[Betsy Iole]

For the first time, Consumer Reports scores vacuums on their ability to pick up pet hair, in the March 2007 issue. Top honors for uprights went to a Kenmore, a Hoover, and a Eureka, with a Kenmore and a Eureka doing the best with pet hair. Both were also Best Buys: the Kenmore @ $300 and the Eureka @ $150!

 

[Elmer-n-Button]

I actually have the Kenmore Progressive canister and it does do a fantastic job. It's six years old and it was under $300 when we got it. You just have to remember to change the little hepa filter every 6 months or so. It will suck the area rugs off the floor with a fresh bag, although with all of those types of vacs, it loses some suctiona as the bag fills up.

My sister swears by the Dyson.

 

[Betsy Iole]

The Dyson's performance was middle-of-the-pack overall, and only "fair" on pet hair in these ratings. At the moment I have a Sebo, which was also middle-of-the-pack and "good" on pet hair, but I'll probably upgrade to one of the top performers.

 

[Rubydoo]

My problem with some of these vaccuums are that they're extremely heavy and difficult to push. As a matter of fact, I pulled a muscle REAL bad in my lower back area on an old injury vaccuuming two days ago.....

We own two vac's. The heavy duty kind that is great for getting everything off the carpet and an old red Dirt Devil which is very light weight and works pretty good. It's the kind that you can see all the hair in the canister.

Janice

 

[pinehawk]

:lol: you women folk are silly,just buy a shop vac and your good to go!!! :lol:

 

[Belinda]

Our first family dog was a Basset named Daisy that we got in 1967. Her pedigree had Tally-Ho in it (although she was backyard bred). And her parents names were Hoover and Eureka! I have a 12 year old Electrolux that originally cost $500!!

 

[AmyB]

I just bought a new vacuum last weekend. I got a Simplicity. I've used it twice & so far, am happy with it. I bought it mainly for the feature of being able to turn the brush off, so I can use it on my laminate floors. I was surprised at the sucking power without the brush. I know a lot of people like the Dysons, but I think they are overrated. The salesman who helped me actually recommended the one I bought over a Dyson, & the Dyson was priced higher.

Pinehawk, I had to laugh at your response. When I told my brother about my purchase, his response was exactly the same as yours. He has 3 cats & says the shop vac is the best for getting up the hair!

 

[vienneau4]

What would I do without my Kenmore vacuum?!!!! I vacuum EVERY day. The only problem I have is in the winter time, there is so much static in my house that the dog and cat fur actually sticks (only in the kitchen, though) to the floor and even the vacuum can't get it off. I have a Swiffer sitting in the corner of my kitchen and I Swiffer the floor 4 or 5 times a day. Even the kids will pass it around every now and then. I told my mother the other day that if there was any more hair on the bottom of the Swiffer I would have to start walking and feeding it! :lol: :lol:

 

[Terry]

If you ever build a house from scratch, you HAVE to put in a central vac system. We installed the ductwork ourselves during construction for very little cost... maybe two hundred dollars, if that. When my ancient Eureka cannister vac died two years later (it was thirteen years old) we bought the actual central vaccuum unit and hooked it up. I LOVE central vac!! It sucks up anything... dirt, rocks, cat and dog food, wood chips and small sticks, comforter stuffing (darn TALLY <_< ), shredded paper, old dog-biscuits from under the couch, or pretty much ANYTHING Moe and Tally can dish out or drag in. Oh, AND dog hair. :lol: Even if you never buy the vaccuum, installing the PVC during construction is a good selling point if you ever decide to sell your home (ditto AC ductwork and ceiling fan boxes).

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[shallhb]

If you ever build a house from scratch, you HAVE to put in a central vac system. We installed the ductwork ourselves during construction for very little cost... maybe two hundred dollars, if that. When my ancient Eureka cannister vac died two years later (it was thirteen years old) we bought the actual central vaccuum unit and hooked it up. I LOVE central vac!! It sucks up anything... dirt, rocks, cat and dog food, wood chips and small sticks, comforter stuffing (darn TALLY <_< ), shredded paper, old dog-biscuits from under the couch, or pretty much ANYTHING Moe and Tally can dish out or drag in. Oh, AND dog hair. :lol: Even if you never buy the vaccuum, installing the PVC during construction is a good selling point if you ever decide to sell your home (ditto AC ductwork and ceiling fan boxes).

