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View Full Version : I need to buy a new upright vacuum, any suggestions?



kc7jty
10-18-2010, 05:32 PM
My 30 year old Eureka finally crapped.
Nothing over $200.

NQ6U
10-18-2010, 05:35 PM
Hoovers really suck.

WX7P
10-18-2010, 05:39 PM
Junk stores, Bill. Find an old Oreck upright. If you were closer, I 'd give you one of mine. Those things are bullet proof. I have 3 of them, the last one I got at a garage sale for $10.

kf0rt
10-18-2010, 05:56 PM
Heard pretty good things about the Oreck.

My Dad bought a Kirby setup last year ($1,500). Don't do that.

Best cheap upright according to Consumer Reports is the Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900. Under $100, if you can find one. The Orecks and Dysons are way down on their list. Highest rated is a Hoover Platinum Bagged UH30010COM, but it's expensive ($3-400).

Not a huge fan of CR, but they do run tests.

We got an old Sears Kenmore canister here that has an electric "broom" for floors. Seems to work okay, but after 10-15 years, it's starting to fall apart. Still works fine.

W3MIV
10-18-2010, 06:07 PM
Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.

(That was an actual advertising slogan used in England.)

KG4CGC
10-18-2010, 06:14 PM
LOL! The ones sold at Wal-Mart fall apart after 2 years. Note model numbers. There is a different model number for the WallyWorld versions of many of the same vacuums. I noticed this about 13 years ago when first looking at camcorders. Some RCA models while looking identical to another models selling elsewhere for more money, were not built to the same standard. At the time I thought it was just a fluke limited to that item but as the years wore on, I noticed that there was not only a lower price for similar models sold at WM but a lower quality standard.
True story.

Ever deal with the Bait and Switch printer? But a cheap WM printer, take it home and no matter what you do or how many times you call customer service, it never ever works. You are then forced to take it back to WM and buy the next one up.
True story. Employee even laughed at me when she saw me walking up with it.

NQ6U
10-18-2010, 06:15 PM
Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.

(That was an actual advertising slogan used in England.)

Them darned Swedes always have something nasty on their minds...

(Electrolux is a Swedish company, which surprised the hell out of me when I found out about it.)

kc7jty
10-18-2010, 06:21 PM
Junk stores, Bill. Find an old Oreck upright. If you were closer, I 'd give you one of mine. Those things are bullet proof. I have 3 of them, the last one I got at a garage sale for $10.

Tempting to drive down there and buy you a beer.
This Eureka I have was bought as a rebuilt by my ex in 1986 from a vacuum shop. For at least 10 years after it was purchased it smelled of highly perfumed carpet "cleaner" when it was running. I want to put my own stink into a new one. Will have to look up Oreck for a newbie price.

kc7jty
10-18-2010, 06:26 PM
looks like $300 is the cheapest Oreck.

kf0rt
10-18-2010, 06:27 PM
looks like $300 is the cheapest Oreck.

$229 and free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/Oreck-XL-Upright-Commercial-Filtration/dp/B000KI9LQG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287444403&sr=8-2

Here's the Hoover (Amazon users rate it higher than the Oreck):

http://www.amazon.com/Hoover-Widepath-Upright-Vacuum-U5140-900/dp/B0009ONZ8G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1287444537&sr=1-1

70 bucks.

W3MIV
10-18-2010, 06:31 PM
Them darned Swedes always have something nasty on their minds...

(Electrolux is a Swedish company, which surprised the hell out of me when I found out about it.)

Have one here that has been in use steadily for twenty years; it is a tank, not an upright -- though it has a hose attachment that is a powered beater brush for carpet just like an upright. Plain brush for hard floors. It replaced one that was my mother's; she bought it in 1954, to replace the one she bought just after the end of War II.

N8YX
10-18-2010, 06:40 PM
Panasonic/Sharp upright. Riccar (same thing - don't know if they're still being marketed as such).

Oreck. Tough little sonsaguns. I literally used one of these as a pogo stick once and couldn't break it.

Used Filter Queen canister.

Used Royal commercial-grade (aluminum) upright.

Hoover Conquest


Stay-away-from list. Some of these are still in production; some not:

Rainbow (at all costs)

Kenmore

Bissell

Bison

Certain plastic Hoover, Eureka models

Any wide-head Kirby (the narrow-head 500 series are nice if fitted with a disposable bag conversion kit).

kc7jty
10-18-2010, 07:17 PM
The Swedes aren't all bad:
NSFW!
http://nudismlife.com/galleries/nudists_and_nude/nude_at_sauna/sauna037.jpg

W3MIV
10-18-2010, 07:20 PM
The Swedes aren't all bad:
NSFW!
http://nudismlife.com/galleries/nudists_and_nude/nude_at_sauna/sauna037.jpg


As I said above, nothing su...



Oh, never mind.

kc7jty
10-18-2010, 07:23 PM
I have a little Kenmore, that is identical to a Sanyo, canister. Paid $60. It will suck your skin off if you're not careful.
Only draw back is no bag. It has to be taken apart and cleaned out. Fortunately I have an air compressor with a long hose to reach outside for this.

