OT: vaccuum cleaner recommendation?

My vaccuum doesn't suck, which for normal appliances is a good thing. :P
We've got a Eureka Boss; it's less than 4 years old, which makes its
non-suckiness even more annoying. I've checked the hoses and tubes, and
there's no blockages. Any recommendations for a vaccuum? I want to spend
about $100, although I am afraid that's going to put me in the range of
another non-sucky vaccuum.

Anonymama...

I like my Kenmore Progressive (as much as I can like any boring
appliance). I've had it about six or seven years, and it's doing fine.

JennP...

That's definitly a low range for what I was going to recommend. Anyway you
could hold out for a couple of months more and try to save for a better one?
IMO, there's a *big* difference between a $100 vacuum and a $300 one. I'm a
big fan of the Kenmore (sears) Progressive cansisters. All the bells and
whistles for around $300. They always rate very well in Consumer Reports,
fwiw.

Zipadee...

I'll just tell you what NOT to buy - a Kenmore canister. I bought one
Saturday. One of the attachments, called a Powermate Jr (used for doing
steps) stopped working (the brush stopped turning) as I vacuumed the
stairs for the very first time. I returned that one to the store and
got another. Guess what - same problem! The attachment worked at first
and then stopped working before I finished the stairs again. This time
I returned it and didn't get another yet. And this model was highly
rated by Consumer Reports too.

JennP...

Huh. I just highly recommended that machine, lol! I *love* my Kenmore
Progressive canister. I really don't mean to sound patronizing, but are you
sure you were using it properly? Maybe it was just very bad luck. Sorry it
didn't work out for you.

Zipadee...

I can't imagine any way I could have used it that would have been
"wrong". I wasn't using excessive force or anything. Does yours have
that attachment, the Powermate Jr? Do you use it? On carpetted stairs?

Anonymama...

Not that you asked me, but yes and yes and yes. In fact, I should be
doing that right now...

I'm not saying the whole thing was bad but when one piece stops working
the first time I use it, it doesn't give me a good feeling about the
quality of the whole thing.

At first I couldn't figure out how to attach the Powermate Jr but a
call to the store resolved that. So I do know I was attaching it
correctly. When I took the first one back they verified that my vacuum
worked with another Powermate Jr and my Powermate Jr didn't work with
another vacuum. With the second vacuum that I brought home, I carefully
noted that the Powermate Jr piece worked fine when I started but after
vacuuming about half the stairs, the brush wouldn't turn anymore.

I don't think it was just bad luck - ONE not working would have been
bad luck. TWO means bad workmanship, at least of that part. It was
really too bad because I did like the rest of it.

Barbara...

You're lucky. Our Kenmore cannister waited until it was out of
warranty to repeatedly break. The first time, we paid through the nose
to fix it. The second time, we decided that it was a citrus fruit and
dumped it.

To the OP, check review sites like epinions on vacuums. We concluded
that the vacuums in the $100 range were worthless, and that we didn't
want to go higher end after the Kenmore debacle (and, in any event, we
don't have a lot of carpet). Mid-range it was! We wound up with a
Hoover Windtunnel, but purchased an aftermarket warranty to go with it
as the reviews state that it tends to work wonderfully for about a year
(I can vouch for that), and then deteriorate substantially (hence the
warranty).

toypup...

Have you checked the filters? When our filters are filthy, the sucking
action is affected.

Em
mama to Micah, 11/14/04

MsLiz...

Have you thought about bringing it into a vacume repair shop to see if
perhaps there is something clogging it?

MsLiz...

Ooops, I just read the rest of the thread and see that you resolved
your problem. Sorry. I'm looking for a lightweight vacume that I can
keep either upstairs or downstairs so that I can do the stairs. I have
neck and back issues and am tired of schlepping this heavy vacume
cleaner up and down the stairs. And of course it's never on the right
level when it needs to be used.