The front feature on AOL Today was about Vacuum Cleaners. There is a general article, mentioning some brand names and then a blog that follows. Link below.

Geez, I read 3 pages which mostly consisted on positive Dyson testimonials. These posters were most likely "paid" to post their comments to add to the hype.

Someone truly reseaching machines should read this dealers guides. The Kirby or Dyson link is below. He has several others.

Hey Ray, thanks for the link. I've never liked bagless machines myself, and this goes to show they are not what the makers make them out to be. I grew up with a 505, and have at least a dozen Kirbys in my collection, the oldest being a 511, and newest a G3, and I can take any of them off their pedestals, and vacuum with them as efficiently as the day they were new. There's a lot to be said about Kirbys!

Rick

Those of us with allergies don't like bagless machines. Dyson and others are terrible when you empty them. There is no way to gently allow the dirt out of the container without it coming back at you. I have to give David Oreck credit, at least the bags on his machines prevent that awfull belch of dirt from hitting you square in the face.

Of course, Air-Way and Electrolux also had a good idea. Air-Way gave you stickers to seal the intake of the bag before you lifted it out of the machine. Electrolux had the rubber seal built right into their bag. The Air-Way bag leaked far less dirt than any of the new bagless models. The Lux bag was not as good, but still not bad for the time.

Someone on the comment sections of that first article hit it square on the head. Dyson may filter well, may have a washable filter (that still needs to be replaced on occasion or they would not be selling them in the store), but have to change the belt... the cost will scare you.

Most people today don't use the vacuum the way they were intended to be used. I use the vacuum for everything, dusting, furniture, hard wood, tile, curtains, lamp shades, the car and even the garage floor. So attatchments are key for me and most of the newer machines don't have sufficient attatchments. Plastic bristles in the dust brush and floor tool, a small piece of velcro on the upholstery tool,,,, just not quality.

Just my dime.

Morgan

Morgan....

I echo your sentiments. Who wants a puff of the dirt fresh off of the floor in their face? I would buy any bagged machine over a bagless regardless of brand. Though I think dyson is the worst one on the market with the biggest price tag.

--Tom

Let me add to my last post that this is my humble opinion from my own life experiences...please do not send me hate mail!

--Tom

what disgusts me about Dyson is that you pay 500 dollars but only get 100 dollars worth of vacuum cleaner.

The dyson is soo bulky. It simply cannot fit underneath low furniture.

the model i used had no midpoint handle stop. that means that the nozzle cant be lifted off the floor by pushing the handle down. if there is a piece of popcorn or a scrap of paper the nozzle will push it around instead of pulling it in. and NO edge cleaning ability. infuriating.

and most dyson models dont have a goddam bumper!! if im paying 500 dollars for a vacuum i want a goddam furniture guard!

I just don't know how ANYONE could be dumb enough to spend 100's of dollars on a cheaply made plastic throw away whether it's Dyson, Oreck, Riccar, Hoover & Eureka.

The throw aways probably don't cost them no more than $25 to manufacture and should not be sold for no more than $50. Imagine the profits these companies are making on their junk.

For the prices some of these throw aways are selling for, someone could easily buy a Kirby if they were smart enough to do the research.

The Kirby, even at full price is a bargain compared to Dyson, Oreck, Riccar, Hoover & Eureka.

Ray

Keep in mind that most of these consumers know nothing about vacuums besides what salespeople/consumer reports have told them, some of there comments are just down right hillarious. I can tell you that the people who have all the positive dyson testimonials have never been to a vacuum shop for anything but a tune up on their old machine. The dyson is great for industry people, they bring us allot of money.

Here's my two cents.

The Dyson makes a great canister vac, the motor is powerful gets about 90 inches of lift with the suction meter so i mean for a vacuum you can get in a department store thats way better then anything else you can find there. However as an upright they are a complete joke, if any of you have ever seen the rollerbrush on one you know it is a chincy small little thing that you see on some lightweight vacs. Rainbow vacs tend to get rave reviews because of the fact that they use water so therefore it must be cleaner.

Most rainbows i work on tend to have dirt caked onto the motor after there use because it rises up from the water container after setting which then upon turning it on blows it back out into the air so really it seems like it spreads more dust into the air then it actually cleans. Electrolux hasn't been the same since they stopped making the metal body canisters. it was a sad day when i saw electrolux in a department store. I guess its really peoples own personal prefrence on what makes a vacuum cleaner good, you can go for the gimmicks and the so called "Progress" or you can stick with an old model thats not as advanced but it still does the job.

As far as new vs old, i'm indeffrent. there are new machines out there that do an excellent job, miele, seebo, riccar, simplcity. i also tend to go by what i get in to be worked on, the more i see coming in of one model the more displeased i am with it unless its some minor problem like rollerbrush being bound up with gunk. Allot of people don't understand that vacuums are like cars it NEEDS MATINANCE every 3,6, or 8 months depending on the machine you have. Some people don't even know you can take end caps off. My final comment to those people would be go to a few vacuum stores and get an unbiased oppinion on whats good, hard to do i know but test what they have out, and see what you think, nothing better then to see for oneself a higher caliber of machine to make a sound decision.

...let me weigh in as well. I also thought the number of Dyson postings on this AOL blog was out of balance; but I agree with the earlier posting that the hype and "post-modern," look of the Dyson seems to push it over the top and out of balance to it's real cleaning ability in relation to other cleaners. Also [only my hunch] I'll bet that the type of person who would buy a Dyson is exactly the type of person who more commonly would post to such a blog.

I still don't see the preference of having to empty out a bin of dirt and dust that, no matter how you try to stop it, will billow out everywhere, especially in your face. Seems to me that detaching a bag full of the dirt that practically seals shut [most of them do] and tossing it in the trash is a whole lot more sanitary.

As far as machines go: my personal preference is a Kirby with a filtrete bag. I think the airflow it remarkable and the room smells so clean after you're done. I have also used a modified filtrete bag on a Hoover Convertable and got a good result. To me the filtration and airflow with these bags goes far beyond anytning Dyson or other "bagless," vacuums have to offer even with their HEPA filters.

Bruce

I agree with Tom. I think the Dyson is very overrated. The upright is very difficult to clean under and around furniture and the canister ruined my dining room carpet. The brushes were way too stiff.