I've got zero carpet in my house, so a standard vacuum just tends to blow dirt around. Do any of you have suggestions for a hard floor vacuum? I'm not afraid to spend the money for something good.
Best vacuum for hard floors?
- Thread starter Luke49783
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We have a Dyson Animal Motorhead canister, and the hard floor attachment does a great job.
Commander Quan
Commander Yellow Pantyhose
I also have a Dyson the DC23. The hard floor attachment is also great for walls and ceilings. 
I have a DC24 at my business, and don't recommend it for hard floors. it has a 1/4" plastic piece under the head that touches the floor and leaves marks in the finish on the vinyl tile.
I have a DC24 at my business, and don't recommend it for hard floors. it has a 1/4" plastic piece under the head that touches the floor and leaves marks in the finish on the vinyl tile.
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Meile makes a hard floor only vacuum.
Can you retrofit a central vac system? That would be my suggestion. I have had them installed in the garage, out of sight, quiet, vented outside, very powerful, and the list goes on. Retrofitting should be possible in most houses.
The Oreck isn't too bad.
We love our Dyson.
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Does anyone have experience with the Shark vacuums? They aren't cheap, but they aren't as hard on the wallet as a Dyson or a Meile either.
They have the option to turn off the brush and run with suction only, which is said to work very well on hard floors.
They have the option to turn off the brush and run with suction only, which is said to work very well on hard floors.
I have an Electrolux green thingy. It is quiet and works best with the hard floor attachment than the "turbo" brush.
If you don't need brushes for rugs, a canister is probably a better bet than an upright.
If you don't need brushes for rugs, a canister is probably a better bet than an upright.
May I ask what are the advantages/disadvantages of bagless vs bag vacuums? We are also in the market for a vacuum. Right now we have the bagless Kenmore that belonged to my wife before we were married 7 years ago, and I must say that it is a disgusting mess to empty.
Do you have any rugs on your hard wood floors? That would make a difference in which models to consider.
I would second the vote for Miele. They are made in Germany and sold through local dealer networks so bargains are hard to come by. I spent hours researching vacuums online, watching countless youtube video demonstrations of different brands in between watching weekend sports. And they finally won me over and I bought after trying one out.
I don't recall everything thing I looked into, but an abbreviated review:
For hard floor needs, a model like the Miele Olympus S2121 may suffice. I think one might be able to add an aftermarket hepa filter, but the wand does not support any electric powered attachments.
I would second the vote for Miele. They are made in Germany and sold through local dealer networks so bargains are hard to come by. I spent hours researching vacuums online, watching countless youtube video demonstrations of different brands in between watching weekend sports. And they finally won me over and I bought after trying one out.
I don't recall everything thing I looked into, but an abbreviated review:
- Dyson - lots of models and a great marketing pitch. There are lots of people who get good results, but after looking at the reviews and relatively high rate of repair I decided not to purchase one. It was my default choice when I started looking, but I decided against it.
- Kirby - old school upright that is more suitable for carpet than hard floors. It works on both surfaces but if you have a mixture of both in your house the mechanism to disengage the beater bar drive belt is manual and too cumbersome to use everyday IMO. But it generates a high volume air flow and works very well on carpet.
- Rainbow - a water based vacuum. New ones are more expensive than Miele and are often sold through a door-to-door sales person. They have a well developed sales pitch and the vacuum works well as far as I could judge. But the need to load water which functions as the filter and the need to dump it out at the end of every cleaning session is just too much of a pain. It might be great if one owned a housecleaning business or cleaned carpets on a regular basis, but is too much for the average home IMO.
- Electrolux - I believe they have some solid models, maybe even great ones, but for some reason they did not come up often in my early searches and I did not look in detail at them.
- Sebo - another German alternative to Miele. Looked to be in same price range with much smaller dealer network here in US, so I did not seriously consider them.
- Riccar - a made in USA vacuum. They seemed to focus more on uprights although they do have a canister model. Their dealer/sales network was also not as strong. I could not tell if they were great or only average.
- Miele - Offers a wide range of models at different price points, almost too many models but not as confusing as the Dyson lineup. If you look closely you will see most models share a common motor (I think there are only 2 different motors across their entire canister line), where the differences are then which attachments are bundled, the controls, and the filters. The key selling points for me was the great air filtration, low noise, variable speed operation, and durability. The variable speeds come in handy when vacuuming dust off the drapes versus normal cleanup.