NQ6U
10-18-2010, 07:26 PM
The Swedes aren't all bad:
NSFW!
http://nudismlife.com/galleries/nudists_and_nude/nude_at_sauna/sauna037.jpg

Some guys have all the luck...

N7RJD
10-18-2010, 07:45 PM
I like to go down to the local vacuum shop and see what they have on their used/refurbed shelf.
Usually cheap to reasonable pricing and they stand behind them as well as if not better than a
new warranty a lot of the time.

WX7P
10-18-2010, 08:03 PM
Tempting to drive down there and buy you a beer.
This Eureka I have was bought as a rebuilt by my ex in 1986 from a vacuum shop. For at least 10 years after it was purchased it smelled of highly perfumed carpet "cleaner" when it was running. I want to put my own stink into a new one. Will have to look up Oreck for a newbie price.

Any time, brother Bill. The Tomato is about 10 hours from you.

w6tmi
10-18-2010, 08:32 PM
My 30 year old Eureka finally crapped.
Nothing over $200.

That sucks..

Wait...

W1GUH
10-18-2010, 08:51 PM
Sometime in 1974, National Lampoon had a story about one man's use of his vacuum cleaner. Trouble was, the hose got stuck and he had to wear it under his pants. Hilarious story!

n2ize
10-18-2010, 10:15 PM
looks like $300 is the cheapest Oreck.

Make sure you get an Oreck and not a Dreck. :)

kc7jty
10-18-2010, 10:39 PM
Any time, brother Bill. The Tomato is about 10 hours from you.

I was in that area Sept 09. Tried to contact you then but no luck.

KG4CGC
10-18-2010, 11:11 PM
Real hams built their own vacuum cleaners!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2309185_build-vacuum-cleaner.html

W4RLR
10-19-2010, 12:15 AM
If you have furry animals in your house, nothing beats a Dyson Animal. Take it from a guy whose house has three dogs and three cats, all of which shed.

kc7jty
10-19-2010, 01:12 AM
I'm the only animal in this coo-tay-ahchay.

kc7jty
10-19-2010, 11:25 PM
looked at the suckers all afternoon. There are as many different vacuums in the world as people.
The Oreck seems like the choice till I looked at the intake port on the bottom. It only extends to 1.25" from the edge of the case on both sides. The Hoovers to 3/4 inch, and the Bissells to 3/8 inch.
I think I should get a bag model, but they cost MORE than the bagless jobies.

A salesman at Sears told me the bagless ones below $300 leak dust/dirt.

W4GPL
10-20-2010, 12:01 AM
If you have furry animals in your house, nothing beats a Dyson Animal. Take it from a guy whose house has three dogs and three cats, all of which shed.Amen. That's the one I have and I think it's quite fantastic compared to anything I've owned previously. The canister could have a bit more capacity, but it's so easy to empty it really doesn't matter.

W3MIV
10-20-2010, 06:58 AM
A salesman at Sears told me the bagless ones below $300 leak dust/dirt.


One of the junkers I have here is a Dirt Devil that I bought at Home Depot for a nickel under $70. It is the ugliest puke green one can imagine, but it suffered many abuses at the hands of idiots and continues to function after about four years of use. It is a bagless upright, and it does not leak -- though cleaning it is a PITA and the tiny air filter (looks like a small, round automobile model) seems not to be available anywhere I've looked (I blow it out from the inside with an air line when I need to). I wash the clear plastic dirt container when emptying the thing.

Goes balls-to-the-wall on carpet. Of course, none of the with a spinning brush are worth cold spit on a hard floor -- they just toss the larger orts about the room.

To my mind, buy one; use it for a few years, and when it goes to that great vacuum cleaner junk yard in the sky, go buy another. I could own an entire vacuum brigade for the cost of one of those Dyson things.

I should also add that it has the obligatory hose that sockets in place on a tap to divert suction from the lower brush unit, carries a couple of near-useless tools on the handle -- brush and one of those narrow wand gimmicks.

In the four years, the only visible wear are an astonishing array of scuffs and scrapes and, of course, the usual electrical-tape bandage on the line cord.

A final point about bagless (will he NEVER shut up, I hear you cry): When you empty the canister be sure to wipe all the rubber seals with a damp rag, paper towel, wet whatever, before reassembly. Don't forget the mating surfaces on the machine itself. This will obviate leaks. Your Sears saleman is probably a bullshit artist.

kb2crk
10-20-2010, 07:03 AM
5 years ago i purchased an older used kirby at the goodwill store for 25 bucks. i purchased another one that was a year old off of craigslist for 150 and came with all the bells and whistles including the carpet shampooer. there is a vacuum shop here in athens ga that sells the old kirbys for around 50 bucks a piece.

kf0rt
10-20-2010, 07:09 AM
Reason: to include shit I forgot first time round, you idiot.

The fun stuff's always in the footnotes. :yes:

W3MIV
10-20-2010, 08:06 AM
5 years ago i purchased an older used kirby at the goodwill store for 25 bucks. i purchased another one that was a year old off of craigslist for 150 and came with all the bells and whistles including the carpet shampooer. there is a vacuum shop here in athens ga that sells the old kirbys for around 50 bucks a piece.