:lol: :lol: :lol:[/b]

Tally,
I couldn't agree with you more. We have a fairly new house with a central vacuum unit and I just LOVE IT. It scoffs at dog hair! and almost anything else we have around here. The thing could probably pick up a cat that was too close. And, despite two dogs and two cats (one of which is losing *all* her hair due to chemo), it only seems to need emptying every 6 months or so.

 

[BubbaLeroy]

Our old upright Hoover just died, and I thought it was doing a great job. We just purchased a Hoover bagless Wind Tunnel self propelled vac with dirt sensor, and it does an awesome job. My old dead vac should have died years ago, because I was amazed at the stuff the new one found in our carpets which are only three years old. Bogie's hair sucks right up. The downside is the weight, as Ruby Doo said, but I'll just get my weight lifting exercise in when I take it upstairs. We also have an older Hoover canister, that I use for quick touch ups.

 

[Betsy Iole]

The Kenmore Progressive upright model 35923 is on sale at Sears for $229.99. The model CU tested and rated tops overall and excellent for pet hair is the 35922, and CU lists the 35923 as a similar model.

 

[faysie]

We have the Hoover Windtunnel and it is THE BOMB. I couldn't live without it. I've heard that the new ones are even better.

Where exactly is the article? I can't find it on the Consumer Reports website.

 

[Betsy Iole]

I don't see the electronic version of the March issue on the website yet, either. The print copy can probably be purchased at most bookstores/newsstands.

 

[Rubydoo]

We have a central vac system in our old house which we bought last year but it doesn't work and most of the pieces we're to use aren't with the house.

The reason for the heaviness with our real "good" vac is that I have arthritis just about everywhere and those heavy on the hands vaccuums are too much for me. The next step will be to hire someone to clean! :lol:

Janice

 

[Kezzy&Snoops]

I have a dyson with a turbo head. Snoopy's the worst for shedding, and he's so white... I've threatened to make him wear a hairnet to catch all the fur he loses.

 

[Aruuuu]

I have the Kenmore, purchased a few years ago when it was given top ratings overall by CR. I LOVE THIS VAC, and I've had a number of them. I tried Rainbow (heavy and very cumbersom), Kirby (simply awful to switch from floor to rug), both of which cost more than the Kenmore and were, frankly a pain in the patooie to use. I'll stick with my Kenmore, which has great suction, has all kinds of wonderful attachments, and seems to have had some input from women on its design.

A shop vac is a handy gadget, but it doesn't have all of the attachments most women use to clean their house!

 

[biscuit]

I'm too scared to use a vacuum because it causes rioting to break out. It's absurd! But everytime I turn one on, the pups, no matter where they are (inside or out) go nuts and start running around in circles and leaping at everything in their path and howling and barking and squealing and carrying on --- and it doesn't stop when I turn the vacuum off! :blink: :blink:

I don't want to hack off the neigbors, even though they're a good acre-half acre away, so I just Swiffer and get down on my hands and knees. ::whimper::

I'm such a woose!

 

[Lightning&Stomps]

I had a Hoover Windtunnel and thought it did a great job of picking hair up, but a horrible job of filtering. After just a couple of vaccuumings I'd have a layer of dust everywhere. Now I have a Dyson, and not only do I think it does an excellent job of picking up hair, but I don't have to dust nearly as often. For as much as a Dyson costs, I'd expect it to be made of something a little more durable than plastic, but overall I'm very happy with it.

Once or twice Stomps has actually let me vaccuum him directly, which was great. Lightning would NEVER go for that. And if only I could hook a central vaccuum system up to the cat's crate! My life would be complete.