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My vacuum (Panasonic) has seen better days & it's time for a new one. I need to find one that will pick up all the little sewing room fuzzies as well as cat hair. I need the vacuum to be lightweight but powerful. This house has a lot of carpeting, including in the sewing room. I think the house grows 3 sizes when I bring out the vacuum. No kidding -- it can take me almost an hour to vacuum thoroughly. I'm tired of pushing around my old heavy vacuum, and I really feel it in my shoulder & wrist these days.

Any recommendations for a new vacuum brand?

I'm here in MI with my bro/cuz....helping out while he gets better...anyway he rents out several trailers and someone left a Dyson (go figure) it is great!!! Pricey to buy but I'm sure it would last!
My SIL has an Oreck that she has had for years and swears by. I have used it and it works great as well!
ETA: My Bernina dealer also sells Miele & all the sales ladies there say they are great...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: luvthosequilts,

Dyson...great!

I use a stik vac in my sewing room. It doesn't have a beater bar, so there's no strings to get hung in there to be cut out.

I have a Panasonic vaccuum for the house. It has a strong vaccuum (su cks really hard).

I am a Hoover fan, but DH bought a Shark (the ad on TV had it picking up pool balls, so he was convinced, lol ). It does do a good job and is lightweight, but I want a Hoover again. I had a Fathom for years that I loved, but they don't make them anymore.

I am Hoover Wind Tunnel girl. Two reasons...one, I LIKE a bag (I know I am in the mionority but I HATE cleaning out the dirt from the filters in the bagless ones, and depending on what kind, they can loose suction very quickly so you need to clean almost after every use.) second I can leave the wand on the hose and just stick it in the tube (where the hose should go) and pull it out when I need it, there is plenty of suction set up this way and I have trouble unattaching the hose (bad wrist.) I do some cleaning and have one at each place I clean.

Vacuum the sewing room? We're suppose to do that?

Good discussion - I need a new one soon.

Dyson animal

Love the Oreck...eight pounds and does a great job.

Thanks for the interesting replies so far. I was leaning towards Miele because the dealer where I got my Panasonic years ago sells them. I was also going to stop by the Oreck store & check those out, because of their weight. I think I'll take fabric snippets & threads & cat hair with me when I go, the way we take our own fabric with us when shopping for a sewing machine. Think that will shock any dealers when I walk in with a bag of my own debris?!

I'll also consider Dyson & Shark, but I'm not sure I can try those before I buy. I, too, like vacuum bags -- easy to toss & change, and you don't have a mess inside the vacuum. I don't like cleaning even the tiny chamber & filter in the Dust Buster, so I would be horrible at cleaning a bagless big vac!

Do they sell "self-propelled" vacuums any more? Two vacuums ago, I looked at one, and the dealer said, "That's for old people with arthritis." Well guess what I'm turning into??

DH does a lot of vacuuming, too (sometimes without even being told! ), so I'm sure he's going to weigh in on this decision with horsepower of the motors & all that. Bigger isn't always better, though. He bought the biggest HP self-propelled, walk-behind lawnmower he could find, and I can't use it because it's too much machine. Darn, no lawn mowing for me! So I sure don't want to get a vacuum that would intimidate him. I want one he CAN'T WAIT to get his hands on.

My friend has a backpack vacuum that she LOVES!! She has one of those houses that are tall and narrow: 3 floors. So she's vacuuming up & down stairs and she swears she'll never buy another push-me pull-me kind. I'll ask her the brand & report back

I use the mini 3gal shop vac.......does the job for me........needs done now my daughter worked on project for her and we trailed strings down the hall to room where computer is and emb machine....was teaching her how to use it and we are planning a gettogether every Wed. to do her a new quilt.

I use a shopvac for the sewing room.

Our oldest DD bought a Dyson about 3-4 years ago because she had 2 goldens and a beagle. Even though she has built-in vacuuming system, it doesn't get all the dog hair up. Youngest DD also bought a Dyson a year ago because other vacuums kept breaking. DH won't spend that much on a vacuum, we have an Oreck because DH saw how lightweight they are and suppose to have great suction. We've had it about 8 yrs and I guess it's OK, we also have a 13+ yr old Bissell that doesn't work except for small pick-ups. Years ago I had a Rainbow that used water and really picked stuff up, I loved that one.

I too hate the bagless vacs. I have a bagless and cant wait to replace it. also have a oreck I like it use mostly in my camper because it is lightweight. My next vac will be a bag one just don't know witch one. let us know what you get. I like the idea of a shop vac for the sewing room.

I LOVE my Oreck. Have had it for ten years. It has a bag to change, but is very easy to do and doesn't have to be done often. It's light, but powerful. Picks up everything in the carpeted sewing room. I'd buy another.

I have a dyson with the ball. I absolutely LOVE it. Not only does it pick up everything in the sewing room, but it is compact, and I NEVER have to touch the bin that collects the dirt. I unclip it from the machine, hold it over the garbage then push the button and the waste goes where it should. I wash the filter periodically and I have had it for 3 years and have no regrets. Wal-Mart sells them now so I would think that you could try, before you buy.

