Upright Vacuums Reviews

You really don't know how poor of a job your current vacuum is doing until you go over the exact same areas with the Dyson DC07. It doesnt matter if its hardwood floors, or plush carpet, it is amazing what thiis vacuum can do. I am even surprised that it is quieter than most conventional vacuums. *Not really quiet, but the sound is different and not anywhere near as annoying.

$$$ but, you get what you pay for.

The Dyson is worth every penny that it cost. It has the most suction of any vacuum I have ever had. Although the controls are not labeled on the vacuum, the book is very descriptive and detailed. Once you learn what every thing is for, it is easy to operate. The tools are very easy to store, and it is very easy to use to clean steps. I was truly amazed at how dirty my house was and how much my old sweeper was missing.

I was skeptical when purchasing the Dyson. I have only seen commercials about this new item. Upon receiving the product, putting it together was very simple, 5 minutes at most. The suction power on the vaccuum is superb; it picked up stuff I didn't know was even in the carpet. My previous vacuum was a pretty expensive Hoover and the Dyson kicked the Hoover out of the house. There was almost 2" of dirt and dust picked up by the Dyson. For anyone who has any doubts, mine were eased!! A great buy indeed!!

If you are the type of vacuumer that never uses any attachments, but just runs the vacuum over the floor, then this is a fine vacuum. Yes, it has great suction and I get a small sense of weird joy dumping the hairy/dirty contents of the cylinder into the trash. BUT...if you happen to like to use an attachment to broaden your scope of cleaning, then forget it. This is the biggest pain in the neck vacuum I have EVER owned. Wrong, wrong, wrong in so many ways.

1) The most offensive is the power head attachment for stairs/furniture. First, it looks as though it should "click" securely into place, but it doesn't. (I'm assuming it fits into one of the Dysons) Which means that as you vacuum it pops out constantly unless, of course, you jam the heck out of it and then it's virtually impossible to get off. Second, it has a feature whereby the air rushing through the attachment rotates the bar inside, BUT be careful because if you happen to tap the side of the attachment while you're vacuuming you'll stop the rotation of the bar. Which then requires you to reach down and manually pull the little baffle out again. Do you know how many times I have to pull that little thing out just to do one couch? It's infuriating.

2)The flexible hose used for attachments is stored all neat and tidy on the back of the vacuum with the hard tube slid down inside of it. Great idea. But the flexible hose is so tightly sprung that the entire time that you're trying to vacuum with, say the little brush attachment, you're constantly having the huge pull of the hose wanting to snap back to the vacuum. This requries you to vacuum with the hose held tightly under your arm or between your legs which is not only funny looking but exhausting. And God forbid, if you set the thing down to move a cushion or something the whole thing flies back towards the vacuum hitting furniture and whatever else on it's way. I called the company and was told to stretch out the hose and leave it that way for a couple of days so it will forget it's "memory" and relax a little. I have done that twice, to no avail. My new black coffee table has a really nice chip in it.

Two plastic pieces of the vacuum have already broken off. Which means that when I empty the dirt container the whole thing comes apart. Not a terribly horrible thing, but a pain in the neck, nonetheless, not to mention the fact that this vacuum cost me $500 and I'd like to think that it would wear better than this.

Please know that I have contacted the company twice regarding my dissatisfaction, with no help whatsover. The person I spoke with over the phone was kind and sympathetic; but that was it. I would have loved to maybe been offered upgraded attachments that worked well or at least some plan to rectify these problems to those of us who have such trouble working their machines.

Possibly worth the price if ALL of the kinks were worked out (including the flimsy breakable plastic pieces)as I do think it sucks up dirt pretty well. Lots of time was spent on the vacuum technology and not enough on the user design flaws. Maybe in the future Dyson will work out the problems, but for now I'm stuck with a vacuum that cost a boat load of money and irritates me no end.

This vaccuum will pick up animal hair no problem, BUT, it has the ABSOLUTE WORST EVER DESIGN for attachments I have ever had in 30 years of cleaning my house! I would love to strangle the smiling engineer on TV who decided how to "nest" all the hose and wand together and how to put them together to use, WHAT A PAIN IN THE @#*!!! I have 4 adults in my house, and it took us weeks to figure out how to use the stupid tools. You've been warned!

I tore open the box and assembled it as soon as I could. Easy to assemble. Used it on half of my dining room and it picked up so much cat hair! My daughter has been playing on this floor! Yuck! My favorite part is the emptying. I'm 7 months pregnant and it so easy to empty. Dust/dirt would fly everywhere when I emptied our Hoover and of course it would hurt my back. This takes less than 5 seconds to empty. I hope this vaccum lasts a LONG time and keeps on "sucking". Our Hoover just didn't "suck" as much after using it a lot for 5 years.

