Most unpleasant-sounding vacuum ever?

I've seen a thread in the archives about what members' quietest and loudest vacuums are. But I was inspired by a post over on AW.org to make this thread. I wasn't sure which forum to put this in, so I picked Contemporary.

What is the one vacuum cleaner that irritates you the most in terms of noise? This is a particularly good question for apartment dwellers. I have a personal list of all the machines I've used and/or owned which have the most unpleasant noise, in no particular order:

- Dirt Devil Dynamite: I used one in high school, and its noise was SO ANNOYING. The whiny, high-pitched, 7 amp motor sounded like a constant ringing in my ears the whole time I was using it. It didn't help that once the pleated filter got dirty, the noise became more obnoxious.

- Dyson DC07 Animal: The man, the myth, the legend, its noise was rather unpleasant during operation. The motor emitted a high-pitched whine, and the upwards-mounted inner cyclones created a lot of turbulence; they sounded like a strong wind howling. And whenever the brushroll got jammed...DON'T even get me started on the ratcheting noise. Although it doesn't hurt the machine, the sudden loudness scared the bejesus out of me on the rare occasions it did occur. The general noise was exacerbated at my mom's place, thanks to her one-bedroom apartment. The smaller space only made the vacuum louder.

- Black & Decker "The Collector" Hand Vac: This '90s direct-air bagged (either with a shake-out or optional paper bag) handheld vacuum was no stranger to be on this list; it was LOUD, and therefore scared me as a kid. When I went to use it myself many years later, the vacuum was just as loud as I remembered, and the whole thing vibrated in my hand. Although I didn't know it at the time, I eventually figured out that the fan must've been plugged up with fine dirt, making it unbalanced and contributing to the extra loudness.

- Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision: This early 2000s machine was where I started to hate the noise of a vacuum (I covered my ears before it was turned on). Ours was light gray, and had a high-pitched motor noise; not as bad as the Dynamite, but worse than most of the other SGVs I've seen on YouTube. Despite all the noise, suction loss wasn't very noticeable, even with the giant pleated "Perma Filter."

- Oreck XL Commercial: I can see why people refer to these vacuums as "screamers." The direct-air motor has no insulation whatsoever, which makes the 8-pound wonder so LOUD. Then why are they so popular in hotels?

So that's my personal list. Which vacuum, in terms of noise, do you dislike the most? This can apply to either vintage or modern machines.


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Post# 475548 2/13/2025 at 19:57 by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA)
Checkrate/Likes I've seen a thread in the archives about what members' quietest and loudest vacuums are. But I was inspired by a post over on AW.org to make this thread. I wasn't sure which forum to put this in, so I picked Contemporary. What is the one vacuum cleaner that irritates you the most in terms of noise? This is a particularly good question for apartment dwellers. I have a personal list of all the machines I've used and/or owned which have the most unpleasant noise, in no particular order: - Dirt Devil Dynamite: I used one in high school, and its noise was SO ANNOYING. The whiny, high-pitched, 7 amp motor sounded like a constant ringing in my ears the whole time I was using it. It didn't help that once the pleated filter got dirty, the noise became more obnoxious. - Dyson DC07 Animal: The man, the myth, the legend, its noise was rather unpleasant during operation. The motor emitted a high-pitched whine, and the upwards-mounted inner cyclones created a lot of turbulence; they sounded like a strong wind howling. And whenever the brushroll got jammed...DON'T even get me started on the ratcheting noise. Although it doesn't hurt the machine, the sudden loudness scared the bejesus out of me on the rare occasions it did occur. The general noise was exacerbated at my mom's place, thanks to her one-bedroom apartment. The smaller space only made the vacuum louder. - Black & Decker "The Collector" Hand Vac: This '90s direct-air bagged (either with a shake-out or optional paper bag) handheld vacuum was no stranger to be on this list; it was LOUD, and therefore scared me as a kid. When I went to use it myself many years later, the vacuum was just as loud as I remembered, and the whole thing vibrated in my hand. Although I didn't know it at the time, I eventually figured out that the fan must've been plugged up with fine dirt, making it unbalanced and contributing to the extra loudness. - Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision: This early 2000s machine was where I started to hate the noise of a vacuum (I covered my ears before it was turned on). Ours was light gray, and had a high-pitched motor noise; not as bad as the Dynamite, but worse than most of the other SGVs I've seen on YouTube. Despite all the noise, suction loss wasn't very noticeable, even with the giant pleated "Perma Filter." - Oreck XL Commercial: I can see why people refer to these vacuums as "screamers." The direct-air motor has no insulation whatsoever, which makes the 8-pound wonder so LOUD. Then why are they so popular in hotels? So that's my personal list. Which vacuum, in terms of noise, do you dislike the most? This can apply to either vintage or modern machines.

