It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

Eric wrote:

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

I would avoid any bagless vac or canister vac without a motorized head (the kind
where the brush is driven by airflow alone). The last vac I bought was a Kenmore
canister with a Powermate head and it does quite well. Was about $100 less than
retail at a Sears repair center. Sears has stopped the madness of using a
different bag number for every model vac they sell and now generally holds to a
single bag type for uprights and canisters.

On 12/30/10 6:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

There's a vacuum cleaner sales/repair shop near me.

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Hoover so I stopped by with the
model number and asked him what I should replace it with. He said there
are basically 3 classes of vacs:

The crap you get at Target & X-Mart for $100 - $200.

The pretty decent stuff in the $250 - $400 range.

The really good stuff at $600 plus.

I told him that I really liked the quality of the old Hoover and that
I've tried the crap from Target, etc. He said he had a few uprights
between $250 and $300 that I'd probably be happy with. He carries
Sanitaire & Eureka, but I don't have any specific model numbers.

As far as bag vs. bagless, I won't ever buy a bagless. I don't care
about the extra expense for the bags or even the possible loss of
suction as the bag fills up. I can't stand the mess a bagless unit makes
when you empty it. I've got 2 dogs and a cat, so there's lots of dust,
dander and hair that I don't want to see again once it's been sucked up.
We had a bagless min-vac for a while and we threw it out because of the
mess it made when we emptied it.

I'm sure I'll get all kinds of responses related to that issue...so be
it. We tried a bagless and will never buy another one.

Why not Google around for a sales/repair shop in your area and find out
what they recommend?

On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:10:34 -0500, DerbyDad03 wrote:



On 12/30/10 6:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Good luck with that. ;-)

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

Don't count on that either. The newer ones will be lighter, but in all other
ways the older ones are likely better.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

Sounds like you need more than one vacuum. A shop vac will be much better at
sawdust and stuff. An upright better at carpets. It depends on what you need.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

....which brings me to the question, what types of floors?

There's a vacuum cleaner sales/repair shop near me.

I'm thinking of replacing my very old Hoover so I stopped by with the
model number and asked him what I should replace it with. He said there
are basically 3 classes of vacs:

The crap you get at Target & X-Mart for $100 - $200.

The pretty decent stuff in the $250 - $400 range.

The really good stuff at $600 plus.

Pretty much how I see things, except that some of the $600 stuff is just $400
class stuff with a lot of advertising (and I may be generous).

I told him that I really liked the quality of the old Hoover and that
I've tried the crap from Target, etc. He said he had a few uprights
between $250 and $300 that I'd probably be happy with. He carries
Sanitaire & Eureka, but I don't have any specific model numbers.

Eureka has a wide product line. Some of them are the crap you find in K-Mart.
As far as bag vs. bagless, I won't ever buy a bagless. I don't care
about the extra expense for the bags or even the possible loss of
suction as the bag fills up. I can't stand the mess a bagless unit makes
when you empty it. I've got 2 dogs and a cat, so there's lots of dust,
dander and hair that I don't want to see again once it's been sucked up.
We had a bagless min-vac for a while and we threw it out because of the
mess it made when we emptied it.

Funny. SWMBO is exactly the opposite. We have an Orec, but I got an
outstanding deal on it and only use it upstairs (only two bedrooms and a
hall). Since she got the first bagless she won't go back to a bag. She just
empties them out in the garage (into the can). They're *great* for animal
hair.

I'm sure I'll get all kinds of responses related to that issue...so be
it. We tried a bagless and will never buy another one.

We're tech opposite. Go figure.

Why not Google around for a sales/repair shop in your area and find out
what they recommend?

On 12/30/2010 06:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

I'm partial to my old Filter Queen, but I don't like their marketing
(similar to Kirby) and I would never pay full price for one. However, I
haven't used any other vacuum that I liked as much. As much power as a
good industrial shop vac but excellent filtration, and doesn't clog the
filter due to the cyclonic design. If you see one in a thrift store or
used vacuum shop I'd consider picking it up though.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

I found an 1940's era Kirby vacuum at a 2nd hand store for $5.

Still works great.

But you may not be so lucky... For quality, look at "commercial
vacuums"...
http://www.allbrands.com/products/abc0600.html

More, Google: commercial vacuum cleaners

Nothing sux like a 'lux.

Any sewing machine/vacuum cleaner sales and service shop will install a
new hose on your old ends, for very little money.

Stick with what ya got.

Joe

On 12/30/2010 6:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.


I fixed a friends Dirt Devil bagless not long ago. It had sucked up a
huge piece of styrofoam. It impressed me with how well it picked up and
how well it cleaned. I gave it a workout.
I've just been reading some reviews and there are a lot of comments on
how well it does with pet hair. It's probably not in the price range or
commercial quality that you want, but I'm hunting one, and I like my
current vac!

Jeff

?
"Eric" wrote in message
...
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

Consider a new hose for the Electrolux. Or get the existing hose replaced
using the same ends. You can get them to fit models made back in the 1930's
from your local dealer or places like www.totalvac.com

At home we have a Eureka (15+ years) and Electrolux (20+ years) and it is a
toss up as to which is better. At work I bought a Panasonic upright and our
cleaning lady likes it too. IIRC, it was in the $250 range.

