ISO the best vacuum cleaner

tjohn said:

I like any vacuum cleaner that I don't have to operate.

 There's no such thing in my house. My husband doesn't speak vacuum. Or toilet bowl cleaning. *sigh*

OMG OMG OMG. I just put it together and vacuumed the family room rug, a 9X12 wool deep-pile from Pottery Barn. It snapped together smoothly and quick-as-you-please, no fuss, no muss, no difficulty understanding directions or pieces that refuse to "snap." It operates quietly, and on the highest suction setting got this rug cleaner than it has probably been in a year, even after regular vacuuming with the old Bissell. The cup was full to the brim when I was done, and it was so easy to detach and empty I thought I must be doing it wrong. And if you over-fill it, no problem... the cup opens at the bottom and the top so you can get it really empty and clean.

Can you fall in love with a vacuum cleaner? Time will tell, but I predict a long, happy relationship.

Now I really miss the emoticons. I want to smile, dance, applaud and all manner of other silliness.

For anyone who is interested, we got the $179 Shark lift-away pro at Lowe's (on sale). We debated getting the pricier $259 sibling, but couldn't find a difference we cared about on the packaging.

PeggyC said:

tjohn said:

I like any vacuum cleaner that I don't have to operate.

 There's no such thing in my house. My husband doesn't speak vacuum. Or toilet bowl cleaning. *sigh*

 Your husband and mine must be closely related... did you know that men can be dust-blind and dirty-toilet-blind, as well as color-blind?

Glad to hear that so far you like the Shark Lift-Away. I actually have fun using mine, because it's like a big Tinker Toy that you can take apart and put back together in different configurations to do different jobs...

Nothing sucks like an Electrolux. Ours are probably 50 years old. They're probably not as powerful as the new machines, but their durability is mighty impressive.

@Tom_Reingold  I bet your Electrolux is much much better than the one I bought 5 years ago!  My grandmother had one that finally died after 80 years.  Mine lasted exactly 4 1/2 . . .  Of course Electrolux doesn't even make them anymore.  Someone bought the brand a few years back although I can't remember who.  They have a spiffy new design now but the quality of the product is garbage!

PeggyC,

Do I have a new career for you. What a thrilling review to read.

Well, actually, that was my OLD career, before I got sidelined by illness. I was a writer and editor for a couple of decades, and spent a few years in marketing/PR/advertising as well.

Tom Reingold, I am waiting for the day when some ad company is clever enough to write ad copy for a vacuum cleaner manufacturer that says, simply: "Our vacuum cleaners suck."

I noticed, BTW, that there is a large piece of paper at the very top of the package that tells you in no uncertain terms NOT to return the vacuum to the store if anything goes wrong. They really, really, REALLY want you to call them for help. That's good customer service!

Bluepool, my husband also has no ability to see litter, or clothing or shoes that are in the wrong places. *sigh*

PeggyC said:

For anyone who is interested, we got the $179 Shark lift-away pro at Lowe's (on sale). We debated getting the pricier $259 sibling, but couldn't find a difference we cared about on the packaging.

 Peggy:  are you also using it on wood floors?  I've got both in the new house and will need an equal opportunity vacuum.

I have not tried it on hardwood yet, Mum, since I have an Electrolux 2-in-1 stick vacuum that I like for that. But I could give it a whirl and get back to you, if you need a review?

The propaganda on the box says it's great on all surfaces, and it even includes a hardwood attachment with cleaning pads to get rid of dust, which is different from anything I have seen.

For the most part, I vacuum the hardwood with the Electrolux and then use my Bona mop for a good clean and shine. I haven't found anything up till now that does it all well.

I have the Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional and it came with an attachment that uses microfiber pads.  This is especially great for hardwood.  

cmarym said:

I have the Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional and it came with an attachment that uses microfiber pads.  This is especially great for hardwood.  

 Yes, that is in my box! But I have yet to try it.

cmarym said:

I have the Shark Navigator Lift Away Professional and it came with an attachment that uses microfiber pads.  This is especially great for hardwood.  

 PeggyC said:

I have not tried it on hardwood yet, Mum, since I have an Electrolux 2-in-1 stick vacuum that I like for that. But I could give it a whirl and get back to you, if you need a review?

The propaganda on the box says it's great on all surfaces, and it even includes a hardwood attachment with cleaning pads to get rid of dust, which is different from anything I have seen.

For the most part, I vacuum the hardwood with the Electrolux and then use my Bona mop for a good clean and shine. I haven't found anything up till now that does it all well.

 Great -- thanks for the reviews!

Wherever I wind up buying all these appliances (washer/dryer/vacuum/flat screen TV) they're going to be slap happy!  LOL!

Did you find a new house, Mum?

PeggyC, my uncle saw that slogan on a billboard in South Africa, so we can presume that "suck" doesn't have the same meaning there. Or maybe it does but the advertisers are bolder there.

PeggyC said:

Did you find a new house, Mum?

 Yes -- moving June 26th!!!!!!!

Tom_Reingold said:

PeggyC, my uncle saw that slogan on a billboard in South Africa, so we can presume that "suck" doesn't have the same meaning there. Or maybe it does but the advertisers are bolder there.

 Or just have a more interesting sense of humor. ;-)

mumstheword said:

PeggyC said:

Did you find a new house, Mum?

 Yes -- moving June 26th!!!!!!!

 Awesome!!!

The one I love the best is the one my cleaning people have.

I wish I had that one!

Oh, so do I. At least the new house is not very dusty or dirty... yet. But I do dread cleaning up the old house when we finally have everything out of there.

PeggyC said:

Oh, so do I. At least the new house is not very dusty or dirty... yet. But I do dread cleaning up the old house when we finally have everything out of there.

 By all means hire a professional company to do a move-out cleaning.  They don't have to be as efficient as you'd want to do your furnished home, but at least YOU don't have to do it!  (BTW, that's what I'm doing!)

Yeah, that's one of the many things I'm not allowed to hire people to do. My husband is Mr. Do-It-Yourself, although for the most part that doesn't involve HIM doing things, it involves ME doing things. As long as we don't pay for it.

But in this case I think I just might call someone and get it done without even involving Mr. Do-It-Yourself on a theoretical level.