A good vacuum cleaner is an essential appliance in a home. It is one of those things that gets used quite a lot, especially if you have pets, little kids or dust allergies. A well vacuumed home is much more enjoyable than a dusty home.
There are so many different things to consider when purchasing a vacuum cleaner. How heavy is it to lug up and down the stairs? How well does it suck up dirt? How easy is it to empty? If it requires vacuum bags, are they expensive? Is it better to go with a bagless system? What style vacuum cleaner should I get? Is a stick vacuum better than a canister vacuum cleaner? How much power does a vacuum cleaner consume? Are there ones that are more energy efficient? And the list of questions goes on and on.
In this article, we will review a few big name vacuum cleaners. We will examine the Dirt Devil Vibe, the Dyson Animal, the Bissell OnePass and the Shark Lift Away. You should get an idea of what to look for and what suits your lifestyle and your home.
Dirt Devil Vibe 3-in-1 Corded Bagless Stick Vacuum
Rating 3.5/5
Right off the bat, their motto is “Tough On Dirt. Easy On You” – love it. Vacuuming should be easy and enjoyable. Let’s face it we do it every week to two weeks! Some neat freaks vacuum every day!
Dirt Devil makes all kinds of vacuum cleaners from upright vacuums to handheld vacuums to stick vacuums to canister vacuums. They even manufacture steam mops and SWIPES™ Cleaners.
One of their most popular vacuum models of vacuum cleaners is the Vibe 3-in-1 Corded Bagless Stick Vacuum. It sells for only $39.99 on the Dirt Devil web site. Now you pay for what you get. It is a terrific little vacuum cleaner for a small condo or apartment but don’t expect it to perform like a more serious vacuum cleaner.
It is an easy-to-use vacuum that is lightweight. It works well on all floors surfaces including hard floors and carpets. The dirt cup is easy to empty, too. The cord is a quick release so that is also a bonus.
Some of the downsides to the Dirt Devil Vibe: It is tricky to remove the brush if you want to get into those hard to reach corners. If you have a loose area rug, it will pick up the corners of it so you will have to turn off the bristles while you vacuum. The power cord is not very long so you are constantly unplugging and plugging it in. Also, the vacuum is pretty noisy.
Generally, the Dirt Devil Vibe is a good vacuum cleaner not a great one – but very reasonably priced.
Dyson
Rating 4.5/5
Dyson manufactures a wide range of vacuum cleaners. They make uprights, canisters and cordless vacuums as well as tools, heaters, hand dryers and fans.
The Dyson brand is quite good but much more expensive than the Dirt Devil brand. The compact upright is the smallest vacuum cleaner they make which they call the DC51 Animal. This vacuum cleaner will run you $549.99 on their web site. They also offer a 5-year warranty.
Their upright vacuum cleaner collection uses a unique technology where Dyson claims to have cyclones that pick up more microscopic dust than any other cyclones. This vacuum cleaner has all the same technology that their bigger vacuums have just shrunk into a smaller sized machine. In fact, the DC51 Animal has their latest technology the 2 Tier Radial™ cyclones and the latest Ball™ technology. This means that 19 different cyclones are working at the same time in parallel across 2 tiers to generate high centrifugal forces.
Many people are very happy with the Dyson brand and love their DC51 Animal. It is super lightweight and very easy to move around. It also sucks really well. The Animal also switches from carpets to hard floors effortlessly. This means hardwood, tile, laminate and vinyl.
However, there are some negatives. It comes with tools – not all of which fit on this vacuum cleaner. Emptying the bin is not always a clean process. If you suck up hair or lightweight dust, it is airborne as soon as you open the dirt bin. You also cannot vacuum your staircase easily with it simply because the plastic is so rigid for the hose attachment. It is hard to angle your vacuum. Also, both the hose and the cord are pretty short. The dirt canister could also be bigger. The instructions are also very hard to follow as the pictures are separate from the words.
Bissell
Rating – 3/5
Bissell makes vacuum cleaners, sweepers and steam mops. They also manufacture accessories and cleaning formulas and they also sell to the automotive industry.
The Cleanview Vacuum with OnePass Technology 1816C sells for $99.99 from their web site. It is a lightweight vacuum cleaner – not super lightweight. At around 15 pounds, bringing it up and down the stairs is not too easy. The reason why they call it OnePass is because they claim to clean more on the initial vacuuming pass. It is designed to be easy to maintain and empty. It has a cyclonic system for durability and powerful suction. It also comes with lots of attachments.
You get what you pay for. The downside to this vacuum cleaner does not pick up fine dust very well. It also sometimes pushes dirt forward too. It gets the majority of the dirt up, but not all. The machine is not built that well. It is not very durable. It also is better on carpets than bare floors. It is designed for carpets. On hardwood floors it spits dirt back onto the floor.
Shark
Rating 4/5
Shark makes all kinds of products from vacuums to steam mops to garment care. They are one of the more popular lower end vacuum brands on the market.
They make the Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away. It sells for around $100. Shark boasts that this vacuum cleaner has a technology for never losing suction. The Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away has a great canister. It is a bagless vacuum. It goes from hard floors to carpets seamlessly and effortlessly.
The Shark does quite poorly at lifting up fine dust and pet hair. It is designed for every different style of job you need from carpets to hard floors. It also has great swivelling steering. It comes with easy to use attachments. The Shark comes with pet tools. You can do furniture with it. It is called a lift-away because you choose how to use it – it can even be used as a canister vacuum. It is very quiet.
Final Thoughts
When shopping for a quality vacuum cleaner, you now know the features that are important to your lifestyle. Choose a vacuum cleaner that matches your home and your needs. If you are in a small condo, a lightweight vacuum is not an important feature. If you are in a house with lots of stairs, lightweight is essential.
After reviewing several different vacuum cleaners, the favorite seems to be the Dyson Animal for a large house and the Dirt Devil Vibe for a small condo or apartment.