This is topic Whats The Best Vacuum????? in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 03-30-2003, 01:39 PM:
 
I'm going to buy a new vacuum for at home and was wondering what others out there might reccommend.......Salt Lake City is somewhat dusty and my ole bag type Hoover just never did hold the dust in too well. The Hepa filter vacuums are nice but the hepa filters are expensive. Everything is all plastic now too...Does anyone build em from metal any longer?
Mark
 

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Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 03-30-2003, 01:52 PM:
 
There is a local theater that bought some vacuums recently and they are amazing. I will try and remember to get the brand name and model for you when I am there next.
 

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Posted by Ray Brown (Member # 1449) on 03-30-2003, 02:14 PM:
 
I think Kirby still builds theirs's out of metal. They are heavy and built like a tank. Also very spendy.

Kirby Website
 

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Posted by Don Bruechert (Member # 1538) on 03-30-2003, 02:17 PM:
 
It has been a long time since I have had experience with their products, and they may not be the easiest to find, but Panasonic used to make an awesome line of commercial vaccuums. I once saw a demonstration where they were able to lift a bowling ball with one of them.

I have a Eureka bagless with Hepa, and I also have a Cockatoo, which means lots of white dust. I'm not completely impressed with it. It seems to pick up the dirt OK, but it also seems to be "leaky" as there is always a lot of dust coating its internals.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-30-2003, 03:02 PM:
 
I need a new vacuum, too. It has to be quiet. I hate loud vacuums. The one I try to buy for the Imax booths is a Windsor Versamatic, but I don't want to spend $600 for home.
 

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Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-30-2003, 03:04 PM:
 
The Hoover Wind Tunnel sees to be a good machine. If you want to get a Kirby, you can make one out of a CFS platter.
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-30-2003, 03:07 PM:
 

quote:

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from Paul:
If you want to get a Kirby, you can make one out of a CFS platter.

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... and it'll weigh just about as much!

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I bought the wife one of those "8 pound" Orecks last year. All of his hype aside, it is a pretty good machine, and MUCH lighter than a Kirby!

It was packaged with a smaller handheld canister vacuum... which I immediately commandeered for the smaller areas of the booth!

Service support seems to be pretty good on this machine, though I don't know how much of that might be tied to local personalities.

Based on the experience, I bought their commercial-size model for the lobby & auditoriums.
 

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Posted by Jeffry L. Johnson (Member # 453) on 03-30-2003, 03:23 PM:
 
The newer Kirby's have more plastic than previous models that I've used.

I still like my Castex Portapac. The one I use does not have HEPA filtration but that is available as an option. My ideal is a central vacuum system.

Castex Portapac

Consumer Reports evaluated canisters and uprights in 2003 February.
 

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Posted by Bob Maar (Member # 763) on 03-30-2003, 03:38 PM:
 
For the home you should treat yourself to the Oreck. You can try it free for 30 days and I think you will be presently surprised. Check it out. http://www.oreck.com
 

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Posted by Michael Schaffer (Member # 1204) on 03-30-2003, 03:57 PM:
 
I have a great hand-held vacuum cleaner in the form of a shark! It is called the "dust shark" and you can "feed" it different adapters!
 

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Posted by Kenneth Wuepper (Member # 1174) on 03-30-2003, 05:45 PM:
 
We hae had some problems with sweepers that take the dirt in through the fan into the bag. The Panasonic was one we considered. There is also one made by Sears that does not take the dirt through the fan. The help was sweeping everything from under the seats into the aisle and then expecting the vac to collect it. Hard candies and unpopped corn kernals were the death of two "Boss" machines befor we got the Panasonic. This machine is quiet enough to use in the lobby after intermission without disturbing the audience.

The best overall machine was a Sears shop vac with 1.3 HP Motor and an extra long hose. That machine does not take the dirt into the blower blades and has lots of pulling power. They are noisy though.
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 03-30-2003, 05:49 PM:
 
I have a small Kirby Dual Sanitronic that was built in 1969. I found it on eBay for $30. After a thorough cleaning, and new bearings, it really sucks!!
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 03-30-2003, 08:10 PM:
 
Bruce, I guess your 'puter is fixed?
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 03-30-2003, 11:32 PM:
 
HEPA filters kick ass.
 

