Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Vacuum Cleaner Advise.

I thought this came up a while ago, but I couldn't find it with the search function.
So to make a long story short, we need a new vacuum, this will be the 3rd in 6 years.
I'm tired of replacing these things so I want to get a good one. Dyson intrigues me, but they never seem to get top ratings in reviews, anyone with experience with Dyson or some recommendations for good models would be appreciated.

I've always been interested in Dyson, too, but I hate the cheap plastic look. Not that there's a ton of choice in the world of vacuums.

We have a Dyson DC14. It does the job pretty darn well. The plastic does look cheap, which is a turn off, and the design sometimes leaves a bit to be desired, but all the necessary functions are there. My wife says that it was clearly designed by a man.

We used to go through vacs quite often too. The wife finally bought an Oreck XL some years ago and it has served us well so far. In the package we bought there was also the hand held unit that is great for furniture and such.

We have the yellow Dyson (I think it's the DC14). After 2 1/2 years of almost daily use, and abuse, it still looks and works like new. The plastic may look cheap, but it is actually quite a rugged machine.

We have a Dyson 14 also. I mostly really like it and think that the design is almost perfect, with some minor caveats like the power on/off is so big and placed in such an easy to hit spot, that sometimes when converting to wand use, I turn it off and on.

Seriously, I think that's my only complaint. Note that my house is all hardwood floors with a few carpet runners, and this Dyson was always rated better on hardwood floors than carpeting.

Not sure if I'd buy another, though. Consumer Reports lists that model 19th with many cheaper models as better rated.

Top rated are the Hoover WindTunnel Anniversary Edition U6485-900 ($230) and then the Kenmore Progressive 35922 ($350).

Miele is highly regarded. When i was looking recently this suggestion came up quite often. They are not cheap though but do come with a 7 year warranty on the motor.

I have a consumers report from March 08 and these were the higher rated

1) Kenmore Progressive with Direct Drive 35922 $300 75
2) Kenmore Progressive with Direct Drive 36932 $350 69
3 Riccar SupraLite RSL3 $330 68
4) Electrolux Oxygen EL5035A $400 68
5) Kirby Sentria $1,350 66
6) Hoover Tempo Widepath U5140-900 $60 66
7) Dyson Absolute Animal DC17 $550 65
8) Riccar Brilliance Premium $750 65

Thanks everyone for the suggestions,
I was about to pull the trigger on a Dyson until I saw that Sears has the Kenmore Progressive with Direct Drive 35922 on sale for $100.00 off this weekend. We ended up going with the Kenmore, I'll let everyone know if this one seems like a keeper.

Yeah, let me know. I'm overdue for a new vacuum.