What type of vacuum do you use?

[jimpierce7]

Originally Posted by ejw829

Friends of mine with birds, small mammals and dogs SWEAR by simple shop vacs. You can find small ones at Sears and home improvement stores. One friend prefers shop vacs to the Dyson.

I still want the Dyson, though ;)

-e-

Ok, here's the whole list I also have a 12 amp shop vac plus a couple little portable shop vacs. I recently picked up a mini carpet cleaner too. looks like a vacuum cleaner. It does a good job for spot cleaning.

[Lisa B]

I have a kenmore from sears. So far it works really well. I cant have a bagless because of my allergies and asthma. Emptying them would be bad for me.
I do have to say, I am hard on vaccumes. It is my 3rd kenmore in 10 years. However, I suck up apple chunks, peanuts and everything else in my way.
The less expencive model was rated # 1 by consumer reports and is 12 amp, so there is alot of power there.
however the husband was tired of fixing the power buttons for me....I cant stress enough...I am real hard on vaccumes.

[MaryG1959]

Lisa, sounds like you are a good housekeeper!!! That is it---your not hard on vacuums----it is just that you are so good at keeping things beautiful!! That is the ticket, lol.

Tell the birds to start cleaning up after themselves, lol

[onetoomanybirds]

I have owned a Dyson for 5 yrs. It is by far the best vac I have ever owned and worth the money I paid for it.

The DC07 was the first model..it's the one I have, and the one complaint I had with the machine was fixed in the DC14...the wand now telescopes instead of having to be pulled apart to be used..much better on the hoses.

The DC15 is the 'ball' model.. I personally don't like this series..it's a bit difficult to maneuver.

The DC17 is a newer model with a different type of root cyclone technology. They ALL have the same motor however. They have also recently introduced a hand held model, great for 'dustbuster' type applications..but it's a bit pricey as far as I'm concerned for it's purpose.

You can visit the Dyson website for more information on exactly which type of machine will fit best for your home. www.dyson.com Where you have a lot of hardwood, you might do better with a machine that features a hardwood vac specifically. I have been using the attachments from my old Kenmore on my machine with no problems, so know that non Dyson attachments may work on your machine.

As for the filters, you will find that it needs to be cleaned more than twice a year..we do own birds afterall. I clean my filter approximately every two months. I replaced the HEPA filter after 3 years..I didn't have to, but felt I should do it. They can't last 'forever' after all. My Dyson works as well today as it did the day I brought it home, and I use it every single day.

Dyson service can't be beat. I've contacted them twice over the years about problems and they've sent me replacement parts free of charge.

LisaB...if you were to spray the inside of a grocery bag with water and hold the canister inside the bag, the dust would be greatly reduced.

[JDykstra]

Dyson is the only way to go. When they first came out I couldn't believe all the hype, well the hype was fact. It is hte best vacuum I have ever had and I have spent lots on them! Even had a kirby and the Dyson is by far the best.

Jen

[featherduster]

I use a Filter Queen, expensive, but they last a long time.
Actually I have two of them, one in the garage for the cars and one in the house. Both of them are over 12 years old and still going strong.

[Sally]

I have heard Dyson's just have a sponge type "filter." Not hepa. Is that true?

[Too Family]

The Dyson ones are pretty spendy ($$$)... They work great though. We have a Eureka Whirlwind for 5 Cockatoos, 2 Dobermans, 1 Chow/lab mix and a cat. Fantastic!!!! I wash the filter about every week (only because of the farm) but it never quits.

[onetoomanybirds]

Originally Posted by Sally

I have heard Dyson's just have a sponge type "filter." Not hepa. Is that true?

No, that is NOT true. Dyson has both...look at www.dyson.com for details. It has a great tutorial regarding the entire machine.

[jimpierce7]

Its pretty wild, I was checking out the Dyson at Walmart and it seems that its exactly like my Sanitare. Or vice versa actually.