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Posted by Aaron Mehocic (Member # 15) on 03-31-2003, 02:10 PM:
 
What's a vacuum ?
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 03-31-2003, 07:19 PM:
 
Thanks, Jason! Yup. It's back and better than ever!

PS: I'll look you up when I get to Myrtle Beach.

I've never seen a vacuum pick the carpet up off the floor like this Kirby. It can beat the dirt out of the fibers. It's all metal, and built to last.

Is Electrolux still around? They made a fine canister type for alot of years.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 03-31-2003, 10:42 PM:
 
Dunno if Electorlux is still around or not, but my grandfather still has a canister style that my grandmother had for the 20 years I was home. Sears Kenmore canisters used to be made my Electrolux back in the day.. now I have no clue who makes them.

I've got a Dirt Devil bagless. I think I'd rather stick with a bag style vac. The bagless is only a sales gimmick. You empty them and dust/dander go airborne AGAIN. The filters (both HEPA and whatever regular filtration it has) seem to be pretty good, but I'd be hard pressed to buy another bagless....
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 04-01-2003, 07:06 AM:
 
I worked at Sears from 1992-1995.

I had to work on the Kenmore cannister vacuums. They were made by Whirlpool. All plastic and noisy. They had motor issues. If the bag burst, all that trash would head directly for the motor. The bag burst more than I care to remember.

I've got a 1948 Electrolux with the canvas bag. It is king of car cleaning. Only thing I've ever done to it is replace the motor brushes about 20 years ago... when I got it.

My Kirby pulls dirt up past the fan, and into the bag. It has a separate fan to cool the motor, which it needs. It gets fairly warm. It gets a regular workout here.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-01-2003, 11:07 AM:
 
Bagless vacs are a gimmick. Just like Jason said, you empty out the container and fine dust & crap goes everywhere. Stick with bags.
 

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Posted by Don E. Nelson (Member # 1049) on 04-01-2003, 02:08 PM:
 
Mark, ....look no further, this is the best vacuum cleaner on the planet. http://www.dyson.com/
I just bought one at Best Buy here in Northern Ca.
This is the last vacuum I will ever buy. It is engineered to last. Every piece comes apart with out a screwdriver. It has a cleanable hepa filter and is bagless. It uses a vortex effect to maintain suction as the cannister refuse cylinder fills up.
It is light, rolls easily, and the hose(for cleaning drapes, under the bed, etc.) is built in, not an attachment.It won a design award in europe for its looks. Go check out the site.
http://www.dyson.com/ I wish I sold them....
 

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Posted by Don E. Nelson (Member # 1049) on 04-01-2003, 02:08 PM:
 
ditto

[ 04-01-2003, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Don E. Nelson ]
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 04-01-2003, 02:12 PM:
 
A vacuum with a true HEPA filter traps the really tiny dirt particles, down to sub-micron size. Off-the-shelf household and shop vacs put alot of dirt back into the air:

http://www.onlineallergyrelief.com/vacuums/vacuums.html

EIO Vacuum

http://www.bestvacuum.com/nilfisk_family.html
 

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Posted by Dennis Atkinson (Member # 345) on 04-01-2003, 05:57 PM:
 
Try a Riccar, any model with a light on it. I think it's the same as a Panasonic. Don't buy anything without a beaterbar!

Dennis
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-01-2003, 07:31 PM:
 
Thanks for all the comments so far. I am staying away from all the plastic see through crap out there...that means Hoover, Dust Devil, and others like it. I will probably go with the Oreck as Bob suggested. 102 MPH wind velocity! Can't wait till my dog attacks that one...may never see her again. The Oreck Bag also traps extremely fine dust so its a good one to bet on for use here in SLC. There is also a store near me and David Oreck is a pretty cool dude.....Hope I have half his energy when I'm 79.
Mark
 

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Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 04-01-2003, 07:45 PM:
 
