The Vacuum Adventure

The last four or five days I've spent researching vacuum cleaners.  We've had enough of our current vacuum, a Hoover WindTunnel we bought five years ago for about $80.  So, I started some research.  There were four vacuums that had my attention - all of them at a much higher price range than we've previously spent on a vacuum.  Here were the finalists.

• Miele Bolero
• Sebo Felix
• Dyson DC25
• Riccar Radiance
• Oreck Magnesium

Which type of vacuum you get just depends on what's most important to you: light weight, easy to use, attachments on board, power, size, etc.

The Miele Bolero is German made.  It's heavy - about 20 pounds.  It has all the attachments on board and does a great job cleaning.  The attractive thing about it is it's made to last.  I'm told you can have it for over 20 years and never replace a motor.  Of all the ones on the list, I gave this one the least amount of consideration...I just didn't like the feel of it that much.  But, it was rated #1 on the Best Vacuums of 2012 lists I saw.  It's on the pricey side at $800.

The Sebo Felix is also made in Germany.  I'm told it's a really great product as well.  The problem is I couldn't find one anywhere.  So, I'd have to order it and then if I don't like it go through the hassle of returning through the mail, etc.  It also has the attachments on board, is lighter at about 16 pounds and has some funky designs.  I would have loved to try one.  They run about $500.

I spent a lot of time on Dyson.  I know people who have them and love them.  I also like the canister idea...something wonderful about seeing what you're getting out of the carpet and I hate buying bags.  This was the only canister model on my finalists list.  Dyson has as ton of models.  Large models, small models, ball models, animal models, this year's model, last year's model, etc. I actually went to Target and bought the DC41 for $550.  I brought it home and returned it later in the day.  It's a ball model which is supposed to be great for maneuvering, but it hurt Jessica's wrists.  It does feel quite a bit different to push.  It seemed like it did a decent job, but I didn't think it was worth that much money.  The DC25 was the previous model and the reviews I read said people like some of the features of the DC25 better than the newer DC41.  Since Jessica didn't like the ball feature, I looked at the DC33, which you can get for $300.  Basically the same vacuum but without the ball.  However, Dyson took a fall when I looked at the next two vacuums.  I'll tell you why there.

The Riccar Radiance I didn't see on any online list of best vacuums.  I'd never heard of it until I went into the vacuum store and saw one.  The salesmen and I went through some demonstrations with sand and pet hair stuff.  We talked about how different vacuums are made.  Some use the motor to suck (like Dyson) and some use the motor to blow (like Oreck).  Radiance has two motors and does both.  However, almost more important than suction is carpet agitation...and wow does this thing agitate the carpet.  We ground sand into a carpet and then set the Riccar and a Dyson DC41 animal next to each other and turned them on.  In front of the Dyson, nothing was happening, in front of the Riccar for about four inches, the sand was bouncing off the carpet about an inch high.  One swipe from the Riccar and that stuff was gone.  Five swipes later from the Dyson and a lot of sand was still visible.  The Radiance is heavy, though.  It's about 20 pounds and has all the attachments on board.  If you're just after raw cleaning power and having the attachments on board, I'd go with this one.  It was $700.  I almost walked out with it.

The Oreck Magnesium ended up being what I took home.  The sand test I mentioned previously I also did with this vacuum.  It performed much better than the Dyson, but not as good as the Riccar.  So, this thing has about 80% the efficiency in cleaning as the Riccar.  The beauty of it is that it's only 7.7 pounds.  It's incredibly light and when vacuuming, I can actually push it around with one finger (if you're into one-finger vacuuming).  The thing about Oreck is it doesn't have any attachments on them...it's one way they keep things so light.  So, you need to have a separate handheld for the edge cleaning, etc.  I'm a bit bummed about  that as I like everything in one place, but I'll see what I think about it as I use it.  I was a bit concerned about Oreck because from the things I read about Oreck, you're supposed to take them in for annual tune-ups.  But, I'm told you really don't have to...most vacuums are the same in that you should really have them in for a tune-up once every couple of years or so.  So nothing different than what you'd experience with other brands.  I also don't have my canister, but I guess I'll live without it.  I just vacuumed the living room with it, and I am super happy with the ease of use.  I think I can sleep at night with this ease of use balancing off the peek performance I saw from the Riccar.  So, that's where I landed.  The Oreck Magnesium with an Oreck handheld.  The combo priced in at $399.  So, close to the same performance as the Riccar at about half the weight and half the cost.  I'll take that.

A couple things about testing vacuums, too.  Many people take their bag vacuum, vacuum a section of carpet, and then take a canister vacuum - like a Dyson - and then go over the same area.  They get a lot of dirt in the canister and say, "See what the other one left behind?"  Well, turns out that's the case for all of them.  Running over an area again, you're just going to get more stuff.  You can run a DC25 on an area then run a DC25 on the same area and get more stuff.  Also, if you have an older vacuum...it will probably be out-performed by a new one.

Anyway, lots of fun with this research, but I'm glad it's over and I have the vacuum.  And this one is light enough I utilize child labor.  :)