h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm fed up with emptying my baggess vacuum cleaner, and want to replace it. What recommendations are there? I would go for a simple Henry, except I've heard they're not so good on carpets.

Our Dyson does pretty well and is relatively easy to empty. It has a clip-off/on hose with attachments - useful but a touch fiddly and I can't think of a better way of doing it.

On the other hand, my workshop jobbie (CamVac - hose only & attachments from older vacs) has more suck and does very well on the carpet tiles which are often thick with dust & shavings but, it's rather less than convenient for normal household jobs.

On the third hand, if you know anyone who has a little helper to come in for a weekly - ask the helper.

>>Our Dyson does pretty well and is relatively easy to empty.

Don't you get a small cloud of dust when emptying?
I've had a Dyson before, and unless the build quality has improved dramatically, I don't ever want another.

Dust when emptying? yes, it's full of the stuff but if you mean when detaching the container then never noticed - but I live with dust in the workshop, so...

After taking it out carefully, to avoid as much flying dust and fluff as possible, I wrap the thing in a bin bag before turning it upside down and getting the dust out. It's also thin enough and transparent enough to be able to pull out the hairy bits with my fingers, all with the dust container still in the bag.

It certainly still is more hassle than just changing a paper bag. The bags with a little drawbridge that you pull up to close the bag off before you move it prevent loads more flying dust, too.

I'm torn as to what to recommend. In my experience, all the plastic attachments and most of the hoover will break within a couple of years, regardless of whether you buy a cheap one or an expensive one. The motor is usually the last part to go. As these plastic body parts are often crucial to creating the "vaccuum" which is essential for efficient cleaning, I would go for the cheapest possible variety with the maximum wattage, on the basis that you're going to have to buy a new one soon anyway.

Either that or an expensive one with a very good after sales service which would also include replacing body parts, tube, etc.

Well my current one is an Electrolux which has served reliably for about 7 years, but which has an annoying paper filter which gets clogged with fine dust, and needs knocking out, making a hazardous dust cloud. So build quality good, design bad. By comparison, my first (and only) Dyson fell apart within weeks, and whilst examining the problem, which was a broken drive belt, it became apparent that despite the hype, this was actually a very badly designed machine, built to fail.

I'm very satisfied with my Henry even on carpets. I used to own two long-haired cats, and I find Henry's great to get all that cat hair off everything.

I first got one when I got a lodger who brought her own vacuum cleaner, a Henry. Then when she moved out I brought another one, even though I still had a vaccum cleaner.

I've got a LG thingummy. Cant get hold of the bags for it any more so I just buy anything that closely resembles it and cut the extra bits off.

It gets rid of hair, which is about 4 times worse than cat hair

Henrys tend to last for years; but spend the extra and get the metal attachments, not the plastic ones... Adds a fair bit to the price, but as my Brother foun out, its cheaper than buying the plastic ones, then having to buy the metal ones a few weeks later err, henrys tend to be bagless too though, don't they? (though I believe you can* put a bag in them too)
I want a hoover... seriously... one of those sort of upright ones, with no bit to drag about behind and knock things over and which takes longer to get out and set up than it does to have a quick hoover round
My hoover/vacuum cleaner is an enigma, I don't know where it came from, or how it came to be in my posettion, and, indeed, it has no make, model or identification number, marks, symbols or anythign on it. Its silver shiney and round, and is useless.

When you say "bagess" do you mean bag-less or with a bag?

I'm afraid I'm a Dyson fan - but I do have a lovely wee repair man down the road who can service and replace broken parts for it pretty reasonably, so it's lasting well (7+ years and counting).

>> My hoover/vacuum cleaner is an enigma, I don't know where it came from,
or how it came to be in my posettion, and, indeed, it has no make, model
or identification number, marks, symbols or anythign on it. Its
silver shiney and round, and is useless. <<

This then must be the one true nighthoover of legend and prophecy.
Of virgin origins and whose name cannot be spoken.
A shining light of no purpose or design.
It simply sucks.
Lettuce spray!

~jwf~

PS:
Personally I prefer a broom but witches keep stealing 'em.

I've never had a vacuum cleaner before, so I've made do with a couple of brooms. My floor is linoleum. I don't have any cats. of course, my house is not in the best condition , so you might want to think twice before paying any heed to my housekeeping advice.

I have a hoover,
it takes bags because the bagless one we had before broke very quickly
I mostly bought it because it was cheap
2100W so good power but it sounds like a small rocket taking off and the cord is a bit too short
fine for small rooms

I miss my Dyson (my ex ended up with it) but the Miele (with bag) we have now is very good.
It doesn't quite have the suction of that Dyson but it does the job just fine. My husband had it when I moved in with him four years ago, but I admit it doesn't get used heavily.

I think I've emptied the bag in my strange hoover thing, maybe two or three times in a decade. Its such a disgusting job, and having a house that opens onto the street,it sends clouds of dust over the entire town... Its got this sort of hessien shaped bag inside... kinda cilendrical shaped, with a rubber section at one end, that has a hole in, where the inside bit of hte nozzle attaches, and then a zip round one end of the bag itself.
Removing it from inside the main body of the hoover, makes hell of a mess, as the hole in the rubber bit is then open.

Opening the zip bit, just covers me, the road, and everywhere in dust, and then, actually trying to tip it into the bin... its even worse I've only really got one carpet in the house though, the rest is tiled or wooden floorboards... I find sometimes I can do just as good a job in the front room, on the carpet, using the same brush I use for the ahrd floors Not that its really been possible to clean this carpet to any extent, now its well into its dotage The front room carpet is the first thing on the list, after the new boiler, repairing/replacing the bathroom, replacing all the internal doors, painting throughout, doing the kitchen, replacing the front door, getting the floor tiles redone, and re sanding/staining the floorboards... hmm... Its gotta last twice as long as it has already then
hey.... I know....
Concrete front room flloor.
Chique, minamilistic, a statement... yeh... screw it, who wants carpets anyhow when I've got 'origional' period (1970's or late 1960's) bijue concrete 'features' currnetly hidden under the monstrostity of this new fangled carpet thing
damn... acoustics... I forgot about those

I found Dyson to be rediculously expensive (here). We have literally dozens of makes for sale here (mostly Asian) but the one I found that is reasonably priced and very effective is Miele. For my renos I use ShopVac (bag) and a little bagless Dirt Devil Hepa.

What about the bags for Miele, aren't they expensive?

I'm a real technophobe, but I got a Dyson as soon as they came out. They're imcomparably better than the bagged hoovers. I'm currently on my third now. Yeah, they're really heavy to lug around, but they collect dust you wouldn't believe you had.

The Miele bags are more expensive but they seem very effective. I think the paper is better quality and the little mount seems stronger than the usual cardboard ones, even though the plastic is not as environmentally friendly as cardboard. I'm happy with it.

I took advice on here before buying our current vacuum -a Miele. It is very, very good but struggles a bit with cat hair (even with the attachment thingy).

What put me off Dysons was seeing the shipping containers for recycling at our local dump. There was one for fridges/freezers, one for tellys/stereos/vacuums/electrical gizmos and one set aside specifically for Dysons which was always nearly full.