On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:19:51 -0600, "
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:10:34 -0500, DerbyDad03 wrote:



On 12/30/10 6:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Good luck with that. ;-)

Anything is possible, right?

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

Don't count on that either. The newer ones will be lighter, but in all other
ways the older ones are likely better.

Impressive that the Olde Electrolux has hung in there this long. I
think I bought it for $5 at a flea market about 25 years ago, and it
looked old then.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

Sounds like you need more than one vacuum. A shop vac will be much better at
sawdust and stuff. An upright better at carpets. It depends on what you need.

It ends up kind of a mixed scenario. The rescue critters are often
good at creating sawdust as well. I'd love to find something that
would cover both bases, but if not, I'll settle for the more powerful
'shop-vac' type for now.

...which brings me to the question, what types of floors?

Again, some hardwood, some rug. No wall-to-wall carpet. Think slightly
closer to industrial than ritzy residential.

The really good stuff at $600 plus.

Pretty much how I see things, except that some of the $600 stuff is just $400
class stuff with a lot of advertising (and I may be generous).

Great. Well, I probably won't be fitting a $600 vc into the budget
anyway. I thought the Miele was on the pricey side at $300-400. (BTW,
does anyone know how Miele stacks up against the others? I've heard
good comments so far)

Funny. SWMBO is exactly the opposite. We have an Orec, but I got an
outstanding deal on it and only use it upstairs (only two bedrooms and a
hall). Since she got the first bagless she won't go back to a bag. She just
empties them out in the garage (into the can). They're *great* for animal
hair.

I thought it would also have some bearing on reduced suction as the
bag fills up, no? It seems to on the Electrolux, but of course that's
an old design with a cloth non-disposable bag.

Why not Google around for a sales/repair shop in your area and find out
what they recommend?

I've started to do that, but most shops here have some
brand-affiliation.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:43:13 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:

?
"Eric" wrote in message
.. .
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

Consider a new hose for the Electrolux. Or get the existing hose replaced
using the same ends. You can get them to fit models made back in the 1930's
from your local dealer or places like www.totalvac.com

At home we have a Eureka (15+ years) and Electrolux (20+ years) and it is a
toss up as to which is better. At work I bought a Panasonic upright and our
cleaning lady likes it too. IIRC, it was in the $250 range.

The Electrolux hose itself tends to get clogged. I did try to seal it,
using a silicone spray compound, and that did help. But it didn't
improve the frustrating hose-clogging problem. Maybe the newer hoses
are less prone, but I don't have my hopes up.

In any case, the replacement hose is around $70 to $100+, which would
amount to a down payment on a new vacuum cleaner.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:30:35 -0500, Jeff Thies
wrote:

I fixed a friends Dirt Devil bagless not long ago. It had sucked up a
huge piece of styrofoam. It impressed me with how well it picked up and
how well it cleaned. I gave it a workout.
I've just been reading some reviews and there are a lot of comments on
how well it does with pet hair. It's probably not in the price range or
commercial quality that you want, but I'm hunting one, and I like my
current vac!

Jeff

Not sure what you meant about price range. I'm not -demanding- to pay
a lot if I don't have to. The Dirt Devlis that I've seen are around
$150 or so, even for the cannister models. That would be great if that
would work.

On 12/31/2010 4:50 AM, Eric wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:30:35 -0500, Jeff
wrote:

I fixed a friends Dirt Devil bagless not long ago. It had sucked up a
huge piece of styrofoam. It impressed me with how well it picked up and
how well it cleaned. I gave it a workout.
I've just been reading some reviews and there are a lot of comments on
how well it does with pet hair. It's probably not in the price range or
commercial quality that you want, but I'm hunting one, and I like my
current vac!

Jeff

Not sure what you meant about price range. I'm not -demanding- to pay
a lot if I don't have to. The Dirt Devlis that I've seen are around
$150 or so, even for the cannister models.

The floor vacs (which is all I have experience with) are much less.
The prices I've seen in this thread are much higher.


That would be great if that
would work.

I can tell you that it works great. I can't tell you if it will still
work in 15 years, or two. It appears to me to be the top end of the
lower end and you are looking for the bottom end (or at least
affordable) of the top end.

Jeff

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:50:44 -0500, Eric wrote:

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:30:35 -0500, Jeff Thies
wrote:

I fixed a friends Dirt Devil bagless not long ago. It had sucked up a
huge piece of styrofoam. It impressed me with how well it picked up and
how well it cleaned. I gave it a workout.
I've just been reading some reviews and there are a lot of comments on
how well it does with pet hair. It's probably not in the price range or
commercial quality that you want, but I'm hunting one, and I like my
current vac!

Jeff

Not sure what you meant about price range. I'm not -demanding- to pay
a lot if I don't have to. The Dirt Devlis that I've seen are around
$150 or so, even for the cannister models. That would be great if that
would work.

Dirt Devils are the bottom of the barrel, IMO.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 04:37:08 -0500, Eric wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:19:51 -0600, "
wrote:

On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:10:34 -0500, DerbyDad03 wrote:



On 12/30/10 6:28 PM, Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Good luck with that. ;-)

Anything is possible, right?

There's always a first time...

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

Don't count on that either. The newer ones will be lighter, but in all other
ways the older ones are likely better.