Post# 475550 , Reply# 1 2/13/2025 at 21:07 by kirbyman65 (USA)
Checkrate/Likes *i would say* my dirt devil dynamite and my eureka superlite and superboom. I would have to disagree with you about orecks. Mine isn't too bad. Also is AW.org another vacuum cleaner collector website? I tried to look it up but I couldn't find anything.

Post# 475551 , Reply# 2 2/13/2025 at 21:39 by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA)
Checkrate/Likes *kirbyman65* AW.org is shorthand for automaticwasher.org. It is the sister site to Vacuumland, where people discuss washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. You can get to AW via a link on the home page. I'm also a member on there.

Post# 475556 , Reply# 3 2/14/2025 at 00:30 by AmtrakSebo1997 (Vacmasterthegreats basement)
Checkrate/Likes *My 2 cents* I'm not a fan (no pun intended) of how modern low-end Bissells sound. It's like they're trying to sound high-tech when they're obviously anything but. The sound of G-Series Kirbys in tool mode is also very grading after a while of use. The EBK-360 is also pretty annoying from what I've heard. You could have a really quiet canister or central vacuum, and have that quietness thrown out the window from a loud power nozzle.

Post# 475559 , Reply# 4 2/14/2025 at 05:46 by Kirbyg6 (York)
Checkrate/Likes I don�t like that high pitched screaming sound that a Dyson makes

Post# 475560 , Reply# 5 2/14/2025 at 06:46 by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes 1 Eureka�s 12 amp World Vac and Powerline uprights from the 1990�s were real screamers. You could hear them clear across all the other sales departments at Sears whenever they were being test driven!!! 😳😳😳

Post# 475561 , Reply# 6 2/14/2025 at 06:49 by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes In terms of what�s on sale now, I find that bagless vacuums make more noise than bagged vacuums. All that plastic tends to transmit and echo motor noise, whereas a bag inside a compartment tends to dampen any motor noise.

Post# 475563 , Reply# 7 2/14/2025 at 08:46 by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )
Checkrate/Likes Ones that come to mind. Oreck. Shark corded sticks. Really any corded stick. It sounds like a jet coming in on landing. Kirby. When the hose is hooked up.

Post# 475564 , Reply# 8 2/14/2025 at 09:01 by kirbyman65 (USA)
Checkrate/Likes *Kirbyg6* I hadn't thought about Dyson, but that's so true. I was so excited when a family member gave me his V10, but after awhile its so annoying!

Post# 475566 , Reply# 9 2/14/2025 at 11:31 by Powerstarenergy (Portland, Tennessee)
Checkrate/Likes *Dirt Devil Scorpion* Photo credit to RoyalFan103. I acquired this machine from my grandparents� house when we went through it and claimed things after they passed away. I genuinely cannot tell if it just sounds like it does or it has a bad motor. I saw a video on it, and it sounds like it does in the video. However, I am still scared to run it for more than ten seconds. View Full Size

Post# 475576 , Reply# 12 2/14/2025 at 21:11 by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I will add my two pennies here: the 1995-2018 Royal metal uprights, when they switched to the drop-in motor units. These had a much more pronounced sound than the 1994 and older counterparts with the non-drop-in-type motors that you serviced piece-by-piece. Rob aka @Kirbylux77: I agree, especially the later 1970s and early 1980s units. I liked the original mid 1970s Electrikbrush/Powerteams. ~Ben This post was last edited 02/15/2025 at 03:03

Post# 475580 , Reply# 13 2/15/2025 at 00:50 by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes 1 I have a bagless Meilie canister that is very quiet.Unusual vacuum.Has two main chambers to catch dirt-dust.First chamber for large dirt-dust second for finer dust and has a filter.Bought this for my collecton.The dealer had it for a while and sold it to me at a good price.It is a suction only vacuum.Mst of my floors are now laminate.No more WW carpet as in my former house.

Post# 475581 , Reply# 14 2/15/2025 at 00:52 by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes Oh yes when I used the bagless Meile vacuum slirped out the chambers with a bagged Sebo canister.

Post# 475567 , Reply# 10 2/14/2025 at 11:37 by panasonicvac (Northern Utah)
Checkrate/Likes The ones that come to mind are the early Bissell Little Greens like the 1653 or the 1720 and the Dirt Devil Ultra hand vac. I don't like using either machines as the result.

Post# 475573 , Reply# 11 2/14/2025 at 18:42 by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes *Regina Electrikbroom* I never was a fan of how these sounded, and the powerbrush version was even worse!

