My vote for best vacuum

JIMINDENVER: Your are right on. I am the one that mentioned a vacuum my mother had that would suck the rug off the floor. It was as I think back now, a Eureka. I remember the sales person, had us close a door to a bathroom. He had one of us stand on the other side of the door while he put the suction head against the door. You could not pull that door open while he had the vacuum running. Mom bought it, very high priced for the times, but it lasted through 6 kids growing up.

If you want to know what is a well build, long lasting vacuum, go into a repair shop, look at what models are waiting to be repaired and buy something else.

When we started a cleaning service 30 years ago, the only vacuum that stood out was Kirby for the suction and build. They lasted decades.

After a shoulder injury I had to find a power drive for the up to 10,000 feet I would do a day. The best was the Hoover Concept. Tons of suction and the best pet hair removal. I can still get them rebuilt.

The best canister was the Dirt Devil Pro series. All metal, dual motors/ fans plus electric power head. So much suction that the hose could be put on the back and used as a leaf blower.

Now we use Hoover wind tunnel power drives. Great suction plus a hose and tools including a air power furniture head. We replace the first set after 10 years with the only repairs being belts and beater brushes.

Someone mentioned a older vac that would suck the carpet off the floor, that would be a Eureka convertible. It could pull the carpet off the tack strip.
In a canister the commercial back pack is king but a bit bulky in a house.

As for the rest, we have tried most testing for the company or using customers vac. Most work meh ok. The trailer is so small that a Dirt Devil hand vac does it all in minutes.

I have two of the G-series Kirby vacuums, a G3 Model and a G5 Model. The Sentrina is an improved version of the G-series.

The G5 is something that I bought used for $750 15 years ago and it still works great. I had a string of plastic vacuum cleaners before this, so I am hesitant to get another plastic one like the Dyson. I don't like the bag-less cleaners either. The Kirby bags are cheap and effective.

I bought the G3 just last year for only $30 and restored it to brand new. The parts are real easy to find on EBay. All it really needed was a Lexon Fan, but I felt like making it brand new. I took it apart, sanded down the scratches on the aluminum. Using a buffing wheel and jewelry polish rouge, I buffed the aluminum to a mirror finish. New wheels, New cloth bag, New Cord, New Belt, New Lexon Fan, New Handle Spring, New Light Bulb, New Light Lens and New Rubber Bumper. Yes, I unnecessarily tossed an extra $200 worth of nice parts on it, but I wanted to bring it back to new. That was a fun and rewarding workshop project:)

You'd be surprised at how cheaply you can get a Kirby from Craigslist. There is usually someone who will unload their perfectly good Kirby for $25 because the beater brush stopped working because they didn't know to change the belt when you do the third bag change.

Kirby's marketing isn't as slick as Dyson. Brand New Kirby's retail for $1,800 the last time I looked (you'd be crazy to buy a new one).
Kirby's are heavier, and have a retro look, but they Do Work Real Well.

The $30 G3 that I bought for the motorhome is a little overkill for what I need, but the attachments are nice to use for the little things around the motorhome. You could inflate an air mattress, remove the dirt from the Fantastic Fan screen or store a bunch of pillows in a Space Bag using the hose for suction. I once used it to pressurize a kitchen cabinet so that I could go up on the roof with some soapy water to locate a leak.

Go Kirby!

We have the Kirby Sentrina! By far the BEST vacuum on the market!! In a side by side demonstration, Kirby vs Dyson, the kirby pulled up more dirt out of the carpet than the Dyson,,That's what sold us,,Now we have the Kirby, DD has the Dyson in there apartment!!

My DRV came with a cordless Dyson, great little vacuum. So, I bought one for the house. The house has an AirVac system, but who wants to haul hoses and cords around.

The Dyson is great.

R12RTee wrote:

NC Hauler wrote:

Homer wrote:
I read these testimonials and I am still trying to figure out which one is as good as it says it is. I read Cosumers Guide and they rate the Dyson below the Hoover (rewind). So I bought one,(Hoover), it isn't bad, but I am looking for a vacuum cleaner they had when I was a kid. They would suck the rug right up off the floor. These new ones will not suck a peanut up a half inch from the nozzel. Over the years I have owned about every model made and have not found a really good one yet. I have a small cannister garage vac that will absolutely suck the carpet up, but it is hard to use for a floor cleaner.

Consumers report is a joke...I have a Dyson and it's the best vacuum we've ever owned, per the resident expert, (my wife:)).....I have a central vac system in the 5er and it does a great job, but the Dyson is easier to use and does a better job....

Maybe CR didn't like the color of the Dyson, or it's sucess...We have a Dyson in our home and in the 5er....they both work the best..

You are misreading the post. It's not about Consumer Reports, it said Consumer Guide.

My bad....Consumers Guide is a joke also...Dyson is one of the best and one of the very few that I've actually seen remove animal hair from carpet in a vehicle.

We have the DC 23 (I think that is the model), the small canister type with long hose. Our rug nozzle isn't power driven (air driven) but we don't have carpet at home and don't take it in the MH. If I were to use one on carpet I would buy the model you spoke of.

Nearly all vacuums are plastic but the plastic in the Dyson is especially strong. After 2 years we've had no issues.

Enjoy!

My Dyson is 9 years old also. Still works great.

NC Hauler wrote:

Homer wrote:
I read these testimonials and I am still trying to figure out which one is as good as it says it is. I read Cosumers Guide and they rate the Dyson below the Hoover (rewind). So I bought one,(Hoover), it isn't bad, but I am looking for a vacuum cleaner they had when I was a kid. They would suck the rug right up off the floor. These new ones will not suck a peanut up a half inch from the nozzel. Over the years I have owned about every model made and have not found a really good one yet. I have a small cannister garage vac that will absolutely suck the carpet up, but it is hard to use for a floor cleaner.

Consumers report is a joke...I have a Dyson and it's the best vacuum we've ever owned, per the resident expert, (my wife:)).....I have a central vac system in the 5er and it does a great job, but the Dyson is easier to use and does a better job....

Maybe CR didn't like the color of the Dyson, or it's sucess...We have a Dyson in our home and in the 5er....they both work the best..

You are misreading the post. It's not about Consumer Reports, it said Consumer Guide.

Have had a Dyson DC14 at home for the last 9 years. It is still excellent, much better than the Hoover it replaced.