Impressive that the Olde Electrolux has hung in there this long. I
think I bought it for $5 at a flea market about 25 years ago, and it
looked old then.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

Sounds like you need more than one vacuum. A shop vac will be much better at
sawdust and stuff. An upright better at carpets. It depends on what you need.

It ends up kind of a mixed scenario. The rescue critters are often
good at creating sawdust as well. I'd love to find something that
would cover both bases, but if not, I'll settle for the more powerful
'shop-vac' type for now.

...which brings me to the question, what types of floors?

Again, some hardwood, some rug. No wall-to-wall carpet. Think slightly
closer to industrial than ritzy residential.

A beater bar is really needed for the rugs, unless you can take them out and
beat them, or some such. Other than those, an upright is useless. My wife
just uses a mop thingy (Swifter?) on the bamboo floors.

The really good stuff at $600 plus.

Pretty much how I see things, except that some of the $600 stuff is just $400
class stuff with a lot of advertising (and I may be generous).

Great. Well, I probably won't be fitting a $600 vc into the budget
anyway. I thought the Miele was on the pricey side at $300-400. (BTW,
does anyone know how Miele stacks up against the others? I've heard
good comments so far)

*Some* of the $600 stuff is probably worth it. The $2000 stuff? You gotta be
kidding. ;-)

Funny. SWMBO is exactly the opposite. We have an Orec, but I got an
outstanding deal on it and only use it upstairs (only two bedrooms and a
hall). Since she got the first bagless she won't go back to a bag. She just
empties them out in the garage (into the can). They're *great* for animal
hair.

I thought it would also have some bearing on reduced suction as the
bag fills up, no? It seems to on the Electrolux, but of course that's
an old design with a cloth non-disposable bag.

She thinks they work better and replacing bags is not as clean as suggested
here. Availability of the bags is another issue.

Why not Google around for a sales/repair shop in your area and find out
what they recommend?

I've started to do that, but most shops here have some
brand-affiliation.

Eric wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:30:35 -0500, Jeff Thies
wrote:

I fixed a friends Dirt Devil bagless not long ago. It had sucked up
a huge piece of styrofoam. It impressed me with how well it picked
up and how well it cleaned. I gave it a workout.
I've just been reading some reviews and there are a lot of comments
on how well it does with pet hair. It's probably not in the price
range or commercial quality that you want, but I'm hunting one, and
I like my current vac!

Jeff

Not sure what you meant about price range. I'm not -demanding- to pay
a lot if I don't have to. The Dirt Devlis that I've seen are around
$150 or so, even for the cannister models. That would be great if that
would work.

http://woot.com/
Hurry though, it will probably sellout before midnght, they usually do

The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

On Dec 31, 10:44*am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

?
wrote
My wife
just uses a mop thingy (Swifter?) on the bamboo floors.


The wet one? I hate ours. It leaves a dull sheen on the floors, both wood
and linoleum. Great idea, but poor execution, IMO. Maybe I'm doing
something wrong.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:27:54 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski" wrote:

?
wrote
My wife
just uses a mop thingy (Swifter?) on the bamboo floors.


The wet one? I hate ours. It leaves a dull sheen on the floors, both wood
and linoleum. Great idea, but poor execution, IMO. Maybe I'm doing
something wrong.

Maybe our floors aren't glossy enough for you? I hate glossy floors. They
make a house look like a bowling alley.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44*am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. Nothing flies around when I add another.

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

On Dec 31, 11:42*am, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44*am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. *Nothing flies around when I add another.

As do I. Do you also bag the dust/hair/dander from the bagless vac? If
you do, that solves the "all up in my face" issue, but if I'm going to
bag the stuff from a bagless vac, I'd rather just start with the bag
in the vac.

I don't want to go through the hassle of grabbing a bag, going
outside, dumping the vac canister into the bag, dealing with the dust,
tieing it off and tossing it in the can. Heck, I don't even like
emptying my shop vac if it contains anything other than sawdust
because of the dust it throws around! Again, that's just me. Again, I
fault no one that doesn't mind doing that.


I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

Again, if that works for you, that's great. It's just not for me. My
shop floor has the sawdust while my garage is more for storage, an
entrance into my side door and the occasional larger scale project if
I need more room.

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

I don't recall "pretending" anything. However, I'm pretty sure that we
can agree that changing bags is considerably less messy than dumping
an open canister into a bag and/or a can. I haven't done the requisite
testing, but I'm pretty sure the air quality in the general vicinity
of a bagless vs. a bagged unit after a change/dump would vary
considerably.

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

Don't laugh.

A wet-dry shop-vac, with the proper attachements, will out-perform most
"regular" vacuum cleaners.

I've got a Rigid that I bought on Black Friday. That sumbitch sucks better
that the French Horn player I dated in college.

Aside: I recently scored a Roomba from Craigslist (for $25.00!). After
replacing the battery, it works swell. Of course it only "sweeps," not
vacuums, but it gathers an amazing amount of debris.

I hate to admit it, but it's somewhat entertaining to watch the gizmo scurry
around a room like a drunk trying to navigate the mirrored-maze at the
circus midway. When it encounters the fringe on a rug, it goes as nutty as
the third monkey on Noah's gangplank. Most of the time, after a lot of
to-ing and fro-ing, and twitching and turning, and beeping and honking, it
manages to disentangle itself from the rug and continue on with its mission.