Hardwood floors! YAY! Just stick a dry old washcloth to the pad and dust. Sweep up what makes it to the door and I'm through.

Back in the day - carpet day - I stick a couple of rounds of wide masking tape to my feet - sticky side out. Turned the radio on and tap danced to pick up the threads. Then vacuumed.

I had an upright Hoover...hated the heavy thing. Replaced it with a top of the line Kenmore canister and am in love with a vacuum cleaner again. Not that I use it that often! But I still have two bedrooms with carpet and I use the hard floor attachment to go over the tile throughout the rest of the house.

On SILs advice, I would never ever get a bagless. Her DH decided she needed one and brought it in for her. Even though she Hates it (capital H), he won't let her replace it. Umm..."let" is not in my vocabulary...

any vacumn with a beater bar should not be used till you get the threads up. Unless you clean the threads off the bar every time you use it or it will eventually ruin your vac. I use a sticky roller but there are other ways too.
I did just buy a Dyson and yes it is great. It has power and is easy to push and I love the swivel head. We have a lot of carpet too and it does a great job on the dog hair and the dir/dust. I live on a dirt road so we get lot of dust.

I found an interesting solution just the other day. Have a Kirby sales rep do a demonstration. Not only do the threads get cleaned up, the carpet gets shampooed also.

Can't say that I'll ever be "in love" with a vacuum cleaner, but DH bought me a Rikar a few years ago, and it's probably the best vacuum I've had. Has a bag, several handy attachments, and has been doing a good job for me.

I love my Panasonic's.I have 2,1 on the 1st floor and 1 for the 2nd floor.They have bags and awesome suction,both are about 15 years old.

I love my Dyson because my DH proudly bought it. He didn't like our heavy Hoover. Now he does all the vacuuming so what have I got to complain about? When it needs doing, I move the vacuum to the center of the den and he takes the hint. He loves the ball and doesn't hit furniture like he used to do. LOL

We bought a Miele the last ime around - it does an outstanding job. I only have one complaint....the handle is a little tall for me - or am I too short for the vacuum?? I'm glad someone else has the "growing" house when it comes time to vacuum....seems like everything I do at home takes way more time than I think it should.

LOL -- I used to be able to get up on a Friday morning, get DS off to school, then come home & kick it into high gear to get the whole house cleaned before it was time to run the afternoon school carpool! And we're talking 12 rooms to clean...2 levels + stairs + all those different types of floors and surfaces. I have no idea how I did it, other than being 20 years younger!! Now it takes me 2 days to clean the whole house, and much longer if I need to do a really deep cleaning job. Either I've slowed down or the house has grown.

I was @ Target yesterday & walked past all the Dysons. Didn't look like you could test drive them there, but then I didn't go find an associate to ask. Vacuum shopping is on my agenda for this month, though...

Go to Sears they let you test drive then go find where you can get the best price and sears will match it.

Had a Kenmore Canister vacuum all my life and just recently bought a dyson. I had decided to get the canister model but then the salesman talked me into the upright. I hate it. I should've stuck with the canister like I wanted. My wrist is weak and although it has a ball, it was hard to get used to (cant' teach an old dog new tricks). It's also hard to get under the edges of furniture/cabinets because it's an upright. Other than that, the dyson works great and I love the bagless. Salesman told me that if you have pets, you need the animal one.

I have a Dyson, and I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I had an Oreck (still, do; it's in the attic), but because of the pets, I decided to invest in the Dyson Animal Ball model several years ago. I vacuumed the living room, dining room and family room with the Oreck right before going to get the Dyson. Got home, vacuumed it all again with the new machine and the chamber was completely full, proving the Oreck was virtually worthless!

I've wondered about that swivel ball feature on the Dyson, and if it's like trying to control a floppy toddler having a tantrum. When you want to go one way, does it want to swerve in the other direction? Seems like it might stress my arm more as I try to control it.

Absoluletly not, the ball makes it sooooo much easier to manuver. I just love this feature!!

quote:

Originally posted by sewnso:
Absoluletly not, the ball makes it sooooo much easier to manuver. I just love this feature!!

Exactly! The ball helps you maneuver the vac anywhere you need to go - around corners, under furniture, etc. And their statement, "never loses suction" is absolutely true! It's a powerful machine!

We have a roomba for lazy, near daily cleanup. My studio is a sunroom and is about 8 inches lower than the other floors. I can put the machine I the studio, touch the start button with my toe and come back in about 10 minutes. Then I'll empty the dust bin and restart in the kitchen. Not perfect, but I clean more often with it. Then I use a HEPA canister vac for the intense cleaning whenever I feel the need, usually every 2 weeks. I can vac the spider webs at the ceiling and get rid of dust on the baseboards.

I too have a dyson animal (2 cats) and love it love it, love it!

It picks up everything, easy to use, and I just unclip the dirt collector, and dump it in the trash and do on.

I love it too b/c hubby thinks it is the best sweeper ever and sweeps most of the time, just to use it! lol

well worth the money. I bought a eureka and it lasted 1 yr 2 months, so far the dyson has lasted 3 yrs and still works as good as the first day.