Is the Dyson Ball Vaccumm worth the extra $? Other vaccumm recommendations?

[edurnemk]

I'm looking for a new vaccumm cleaner. I'd like something with very good suction, versatile and easy to maneuver. I know the Dysons get good reviews, and I like the concept behind the Ball, but I'm wondering if it works as good as it seems on TV.
Any other vaccumm recommendations are appreciated, since I'm not set on a certain brand or model yet.

My mom swears by her Rainbow, she's in love with that thing, but now that she lent it to me... I HATE it, I mean it does a great job and is very versatile but it's so heavy and hard to move around the house... I want something to make my life easier and clean very well.

[brittone2]

What kind of flooring do you have? Hardwood? Carpet? Mix? Some vacs perform better on one vs. the other. If you have a mix I'm sure you'll find something that works, but for ex., many people say canisters are better if you have primarily hardwood.

[lcarlson90]

We looked at the Dyson ball and DH did not like it. We ended up buying the Dyson Animal, it's the purple one. I love it. I can't say enough about it.

[edurnemk]

We have a mix of hardwood, carpet and rugs.

[brittone2]

I have a Dyson bought on a super sale at Amazon (but they did a bit of a bait and switch with the actual model...called it one model and sent another, but that's a different story ;) ) I think ours was on sale (and not refurbed) for something like $260-275?

If you definitely want something like the Animal, I think you can buy the Animal kit and put it on any dyson model without having to buy the Animal model....IIRC, when I looked into doing that at Sears originally (before buying on Amazon), it was cheaper to do that. The basic vac is the same, the Animal just comes w/ certain attachments that were available aftermarket at that time anyway.

I'm hoping if we move in a year we'll end up with more hardwood and less carpet, or if we stay, we'll be ripping out carpet and putting in hardwood. In that case, I'd look into a Miele canister.

[writermama]

I have a mix of carpet, hardwood and rugs full of cat hair, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Miele. I have the S 514 -- which has a power brush head but not the fancy ergo handle. (I tried those, I just liked the way this one felt better, and it cost less which was a bonus). The Miele is quiet, easy to maneuver, HEPA with the added filter and does a great job on every floor, plus furniture and curtains.

I looked at Dysons in the store where I bought mine (and also Oreks, Simplicity, and true Electrolux). I like the Miele best. I've had it over a year and am still thrilled with it.

[catsnkid]

I have an electrolux O3 that I bought refurbed online. It's good but it is a canister style. I have both carpets and hardwood, plus 4 cats.

[littlebethany]

I have a mix of carpet, hardwood and rugs full of cat hair, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Miele. I have the S 514 -- which has a power brush head but not the fancy ergo handle. (I tried those, I just liked the way this one felt better, and it cost less which was a bonus). The Miele is quiet, easy to maneuver, HEPA with the added filter and does a great job on every floor, plus furniture and curtains.

I looked at Dysons in the store where I bought mine (and also Oreks, Simplicity, and true Electrolux). I like the Miele best. I've had it over a year and am still thrilled with it.

I agree I have a Miele and I absolutely love it! It works extremely well of different surfaces, and I love the fact that its so quite! :)

[WatchingThemGrow]

I agree I have a Miele and I absolutely love it! It works extremely well of different surfaces, and I love the fact that its so quite! :)

Me too, on a recommendation from these boards. I used to hate vacuuming. Now, I actually kinda enjoy it :bag

[lchang25000]

I bought a Dyson ball on sale at Target for $299, reg. price $399 back in May. I've seen that sale go on twice in the past year and that's the best deal I've found. We have hardwood floors on the main level and carpet in the basement. I love our vacuum and I actually enjoy vacuuming now! DH was skeptical about it considering how much money I spent, but he loves it now also!

[MCsMom]

I have the old yellow Dyson and have had it for at least 6-7 years. I love it to this day! It's a clunker compared to the ball but I guess I am used to it. If and when it dies (it looks like a long wait), I will buy another Dyson.

Oh, and we have 2 cats :D

[boilermakermom]

check out the bissel healthy home vac. we have it and LOVE LOVE LOVE it. i wanted a good vac w/out paying tons of $$$. i just couldn't justify it. check out the reviews on amazon.com.

we have a mix of carpet and hardwood floors and two long haired dogs. works great!

[AnnieW625]

I have 98% hardwood in my home so the only carpet is area rugs and I love my Dyson for both, but probably even a little bit more the hardwood floors. I was skeptical too but it does such a good job, esp. during the winter when our dog comes in the house more.

[edurnemk]

Thanks everyone for your recommendations! I hope I can get DH to watch DS for a while this weekend so I can try them out IRL. I just really want something that doesn't make me hate vacuuming even more, LOL, sometomes just the thought of hauling out the vacuum and getting it ready is enough to make me find all kinds of excuses to postpone it!

[baymom]

We looked at the Dyson ball and DH did not like it. We ended up buying the Dyson Animal, it's the purple one. I love it. I can't say enough about it.

:yeahthat: We LOVE our Dyson Animal, as well. It even makes me want to vacuum. :) It has amazing suction and is easy to manuver, though a bit on the heavy side, IMO.

[Mikey0709]

We also are pretty much pleased with our yellow dyson and have owned it for about 6 years now without trouble. Before this we went through about a vaccuum a year ($100 hoover, $100 bissells, etc). I also heard that the yellow and purple are the same - - only the attachments make it different.

[AnnieW625]

Oh yeah should've added before my aunt bought a Hoover Windtunnel about three or four months before we bought our Dyson in 2007 and that Hoover has died already. A big selling point for me was the 5 year warranty. Yes it is only the attachments that are different between the yellow and purple models. Mine is the DC14 All Floors model which I bought at Costco and it came with a few little extras like the low floor tool and the mini turbine tool (haven't used the mini turbine tool much, but the low floor tool is great for under couches).