On Dec 31, 12:42*pm, "HeyBub" wrote:
Eric wrote:
It's time to replace the ancient Electrolux (I think it's a model XXX
or model 60. Probably a collectors' item, but the hose has gotten
leaky.) I've seen good advice here on a diverse range of subjects, so
I thought maybe some of you could clarify the current jumble of
over-hyped vacuum cleaners.

Top concerns would be power, reliability, and ease of cleaning. The
old Electrolux wasn't so bad, but I figure there must be vast
improvements in construction and efficiency by now.

I don't need anything on an industrial scale, but I do volunteer
animal rescue work, which does result in way more shredded stuff on
the floor than the typical civilized household. And sawdust from
building stuff for the critters. Nice to have power and capacity for
that. And nice if it's not a nightmare to clean.

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

Any info would be appreciated.

Don't laugh.

A wet-dry shop-vac, with the proper attachements, will out-perform most
"regular" vacuum cleaners.

I've got a Rigid that I bought on Black Friday. That sumbitch sucks better
that the French Horn player I dated in college.

Aside: I recently scored a Roomba from Craigslist (for $25.00!). After
replacing the battery, it works swell. Of course it only "sweeps," not
vacuums, but it gathers an amazing amount of debris.

I hate to admit it, but it's somewhat entertaining to watch the gizmo scurry
around a room like a drunk trying to navigate the mirrored-maze at the
circus midway. When it encounters the fringe on a rug, it goes as nutty as
the third monkey on Noah's gangplank. Most of the time, after a lot of
to-ing and fro-ing, and twitching and turning, and beeping and honking, it
manages to disentangle itself from the rug and continue on with its mission.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

You have a Roomba, but do you have any pets?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9wH...1&feature=fvwp

?
wrote in message
...
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 11:27:54 -0500, "Ed Pawlowski"
wrote:

?
wrote
My wife
just uses a mop thingy (Swifter?) on the bamboo floors.


The wet one? I hate ours. It leaves a dull sheen on the floors, both
wood
and linoleum. Great idea, but poor execution, IMO. Maybe I'm doing
something wrong.

Maybe our floors aren't glossy enough for you? I hate glossy floors.
They
make a house look like a bowling alley.

Matte is fine, but it should not look like it was coated with something.
The original finish should be clean and bright, just like new. Looks like
the cleaner leaves a residue.

"DerbyDad03" wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

I have about six vacuums. I PREFER one or the other depending on what it is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. It is a messy dusty
thing.

I have a good Riccar that does floors, but doesn't do floors very well. It
says it does, but it doesn't. It does do carpet well, though. It has a
hose and attachments, and it is good in some places.

I have a Mighty Mite that I use a lot, you just can't fit much in it as it
has a small bag. I took the 1" x 4" head and put velcro around the edges,
and that works fine for cleaning my pool table.

When I see the prices for some of the new bagless types, and read about
people who don't like them, I figure I'll continue using what I have, or buy
a yard sale replacement, and for the difference, I can go on a vacation.
Most vacuums are overpriced and underperform.

Steve

On Dec 31, 1:21*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

I have about six vacuums. *I PREFER one or the other depending on what it is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

True dat. I think that the discussion of bagless vs. bagged is more
about the vac we might use for regular vacuuming like the living room,
kitchen, bedrooms, etc. At least that's what I'm talking about.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. *I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. *It is a messy dusty
thing.

I go one step farther and either use my Mighty Mite to vacuum the
folds after tossing and banging the filter - when the filter is dry -
or I'll hose off the folds with a my garden hose nozzle set on Jet if
it's (and I'm) already wet and muddy.

Did you ever notice how long it takes for drywall dust to disappear
from an asphalt driveway after having the filter land on it a few
times? :-)

BTW...If you take the Y fitting out of the inside of the shop vac,
it's great for getting the leaves out from under the Holly bushes or
any other plant where you don't want to stick your hand or take the
leaves out 1 by 1. The Y fitting makes it clog up too often.

I do my wife's gardens with the shop vac every spring.


I have a good Riccar that does floors, but doesn't do floors very well. *It
says it does, but it doesn't. *It does do carpet well, though. *It has a
hose and attachments, and it is good in some places.

I have a Mighty Mite that I use a lot, you just can't fit much in it as it
has a small bag. *I took the 1" x 4" head and put velcro around the edges,
and that works fine for cleaning my pool table.

I love my Mighty Mite for the cars, stairs, insides of big projects,
etc. I'm still using the one I bought back in the early 80's. I know
that they make more powerful ones now, but that old workhorse won't
quit. I'm not gentle with it either. It's fallen down stairs, been
dragged by a car, etc. One might say I'm *trying* to break it so I can
buy a new one, but it just won't die.The only repairs I've done is
replace the switch and one of the big back wheels. I actually ran it
with a homemade wooden wheel for years until the switch went bad and I
ordered both parts at the same time.

I've found that I have to be careful with the bags though and stick to
quality ones, like the original Eureka bags. I tried some cheap ones
from the interweb and they were so thick that the machine lost suction
way before the bags were full. I was going through so many bags it
wasn't worth the savings.

