When we moved to France, we had to store all of our stuff. Dr. B, being the Obsessive-Compulsive that he is, freaked out at the end, and began throwing things away. Important things. Cleaning things.
He tossed my mop. My bucket. My broom. The dustpan. Even... the vacuum cleaner.
"It smells like dog! It stinks anyway. Doesn't work for crap."
Well, it did work (or else all that dirt I emptied out of the cup each time was imaginary.) And yeah, it smelled like dog. Likely, any vac would. Because we have a dog.
He was in the midst of a big freak out about getting us to France, learning the language, dotting all the i's and crossing the t's, having no money, etc., so I didn't argue. I know better than to argue with him when he's in the midst of a big freak out. (Or at least let him win part of it. It's a control issue. Logic schmlogic.)
We came back, and our new home had all hardwood floors. With no need for a big vac, I bought new mops and brooms, and made due with a small hand vac for necessary suck ups. It was fine. I still hate mopping, but it was fine.
Now we're in a place with carpet. Lots of new, nice carpet. And it needs vacuuming.
And so the argument begins.
I need your help. We are discussing the Bissell Lift Off and the Dyson Animal (or not the Animal--whatever, a Dyson anyway.) My sister has the Dyson, and loves it. However, I'm not in love with the ginormous price tag, whether I have a Bed, Bath and Beyond All Hope 20% off coupon or not (currently I don't.) Dr. B is convinced it is better, because the inventor is a scientist and of course scientists know better than people who have been making vacuums for umpteen billion years. I think he's buying into the hype of the brilliant inventor's brilliant marketing scheme, personally. Chances are, the Bissell works as well, or not so much worse that anyone would notice unless you told them. (Don't all people with Dysons tell you they have a Dyson? So you'll notice how clean their floor is, of course. Because you wouldn't have noticed otherwise.) The Bissell has a cool feature, too, that I like--the center part pulls out and is easy to carry around (I'm thinking stairs.) I'm not a neat freak (though my sister might argue), but I do like a clean house, especially with a little one who will eventually be toddling around it.
So, what do you think? All I can find online are a bunch of people who buy one, use it once, and rave about how great it is. Yeah, well, the first time you use a bagless it is pretty amazing to see the dirt. I'm over that. (Last one, the "doggie stinky vac" was a bagless, too.) I want to know if the Bissell does a good job, if it will last, and if it is a good alternative. I just have a hard time spending as much for a vacuum as I did for my wedding gown (which was worth every penny.)
UPDATE: We got the Bissell. It works great, is fairly quiet, moves very smoothly, and doesn't lose the on-board parts every time you move it. If it had a retractable cord, I think it would be the perfect machine. (Well, that and if it vacuumed the house for me while I was taking a nap. That would be even better.)
10 comments:
The one who does the vacuuming gets to pick out the vacuum. JMO!
I have a Dyson, have had it for 3 years. I like it a lot. It really gets my carpets clean, has excellent suction. My main complaint is that it's very heavy. But Consumer Reports rates the Dyson pretty even with much cheaper vacuums (in a recent issue of Consumer Reports). Good luck! Rose
Oh Hi LA Reveuse!
I'm so glad you posted this. I'm a vacuum repairman and I kind of obsess over my work. I'm like that kid on Jay Leno who can name vacuum cleaners by sound, though not nearly as good!
Anyway, I want to let you know my thoughts. The Bissell Liftoff is great! Most of the people who come through my shop tell me they just want their vacuum to work again because it had worked so well!
I would personally go with the Bissell Liftoff, mostly becaue of the price. If you do decide you're willing to plop down a big chunk of change for a vacuum I would go with a Miele over a Dyson and buy a canister vacuum. Your clean freak husband will be much happier with a canister.
Sincerely,
The Vacuum Sensei
http://vacuumsensei.com
Wow! A pro responds!!! :)
OK, another question. What do you think of the Bissell Flip It for the kitchen? The idea of not mopping has me drooling...
If you're going to flop out a lot of green for a sucking machine, get a Kirby--or wait until your carpet is rather natty looking, and call them for a free in-home demonstration. That way you get your carpet cleaned for free! And if you can find a few different independent distributers, you can line them up and have your house cleaned free for weeks on end!
Love my Kirby, heavy as all get out, but works like a dream and has lasted years. Dyson does rate ok in Consumer Reports (Hubby is obsessed with CR you know) but it is just rated with average vacuums. Also consider repairs where you are and where you would have to take it. Your Cuz in ND
Dyson RULES. Seriously other vacuums are crap compared to them. I used to just buy whatever, then my husband bought one for my mother-in-law, and we borrowed it. It picked up dirt I didn't even know we had. She bought him one for his birthday so now we have our own, and it works so well on hardwoods or carpet. There is no comparison.
I do love our Dyson, but we did have TWO pets at the time, and you know how much Goofy shedded. I'm not even sure if the knock-off's to Dyson (the one you are talking about) were around at the time. We also had a crazy experience of our former vacuum catching on fire and blue fire coming out of it...so it was a pretty crazy night. We went on a wild goose chase to get the new Dyson THAT night..and in the end, Josh paid for it anyways :) Can you buy the one vacuum and take it back if you don't like it? I guarantee the Dyson is a Great vacuum (though I do agree it is heavy) and the Animal one is nice because it has nice stair attachments. The knock-off might be just as good, who knows. And..I paid less for my wedding dress than Josh paid for the vacuum..though w/ alterations it will be more. But I guess you use the vacuum more too :( ....
Dyson schmyson. get what you need. the scientific gimmick worked for Jeff - they don't work any better than another 400 $ vacuum... and as much as you vacuum - you won't need the major suction unless you shave Lucy inside and then walk on it for three weeks. oy.
a canister would be nice for stair's = maybe Dr. B could rig something up so you or he could carry it around backpack style... perhaps a modified baby bjorn (is that what they're called?) oh oh oh and then you could sing while cleaning... "who you gonna call? di di di di dideeee GHostbusters..."
hahahah... just had a funny image of Dr. B doing exactly that... put that up on Vimeo baby!
I ain't 'fraid of no ghost!!! hahahahaha...
ok... too much sun and too much wind for the last three days...
For what it's worth, my wife and I have had a Miele vacuum for 5 years and it has been the best appliance we own. We liked it so much we recently bought a miele washer and dryer. Miele products are German engineered and they are made to last and last. They are smartly designed and perform much better than other brands. Our vacuum and W/D are whisper quiet and they perform better by far than anything we've ever used previously (btw- our miele doesn't lose suction) The only down side is the price. Perhaps you can find one used on ebay or craigslist. I'd choose that over newer and cheaper models. We've had hoover and dirt devil. They're unbelievably loud and they broke all the time. The miele is real quality.
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