My experience with Kirbys is that using one is like driving a CAT 9D around the living room.

N8YX
10-20-2010, 09:06 AM
My experience with Kirbys is that using one is like driving a CAT 9D around the living room.
The 'Heritage' models, yes.

Older (500 series) versions, no. They're 12" wide and really do work well. Unfortunately you're almost never going to find one used, as people who own 'em tend to hang on to them.

WØTKX
10-20-2010, 09:37 AM
Used commercial bullet proof ones are best.

But if you wanna have fun, find an old spherical Hoover Constellations. The exhaust goes down and the vacuum floats, no wheels.

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/JPEG/VINTAGE/2-4-2007-01-29-57--HooverCelebrity.jpg

K7SGJ
10-20-2010, 09:51 AM
Used commercial bullet proof ones are best.

But if you wanna have fun, find an old spherical Hoover Constellations. The exhaust goes down and the vacuum floats, no wheels.

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/JPEG/VINTAGE/2-4-2007-01-29-57--HooverCelebrity.jpg


Why does looking at that pix make me think of the Jetsons?

W4GPL
10-20-2010, 10:02 AM
If any forum in the world can sustain a good vacuum debate, it's HamIsland.

Nerds. :lol:

;)

N8YX
10-20-2010, 10:09 AM
If any forum in the world can sustain a good vacuum debate, it's HamIsland.
I managed the appliance-repair service department of a local business for a few years.

Yes, the job sucked.

Most of you have no idea of what you're going to find in some random customer's sweeper. Then again, perhaps you do...

WØTKX
10-20-2010, 10:11 AM
If any forum in the world can sustain a good vacuum debate, it's HamIsland.

Nerds. :lol:

;)

You suck. :neener:

kf0rt
10-20-2010, 10:31 AM
If any forum in the world can sustain a good vacuum debate, it's HamIsland.

Nerds. :lol:

;)

Gotta love it when perfectly good technical people get stuck in the toaster aisle. :mrgreen:

kb2crk
10-20-2010, 11:51 AM
well i now use the legend II kirby downstairs and the year old sentria is used upstairs. there is a good 20 years difference in the age of these vacuums but both work extremely well and the attachments for the new one work just as well on the old one. the local parts shop caries belts, bags and blades for the fan. the only reason they carry the blower (or sucker) blades is because they sell used kirbys to building contractors that use them for clean up on the sites and a 16d nail can do some damage. oh yeah this whole thread sucks.

n6hcm
10-21-2010, 04:45 AM
Why does looking at that pix make me think of the Jetsons?

because it looks like george jetson's parking lot!

kc7jty
10-23-2010, 03:23 AM
Modern, plastic, upright vacuums right into the mid ranges ($300) aren't worth their weight in piss. They only suck on one side of the opening. I was quite surprised to discover this.
I bought a new belt and will take the old Eureka apart tomorrow, and might have it rebuilt it it's not too costly.
The new vacuums are 90% bullshit. All effort into bells and whistles with little concern for vacuuming the floor.

kc7jty
10-24-2010, 03:05 PM
I replaced the (beater bar) belt on my old Eureka and it fixed the clunking problem. The old belt was quite frayed and loose. The tension of the belt actually holds the beater bar in place. RESURRECTION!
This vacuum really kicks @ss, and has a full 12" wide opening AND vacuums to 1/2" from the wall with FULL suction on BOTH sides. And I almost took it to the dump.

http://www.youtube.com/user/locohog91#p/a/u/2/G42aMtcn_pA

W7XF
10-24-2010, 04:59 PM
<snip>oh yeah this whole thread[b]QRZ moderators suck rotten green donkey....<snip>

Fixed!

suddenseer
10-24-2010, 05:17 PM
I have a little Kenmore, that is identical to a Sanyo, canister. Paid $60. It will suck your skin off if you're not careful.
Only draw back is no bag. It has to be taken apart and cleaned out. Fortunately I have an air compressor with a long hose to reach outside for this.Bags are baaaad. They have to breathe, so have tiny holes. That dusty smell one smells after using a bag vacuum is small dirt particles in the air headed for the floor. I paid $800 for a filter queen 28 years ago, and it still going strong. All I replaced was the cord. They use a paper cone filter, with cyclonic action. So, any mentioed machines without a bag will keep your carpets cleaner and no sneezing. Even an overpriced Kirby still uses a bag. My mom & dad had a kirby for years. I took my filter queen over, and vacuumed 2 rooms with a clean filter right after vacuuming with the kirby. The cannister was half full of dirt, and dog hair. They bought one that week.

al2n
10-24-2010, 05:35 PM
Bought an electrolux at auction for 20 bucks. Works pretty well, only thing I don't like is dragging that beast around but it gets the job done. Also have the carpet shampoo machine that does a really good job on stains and such. Kool-aid is no match for that thing.

Also have a small dirt devil upright that works good for light duty stuff.