I also have adaptor for my shop vac to fit the Mighy Mite's hose so I
can use all of the MM's attachments but with the power of the shop
vac.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M3TA9V19L.jpg


When I see the prices for some of the new bagless types, and read about
people who don't like them, I figure I'll continue using what I have, or buy
a yard sale replacement, and for the difference, I can go on a vacation.
Most vacuums are overpriced and underperform.

Steve

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
...
On Dec 31, 1:21 pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

I have about six vacuums. I PREFER one or the other depending on what it
is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

True dat. I think that the discussion of bagless vs. bagged is more
about the vac we might use for regular vacuuming like the living room,
kitchen, bedrooms, etc. At least that's what I'm talking about.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to
it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. It is a messy
dusty
thing.

I go one step farther and either use my Mighty Mite to vacuum the
folds after tossing and banging the filter - when the filter is dry -
or I'll hose off the folds with a my garden hose nozzle set on Jet if
it's (and I'm) already wet and muddy.

Did you ever notice how long it takes for drywall dust to disappear
from an asphalt driveway after having the filter land on it a few
times? :-)

BTW...If you take the Y fitting out of the inside of the shop vac,
it's great for getting the leaves out from under the Holly bushes or
any other plant where you don't want to stick your hand or take the
leaves out 1 by 1. The Y fitting makes it clog up too often.

I do my wife's gardens with the shop vac every spring.


I have a good Riccar that does floors, but doesn't do floors very well. It
says it does, but it doesn't. It does do carpet well, though. It has a
hose and attachments, and it is good in some places.

I have a Mighty Mite that I use a lot, you just can't fit much in it as it
has a small bag. I took the 1" x 4" head and put velcro around the edges,
and that works fine for cleaning my pool table.

I love my Mighty Mite for the cars, stairs, insides of big projects,
etc. I'm still using the one I bought back in the early 80's. I know
that they make more powerful ones now, but that old workhorse won't
quit. I'm not gentle with it either. It's fallen down stairs, been
dragged by a car, etc. One might say I'm *trying* to break it so I can
buy a new one, but it just won't die.The only repairs I've done is
replace the switch and one of the big back wheels. I actually ran it
with a homemade wooden wheel for years until the switch went bad and I
ordered both parts at the same time.

I've found that I have to be careful with the bags though and stick to
quality ones, like the original Eureka bags. I tried some cheap ones
from the interweb and they were so thick that the machine lost suction
way before the bags were full. I was going through so many bags it
wasn't worth the savings.

I also have adaptor for my shop vac to fit the Mighy Mite's hose so I
can use all of the MM's attachments but with the power of the shop
vac.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M3TA9V19L.jpg


When I see the prices for some of the new bagless types, and read about
people who don't like them, I figure I'll continue using what I have, or
buy
a yard sale replacement, and for the difference, I can go on a vacation.
Most vacuums are overpriced and underperform.

Steve

I'm looking for yet another vacuum at yard sales, something in the 3" to 4"
range for leaves.

A guy can't have too many vacuums.

Steve

On Dec 31, 2:24*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
"DerbyDad03" wrote in message

...
On Dec 31, 1:21 pm, "Steve B" wrote:

"DerbyDad03" wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.
I have about six vacuums. I PREFER one or the other depending on what it
is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

True dat. I think that the discussion of bagless vs. bagged is more
about the vac we might use for regular vacuuming like the living room,
kitchen, bedrooms, etc. At least that's what I'm talking about.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to
it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. It is a messy
dusty
thing.

I go one step farther and either use my Mighty Mite to vacuum the
folds after tossing and banging the filter - when the filter is dry -
or I'll hose off the folds with a my garden hose nozzle set on Jet if
it's (and I'm) already wet and muddy.

Did you ever notice how long it takes for drywall dust to disappear
from an asphalt driveway after having the filter land on it a few
times? *:-)

BTW...If you take the Y fitting out of the inside of the shop vac,
it's great for getting the leaves out from under the Holly bushes or
any other plant where you don't want to stick your hand or take the
leaves out 1 by 1. The Y fitting makes it clog up too often.

I do my wife's gardens with the shop vac every spring.

I have a good Riccar that does floors, but doesn't do floors very well. It
says it does, but it doesn't. It does do carpet well, though. It has a
hose and attachments, and it is good in some places.

I have a Mighty Mite that I use a lot, you just can't fit much in it as it
has a small bag. I took the 1" x 4" head and put velcro around the edges,
and that works fine for cleaning my pool table.

I love my Mighty Mite for the cars, stairs, insides of big projects,
etc. I'm still using the one I bought back in the early 80's. I know
that they make more powerful ones now, but that old workhorse won't
quit. I'm not gentle with it either. It's fallen down stairs, been
dragged by a car, etc. One might say I'm *trying* to break it so I can
buy a new one, but it just won't die.The only repairs I've done is
replace the switch and one of the big back wheels. I actually ran it
with a homemade wooden wheel for years until the switch went bad and I
ordered both parts at the same time.

I've found that I have to be careful with the bags though and stick to
quality ones, like the original Eureka bags. I tried some cheap ones
from the interweb and they were so thick that the machine lost suction
way before the bags were full. I was going through so many bags it
wasn't worth the savings.

