Best vacuum on a budget?

[anchor31]

I was hoping my dear PS friends would yet again have great advice for me...

FI and I have decided to skip the Christmas presents (I actually declined diamond studs! Shock!

) and invest on a vacuum cleaner. We have one, but it''s old and crappy and doesn''t do the job. With two cats in our apartment, hair gets everywhere fast, so we definitely need to get something good, and quick! With a budget of 200$ what is the best brand and/or model you would recommend?

TIA!

 

[Skippy123]

I love this vacuum the Hoover WindTunnel™ self-propelled vacuum should be about $200. Hope that helps

It is also rated on the higher end in consumer reports. Anchor, I have to tell you that your avatar is lovely; it always makes me smile!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Hi anchor,

I just wanted to mention that linen & things and bed bath and beyond always send out 20% coupons that you can often use to save $ on a vaccuum cleaners. Only some of the coupons exclude certain brands, so if you get on their mailing lists eventually you''ll get the right discount

Someone else here mentioned the coupons and I ended up getting a Dyson for $100 off reg. price.

 

[anchor31]

Thanks Skippy (I love you avatar too, btw!) and MC! Please keep the recommendations coming!

 

[laine]

I have a Bissell that I'm quite happy with. It's a pretty basic model and was under $100 at walmart. Its bagless, and has a hose for doing upholstery, which is useful, but not the TurboBrush, which is pretty worthless in my experience. It handles our two cats just fine. They aren't crazy shedders, but I only vacuum about once a week.

ETA: Do you have mostly carpet? I'm partial to upright vacuums, but if you have hardwood, I think you need something where you can turn off the beater brush as not to scratch the floor.

 

[anchor31]

Date: 11/6/2007 3:14:17 PM
Author: laine
I have a Bissell that I'm quite happy with. It's a pretty basic model and was under $100 at walmart. Its bagless, and has a hose for doing upholstery, which is useful, but not the TurboBrush, which is pretty worthless in my experience. It handles our two cats just fine. They aren't crazy shedders, but I only vacuum about once a week.

ETA: Do you have mostly carpet? I'm partial to upright vacuums, but if you have hardwood, I think you need something where you can turn off the beater brush as not to scratch the floor.

Great point! We have mostly wood, and we're leasing so I'd rather not damage the floor! What should we stay away from in this case (I'm really clueless about vacuums...)?

 

[CrownJewel]

I researched for a while before I bought my Eureka Boss SmartVac 4870GZ. I think most places sell it for under $150 (we got ours from Amazon.com).

http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-4870GZ-Smart-Vac-Upright-Vacuum/dp/B0009WRKSY

We have mostly wood floors...you can switch from carpet to bare floor. You can also direct the suction completely to the floor or to the hose (which I use the most). It''s a fantastic vacuum. Important disadvantages (it''s kind of big and heavy. Some people don''t like this b/c they have lots of stairs. I have no stairs, and even if I did, I don''t think it''s THAT heavy). It''s loud (not deafeningly so, but I feel bad when I use it late at night for fear that the apt downstairs might be able to hear).

Otherwise it''s great b/c it uses a bag (easier disposal), it has a HEPA filter, it''s super strong, it''s versatile...and it''s SUPER strong. Haha...I''m a clean freak so it''s important that the vacuum is STRONG!

Good luck finding one!

 

[laine]

Date: 11/7/2007 3:50:58 PM
Author: anchor31
Great point! We have mostly wood, and we''re leasing so I''d rather not damage the floor! What should we stay away from in this case (I''m really clueless about vacuums...)?

Ok, so I don''t actually know what you should or shouldn''t use on wood floors, I just know that growing up, we had to use a certain setting on the vacuum for them. I think it turned off the beater thingy and just used suction. On most vacuums, I think the bare floor setting just moves the beater up and down. Anyway, if its a rental and you''ll only be there a year, I doubt anything you do will damage it that much, so I wouldn''t worry about it.

On the other hand, I never really liked using a vacuum on hardwood floors, I felt like it never really got dust and hair that well and just sort of blows them around. I ended up using a combination of swiffering frequently to get hair and dust (you could also use microfiber cloths which are washable instead of the disposable swiffer cloths), and sweeping a little less frequently to get the bigger dirt worked well for me. But then again, other people love vacuums on wood floors, so I think its just a personal preference.

Sorry, this was probably way more info than you wanted. Good luck with the vacuum search!

ETA: One more thought--I''ve never had good luck with a Dirt Devil, so I''d probably avoid those.