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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Recommend me a vacuum cleaner.

28 replies

harryhausen · 04/12/2013 22:31

Ok. Some of you may recoil in horror but I don't know much about vacuum cleaners.

Me and DH have managed for over 10 years with a little Henry Hoover that we got free from dh's work (from a film set!). We've got to a point where's it just shit. It doesn't pick up much and we end up just brushing the carpet.

So we need a proper grown-up one (up to about £150?). We want something light enough to take up two flights of stairs, with all attachments for corners, fabric etc. Also me and dd have really long hair that sheds a lot so it would need to cope with that.

Where do I start? I'm a bit bamboozled.

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Hello! We've noticed this thread is quite old and some of the product recommendations are a little out of date. After weeks of trawling the Talk boards, talking to parents and researching bestsellers, here are our trusted vacuum cleaner reviews to help you find the best vacuum cleaner on the market.

Hope this helps! Flowers

MNHQ

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 04/12/2013 22:33

Can you up the budget and go for a Sebo?

Sebo or Miele are the best.

badasahatter · 04/12/2013 22:37

I hate Henry's and I bought my on recommendation from MN! Bloody awful. I'd go Miele next time, but DH wants a Dyson Digital Slim. He makes sense. It's needed for 3 sets of stairs, curtains and skirting boards, etc. Not everyone thinks the Dyson is great, but it's got advantages.

georgedawes · 04/12/2013 22:40

Miele cat and dog here, would recommend it.

bundaberg · 04/12/2013 22:41

we have a miele cat and dog and it's fabulous! meets all your criteria

BunnyLebowski · 04/12/2013 22:42

Another vote for Miele!

I got mine a few months ago and it is amazing! I love hoovering now (and I'm a bit of a slattern!).

ILikeToClean · 04/12/2013 22:50

Miele cat and dog Grin

Floralnomad · 04/12/2013 23:00

I have a Morphy Richards upright and its brilliant ,way better than Dyson . QVC are selling 2 models at the moment ,both under £140 with great reviews . Mine is a slightly different model again ( a pet hair one) .

Original poster
harryhausen · 04/12/2013 23:04

Yes, I've seen that Meile cat and dog one on a quick tour of the web. They are good then?

The only other make I've heard of is Dyson of course. Why are there advantages to Dyson? What's so good about them? Also, I'm confused as to whether to have an upright or a cylinder. I don't understand the advantage of one over another.

I've been looking at a Vax Air. Seems to have good reviews for under £100. I've heard of Vax too!

OP posts:
Original poster
harryhausen · 04/12/2013 23:06

Thanks everyone. Lots to look at. I love MN to cut straight through the crap and give me straight to the point reviewsGrin

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PedantMarina · 04/12/2013 23:20

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ElizaCBennett · 04/12/2013 23:37

I have had a Dyson and a Hettie (pink Henry). I now have a GTech AirRam - it is brilliant! No cable to fall over, very light and picks up dirt that other hoovers leave behind. I now run it round every day and empty it every time, I am fascinated by the amount of stuff it picks up each time, even if floor has already been hoovered by another make.

BitOutOfPractice · 05/12/2013 08:12

God I hate Dysons. Cheap flimsy plasticky things.

And I've never forgiven James Dyson for moving production to the Far East after constantly waving the flag about his British credentials.

Anyway, get a SEBO. I realise my hypocrisy as they are German but trust me you won't regret it.

cq · 05/12/2013 08:16

Just bought a Bosch - the one they are advertising with the sleeping tiger. £50 cash back offer. Fab. Quiet, light, powerful, no bags.

Bastard Dyson can now live upstairs and just do carpets - it's rubbish on hard floors and noisy as shit.

Purpletoes · 05/12/2013 08:17

I have a Bosch and it's brilliant. Cheaper than a Miele.

Felix90 · 05/12/2013 08:20

Miele definitely. Mine is super light with loads of attachments and the suction is awesome! I love it so so so so so much. MIL bought it for us cheap from Makro as she's had hers over 20 years and it still works good as new (and that's with obsessive vacuuming of her massive house with 2 dogs!)

Original poster
harryhausen · 05/12/2013 09:44

I like the idea of bagless. Henry had no bags and I'm just used to it. I can barely remember to keep bin bags in stock in the house so having to remember to buy vacuum bags is unappealingGrin

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Floralnomad · 05/12/2013 12:26

The Morphy are bagless, I have a bit of a vacuum collection and it really is the best one I've had . I have a cordless Dyson animal upstairs and that's really good but it was over £300 and long hair does bugger up the brush . The Morphy is better than any Dyson I've had ( and I've had a few) and better than the Orek ( bagged) .

superlambanana · 05/12/2013 12:45

I love my Dyson

DO NOT get a Vax. They are the crappest of crappity crap and don't pick up anything. Only household gadget I've ever replaced without it being broken.

I would get another Dyson or a Miele when this one gives up the ghost. Do wish I'd paid the extra to get the ball one that does hard floors too though.

bundaberg · 05/12/2013 13:08

i HATED my bagless vacuum cleaner. empyting it was a faff and it ended up needing cleaning so often. ,So much easier with bags you just remove it, bin it, replace it. more wasteful of course though.

struggling100 · 05/12/2013 13:17

Another vote for Miele cat and dog.

This is one of those areas where it is really worth checking the Which? report! When I bought mine, the Miele was very highly rated, but there may be others as well now.

NeverKnowinglyUnderstood · 05/12/2013 13:21

nother vote for a sebo

ours has been indestructible
dh bought it in 1995 and has never broken (famous last words)
cats and children has coped well.

OnTheBottomWithAWomansWeekly · 05/12/2013 13:32

Just got a Hetty (bagged Henry) and it is working much, much better than the crap Lidl one I've had for 2 yrs.

A comment I saw on line about bagged vacuums is that the dirt doesn't make it as far as the filter, so suction is better. The bags are huge as well - I reckon I'll be changing them every 2 months max. Extension hose means you can do all the stairs without having to lift the vacuum up them. (Hetty is a bit heavy, and an awkward shape so won't sit on a stair, so that is good)

A LOT of commercial cleaning firms use Henrys - good sign.

Fab41 · 05/12/2013 13:40

I thought dyson was great until I replaced it with a Miele Cat and Dog, it is utterly wonderful, and we have three dogs

Original poster
harryhausen · 05/12/2013 13:47

Sounds like the Miele is getting the best nods here. I'll also check out the Morphy Richards. I just don't know if I can spend so much on a vacuum to get a Dyson. We have wooden floors and carpets so would have to get the expensive one.

OP posts:
Original poster
harryhausen · 05/12/2013 13:48

Thanks for the comments about bags too. Maybe wouldn't be so bad after all?

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