Help, please can somebody recommend a vacuum cleaner? Not a Dyson.

[ineedaknittedhat]

I have three dyson cleaners, none of which work properly. I am at my wits end. I can't afford anything too fancy.

Can anyone recommend a reasonable vacuum for around £250 that isn't huge as my house is small. I can't use one of those drag across the floor ones as I have a bad back.

Goldpendant sorry I'm late in responding but only just seen the thread.

I have a Shark duo clean True pet liftaway! Have had it for almost a year and love it. MY house is 70% carpets but I have slate tile floors in the kitchen and utility and both bathroom floors have ceramic floor tiles. The Shark performs really well everywhere and the pet tool is excellent for stairs.

It has one battery's with a 50 minute run time, the machine is guaranteed for 5 years and the battery for 2 years.

I wouldn't be without it and I too have had Dyson, GTech and Miele in the past.

Sorry should have added mine is the cordless model.

We bought a Miele Cat & Dog in 2003 and although it's a bit battered round the edges it has been utterly reliable - even the cord rewind still works- for the past 16 years. On a pound per year basis it is has been way cheaper than the sundry Hoovers, Panasonics and Electroluxes we owned previously.

I have a light weight, rechargeable, cordless vax. cost me about £50 on a groupon deal. It is the best vacuum cleaner I have ever owned.

My Sebo is an X4, it's way better than the Shark we inherited which needed emptying 3 times yesterday and doesn't pick up the dog and cat hair like the Sebo. Guess it depends on the model.

After years of rubbish dysons when the last one gave up we didn't have enough cash to spend lots so purchased a vax and was very impressed when shopping to replace there was a Shark demo and whilst I felt daft initially for falling for the sales patter I'm so glad as it is far better than any other vacuum cleaner I have had including a Kirby (the Shark does remind me of these due to the headlights)

Miele cylinder, doesn't drag and you stand upright with it as the hose is perfectly designed. I have one still going after 15 years and another for downstairs which is about 8iirc. Dyson animal cordless and let's just say I'm pleased I got it with Tesco vouchers

@Dz1000 I can't answer your question RE the video, but as others have said, it will depend on the exact model. All I can say is that having had two corded Dysons which started out OK but rapidly lost suction despite following their care instructions, I wasn't prepared to spend several hundred pounds on another mediocre machine by them. My shark is advertised with a video showing it picking up flour through a rug. I conducted my own version of that test - liberally sprinkled Haley's bag if flour onto the wooden floor. Placed rug on top and vacuumed. Every speck came up through the rug. My Dyson couldn't even pick it up from the floor!

Although the shark needs emptying regularly, it's easy to do, cleaning the filters is easy and it does a great job. I won't be going back to Dyson and most people I know who have made the switch say the same.

bananasandwicheseveryday. I'll hazard a guess that your Shark is a corded model. The corded Sharks are considered to be better than the corded Dysons, but the video i posted above was comparing cordless Shark vs cordless Dyson.

Shark doesn't have great cordless motor tech. Shark's top cordless model has a lower power output than the Dyson V6, which is Dyson's lowest cordless model. This goes some way to explain the Shark's poor performance on carpet in the video. Shark cordless models also weigh considerably more than the Dyson cordless models despite the Shark outputting less power. This is again because of poor cordless motor technology compared to Dyson.

The shark has lights!
You don’t need to hang the shark on the wall, it can be folded under the stairs
The battery charger is separate

When I googled it looks like the Dyson corded models have better suction power than the Shark ones. I think I would rather go back to corded if that is the case.

miele cat and dog

best. vacuum. ever.

@ineedaknittedhat try looking at shark hoovers ... love mine fairly light weight and can detach from base when hoovering the stairs £169.99 in the sale sharkclean.eu/uk/product/shark-lift-away-upright-vacuum-cleaner-nv601uk/?gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI5Li4yPXw4wIVw4jVCh1aDgtsEAQYASABEgJZpPD_BwE

I have a shark, the cord is pretty short and it's annoying to have to keep unplugging and plugging in. The dyson is much longer.

You should really try washing the filters on the three you have already, I'm sure they will work fine.

The shark I've got with the teeny weeny dust container is the Lift Away 681. Definitely avoid that one if you don't want to empty the dirt/pet hair out 3 times in one cleaning session!

Bosch athlet animal hair. Light and I love it.

@Dz1000

As I said, the video is really only applicable if you are comparing those two models. My point was that having experienced the mediocre Dyson corded, why would I hope so spend even more money on a brand which has already disappointed me twice?

Sorry, I did not make it clear that I do have a corded Shark. Sadly, my model does not seem to be available anymore. We bought it as we were impressed with a relative's one and then ds asked for one as a housewarming gift as he and DIL were so impressed after using ours.
However, as I said in my first post on this thread, my other vacuum, is the most incredible vacuum I've ever used, bar none. I would never consider paying full price, but won it as a prize about six weeks after getting my Shark. It is also corded, but that isn't an issue for me.

The things I do for mumsnet.

Duo clean cordless shark with flexology. Great for hard floors, getting under sofas etc.

Liftaway corded. Best hoover I’ve ever had.

Missed a photo

I just got my first shark and I love it. Was on offer at Argos Think it was about £190

I have a new shark lift away true pet which was on the shark website for about 190. I love it!! Really light and when the dust tank bit unclips for doing stairs and corners etc, it's really small so no heavy lifting.

I love my shark duo clean....far superior to the dyson that preceded it!