We were cleaning house before going on vacation the week before Easter. I think my house is always cleanest right before we leave town because I can't stand coming home to a messy house! LOL. Our vacuum cleaner died just as DH was finishing up the upstairs. So, we're in the market for a vacuum. We've been home a week and NEED to vacuum!!!!! So, just wondering what advice you all might have. We have 2 dogs (one shedder, one non-shedder). We have heard great things about the Dyson model for pets, but I really hate to spring $500-600 for one vacuum cleaner! We've also seen good reviews on LG and it's not quite as pricey. But, if anyone has had great experience with a good machine, I'd like to hear about it before I head to the store.

Thanks!

I have the Hoover Windtunnel and it does a really great job of taking care of the cat hair. Been using it for 4 years. The only problem I have with it is that it will NOT vacuum the floor for me --- it insists I have to USE it!

l love my Dyson, but I do not have pets.

We have a basic Dyson.... ( I think we got it at Walmart for @ $300) and we love it. We have to long hair sheeding cats, and I'm a very long haired shedding blonde ( we have to cut my hair out of the beat bar every 6 months or so).We have had it about 3 years.... ( and hubby is a compulsive vacummer) It's still going like wild!. It even ate one of the cats mini toy mice, kept right on going. ( no mice were hurt... we retrived said toy mouse from the " tunnel" and all was happy. ) I was funny to see the cat sit in front of the vacum and watch his mouse go round and round and round....LOL

I have the Dyson pet vac, and the ONLY difference between it and the standard Dyson is the pet hair attachment for doing furniture. Had I known that before I bought it, I would have gotten the standard Dyson...
It's a hard working machine tho...and I love it!

I guess I will always buy an electorlux canister. I have had all kinds of uprights. My first vac was an electolux..and my last one is.

I think if you cannot afford an Electolux, go with a Kenmore canister. Uprights do not do well getting under beds and other things.

you mean people actually vacuum under their beds. ? LOL

My neighbor got the dyson anamial one and the hairs got tangled in the hatch to hold it up when she took it back to where she bought said that is a common happening but easy to clean out. I have an orick right now but have had hover ericka and a kenmore I think they all last about the same.

I have a Hoover Windtunnel that is 17 years old and going strong. My Siberian wolfdog kept it busy as does my Border Collie/Lab. Moira has long silky BC hair, but sheds like a Lab. I couldn't have her without that vacuum.

we have central vac with tons of suction- anything in its path and slurp! it's gone. Before we installed hardwood floors I used the vac AND the regular vacuum to get all the dog hair. The cost for a beater bar on the central vac- $325.00- 9 years ago. We have the Hoover upright, I went for the allergen removing (i.e. hair) one which was about $159.00.

My son and spouse think vacuuming once a week is sufficient. I beg to differ, but it's their job so I live with the hair on the couch. They get the idea I want it vacuumed when I won't sit down.

I love, love, love my Dyson Pet Vac. It is still going strong after 6 ½ years. I would replace it in a heartbeat. I have a German Shepard,(heavy shedder) a Doberman and an Aussie (heavy shedder). Expensive, yes, but money well spent.

love my dyson--have shedding pets- and with all the threads i seem to leave everywhere-
it has lasted 4 years so far= with no sign of quiting any time soon- i think it was worth the extra $$

I love my Dyson. It works like a real champ. I have had it about 3 yrs. and I have no complaints.

A Dyson is definitely worth the money. I bought mine at Sears, and it came with an offer of servicing 4 times a year for up to 6(?) years included in the cost.

i have an oreck.. love it... plus she gets a free check up every year...

it was a little pricey, but came with separate hand vac & iron... the iron was good for about 4-5 yrs before i killed it...(dropped it down a flight of stairs...oops)

We also have an Oreck. Love it. Light weight, picks up fantastically. We also have the hand vac. Perfect for picking up threads where I sew - I am a thread dropper!!!! Edie

I'm one who owns a Dyson that (when I use it :) ), I love!

I do the same thing before leaving on a trip. I use the riccar canister. It is lightweight, and does everything I need it to do. I do have 2 wire fox terriers, and even though they don't shed, they can still make a mess...lol
http://www.riccar.com/index.asp

We bought a Hoover WT about 6 months ago you have to clean the filter about ever other week ( or you discover it's not really picking up) the animal attachment was nice worked about 10 minutes at the end of the cord it gets so hot I think it could catch on fire. So we decided that we had had enough.
So we bought a dyson28 animal we love it we have a big house no pets but the animal attachment is so nice for furniture/drapes great to have a long cord. The one thing I want to point out when I was doing my research as where to buy the Dyson I found if you buy at sears and have a problem you just drop it off there for service. You need to consider where you would have to go for service. If you have to ship the cost is so high. My friend had to go 60 miles to a service center or mail. I hope this is helpful.
I decided to call about the cord on the H. and will take it in.