I also have adaptor for my shop vac to fit the Mighy Mite's hose so I
can use all of the MM's attachments but with the power of the shop
vac.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41M3TA9V19L.jpg

When I see the prices for some of the new bagless types, and read about
people who don't like them, I figure I'll continue using what I have, or
buy
a yard sale replacement, and for the difference, I can go on a vacation..
Most vacuums are overpriced and underperform.

Steve

I'm looking for yet another vacuum at yard sales, something in the 3" to 4"
range for leaves.

A guy can't have too many vacuums.

Steve

As I mentioned above, I use my shop vac.

Why can't you use yours?

For the most part, if it clogs, it clogs right at the business end of
the hose and I just have to "rearrange" the clump with my hand and it
goes *pop* into the hose.

If it clogs anywhere else (rare) I remove the hose from the vac inlet
and stick it on the blower outlet. *pow* out goes the clump.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:29:45 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 11:42*am, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44*am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. *Nothing flies around when I add another.

As do I. Do you also bag the dust/hair/dander from the bagless vac? If
you do, that solves the "all up in my face" issue, but if I'm going to
bag the stuff from a bagless vac, I'd rather just start with the bag
in the vac.

Sure, just open one of the bags in the garbage bin and dump the vac in it.

I don't want to go through the hassle of grabbing a bag, going
outside, dumping the vac canister into the bag, dealing with the dust,
tieing it off and tossing it in the can. Heck, I don't even like
emptying my shop vac if it contains anything other than sawdust
because of the dust it throws around! Again, that's just me. Again, I
fault no one that doesn't mind doing that.

You're making things far too complicated, just to make your point.

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

Again, if that works for you, that's great. It's just not for me. My
shop floor has the sawdust while my garage is more for storage, an
entrance into my side door and the occasional larger scale project if
I need more room.

I don't have a shop, yet (working on it this week, but it'll be at least
another year).

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

I don't recall "pretending" anything. However, I'm pretty sure that we
can agree that changing bags is considerably less messy than dumping
an open canister into a bag and/or a can. I haven't done the requisite
testing, but I'm pretty sure the air quality in the general vicinity
of a bagless vs. a bagged unit after a change/dump would vary
considerably.

No, we don't agree.

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

You don't have to justify your preferences to us!

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:21:52 -0800, "Steve B"
wrote:


"DerbyDad03" wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

I have about six vacuums. I PREFER one or the other depending on what it is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

We have five vacuums, two uprights and three shop vacs (a regular 20gal can
type, a smaller hand-held, and an 18V Dewalt), plus two dust collectors.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. It is a messy dusty
thing.

I replace filters, particularly if they're full of drywall dust.

I have a good Riccar that does floors, but doesn't do floors very well. It
says it does, but it doesn't. It does do carpet well, though. It has a
hose and attachments, and it is good in some places.

I have a Mighty Mite that I use a lot, you just can't fit much in it as it
has a small bag. I took the 1" x 4" head and put velcro around the edges,
and that works fine for cleaning my pool table.

When I see the prices for some of the new bagless types, and read about
people who don't like them, I figure I'll continue using what I have, or buy
a yard sale replacement, and for the difference, I can go on a vacation.
Most vacuums are overpriced and underperform.

Steve

DerbyDad03 wrote:

You have a Roomba, but do you have any pets?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9wH...1&feature=fvwp

That was hilarious.

Years ago I heard some meowing in a strange voice. Investigating, I found a
wee feral kitten who had wandered in through the open door looking for the
never-empty food bowl. He found it, but ...

His tail was a mess; no fur, black, necrotic...

Scooped him up and off to the vet.

"Yep," said the vet. "Tail's gotta go."

That's how the kitten got his name.

Fast forward to yesterday. Bob (the cat) watched the Roomba do its thing
with some curiosity. He finally got tired of the silliness and pulled an
Elvis by leaving the bedroom.

I don't hold much hope for him riding on it.

I'm looking for yet another vacuum at yard sales, something in the 3" to
4"
range for leaves.
Steve

As I mentioned above, I use my shop vac.

Why can't you use yours?

reply: Mine just clogs up. It has 1 7/8 hose, but I guess my leaves are
just too big. They clog up at various places. At times I can get them to
pop through by popping my palm on and off the suction head, but sometimes I
have to take a 10' piece of PVC to get the stubborn ones. It's a Ridgid.
The place just inside where there's a diffuser to keep the crud from
slapping against the filter also clogs there.

Steve

On Dec 31, 5:51*pm, "Steve B" wrote:
I'm looking for yet another vacuum at yard sales, something in the 3" to
4"
range for leaves.
Steve

As I mentioned above, I use my shop vac.

Why can't you use yours?

reply: *Mine just clogs up. *It has 1 7/8 hose, but I guess my leaves are
just too big. *They clog up at various places. *At times I can get them to
pop through by popping my palm on and off the suction head, but sometimes I
have to take a 10' piece of PVC to get the stubborn ones. *It's a Ridgid.
The place just inside where there's a diffuser to keep the crud from
slapping against the filter also clogs there.

Steve

The diffuser is the Y fitting that I remove before I do my leaves. 3
screws I believe.

On Dec 31, 4:11*pm, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:29:45 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:



On Dec 31, 11:42 am, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44 am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. Nothing flies around when I add another.