For hard floor needs, a model like the Miele Olympus S2121 may suffice. I think one might be able to add an aftermarket hepa filter, but the wand does not support any electric powered attachments.
You identified one big disadvantage. Earlier this year I also wanted a bagless for the perceived convenience but realized I would end up like this
I did not want to blow dust back into the house so got a bagged vacuum (Miele) with hepa filtration. Bags are an extra expense but worthwhile in the end.
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No rugs at the moment, but we've only been in the house for a year and are still slowly working on getting rooms set up to how we want them, so we will have some in the future. I lean more towards an upright due to the fact that I know my fiancee will get frustrated with a canister vac. The lower price of a Shark upright also makes it so I won't feel bad if, in a year or two, we decide we really do want a canister.
Thanks for all of the great responses, I really appreciate it!
As you probably have done, I read positive reviews of the Shark wind tunnel model. Some of Dyson's patents have expired so they incorporated some of their bagless technology. I was also considering a Shark alongside the Dyson but with so many different models of each and the different price points, it caused me to do more research and end up purchasing a Miele. My house had already been through a number of vacuum cleaners and I did not want another disposable machine.
Originally Posted by rob74
May I ask what are the advantages/disadvantages of bagless vs bag vacuums? We are also in the market for a vacuum. Right now we have the bagless Kenmore that belonged to my wife before we were married 7 years ago, and I must say that it is a disgusting mess to empty.
You identified one big disadvantage. Earlier this year I also wanted a bagless for the perceived convenience but realized I would end up like this
I did not want to blow dust back into the house so got a bagged vacuum (Miele) with hepa filtration. Bags are an extra expense but worthwhile in the end.
If you have allergies, a bagless vacuum is beyond useless! There is no way to empty the @&#$ed bagless cannisters without shaking them over a garbage can, which creates a cloud of dust - exactly what I was trying to avoid when I shelled out the $$$ for a vacuum with a HEPA filter. A bagged vacuum keeps all the dust and dust mites tightly bundled, and if you're gentle, you can dispose of the full bags without putting a poof of collected allergens in the air.
I, too, was skeptical about Dyson's - figuring they were all hype and seeing mixed reviews on many models.
The Animal Canister seems to have overall positive reviews (at least when I researched 1+ year ago) and we decided to take a change for a variety of reasons (can use on rugs/carpet and floors).
It's a bit pricey but it has not disappointed. It is equally effective on the rugs/carpet as on the floors. It's also great for cleaning up furniture and even 'dusting' particularly electronic equipment with an attachment kit.
Also bag vs. bag-less is a serious consideration as mentioned by others - I've never used a real bag-less vac till the animal...I just make sure to empty it regularly (easy to tell when w/ see thru) w/o being careless. I prefer it to the vacs that require bags.
We've put it through heavy use over the last year b/c of an almost complete home renovation. It is had zero issues and it's running as well or better than day 1.
Excellent point. My wife does have allergies, so I am most definitely sold on bagged vacuums.
We've used electra compacts for the past half century or so. No problems at all with them. They were designed in the 40's to clean Howard Hughes' airliners and they are still an amazing product.
http://www.1377731.com/compact/
They are sort of hard to come by now but if you can find one, it will be a forever vacuum. I must have half dozen or more of them around here now.
http://www.1377731.com/compact/
They are sort of hard to come by now but if you can find one, it will be a forever vacuum. I must have half dozen or more of them around here now.
With absolutely no carpet in your house, i would recommend either a stick vacuum like the Dyson DC56 or a canister like the Miele. The Dyson is really nice because its a cordless vacuum and a mop in one, specifically designed for hard floors. The Mieles are good because they have hard floor attachments and powerful suction. Here is a link to check the machines out if you're interested-
http://vacuumhardfloors.com/
Hope this helped
http://vacuumhardfloors.com/
Hope this helped
I would give another vote to the Miele. Check their website as they have specific models for hardwood floors, carpet, mix use. Then you can select model for your needs. Also, they make models for apartments and another for homes. Takes some research to find the one that fits your needs but I enjoy mine. Good luck.
