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I need an upright vacuum cleaner that really sucks
QUESTION: My wife and I have finally admitted that the upright vacuum cleaner that
she had since long before we married doesn't suck any more. We need one
that really sucks good. Since neither of us has bought an upright vacuum
cleaner in many years, we're trying to figure out what we want to buy. I
don't want to get into the high end machines like Kirby or Oreck because
ultimately that gets into just buying the name for the sake of the
prestige of buying the name. On the other hand I don't want a cheap
piece of junk that will fall apart in a year. At the same time, we have
three cats, so we are dealing with the problem of cat hair and that
means we need one that can get that out of the carpet.
So, on to the questions:
1. I understand that the "bagless" machines are now the rage. Does
anyone know if they are any good?
2. I know plenty of stores that offer multiple models like Sears,
WalMart, KMart, Target and Sam's club. Where am I likely to get a good
deal on a decent machine?
3. Are there any brands that are particularly good?
4. Are there any features that we should really consider?
We're going shopping this weekend, so if any of you are interested in
providing feedback before then I'll be able to use the information when
we go shopping.
ANSWER: Upright vacuums are well suited for carpet cleaning, and most also do
a fine job on bare floors. Compared with canisters, uprights are
generally less expensive, somewhat lighter, and easier to store. While
the relatively quiet and inexpensive Eureka Ultra Smart Vac 4870
upright, $211, topped the Ratings, it has been among the most
repair-prone brands. The Panasonic Beltless Drive MC-V7400D, $369
continues to be among the best uprights, with excellent cleaning on
both carpet and bare floors. The Hoover WindTunnel Bagless U5720-900,
$258, and its similar models, were the best of the bagless models on
carpets, though all are fairly noisy.
The most expensive one to make their list was the Kirby G6 at $1250,
the least expensive was the GE 106575 at $88.62.
That should be enough info to get you started.
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