I'm tired of buying vacuum cleaners, can you help?

Lyn Therese
by Lyn Therese

I needed a new vacuum cleaner. I bought an up right Dirt Devil with dirt canister. Used it and it shut off while I was using it. I cleaned canister and cleaned the vacuum and filter. Wiped everything down. Turned it on and nothing. i tried everything and "nada". I took it back and silly me, I bought the same kind. ...again, same thing. Has anyone else have this problem with this brand/type? Am I missing something here? Anything else I should check before I return this vacuum cleaner?


  14 answers
  • FERN VITENSE FERN VITENSE on Aug 02, 2015
    Vacs are not my best to recommend. I use Consumer Reports for most of my purchases. I think you need to write the company about your problem and let them know you are unhappy and ask for a new one. You my have gotten a lemon and they might give you a new one. Let them know you are online with your problem might help here.
  • Brandi Lynn Brandi Lynn on Aug 02, 2015
    If you don't have carpet (I have a pool & dogs so no carpet) buy a wet/dry big shop vac....I tried all the main stream brands nothing worked well then hubby said here handed me the vac from garage and I've never been happier(I did buy another extension to make handle longer)....it saves me so much time because it picks up everything. I tried it on a large rug and it didn't work well so I got rid of the rug lol
  • Sherry Fisher Sherry Fisher on Aug 02, 2015
    I'm very happy with my Shark !
  • Ibra Ibra on Aug 03, 2015
    I recently got a Shark Liftaway and i love it! I've had every kind of vacuum made and this one by far has been the best. It can be used in so many ways from carpet to hardwood.
  • Michele Brassell Michele Brassell on Aug 03, 2015
    I have had my Dyson for 8 years and it is still going strong. I was tired of always having to replace vacuums that just would not last for any decent amount of time.
  • Donna Leer Donna Leer on Aug 03, 2015
    Do you have your vacuum serviced? I took my hover to be fixed and all they did was service it. Came back like brand new for about $40. I have had it since 2003. They recommend once a year doing this. My husband changes the belt and every few years I take it in for a good service.
  • Bev Dyche Aldrich Bev Dyche Aldrich on Aug 03, 2015
    Love my Shark!
  • Patricia Castrejon Patricia Castrejon on Aug 03, 2015
    We use a Shark Rocket in our RV...light and easy to use, with GREAT suction!
  • Shari Shari on Aug 03, 2015
    Based on the pretty good reviews it got, I bought a bagless, Bissell upright vacuum designed for people with pets for my daughter about a year ago. http://www.amazon.com/BISSELL-PowerGlide-Lift-Off-Technology-2763/dp/B00DUG0A7E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406648053&sr=8-1&keywords=bissell+powerglide After it arrived, I "test drove" it for a few days and GOOD GRIEF, that thing was AWESOME! It seriously put my $600 vacuum to shame! I was absolutely shocked how much stuff this vacuum pulled out of my carpets--the carpets that I thought were being thoroughly cleaned by my expensive vacuum cleaner! Now on the one hand, since I've always had vacuums that used disposable bags, I was a bit disgusted having to empty the canister (and it's kind of small so it has to be emptied frequently) but there was also something weirdly satisfying about seeing the amount of pet hair and dirt that it was pulling out of my carpet. I was so impressed, I immediately bought one for myself. It does have a few attachments that it comes with, including an awesome pet hair tool that you can vacuum the furniture with but even if you don't have pets, this is a great vacuum. The canister conveniently lifts off for doing stairs (which neither my daughter or I have). The head pivots (like the Dyson ball) so that makes getting around furniture legs very easy. I did find the swivel head took a little getting used to but once I used it a few times, well I LOVE that feature now. It also has a switch to quickly and easily turn off the beater bar so you can transition from carpet to bare floor vacuuming without having to stop. Both my daughter and I are very pleased with this vacuum. I've had 4 or 5 vacuums in my 40+ years of homemaking and this Bissell is, hands down, my favorite one. I always thought you had to spend a lot to get a good vacuum (hence, my $600 specialty vacuum from a vacuum store) but this Bissell model definitely proves me wrong. At the time I bought the two vacuums for my daughter and myself, they were priced in the neighborhood of $130, but even at the current higher price, I think it's still a great vacuum for the money. And, it comes with a 5 year warranty. I just want to mention one thing about product warranties. When buying an appliance (or electronics), I