[k_estes8]

Here's the deal, I am a college student moving in to a new place in the fall and hopefully will be adopting a dog not to long after. I am in the process of furnishing the place, so as you can imagine, I'm getting a lot of freebees from relatives and people throwing stuff out so I don't have to spend a lot of money. The one thing, however, I feel like I can't be cheap about is a vacuum. What I am looking for are suggestions for which vacuum I should get considering I am getting a dog? I've done a little bit of research and everyone swears by the Dyson Animal but at $500+ I was hoping for other suggestions. I am also thinking of getting a carpet rake just to take a little pressure off the vacuum. So any suggestions?

 

[FilleBelle]

Dyson is my god.

Seriously, the whole Dyson line is awesome, if somewhat overpriced. The DC 14 All Floor model is a step below the Animal, but every bit as effective. It's normally $399, but if you wait for one of those 20% off at Bed Bath and Beyond coupons to come your way, you can take a chunk out of that.

Having said all of that, my mom and I both own $60 Hoovers that work perfectly well.

 

[lshean]

I use oreck I purchsed from heartland america 149.00 http://www.heartlandamerica.com/
It works fine and leaves no pet hair around anywhere. My sister pruchased a Dyson Animal online for 299.00 from http://www.overstock.com/ hopes this helps you.

In fact overstock has a Dyson-DC14-Animal-Upright-Vacuum-Refurbished for 259.00 http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garde...right-Vacuum-Refurbished/1544111/product.html

 

[k_estes8]

That's basically what I've heard about Dyson over and over and over again. Owners swear by it. I've read that Orecks aren't very reliable long term but then again you can but 3 for the prices of an Animal at full price. Under $300 is a great deal and I've even considered buying a refurbished Animal for that price. Any other suggestions out there, maybe around $100-$200?

 

[Cheetah]

I've got a Dyson here too, but then again, I have a corgi so I definitely need one LOL.

I hear Kenwood makes a vacuum cleaner that is great for pets as well. Not sure which one it is though, or how much it is (just that it's apparently cheaper than a Dyson).

 

[cshellenberger]

Dyson I bought from an authorized factory refurb dealer on Ebay. My DC14 cost me 199.00!!! I've had it over a year and it still picks up like crazy.

 

[lovemygreys]

I'd save my money to buy a Dyson. Seriously. It works better than any other vac I've ever owned. 10+ hounds in this house at all times, our Dyson is 5 years old and still sucking!

 

[RonE]

FWIW, we have a closet full of cheap, busted vacuums - too expensive to pitch and too cheap to get them fixed.

I have a 30-year-old Kirby that works great but is daunting to lug up and down stairs.

The next one will be a Dyson. (Some models are 20% off at Best Buy right now, though they will probably demand you buy a $300 extended warranty. I'm only slightly joking.)

 

[Lolas_Dad]

I have a Eureka Boss with the hepa filter. It is bagless and my father was tossing one out because the belt broke. I gave it to a friend he put a new belt on and he said it was the best vacuum he ever owned. He has 3 kids, a dog, 8 cows (no the cows do not come in the house ). I have had mine about 7 years and never had a problem with it. The belt on mine has never been replaced, never needed to. I think I paid a little over 100.

 

[HuskyLuv]

Personally, while the Dyson may be a great vac, I won't go for it purely based on price. We've had an Oreck that's still going strong after 10 years but it's not spectacular at picking stuff up, I wouldn't get one again. We also have a 25 year old Kenmore canister vac that is still working like a champ to this day.

I have a beltless Kenmore Progressive upright with tools and attachments onboard that I absolutely love. It stands up to 2 guinea pigs (I vacuum their cage daily), 3 chihuahuas and my Siberian husky, who is the real challenge, like a champ and has done so for 4 years now. It is an excellent, sturdy vacuum with exceptional suction and cleaning power (and has scored way better than all of the Dyson models consistently for years in Consumer Reports' tests) and only costs $250, less if you have a coupon or get it on sale like we did. If I had $1000 to buy any vacuum that I wanted today, I'd still get the Kenmore Progressive upright that I have now.

 

[sheltiemom]

I'd love to have a Dyson, but I'm going to have to save up for it. In the meantime I got a barely used Hoover Windtunnel from a family member for free, and I like it quite a bit. It uses bags, which you may or may not like, but it seems well made and picks up really well. Normally it's about $250, so not exactly cheap, but I went through three cheaper vacs previously at $70 or so a pop, and the Bissell Pet Hair, which I do not recommend....anyway, it makes more sense to buy a better one that will last, at least in my case, since my dogs kill vacuums. I also used to have a Kirby but it was so heavy and difficult to use, that you needed to be a rocket scientist to switch out the attachments. I left it with my ex when I moved out.

So yeah, Hoover Windtunnel, thumbs up.

 

[boon4376]

I've been using the same electrolux vacuum for 16 years, my parents have one still in use for 26 years.. Its very powerful and the motorized head gets deep down dirt.

It also uses bags so you have no dusty mess when you empty the canister... Anyways that's what i recommend. You can pick up a new base model for around $350... Its what i would get if i needed a new vacuum... Dyson has good marketing...

 

[Lolas_Dad]

It also uses bags so you have no dusty mess when you empty the canister...

I think that most people with bagless vacuums take the canister outside and dump it not creating a dusty mess.

Here is a good article on bagless VS bag vaccum cleaners.

http://www.vacdepot.com/article/126

 

[ValtheAussie]

I am getting along with a Bissell PetHair Eraser though if I had the bucks for a Dyson, I'd rather get a Miele, which are the best of the best, IMO, people dealing with loads of pet hair.

Hoover is the worst IMO, but Electrolux Twin Clean doesn't do the job either.

http://www.miele.com/

 

[Shaina]

I have the Bissell PetHair vac as well and it does a pretty good job, despite the challenge of Webster who has an incredibly dense undercoat that he blows and Kim who sheds like a GSD.