Oreck. You can get them for a decent price on ebay. They are lightweight compared to the Dysons.

I love my Kiby! It's heavy, but I sure does the job!

You will not be sorry with the Dyson. I have never had such a thoroughly good vacuum of my flat before I bought it. I struggled for years with a different one and it didn't do half as good a job. It takes less time as well.

I have the shark navigator and love it. Does hard floors and carpet, very lightweight and works great. Don't have pets, but I think it has a pet hair attachment thingy!

When our vacuum died a couple of years ago, I was doing research to decide on what would be the best. DH decided that for not much more money than a good vacuum, he could install central vac. I love it!!! Have an outlet upstairs for the bedrooms, one on the main floor and one in the basement (where our new family room will be). In addition, in the kitchen there is a foot-activated one that is a flap that opens and you just sweep what's on the floor into the opening. We have one more foot-activated one to install in the bathroom. Luckily my husband is extremely talented and there was no cost for installation.

so here goes my recommendation....believe or not I bought the $39 Bissel Power Force from Walmart and it works super!! It has all the attachments right on it.....I know its lightweight and cheap BUT it came highly recommended from someone who cleans houses for a living. At first I was skeptical but then the lady who cleans my house (yes I so splurge on that) loved it! I think its only sold at Walmart. Anyway I figure if it dies I'm not out that much money. My husband also bought one for his office. Just something to think on.

I live in the country, have a shedding dog, 2 cats, a son in a wheelchair (amazing what the tires bring in the house) a husband and then all my mess with quilting. All with hardwood floors in a log house (notoriously dusty). I've had my Dyson 8+ years. I bought full price at the time and would do it again.

It is amazing how much it pulls up. I don't have to buy bags or filters. I rinse out the filters every 6 months.

I will never have another brand of vacuum again.

(steps dowm off her soap box)

Your Dyson handles dust? I have 4 golden retrievers that bring in mud on their feet, which then dries to dust causing the rugs to hold so-o-o much dust. I have a Rainbow vac, which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love the power it has to get the dust from the rug but I hate the fact that all of that dust and hair collects in a container of water that needs to be emptied somewhere outside. I have a very old septic system (cess pool) so I can't dump the muddy/hairy water down the toilet.

I have a Bissell bagless and would not trade it for anything.

Get an Oreck. I have the commerical model has long cord, only weighs 8lbs. Got it on ebay a few years ago for 179.00 new, in stores it's about $400. I love it!

Can't beat a HOOVER as for me.

Check out the vacuums on Consumer Reports. They really put them to the test. We have a whole house vacuum with tubes in the walls and canister in the garage. Its great for deep cleaning, but I have a little handy vac for spots.

I had a Kirby and loved.
Got a Hoover Windtunnel and hated it. Maybe it was lemon.
I have bought two Dysons and loved them.
They are worth the money.
They are expensive to repair, I hear.
I love my vacuums like I love my sewing machines.

Ditto. I have 3 Labs, 1 Pug, 1 cat. Why I never bought a Dyson before is beyond me. Maintain as suggested in booklet and it will work hard. I had been a Hoover person. Ugh!

I LOVE my Oreck! Automatically goes from carpet to floor! I have a yorkiepoo and no problems, but he doesn't shed much either.

A comment about cost:

Sometimes it's more economical in the long run to spend more money up front and have an appliance that lasts for a long time.

The Cost per Use formula:

Number of times used/cost to purchase and maintain

Sometimes it's less expensive in the long run to pay for a "better" machine than to buy three cheapies in the same time frame. And way less aggravating.

We bought a Dyson, sent it back for a replacement (thinking we got a lemon) and finally sent it back for good - it just couldn't keep up. We have four beagles and three cats, and I vacuum every day. We test drove both Meile and Riccar, and went with the Riccar upright for performance and price. The only drawback is it's heavy, so we bought a second Riccar for the upper floors.

I know people really love their Dysons, but if I were you I'd see if I could borrow one first to make sure it really will suit your needs. Also, check in with vacuum repair folks and get their opinions on any model you're considering.

Good luck!

I have a Kirby and I absolutely LOVE it - they are pricey however, I paid $1,400.00 about 8 years ago but I've never had any trouble with it. I think you can go online and look for used ones for more like $600. Well worth the price.

We have 3 shedding dogs and I go thur vacuums about every 2 years, so I don't spend a lot for them. The last one I got is a Eureka Capture for pet hair. I've had it for over 2 years and it's still going. Sometimes it over-heats and quits, but I let it cool down and it starts back up. It does get up the hair. If it died today, I'd still give it great reviews as it's been abused and still working.

I have a Dyson Animal vacuam..works wonderful on pet hair. Worth the money.