If you can't afford the best...buy the cheapest. AIBU?

[ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks]

I've always bought into this. Basically if you can't buy top of the range then don't fall for mid-range as they're not good enough and the cheapest is often as good anyway.

This goes for things like vacuum cleaners imo.

DH disagreees and ours has broken. We can't spend 200 quid on a hoover just before Christmas so I told him to buy an Argos value one for 18 pounds. We had one once before a few years back and it was fine!

NO says DH. I'm getting this one for 100 pounds.

He doesn't even DO the vacuum cleaning!

I do!

I should know shouldn't I??

I've bought 3 hoovers in the last few years, all about £50/60. All pretty useless, only any good if you take the end off and just suck things up through the nozzle. Used my sister's Miele yesterday, was fab, so am thinking of asking for one for xmas from my parents - yes, sad I know.

If you don't want to get into the £200 bracket Henry's are good (as others have said). I just got a bit fed up with dragging around the fairly heavy round cylinder.

There's that saying buy cheap, buy twice - three times in my case !

I don't like dysons. We got given a dyson by my Nan and it broke after ten months. It wasn't an old one either, she'd bought it new and only lightly used it. It stopped sucking up. From that experience I think they're utterly shite.

We have a mid range one and it does the job well, has lasted eight months so far so we'll see. I could and would never buy the absolute cheapest unless it was a temporary stop gap between pay days or something... It's a total false economy, they don't last and you have to replace them after not very long. And that applies to everything IMO from clothes to electrical appliances.

My parents have a £30 one from Screwfix that seems pretty good. I wonder whether it's an unbranded Henry knock off.

Agreed Becca I work in a 200 bedroom hotel with masses of conference space too and it is kept clean by Henrys

Dysons are only good because of the long guarantee. Mine died last month, and luckily it was a month or two within guarantee so they came out and changed the motor and replaced a couple of other parts as well that they said were pretty worn.

YANBU in my opinion because YOU do the hoovering, so you should be the one to choose as long as your choice is within budget which it sounds like it is!

I swear by my Miele, it's brilliant

It really depends on what you are talking about?

Buying a cheap version of something you aren't going to use very much / only need for the interim can be useful but often buying cheap is false economy.

I agree with hubby, spend a £100 and a get a Henry.

I'd like a Henry but the one DH wanted was an upright! Where will I bloody put it!?

He just loves buying tools and technical things...if I wanted a new mixer he'd be off brandishing his card even though he doesn't bake!

As a stop gap to save for a ddcent hoover yanbu.
But id also consider getting a bissel sweeper (argos) can get them for £10 upwards.
I have a £30 one and we honestly use it more than my crap refurb hoover.
They pick up everything even dust.
Only thing the hoover is good for is around the skirtings

My henry is fab, and has been going for donkeys years..in fact I have a sneaking suspicion its going to out live us all

I agree with buying a reasonable quality one not top of the range. DH once got me a handheld hoover type thing from Argos. It was tiny and totally useless and cost about £15. I raged at him because it looked cheap and useless and it was. Henry's are very robust.

Good deals on Amazon at the mo! I've just bought a Vax hoover for 75%under rrp!

Ours is a Miele, is the best vacuum cleaner we've had.

Amazon is very often the place to look for things like vacuum cleaners in my experience. Often very much cheaper than elsewhere so you might actually be able to get the model you really want without the stopgap measure first.

IMO, you should always buy the best you can afford based on customer reviews. But...if two that you can afford come up with similar reviews, go for the cheaper one.

if sparkly-tat-mas is straining your finances, buy less sparkly tat. You do need to keep your house clean.

not sure what the right answer is, but it isn't £18 and it probably isn't £200 either.

Don't get a dyson crapola

Get a henry

Get a second hand reconditioned Dyson/Henry/Miele- often available for about £70.

Brand new Henry's on John Lewis atm for for £79.

I love my Henry. But I did once buy the cheapest hoover in John Lewis (think it was about 35 quid) and it actually did a pretty good job. No worse than the 300 quid sodding Dyson that followed it anyway!

Sorry to divert thread but thinking of getting a Miele but worried about cost of bags?

Are they hideously expensive, my Dyson is crap even though I literally take it apart and clean it regularly!

Freecycle! Bet you'll find one. And it's green. And it's free.

He who does the actual bloody work, gets to choose. If he wants the upright then he uses it.

Go cheap if it is temporary, otherwise I'd go for the best I could afford in the style I like.