with a good array of attachments and accessories, and is quite sturdy--could likely last for decades. Downside: it's ungodly expensive (probably well over $1,000 US), quite heavy, and a little bulky for some applications. It uses paper bags which go inside a zippered cloth bag, are also sturdy , and last a fair while. For the carpet cleaning head (w/ rotating brush) there is a drive belt that needs to be replaced occasionally, fairly easy to do, costs a few dollars. You could probably get a reconditioned one at a Kirby store, or maybe any vacuum cleaner specialty store, save some money. My wife now wants an Orick (sp?), because that 8 pound weight sounds great compared to the Kirby. I read somewhere that the demo where it holds up a bowling ball doesn't really mean anything because the amount of airflow is at least as important as the suction, but I don't really know anything about them. Some possible info resources are hotels/motels, airports, office buildings, churches, etc.--anywhere where they do a lot of vacuuming. The maintenance department head should know. Also check with house-cleaning and office-cleaning services and see what they think. Hope this helps. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Tony Burns Date: 12 Nov 99 - 09:07 PM Yikes! Over $1,000.00 US. I didn't even think that was possible. I've been in the $150.00 CDN market so long that I was thinking $400.00 was top end. I've got a lot to learn. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: kendall Date: 12 Nov 99 - 09:16 PM most hotels use the Royal upright. Stainless steel. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Caitrin Date: 12 Nov 99 - 10:38 PM We have a vacuum cleaner from a Holiday Inn (where my dad used to work) that's lasted us for twenty years. It's an industrial Kirby. Nothing fancy or flashy, but it gets dirt out of carpets. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: lloyd61 Date: 12 Nov 99 - 10:47 PM Three favorites Oreck, Oreck, and Oreck |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: lloyd61 Date: 12 Nov 99 - 10:51 PM Vacuuming is my job around the house, and I'm proud of it, so when I say Oreck, it is from experence. I think most Vacuumer's are men. Do you think that is true? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Bill D Date: 12 Nov 99 - 11:45 PM we had to get a Hepa-filter type for allergies...bought a Mila...(from Sweden, I believe)...Fantastic machine...quiet,strong, clean....but pricey..there are several models with levels of attachments...I have 2 Kirbys, and they are fine...but...... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Jon Freeman Date: 13 Nov 99 - 04:32 AM I have only once reccommended a vaccum cleaner and that was for my mother. She had a terrible habbit of forgetting to empty the bag and ignored and "bag full" indicators as well as cleaning items that the machine was not intended to pick up and I spent hours stripping, ublocking and repairing the damage that she had caused. Eventually I got fed up and told her that the machine was beyond repair. She got a mail order cataloge and asked me which one to buy. I found one with a clear front that didn't use a bag but used a different filtering system - the theory being that if she actualy saw what had collected inside, she might just think to empty it. I also persuaded her that this one was much more technically advanced than the old one and that I wouldn't be able to repair it so she would have to be a lot more careful over what she picked up. I don't know whether it was a good vacuum cleaner or not. All I will say is that my theory worked. Jon |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: catspaw49 Date: 13 Nov 99 - 07:03 AM Tony, I really think that most of the sweepers made today aren't designed for extremely long life. Then again, maybe no one ever told them at the factory that they might end up at MY house. Like Lloyd, I do the vacuuming a lot, but Karen does it too along with the "very" occasional times that one of our kids does it. We have 7 cats, a dog, and a varying number of kids....and a big house. When our teens have used the vacuum (under duress), they are a bit cavalier in their approach and would prefer to run it over ANYTHING than to pick up the obvious chunks...like Lego blocks. The best investment we made was in a Hoover Steam Vac. With the menagerie we have, I only wish we had bought one sooner prior to destroying the carpeting! We have had everything from Eureka cheapies to a Rainbow and virtually NOTHING lasts more than 2 years around this joint! Oreck was nice, but again crapped out after awhile. The pricey ones are great, just not here. And then I guess I have a problem investing in a vacuum that costs almost as much as a new Guild 12-string (thru Elderly). DO NOT buy a Phantom.....it has a ton of wacky problems. Our best luck has been with the $150.-$200. Hoovers. We generally have two sweepers and at the moment they are BOTH Hoover. The latest addition is doing very well and has had no problems handling the place so far. Our experience with bagless isn't too hot as I don't think they're designed to deal with pet hair. Plus, I gotta' say that I don't see the "ease" of dumping the damn things, and you get a ton of dust when you do! Like I say, we're not exactly the average family, but I'd really say you should stick with something under $250. (US). You're not going to get the value out of the other crap. I'm more into the on-board tool ease of usage and the like, and I like the Hoover stuff a lot. I've heard good stuff about Sharp and Panasonic...maybe the Japanese have something going there too! Spaw |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Llanfair Date: 13 Nov 99 - 07:30 AM Don't you have Dysons over there? Deals with dog/cat hair, straw, muck from the garden, everything. It beats the Hoover hands down. Hwyl, Bron. PS, it hums in E. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Tony Burns Date: 13 Nov 99 - 08:22 AM Thanks folks. Keep the info coming. So far I have learned about Oreck and find there is an outlet near the office. I'll drop by there next week. Also that Dyson looks great but in available everywhere in the world but North America. 'spaw; thanks for the advice and for sharing your experience. I had seen the Fantom brand on TV and wondered about the 'dual cyclonic' stuff. Sounds like it's just more things to go wrong. It's good to know that the bagless models are messy to empty. I'm still inclined to look at them though. I really hate changing the bags and I find that they often get left until they are so full they can't take any more. Jon's story about his mother and the ability to see what's inside seems to fit the usage in this house. Haven't found a web site for Mila Bill. A search at Google using 'mila vacuum' as the search argument returned a questionable web site at the bottom of the first page. :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: paddymac Date: 13 Nov 99 - 08:36 AM Sears has a "shop-vac" that can pull the carpet off the floor. Looks like a 30 gallon bucket on wheels. It's designed as a wet/dry unit, but I have never used it as a wet vac. It's big and ugly, but sure does the job, and there are several attachment options available. It does take up some closet space when not in use. Mine is about 15 yrs old, and cost about US$100 when new. The basic issue you'll have to wrestle with is the old form/function dilemna. Beauty and doo-dads cost money. Good luck. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Rana Date: 13 Nov 99 - 08:54 AM Maybe the old traditions are the best! A good broom, or as Enoch Kent described in his recent CBC Radio ballad, taking the carpet outside and beating it! :-) Rana PS. I believe my Mum is still using her old Hoover upright |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Tony Burns Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:34 AM Well, I've made the first investigative trip. There is a Panasonic 12.0 Amp canister model that's in the running. I've given up on the no-bag idea. Does anyone have experience with the Panasonic line? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: catspaw49 Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:37 AM Rana......Please feel free to come by my house anytime. Let's see, the den is 18x24 with wall to wall.......good luck getting it outside and you'll be beating your ass off for a long time!! When you're done tacking that back down though, let me introduce you to the 4 bedrooms and the stairs, not to mention the halls and kitchen.(:+)) Spaw |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: JedMarum Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:38 AM vacuum cleaners suck |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: JedMarum Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:39 AM but seriously, I second lloyd's thoughts. get an orek. good product for the price, good warranty. long life |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: wildlone Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:39 AM We use a Numatic international "Henry" cleaner picks up pet hair a treat very large bag but beware it will swallow any thing in reach,socks,underwear,small animals. well maybe not the animals, but I don't know if you can get them outside the UK. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Dave Swan Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:46 AM We have a Rigid shop vac which will suck a golf ball through a garden hose. I've got all kinds of attachments for the furnace, the carpets (cats, dogs, human hair), the computer, my sanders. It performs very well and with long hoses you don't have to drag it around the house much. Downsides, it's BIG and LOUD. You really need to wear ear protection when using it. The cats hate it. Which really isn't a downside I guess. It's probably healthy to rock their smug little worlds now and then. Wait, anybody seen the guinea pig? E.S. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Jon Freeman Date: 13 Nov 99 - 11:51 AM Llanfair, I don't know if Dyson's are availablein the US but it was a Dyson that solved my problems with my mother and her vaccum. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Rana Date: 13 Nov 99 - 01:26 PM Love to Spaw! But will have to pass 'cos I'd probably start weasing again Rana |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Amaranth Date: 13 Nov 99 - 01:40 PM Just a note on Kirby's...too heavy, too expensive, too awkward, I could go on...we received one for a wedding gift and I have hated the d**n thing ever since. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Liz the Squeak Date: 13 Nov 99 - 01:53 PM Dysons are good, the upright models are great for those of a taller stature, crappy if you are only 5 foot 2, but they do come in jolly colours like purple and red, or green and yellow. And they frighten me when I had one demo'd over my carpet that I'd only vacuumed that morning..... Basically, get a labrador dog for the edible crumbs and learn to wear shoes in the house.....! LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Peter T. Date: 13 Nov 99 - 01:55 PM Unless you have allergies or a lot of carpets or live by a highway under construction, why not get a Dustbuster for 30 bucks, a broom for 5, and forget about the big stuff? Carpets are the prime carriers of heavy metals, skin mites, and hydrocarbon residue in any house: get rid of them if you can. Nature abhors a vaccuum, anyway. As Quentin Crisp said, the big secret about housework is that after 3 years the piles of dirt don't grow any bigger. yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Bill D Date: 13 Nov 99 - 06:02 PM ohh,,my, Tony...I REALLY messed up...I just went and READ the name on my machine...MIELE!..I knew better! so,,here you are....Miele site |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: lloyd61 Date: 13 Nov 99 - 06:11 PM Art is not going to like this thread!!!!!! Maybe this will help, I played my Oreck last night in concert and was very well received. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Llanfair Date: 14 Nov 99 - 05:10 AM Nice one lloyd61 Liz, why do you think my E-mail address is "crumbhound"?!!!! Jon, I suspected that your mum had a Dyson, shame the Americans can't get them!!! Hwyl, Bron. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Liz the Squeak Date: 14 Nov 99 - 09:38 AM Peter T, with you on that one - we have no carpet at all upstairs, except in my daughter's room, and the landing, makes going for that midnight pee rather interesting, but a lot less gritty, because it all just goes down the cracks in the floorboards. The most we have is a big rug that serves as nothing more than a hair catcher... Llanfair, we have two cats and a 3 1/2 year old daughter, it must be more than 3 years since any edible crumb has made it to the floor..... LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Bill D Date: 14 Nov 99 - 02:29 PM well, we have very little carpet, but the Miele vacuum works JUST fine on hardwood floors, ceilings, old floor fans, computer keyboards,(you can change the power setting so it sucks at 5-6 different levels), shelves..etc. etc..there is separate piece for carpets that you don;t even need to buy if you don't have carpets...just a fine piece of engineering and planning... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Allan C. Date: 14 Nov 99 - 07:12 PM Just a few words of advice here:
Avoid all small chambered ones. They lack resonance in the lower tones. While I will admit there are those who enjoy a greater level of treble, I, frankly, prefer a good balance with the capability for producing clear bass tones.
Along those same lines is the matter of "throat". Try out a variety of models to discover the differences. With any luck at all, you should be able to find one with "throat" enough to do the job.
Be sure you are comfortable with the feel and fit. A short-necked model may be just fine for some, but there are as many who prefer long-necked models. I believe a lot has to do with the length of your arms and your particular way of gripping the instrument.
This would, of course, tie in with the heft of the instrument. It should have a good, solid, feel about it while it should at the same time be light enough for you to hold it comfortably. The instrument you choose should be a thing of beauty. The better ones are obviously the work of skilled craftsmen. Look at the lines of it; the finish; the decorative inlay (if any). All of these can add to the overall enjoyment of your instrument.
Before you take your instrument home, be sure to ask your dealer for instructions for keeping it in tune. At a good store, they will not only give you instructions but will even walk you through many of the necessary steps. It is my sincere hope that you will find one which will bring to you and those around you years of pleasure. I hope I have helped in some small way to make your selection process easier. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Rick Fielding Date: 14 Nov 99 - 10:55 PM Just don't buy one from a late night infomercial! Heather and I subscribe to Quentin's theory..but when company's comin' she's the best vacuum cleaner I've ever seen. Best of all, she doesn't trust me to do it! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Bert Date: 15 Nov 99 - 01:48 PM We had a rainbow at one time. It worked pretty well but someone stole it before it had a chance to wear out. Shop vacs are cheap but as Dave Swan says, you'll need ear protection. We have a Hoover at the moment and it works well but the belts and bags are expensive. The most important thing you can do to improve the longevity of a vacuum cleaner it to throw the teenagers out of the house. It is a technological device that is way too complex for their tiny minds. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Vacuum Cleaners From: Peter T. Date: 15 Nov 99 - 04:03 PM Allan, you are a hoot. For many customers, the "air guitar" models have become must haves -- here, the "Bird Through a Jet Plane" model, for the Heavy Metal fans among you. You might perhaps prefer our ultimate silence nothingness vacuum model to emulate those Neil Diamond tapes. And who could forget the Beatles' Gibson vacuum, used in reverse at the opening of "Back in the U.S.S.R."? Many years of vacuum playing are at your disposal...
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