As do I. Do you also bag the dust/hair/dander from the bagless vac? If
you do, that solves the "all up in my face" issue, but if I'm going to
bag the stuff from a bagless vac, I'd rather just start with the bag
in the vac.

Sure, just open one of the bags in the garbage bin and dump the vac in it.. *

I don't want to go through the hassle of grabbing a bag, going
outside, dumping the vac canister into the bag, dealing with the dust,
tieing it off and tossing it in the can. Heck, I don't even like
emptying my shop vac if it contains anything other than sawdust
because of the dust it throws around! *Again, that's just me. Again, I
fault no one that doesn't mind doing that.

You're making things far too complicated, just to make your point.

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

Again, if that works for you, that's great. It's just not for me. My
shop floor has the sawdust while my garage is more for storage, an
entrance into my side door and the occasional larger scale project if
I need more room.

I don't have a shop, yet (working on it this week, but it'll be at least
another year).

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

I don't recall "pretending" anything. However, I'm pretty sure that we
can agree that changing bags is considerably less messy than dumping
an open canister into a bag and/or a can. I haven't done the requisite
testing, but I'm pretty sure the air quality in the general vicinity
of a bagless vs. a bagged unit after a change/dump would vary
considerably.

No, we don't agree.

Please explain. Are you saying that removing the bag and placing it in
a garbage can/bag causes as big a mess as emptying the container from
a bagless unit?


As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

You don't have to justify your preferences to us!

"Eric" wrote in message ...

I've heard mixed reviews of Dyson, so I'm not sure what the real story
is there. Miele seems to be well-regarded but expensive ($300?!). Just
heard someone talking about a low-cost brand called "Emer" but I'm not
familiar.

We're looking to replace our Bosch when it cooperates by breaking down (it
lacks some features we want like a powered carpet brush), and Miele is the
brand we're leaning towards based on enthusiastic user reviews on various
websites. Dyson doesn't do too well when it comes to frequency of needing
repairs, and frankly I think it's an overpriced brand.

Consider talking to the folks at the local vacuum repair place, maybe take
them a big box of donuts and see if they'll tell you what they'd buy.
Repair techs usually have a good idea of what is well made and what isn't.

On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:57:33 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 4:11*pm, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:29:45 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:



On Dec 31, 11:42 am, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44 am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. Nothing flies around when I add another.

As do I. Do you also bag the dust/hair/dander from the bagless vac? If
you do, that solves the "all up in my face" issue, but if I'm going to
bag the stuff from a bagless vac, I'd rather just start with the bag
in the vac.

Sure, just open one of the bags in the garbage bin and dump the vac in it. *

I don't want to go through the hassle of grabbing a bag, going
outside, dumping the vac canister into the bag, dealing with the dust,
tieing it off and tossing it in the can. Heck, I don't even like
emptying my shop vac if it contains anything other than sawdust
because of the dust it throws around! *Again, that's just me. Again, I
fault no one that doesn't mind doing that.

You're making things far too complicated, just to make your point.

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

Again, if that works for you, that's great. It's just not for me. My
shop floor has the sawdust while my garage is more for storage, an
entrance into my side door and the occasional larger scale project if
I need more room.

I don't have a shop, yet (working on it this week, but it'll be at least
another year).

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

I don't recall "pretending" anything. However, I'm pretty sure that we
can agree that changing bags is considerably less messy than dumping
an open canister into a bag and/or a can. I haven't done the requisite
testing, but I'm pretty sure the air quality in the general vicinity
of a bagless vs. a bagged unit after a change/dump would vary
considerably.

No, we don't agree.

Please explain. Are you saying that removing the bag and placing it in
a garbage can/bag causes as big a mess as emptying the container from
a bagless unit?

Perhaps not "as big as", but a mess nonetheless. Taking the canister out to
the garage is a *lot* cleaner than pulling the bag out of the vacuum.

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

You don't have to justify your preferences to us!

On Dec 31, 7:15*pm, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 15:57:33 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:



On Dec 31, 4:11 pm, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 09:29:45 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 11:42 am, "
wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 08:13:23 -0800 (PST), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Dec 31, 10:44 am, wrote:
The baggless vacuums, even the cheaper ones work great IF you
can empty them outside. They can make a mess when emptying
and some have filters you have to brush clean.

You can buy three of these cheaper than one overpriced Dyson.

Empty it into where? A garbage can so that every time I toss something
else in there I'll get a puff of dust/hair/dander all up in my face?

I bag my garbage. Nothing flies around when I add another.

As do I. Do you also bag the dust/hair/dander from the bagless vac? If
you do, that solves the "all up in my face" issue, but if I'm going to
bag the stuff from a bagless vac, I'd rather just start with the bag
in the vac.

Sure, just open one of the bags in the garbage bin and dump the vac in it.

I don't want to go through the hassle of grabbing a bag, going
outside, dumping the vac canister into the bag, dealing with the dust,
tieing it off and tossing it in the can. Heck, I don't even like
emptying my shop vac if it contains anything other than sawdust
because of the dust it throws around! Again, that's just me. Again, I
fault no one that doesn't mind doing that.

You're making things far too complicated, just to make your point.

I keep my garbage can in my garage and I don't need the "mess" you
mentioned in the garage anymore than I need it in the house.

If I dumped it on the floor I wouldn't notice it in my garage, for all the
sawdust.

