Best vacuum? Dyson? Miele?

JP4CY

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We “upgraded” our steam mop to Tineco 5 for the aforementioned reasons (damage), freaking love it. It probably doesn’t clean the thought stuff as well as the steam mop, but it’s awful close.
Yeah so far so good for us as well.
 

nickoff

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Had miele canister for 17 years, 12 of those with 2 Siberia huskies. It sucks a little less than it used to but otherwise no issues. Its crazy. Prolly the best 800 I've ever spent. Not sure how good the new ones are, but when time, I'm gonna start there.
 
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viking63

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We have had a Miele U1 cat and dog upright since May of 2013. Love it.

Pros: It really sucks, separate motors for the beater and vacuum, beater on/off control, durable (no repairs to date), great at getting dog/cat hair of of the carpet.

Cons: a bit heavy, has clogged a couple of times.
 

TXCyclones

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If a vacuum doesn't suck it sucks and if it does suck it doesn't suck.
 

Agclone91

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We have a Miele U1 that is about 10 years old and a Dyson V8 stick vac. The Dyson gets used all the time because of convenience but when we want to deep clean we drag out the Miele. Awesome vaccuums. Side note, I didn''t realize Miele discontinued uprights.

My mom had a Kirby that was like 25 years old and still hadn't died when she got rid of it. Those things are crazy expensive, but built like tanks.
 

CycloneCJ

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However, the universal truth is that Shark is probably one of the worst you can buy, along with Bissell. Breaks down easily, and in terms of the Shark, parts are hard to get so when it inevitably breaks down you're out of luck.

That's interesting to hear. We've had a Shark (Duo Clean model I believe) for several years and it's worked great with no issues. It's been way better than the Dyson it replaced. We just bought another Shark (Stratos model) to replace another Dyson. (Yes we have a vacuum on each floor of the house...)
 

Cyinthenorth

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My wife and I received 2 Dyson Sticks as wedding gifts and they worked really well for us up until the end of this summer. Life span just shy of 3 years, and now they both seem to have issues where the battery either shuts off or dies within 15 seconds or so of being taken off the charger. Had her Dad take a look at one of them, and he did something to it (he wasn't even sure what, but he had taken it apart and put it back together) and it worked as it should again for another 2 months, but now they are both essentially out of commission again. Trying to decide what to do with them, as I believe both are beyond the warranty. Not even sure what the problem is, but seems like you should get more than 3 years out of a vacuum. These things retailed for around $400 at the time of our wedding, so even though we didn't buy them, we are still a little torked off that they seem to have kicked the bucket so soon.
 
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dahliaclone

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My wife and I received 2 Dyson Sticks as wedding gifts and they worked really well for us up until the end of this summer. Life span just shy of 3 years, and now they both seem to have issues where the battery either shuts off or dies within 15 seconds or so of being taken off the charger. Had her Dad take a look at one of them, and he did something to it (he wasn't even sure what, but he had taken it apart and put it back together) and it worked as it should again for another 2 months, but now they are both essentially out of commission again. Trying to decide what to do with them, as I believe both are beyond the warranty. Not even sure what the problem is, but seems like you should get more than 3 years out of a vacuum. These things retailed for around $400 at the time of our wedding, so even though we didn't buy them, we are still a little torked off that they seem to have kicked the bucket so soon.
Yeah we won't be getting a Dyson again. They're amazing for a while but they seem to get fragile as time goes on.
 

Darius Bieber

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That's interesting to hear. We've had a Shark (Duo Clean model I believe) for several years and it's worked great with no issues. It's been way better than the Dyson it replaced. We just bought another Shark (Stratos model) to replace another Dyson. (Yes we have a vacuum on each floor of the house...)
Obviously YMMV, but that's generally the consensus around the industry. My dad has had to turn away many frustrated customers that wanted their Shark fixed simply because he doesn't have access to many necessary Shark replacement parts.

Full disclosure for myself though, we have many vacuums that we use at home given that we've been engrained in the industry, and I routinely clean my carpets with a Kirby that's older than me and almost weighs as much as I do (a joke, but still). It doesn't have any filtration but we don't have any asthma concerns or pets so it's been a workhorse for us.
 

Cyinthenorth

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Yeah we won't be getting a Dyson again. They're amazing for a while but they seem to get fragile as time goes on.
I don't know what models we have right off hand. I think one was a pet model, which we used upstairs where our 2 cats generally roam around. They do shed a lot, so maybe it was just hard on it. Could have been all the cat litter it sucked up too. Who knows? The other one we used on our main level, which is 90% hard flooring and included our kitchen. My wife may have tried using it as a sort of wet vac once or twice before I caught her trying to suck up spilled food from our toddler one night. Could just be operator error, but whatever the case is, we can't get them to work anymore.
 