I would vacuum the capets in the booth,lobby& auditorium daily with an Oreck & clean them twice or once with a Rug Doctor carpet cleaner.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-01-2003, 08:15 PM:
 
"A Leading Consumer Testing Organization" <ahem> recently rated these as the top 3 upright vacs:

• Kenmore Progressive #31912 / #31913, $330
• Hoover WindTunnel Ultra #U6430-900, $300
• Eureka Boss Smart Vac #4870, $160 BEST BUY

The Oreck XL21-600 ($700!!??) was in the middle of the pack. They said "Very good, but no overload protection, and no HEPA filter even though label said HEPA."
None of the tested vacs was rated any lower than "Good".
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 04-01-2003, 11:15 PM:
 
I went and looked at the Oreck and its really nice. Built well...like a Kinoton Projector...and that hurricane force suction is amazing. I pretty much have always supported the little guy, especially when he has a superior product to offer. I'm the guy that bypasses going to Home Depot, Wal Mart, Target and the like....you should all do the same....
Consumer Reports can rate highly all the plastic wonders they want to, but those plastic wonders won't last through 20 years of use, they seem to have forgotten that important aspect of reviewing!
Mark
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 04-02-2003, 12:57 AM:
 
I would've thought you'd want to get a canister with the same motor & fan assembly as the Potts/Strong platter so you'd have parts already in stock!
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 04-02-2003, 01:02 AM:
 
Well, to add a little more to all of this:
My parents, in a moment of insanity, replaced their Electrolux canister vac with something I don't recall. At the age of 12, I took the Electrolux to the drive-in I grew up working at.

Well over 35 years later, it's still there, and still works very well.

Moral? Go find one of these antiques. It'll probably outlast you!
 

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Posted by Matthew Bailey (Member # 601) on 04-02-2003, 07:29 AM:
 
I forgot to add-twice or once a week with a Rug Doctor. Heck,you can buy a Rug Doctor instead of renting one! See http://www.rugdoctor.com for details. And with their cleaning solutions & accessories, you can clean that yukky popcorn butter off the seats,even clean walls,hard floors & even ceilings,tile ceilings included! Remember the slogan:Rug Doctor gets steaming mad at dirt.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 04-02-2003, 11:10 AM:
 
How does Oreck get their vaccum to be so light without cheapening it out? It's like half the weight of most of the other vacs.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 04-04-2003, 09:37 AM:
 
...but would it withstand this?
 

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Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 04-04-2003, 11:30 AM:
 
I personally prefer a central vac mounted in the garage vented outside.
In the booth I use a hoover portavac
 

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Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 05-16-2008, 04:55 PM:
 

It has been 1869 days since the last post.

 

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Posted by Chris Hipp (Member # 1788) on 05-16-2008, 04:55 PM:
 
Dysons suck, and not in the good way. The $80 Dirt DEvil up here cleans better than that big yellow turd called dyson. I "vacuumed" with the dyson first then had to go over it again with the dirt devil. It is amzing how a clever commercial can convince people that something works even after they use it. And they have this over heat shut down thing....Why not design it so that it doesn't overheat?????

anyway, if you want a good vacuum, get a KIRBY! I have had a generation 3 kirby for at least 15 years, my mom bought it in the early nineties and gave it to me when I moved out, and that thing still works like new. The impeller has had to be replaced a couple times, but that was from trying to suck up stuff that I shouldn't have.

The only thing that I don't like about Kirby is that you can't buy the bags at the local wal mart or Home Depot. You either have to drive to the Kirby store or order them online.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 05-16-2008, 06:22 PM:
 
Oh no... not this thread again! Just so you all know I got rid of the Oreck when I inherited a Hyla... it was Brenda's vaccum. This is by far the best vaccum I've ever used. It is also the very best at picking up our dog's hair when he's shedding.
Highly reccomended!

Mark
 

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Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 05-17-2008, 01:59 AM:
 
I used to refurbish Kirby vacuums for my wife's step-dad and I can attest to the quality. They are very expensive, but it is much like buying jewelry. There is a high markup on the vacuums because the sales structure is much like a pyramid scheme.