Again, if that works for you, that's great. It's just not for me. My
shop floor has the sawdust while my garage is more for storage, an
entrance into my side door and the occasional larger scale project if
I need more room.

I don't have a shop, yet (working on it this week, but it'll be at least
another year).

I won't fault anyone for using a bagless if they are willing to put up
with the dumping part of it, but it's just not for me.

Changing bags isn't as clean as you pretend.

I don't recall "pretending" anything. However, I'm pretty sure that we
can agree that changing bags is considerably less messy than dumping
an open canister into a bag and/or a can. I haven't done the requisite
testing, but I'm pretty sure the air quality in the general vicinity
of a bagless vs. a bagged unit after a change/dump would vary
considerably.

No, we don't agree.

Please explain. Are you saying that removing the bag and placing it in
a garbage can/bag causes as big a mess as emptying the container from
a bagless unit?



Perhaps not "as big as", but a mess nonetheless. *Taking the canister out to
the garage is a *lot* cleaner than pulling the bag out of the vacuum.

So you're saying that the mess caused by removing the bag and placing
it in the garbage bag/can does not make as big a mess as emptying the
container, but at the same time taking the canister to garbage is a
lot cleaner than pulling the bag?

How can both of those be true, unless of course you're not including
actually *dumping* the canister?

Let's make make sure were comparing dust bunnies to dust bunnies.
Let's look at the end to end process.

I have a full bag in one machine and I have a full canister in
another. A few minutes later, when both machines are put back together
and ready to be used again - a new bag has been installed in one and
the canister and filter have been emptied/cleaned and put back in the
other - which machine caused a bigger mess? BTW I assume you are aware
that many of the newer bags have a flap that seals the bag as you
remove it and that hepa-filtered lined bags keep the dust in the bag,
right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-QdGcd6Kb8



As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

You don't have to justify your preferences to us!

On 12/31/2010 4:15 PM, zzzzzzzzzz wrote:
On Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:21:52 -0800, "Steve
wrote:


wrote

As I said before, I've tried both and I don't want to deal with a
bagless. The rest of the world is free to make their own choices with
absolutely no pushback from me. I'm not defending nor denegrating
either type of vac. I'm simply talking about what I prefer.

I have about six vacuums. I PREFER one or the other depending on what it is
that I am doing, as no one vacuum performs all the functions.

We have five vacuums, two uprights and three shop vacs (a regular 20gal can
type, a smaller hand-held, and an 18V Dewalt), plus two dust collectors.

When I want to vacuum up a lot of drywall or concrete dust or waste, I use
my shop vac. I toss the canister contents, then toss the filter up in the
air, letting it hit the ground three or four times, then take a stick to it
to knock all the stuff off that's clogged in the folds. It is a messy dusty
thing.

I replace filters, particularly if they're full of drywall dust.


The paper filters are so damn expensive, though. No wonder most of the
garage sale vacs I see only have the washable-but-not-very-effective
sponge filters on them. And the paper filters clog up so quickly, to
boot. I burned up a 5-buck garage sale foam-filter vac sucking up
drywall and concrete dust, because I didn't know the modern shop-vac
filter kits were backward-compatible with the old steel-can ones. I
assumed they were all like the sponge-and-cloth-bag craftsman shop vacs
I used as a kid. Naturally, the garage sale supply line dried up when I
killed the old one, so I actually had to buy a new one at the big-box,
and was happily surprised that all my old parts still fit. I'm trying to
take better care of it, so if I need to suck up drywall, I'll spring for
some of the paper wrappers to put over the foam filter I have in there
now for upstairs use. I'll only use the paper filters when pollen season
starts, and I need to seal up the house for the summer. If I trip across
another 5-buck one at the garage sales come spring, I'll probably buy it
for a spare, for dirty work- there is some more drywall repair headed my
way.

My favorite vac, that I used through the apartment years, was an old
canister vac with a tight-mesh cloth bag. When it quit sucking, just
carry the bag out to the dumpster, reach one arm inside, and bang it
till the dust cloud died down. Really not sure what happened to it-
don't remember throwing it out, or it dying.

--
aem sends....

On 12/31/2010 4:34 PM, HeyBub wrote:
DerbyDad03 wrote:

You have a Roomba, but do you have any pets?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf9wH...1&feature=fvwp

That was hilarious.

Years ago I heard some meowing in a strange voice. Investigating, I found a
wee feral kitten who had wandered in through the open door looking for the
never-empty food bowl. He found it, but ...

His tail was a mess; no fur, black, necrotic...

Scooped him up and off to the vet.

"Yep," said the vet. "Tail's gotta go."

That's how the kitten got his name.

Fast forward to yesterday. Bob (the cat) watched the Roomba do its thing
with some curiosity. He finally got tired of the silliness and pulled an
Elvis by leaving the bedroom.

I don't hold much hope for him riding on it.



I've been keeping my eyes open at the thrift stores and yard sales for
an early-model Roomba at the gag-gift price point, to leave at my
sister's house to exercise and amuse the cat while they are both gone
ten hours a day. (rescue cat, already declawed when they got it, so
outside is not an option.) Roomba doesn't even have to suck any more,
just wander around. Cat was a skinny little thing when they got it, but
it is starting to pork up now, living the easy life.

--
aem sends...