Vacuum Cleaners

I'm in search of a good vacuum cleaner in the price range of $120-$250. Can anyone tell me a specific brand and model number that they use and love that will pick up long hairs and cat furs?
If I remember correctly, which vacuum cleaner did you end up getting fleafly?
Thanks everyone!

 

i love my oreck! the oreck xl classic is a bit over the price range you stated, but i think all their vacuums are excellent.

 

In addition to a large self propelled Hoover we bought at Costco, we recently bought one of those little rechargable light upright "Shark" sweepers you may have seen on TV. We got it at Best Buy for around $52. It is great for quick cleanup of pet hairs, dry food, and around the litter box. Plus, my new kitten is not even afraid of it so we use all around her. She even follows it around.

 

Hi. The only advice I can give to people who have cats/dogs is not to get the vacuum cleaners that have the bristles at the bottom. They end up getting all tangled with hair/string and so on. I suppose they are good for a little while, but after about six month to a year it's time for a new one, as they are no longer very effective.

 

I have a Kenmore direct drive something something. It is purple. And was a consumer reports best buy (entire reason I bought it). Like $180ish maybe? maybe more.

It has the bristles thing but every so often I whip out my scissors and cut all that crap off.

I figured out the trick is to just vacuum very, very frequently. I do it about every third day (I have 2 big hairy dogs - they're the main problem).

OH, my mom has an Oreck and she said the thing wasn't worth the money (like $400 something!). I'm just throwing that out there.

I have been through a Hoover windtunnel and a Eureka bagless thing, my dogs killed both of those. I heard the Dyson thing is good for pet hair but I think it is also really expensive.

 

Your post was very funny elizavixen. I was reading up on lots of vacuum cleaners and the more I read the more I get confused. For example there are a million Eureka Whirlwinds to choose from and people gave them mixed reviews. Then there are people that said to stay away from Hoover (breaks down easily). I'm inclined to buy Dyson but it's soooo expensive. Maybe I can convince my partner to buy Dyson. I'll stay away from the bristle types.

I need a good vacuum cleaner ASAP because my 16 month old toddler is getting hives and puffy eyes every time he climbs on the sofas where our 4 furbabies leaves their beauty furs. I'm tired of giving him Benadryl once a day. I don't think too much medicine is good for him.

I do vacuum my house 2X a week. It's just that the furs don't come off the sofas.

 

Vene, check out this vacuum cleaner. It ist he fantom fury. I bought one about 6 years ago and paid $300, they have come down to $79.00 I cant believe it.

I too had a lot of dog/cat fur and I did their test when I first got it. I vacuumed with my old vacuum and then I used the fantom, OMG the container filled up in one use. And my old vacumm the bag didnt fill up for months. I swear by it.

http://www.tvordering.com/prod-fantom-fury-vacuum.htm

honeybear

 

Thank you honeybears. They sold out of the Fantom Fury. That's a great price. I'll check out other sites.

 

I've given up trying to vacuum the cat hair off my chairs. I can't afford a really great vacuum, and the my dirt devil just doesn't cut it.

I use those sticky lint rollers. It takes forever, but it works, especially if I do it every few days. When I let it go more than I week I end up using dozens of the sticky sheets.

 

I'm too lazy to use the lint rollers. I have five of them. I use a small scrubbing brush but it still doesn't get out all the fur.

 

think a new vac is something i'm going to have to invest in this summer. my panasonic cylinder is good but my 2 cats have so much fur. i have had cats all my life but the 2 i have now, the fur just seems to constantly drop of them when it gets warm, even when i'm brushing and combing them everyday.

 

I actually have not bought one yet. My old one just needed a new belt, so it is still running. I am still looking, but there are so many vacuums that it is really confusing. I want to check out Consumer Reports for vacuums. They do very thorough tests on them and usually their recommendations are great.

I am also thinking of getting a HEPA filter to help with the dander. Wal-mart has one for 30.00 but I don't know if it is any good. I haven't had time to do research on HEPA filters.

I have a futon and I keep a sheet on it, so I can toss it in the washing machine. It helps keep the hair off. If hair gets on the futon itself it is next to impossible to get it off.

 

sorry for the double post, not sure how that happened!

 

deja vu - weird.

 

Thank you all for your inputs. We finally got a brand new vacuum cleaner. We decided to spend an extra $50 from our limit and purchased a Dyson yellow vacuumer. I can't believe how well it works! An hour after I finished vacuuming the house, our vacuumer arrived at our doorstep. I tried the Dyson and in no time the entire canister was filled with cat fur, human hairs, and very fine dust. It works great on the floors but not on the sofas. I'll try a shorter hose for the sofas next time I vacuum. :lol:

 

I think you made a good choice have heard they work wonders. Can you believe all the hair it picked up. I told about my experience it kind of grosses you to think all of the stuff your old vacumm misses.

honyebear

 

Wow, I'm impressed just hearing about it. I hate my dirt devil! It does nothing for hair on my furniture, and I just got it about 3 months ago (to replace an older dirt devil. Don't know what I was thinking besides !Sale!). I'm going to keem Dyson in mind for next time although its more than I would like to spend, If I'm replacing dirt devils once a year the Dyson is the same price after 6 years!

 

Hi footsie. I got my Dyson on ebay for around $300, a savings of $99 and no sales tax but I had to pay shipping. But it's still cheaper than buying from regular stores like Target. If you go this route, just make sure you buy from a reputable seller with 100% feedback and make sure the model is sealed and brand new, never opened, not refurbished. It's got a lifetime washable hepa filter and it's bagless- more savings for me in the long run. It's a DC07 yellow and it's exactly the same as a purple (animal), red/purple, etc. The only difference are the attachments. Mine has less attachments so it cost less tthan other models. I 'm going to clean my bristles after each use to prolong its life. :roll: I just hope this vacuum lasts me many many years. It's not supposed to lose vacuum. We'll see what happens.

 

Vene-
Do you still like your Dyson? I have heard that they have powerful suction, but that they attachments are hard to use and they have some other problems. What do you think of it after using it for almost a month?

 

Hello fleafly. I LOVE my Dyson!!! It works great! The attachments are very easy to use- I finally got the hang of it after a couple of vacs. I'm a klutz when it comes to following simple directions and I had no problems assembling the unit and using it right away. The cannister is easy to dump. The electrical cord is extra long which is a great plus. I can vacuum 2 rooms without unglugging the cord. The extra long hose makes it easy to vacuum the entire stairs without carrying the vacuum up and down. Best of all, my sofas are clean, clean, clean of fur. I don't even have to rebrush the sofas with a regular brush after vacuuming. And my 18 month old son can plop on the sofas all he wants without getting itchy, watery eyes from getting fur in them. No more Benadryl for him! :mrgreen:
As for the minuses, I get occasional cord tangling but it's no bother. The vacuum is a little heavy for me, but it's easy to wheel around. Besides I need to lose some weight anyway. I also need to clean and cut out the hairs and carpet fibers from the bottom bristles after each use. My hairs are so long that they get tangled in the bristles. I don't mind the cleanup because I want to prolong the vac's life. Thanks for the advice elizavixen and CHESSMIND. CHESSMIND where are you??? Are you taking care of yourself? I miss you!
Sorry fleafly, I'm getting withdrawl symptoms again from not seeing Chessmind's posts and finding out how he's doing.

Now I just vacuum 1 - 2 weeks and the bare floors and the carpets do just fine. I would rate the Dyson A++++++ but I do wonder how this vac will hold up 6 months to a year. I'll post you a pic of the full cannister of fur and hair the next time I vac.