Post# 475582 , Reply# 15 2/15/2025 at 12:43 by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *unpleasant sounding vacuums* Since I'm a blind person, I tend to notice the sound of things a lot more. I really don't like any of the high pitch screaming motors which unfortunately is very common these days. Usually one stage motors that spin much faster than the two stage motors. In particular, Dyson and Shark use these motors but it's common with other brands as well. The Sebo and Miele canisters also use single stage motors I think but the sound is not as noticable. I really like the sound of the two stage motors that were common in the 60's and 70's. Also, in many cases, shop vacs sound kind of annoying, for some reason they are louder than many other vacuum types, not sure why.

Post# 475585 , Reply# 16 2/15/2025 at 19:02 by fan-of-fans (USA)
Checkrate/Likes To be honest I found most 1990s era direct air vacs like Hoover and Eureka to be unpleasantly loud! Even though they are nice vacuums. And yes those Eureka Superlites, while they are cute, are very noisy! Modern Bissells, to my ears aren�t actually too bad, especially considering how cheap they are.

Post# 475595 , Reply# 17 2/16/2025 at 12:11 by Human (Pines of Carolina)
Checkrate/Likes 1 My parents had a Singer upright that replaced our trusty old Hoover Convertible. It was just ridiculously loud, and for all that noise, didn't clean quite as well as the Hoover. I seem to recall that it did not stay in use very long. I had a cat that hated the sound of my Eureka Princess power team. As soon as she saw the thing, she'd run and hide. I didn't even have to turn it on. She would wait as long as two hours after I'd shut it off and put it away before coming back out.

Post# 475649 , Reply# 18 2/19/2025 at 18:41 by Lesinutah (Utah)
Checkrate/Likes *The* Bissell made in early to mid 2010s. It's a 12 amp motor that's super small. The vacuum just sounds overworked. I like the wessell werk ebk360. The royal powercast (i believe is the name of the 12 amp rpyal) Just very loud.

Post# 475749 , Reply# 19 2/27/2025 at 13:19 by Powerstarenergy (Portland, Tennessee)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *Speaking of Dirt Devils* I have come back to say that any 2010s Dirt Devil Stick Vac, most notably the Dirt Devil Power Stick, is unnecessarily loud. View Full Size

Post# 475753 , Reply# 20 2/27/2025 at 18:09 by niclonnic (Bonney Lake, WA)
Checkrate/Likes 1 *On the subject of stick vacs...* I had a couple more vacuums that I forgot to put in my OP: - Eureka Flash NES510: A corded unit by Midea, it had a rather loud, high-pitched motor. Plus, despite the "no loss of suction" claim, it wasn't cyclonic, so the filter got soiled VERY fast. Whenever the filter got packed with dust from normal usage, the vacuum would make a popping noise during the wind-down. That was a cue for me to wash the filter. - Hoover ONEPWR Blade MAX BH53352V: A cordless, dual cyclonic machine by TTI, its "High Performance Digital Motor" had a very high-pitched whine during operation. Running it on low was a little more pleasant. But turning on the "boost" mode would make the vacuum louder and devastate the battery life. But there is one more honorable mention: - Black & Decker BDH2000SL 20V MAX Cordless Lithium-Ion Platinum Hand Vacuum - An incredibly powerful DustBuster that sounded incredibly LOUD and high-pitched during operation. Despite this, it was our go-to hand vacuum for several years. There you have it: three vacuums that sound like a jet engine. Photos... < > Photo 1 of 3 View Full Size

Post# 475758 , Reply# 21 2/27/2025 at 21:50 by EvolutionClean1 (Nampa, Idaho)
Checkrate/Likes *Not necessarily unpleasant* But I had a 70s Sanitaire that came standard with the 3.5 amp motor, that wasn't doing it for me so I swapped it for a 7.5 amp 😂 with the metal base and a shake out bag, holy hell. Using a free sound meter app on my phone, it was pushing 91dB. I think I put a VG1 in there too so yeahhh it was a carpet rocker 🤣 I did end up selling it as I've done so many purges over the last year ish, but it was probably the single loudest in the collection at the time. Now I've moved on to machines that are much much quieter, not sure where my new sound sensitivity came from... I'll have to do some digging as I know I've come across plenty of very unpleasant sounding machines through the years, stay tuned? 🤣

Post# 475893 , Reply# 22 3/7/2025 at 17:38 by RoyalFan103 (Bremerton, Washington)
Checkrate/Likes *@Powerstarenergy* I still have the hand vac you mentioned and even after a disassembly and cleaning of the motor inside it, it still sounds like it�ll blow up. It had sounded like that since I first got it. View Full Size