Vacuums

A friend is in the market for a new vacuum. She was asking for opinions on best brand, cost, bag or bagless. Searching for a good vacuum is like looking for the Holy Grail, in my opinion. You know it's out there, but no matter where you look, how much you spend, you never find the perfect vac. The perfect vac has enough suction to pick up cat/pet hair and not clog, has on-board tools that are easy to reach and attach, can go from hard wood floors to tile to carpet without having to change a setting, is maneuverable and not heavy or clumsy when doing stairs. And I think all vacuum cleaners should have bags. You go through all the trouble of vaccing up dander, dirt, dust mites, and then when you empty the cup, all that dirt and dust gets sent back into the air. Bags are so much cleaner. Your hands don't touch the dirt and you don't have to wash out the cup. It should have a cord that can reach across the entire room and an onboard extension hose that can reach to the ceiling. The perfect vacuum shouldn't cost an arm and a leg either

Not long ago, I bought a Hoover Elite Auto Rewind. (Hoover U5507-900) The model is probably a low to mid range priced vacuum. It's not too heavy, not too big to clean the dollhouse (storage is a problem so appliances can't be sized for McMansions) But it just doesn't seem to have enough oomph. I'm also not happy that bag models are hard to find. I really don't like the bagless models though this model has a large cup and a lever so your hands don't have to touch the dirt. It also has a plastic filter (as well as a HEPA filter) though the plastic one seems to clog a lot. The filter as well as the dirt cup are easy to get to. It also has a nice auto cord winder. The on-board tools are easy to attach. There's a mini vac attachment for pet hair, but that didn't last long. I have a feeling a belt broke.

I was thinking of getting a Dyson ball vacuum. Though I got sticker shock when I saw the price! Lambie had a Dyson which she absolutely loved. When I called to ask her about the model, she said she would never by another Dyson. The hose broke after only 18 months.

So do any of you have a vacuum you're really happy with?