don't think most people give much thought to warranties or what they will do if/when the product stops working after a short period of time. Boy, I sure do though because, for some reason, I seem to end up with a lot of products that fail faster than I think they should and I don't have money to constantly be replacing things. Prior to making the decision to buy this Bissell, I seriously considered buying a Shark because I liked the design and features of several of their vacuums. However, since I've never owned a Shark product, I got to wondering how warranty issues were handled. I had a "live chat" with a customer service rep on the Shark website who told me if Shark products fail and need repair during the warranty period, they do not have any local authorized service centers. The customer has to ship the vacuum back to Shark for repair and the customer is responsible for shipping charges BOTH ways. At the price of shipping these days, that could easily be $20.00 (or more!) each way for something large in size and weight like a vacuum! Thanks, but no thanks, Shark! That's an absolute deal breaker for me. I don't feel like the customer should have to incur shipping charges on a product that needs warranty repair! Warranty repairs or replacement cost companies money so they know if they make it difficult or expensive for the customer, most people won't bother. They'll just go buy something else--hopefully the same brand -- which means more profit for the company. For that reason, I will never support or buy from a company that discourages the customer from making a warranty claim by costing the customer more money or making it inconvenient. On the other hand, Bissell has authorized service centers all over the country. There is an authorized Bissell repair center just 5 miles from my home. If you want to see if there is one near you, you can go to the Bissell website and enter your zip code: http://www.bissell.com/service-centers/ Even if there is no authorized service center near you, I'm pretty certain Bissell would send a pre-paid shipping label if the product was still under warranty.
  • Dorothy Dorothy on Aug 03, 2015
    Shark!
  • Julie Dever Julie Dever on Aug 03, 2015
    I have purchased Bagless Bissell uprights for many years from WalMart...price is right. We have pets and gritty dirt tracked in...I love having tools onboard, The ones with the rubber nubs and surfaces really pull the pet hair up and off....then GONE. Our nearest Bissell authorized repair shop is very close, so when something sounds funny, and it is not just a broken belt...I tote it over and it is soon like new. We have had three Bissell Carpet Shampooers over the years also...we just wear them out (lending to family and friends, too). They pay for themselves the first time you use it!
  • Z Z on Aug 03, 2015
    My hubby bought me a Dyson shortly after we moved into our new home 12 years ago. My Mom always used either Hoover or Eureka commercial grade vacuums so I grew up loving to vacuum, but I had no clue how awesome a vacuum could before using a Dyson. Just short of the five year warranty, the belt broke. Because of the problems Mr. Dyson had with copy cats, you cannot change your own belt, something I'd done since I was a teen on my Mom's Vacs. With no authorized Dyson dealer anywhere near us the vacuum had to be shipped for what should have been a simple home fix. With or without pets one can't go for five weeks without a vacuum, so I happened upon a Bissell Lift Off Cyclonic Pet vac at Target on sale for $150. Way less than half of what Dyson's were at the time. I remembered my Mom's Bissell non electric sweeper and had to try it for nostalgic reason. Wow, was I surprised. It sucked (in a good way) every bit as much as the Dyson did, in fact I felt it was even a little better. Since my Dyson was still under warranty I was told it would also be gone over to make sure all parts were like new and new brushes would be installed. I was shocked when I got it back and the only thing done was the new belt and it didn't work as good as it did when I sent it in. I vowed then to never buy or recommend a Dyson to anyone again. I can still use it, but only with the attachments/hose/extension because the brush just scatters dust and cat hair instead of sucking it up.
  • Sherry H. Sherry H. on Aug 04, 2015
    I had the same problem. My husband is a Mechanic and told me what it was. Now when I go into a Thrift Store I take a screw driver. Take the bottom plate off. Many a time the belt will be broken, easy to replace. I got nice cleaners and cheap too.Belts are pretty cheap and you can put it on yourself.
  • Patsy Patsy on Feb 19, 2022

    The rainbow vacuum will almost suck the carpet off the floor. They are expensive but if taken care of will last a lifetime.