Darius Bieber

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I don't know what models we have right off hand. I think one was a pet model, which we used upstairs where our 2 cats generally roam around. They do shed a lot, so maybe it was just hard on it. Could have been all the cat litter it sucked up too. Who knows? The other one we used on our main level, which is 90% hard flooring and included our kitchen. My wife may have tried using it as a sort of wet vac once or twice before I caught her trying to suck up spilled food from our toddler one night. Could just be operator error, but whatever the case is, we can't get them to work anymore.
Yeah cat litter is a death sentence for most vacuums - especially Dysons when they get inside their cylinders. We'd normally recommend an inexpensive shop vac just for that purpose if needed.
 
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ruxCYtable

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I mean no offense to anyone, but Dyson's test very average. I think people feel the need to justify Dyson purchases because they spent so much money.

We have two Sharks, one up and one down, and they're the best we've ever had.

PS: If you want to DM me I will send you pdf of Consumer Reports vacuum ratings.
 

VTXCyRyD

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Shark Navigator at our house as well. Had a Dyson Animal before the Shark. Shark was half the price and seems to work better.
 

CascadeClone

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Yeah cat litter is a death sentence for most vacuums - especially Dysons when they get inside their cylinders. We'd normally recommend an inexpensive shop vac just for that purpose if needed.

Interesting on the litter. We deliberately vac up the litter mats with her very old Hoover and doesn't seem to hurt it any. Bagless upright.

That thing is a beast - if you put it on the bare floor setting, the rubber edging it will suction down so tight it is hard to move. Crazy.
 

Tojo1311

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The best vacuum depends on what your needs are. Is your house mostly carpet? Barefloor? Kids? Pets?

My dad has been in the vacuum business for 30 years and I've seen everything being around it - and each person's perfect vacuum is different based on their needs.

However, the universal truth is that Shark is probably one of the worst you can buy, along with Bissell. Breaks down easily, and in terms of the Shark, parts are hard to get so when it inevitably breaks down you're out of luck.

In addition, a bagged vacuum cleaner will outperform the bagless equivalent 100% of the time.

A robotic vacuum cleaner can be a nice compliment to your standard vacuum, but should never outright replace it.

Generally speaking, your Riccars (Simplicity), Lindhaus, Sebos, Mieles are the cream of the crop. I saw someone mention Simplicity, and it's been taken over by Riccar (always been the same company - such as GMC and Chevrolet). They're one of the only standard vacuums still made in USA (just outside St Louis).

Any specifics, just ask away.
Would you have any recommendations for general clean up after remodeling? I run my own residential remodeling company and have tried a couple different options without much luck. Currently running a bagged Oreck vacuum to try one of their options.

I’m not trying to use them as a shop vac replacement but obviously more difficult conditions than a household vacuum. Using them to do mostly a “final clean” as we’re wrapping up work or starting before putting down our floor protection. The vacuums encounter bigger objects, more dust, along with moving them and storing sometimes on a job site.

Saw your post and figured I would get an insider's opinion.
 

Darius Bieber

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Would you have any recommendations for general clean up after remodeling? I run my own residential remodeling company and have tried a couple different options without much luck. Currently running a bagged Oreck vacuum to try one of their options.

I’m not trying to use them as a shop vac replacement but obviously more difficult conditions than a household vacuum. Using them to do mostly a “final clean” as we’re wrapping up work or starting before putting down our floor protection. The vacuums encounter bigger objects, more dust, along with moving them and storing sometimes on a job site.

Saw your post and figured I would get an insider's opinion.
Sure! I’d recommend a vacuum with a by-pass system since you’re picking up large/sharp objects. A bypass system is one where the dirt/dust you vacuum up does not encounter the fan directly while heading to the bag. Sharp or big objects can easily break plastic fans on non bypass vacuum cleaners.

Some Orecks do have by-pass systems and some have direct fan systems. I’m not sure which Oreck you have.

If you remodel a lot of areas with barefloor or low-pile carpets, the new trend with commercial companies we see are using back-pack vacuums. Easy to use, looks professional, and a very tough machine to break down.



Or






The ProTeam is very popular among commercial companies
 
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Tojo1311

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Sure! I’d recommend a vacuum with a by-pass system since you’re picking up large/sharp objects. A bypass system is one where the dirt/dust you vacuum up does not encounter the fan directly while heading to the bag. Sharp or big objects can easily break plastic fans on non bypass vacuum cleaners.

Some Orecks do have by-pass systems and some have direct fan systems. I’m not sure which Oreck you have.

If you remodel a lot of areas with barefloor or low-pile carpets, the new trend with commercial companies we see are using back-pack vacuums. Easy to use, looks professional, and a very tough machine to break down.



Or






The ProTeam is very popular among commercial companies

I briefly looked at the back pack models before purchasing the Oreck. If the Oreck dies here I will probably be doing a back pack model next. I appreciate the help, thank you!