The body is all aluminum, and the motor is very high quality. I picked up a G4 at a local thrift store. I then put 100 bucks of parts into it to make it look new, buffed the aluminum and had him sell it for me. He sold it for 450 dollars and that's how I got into refurb for him. It was great bread & butter money.

Anyways, Kirby's are good to buy used. The one I bought was pretty trashed, but you can find nice used models in most vacuum stores for around 300 dollars. Parts are mid-range in price but anything is fixable on the machine. Wear parts are mostly the brush-roll, motor brushes, and the transmission. Belts and Bags are much cheaper online than in the kirby stores. Some 3rd party vacuum stores will sell kirby bags as well.

Dyson vacuums are not any better than the other plastic look-alike ones you find a wal-mart. And one true fact still remains, they are made of plastic, with cheap parts, and will only last a few years. If you are going to go with a budget vacuum, go with a Hoover.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-17-2008, 07:19 AM:
 
The Henry Hoover is apparently very popular in Poland, and is said to be 'ready to go, time and time again'...
 

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Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 05-17-2008, 10:24 AM:
 
I've been running my Kirby G3 in the booth for about a year now. It does alot better job than the old Royal Commercial vac did, and it is a bit quieter. That self-propelled transmission on the Kirby makes me feel like I am mowing the grass sometimes.

I FOUND this G3 on the street with a load of junk. All attachments, rug shampooer, etc. were there. I replaced the impeller. Too bad it's not metal like the older ones. We also have a local Kirby distributor who has no problems with getting me any parts that I want. There is a vaccuum cleaner repair business about 1 mile from my home that sells OEM bags.
 

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Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 05-17-2008, 08:17 PM:
 

quote: Leo Enticknap

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The Henry Hoover is apparently very popular in Poland, and is said to be 'ready to go, time and time again'...

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That is just plain weird.

Well, it could have been a "Hetty." Henry, Hetty, and their brothers and sisters are probably high-quality vacuums and the face motif is quite the gimmick, but there's something just over-the-top strange about a vacuum cleaner that stares back at you in a cartoonish way.

quote: Chris Hipp

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Dysons suck, and not in the good way.

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Funny how the Dyson seems to receive equal amounts of praise and scorn. I recently got a DC15 "Ball" and it indeed does suck...a softball-sized clod of cat fur and dirt up with each vacuuming; this in a small house with two cats. Impressive enough for me, but it will be interesting to see how all that plastic holds up over time.
 

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Posted by Michael Moore (Member # 3867) on 05-17-2008, 09:51 PM:
 
We use the 2 stage 14 gallon shop vac by Ridgid.

Not as loud as you think it would be, but with 6 dogs in the house it is the only thing that survived.

We have had Kirby, Oreck, and Hoover,

In fact we had a little Dirt Devil bag less that did a great job, but had a flexible hose design flaw that would clog up!

so we started using shop vacs, and we have found Ridgid to be the best.

Mike
 

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Posted by Galen Murphy-Fahlgren (Member # 4535) on 05-17-2008, 10:06 PM:
 
My dad has the Dyson, just the plain yellow base model. He has terrible dust and pollen allergies, and when he got it 4 or 5 years ago, the Kirby he'd had for 20 years was just about dead. He thinks it is fantastic, and he is a very discerning consumer. I always found the ergonomics of it pretty good, and it is certainly better than the cheap Dirt Devil I have now.
 

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Posted by Tristan Lane (Member # 1169) on 05-18-2008, 01:58 AM:
 
The older Kirby models have less filtration from the use of a thinner bag material, and less fabric. Kirby claims that G4 and up models meet HEPA requirements. They call their technology "micron magic"
In essence, they just added extra filtration to the disposable bag, and the fabric bag.

I agree on the plastic impellers, but unless someone is vacuuming a gravel driveway, they rarely break.
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 05-18-2008, 05:33 AM:
 

quote: Jon Miller

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Henry, Hetty, and their brothers and sisters are probably high-quality vacuums and the face motif is quite the gimmick, but there's something just over-the-top strange about a vacuum cleaner that stares back at you in a cartoonish way.

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