After actually using is for 2 weeks...I'd have to say the attachments aren't too friendly. It worked great once I figured it out, but the instruction book wasn't clear on how to attach them. The entire machine does seem a bit on the too much plastic side...I hope the Dyson lasts for the price we paid.

Broke after 1 cleaning plus 1 spot repair. I won't pay to have it repaired if not covered under warranty. Will buy a Hoover again. Bissell can kiss my, er, carpet!

We got a smoking deal from Amazon for our new Bissell ProHeat 7950 so having a problem with it during the second day of use didn't feel so bad. The thing quit injecting the water/cleaner mix into the carpet when the trigger was squeezed. I reread the user's guide and made sure all tanks were in place, etc. No luck. I called Bissell at 1-800-237-7691 and talked to Bernadette, a friendly, helpful, knowledgable foreign sounding lady. She diagnosed it over the phone with my help. The trigger in the handle was faulty, it was sticking on/off and not allowing the spray to work when called for. She did not hesitate to order a complete handle/trigger assembly for us to arrive free of charge within 7-10 days. She would not need the old/bad one back. So, I being a gadget type guy, decided to take apart the bad handle and tinker with it. I got it working just fine. For those of you with the same malfunction, here's what I did; first,unplug the machine. Next, remove the handle assembly the same way it went on when you assembled the new machine. Unscrew the five screws from the handle and pry it apart. You'll see a long white plastic "stick". Try using a small file and slightly widen the slots that the stick travels in. Then push down on the red wire that runs across the stick travel area from the black power switch to the red smarttemp switch. That wire seems to have been installed too close to the moving stick and restricts it's movement. Lastly, take the spring off the stick and widen it providing more tension on the trigger. Put it all back together and clean away! Aside from that, the Proheat machine works great. It cleans like crazy. Yes, the tank could be larger capacity, I'm sure we're going to bust a belt here and there due to the design, etc. However, it seems to be just fine for us. I am pleased with the help from the Bissell Consumer Services Dept. Plus, for the price we paid, I can live with all this. I'm sure there's better machines out there, but certainly worse ones as well. Dennis Mesa,Az

I have wall-to-wall carpets and the Proheat does the job efficiently. My only issue is the tank is too small. I have a lot of space to cover so having to go back and forth to empty the tank of dirty water and refilling it with clean is a drag because it fills up in a very short time. Seems like most home deep cleaning machines have the same size tank though. Other than that I am happy with my purchase and would recommend it.

I give it 3 stars because (1) very good regular suction, (2) the ease of pushing it/pulling it, (3) the electrical cord is long, (4) the filter is washable.

Now then...Hush mode? That's ridiculous. The "hush mode" sounds EXACTLY the same as the regular mode, just as loud as any regular vaccuum. The display at the store had a button that you push (not on their actual vaccuum, but on a display kit). That sound was so soft it purred. There was a picture of a sleeping baby, showing that you could vaccuum quietly when your children are asleep. That's craziness. There is no difference. That was part of the reason I purchased this.

The suction seems to be very good on the vaccuum itself. It picks up dirt that I didn't realize was there.

While vaccuuming, I can smell the dust that's being emitted back out. I think most vaccuums do this, unless they have a sealed hepa system. This doesn't have a sealed system, most of them don't anyway. But I can smell the dust smell. I don't like that.

The attachment hose does not have very good suction. It does pick up, but it leaves some behind and I'd prefer much better suction for my stairs. That's just me.

This next comment isn't about Hoover but about the bagless feature in general. If you're considering a bagless vaccuum, I'd like to say this: this is my first bagless vaccuum. I will never get another one. That's like buying a freezer that doesn't defrost itself. Why would I want to see the dust & dirt ad be exposed to that? I'd rather have it all contained in the bag, then throw that away. I shouldn't have bought this, for that reason. There is a large canister to hold the dirt, but then you have to dump it out as best as you can to throw it away. Dust starts inevitably flying and you're trying not to inhale because you know what's in that debris. Yuck.

I'm getting a bagged vaccuum that also honors company claims, not one that is completely wrong about a major feature.

I bought this vacuum at lowe's a year and a half ago and I still love it! The regular mode works well but the turbo sucks up everything! The hush mode does work! You have to make sure that your turbo mode is not LOCKED... I have three children ages three and under and you can imagine the crumbs we get on the floor....this thing sucks up dirt you cant even see... the key to keeping the suction great everytime is to empty the dirt collector after every use. I would never buy a bagged vacuum again.
I love the folding handle is awesome if you have limited storage space. the handle under the dirt collection cup is great for trying to vacuum stairs or carrying it up and down stairs. For a vacuum in the 100 dollar range I think this one far out does the competition. I would definitely recommend it. The one thing I would have liked to see on this vacuum is that when it was on the bare floor/lowest setting that the brushes did not spin so that it just used the suction because if you are vacuuming tile or hardwood and the crumbs are too big sometimes the brush makes them fly out instead of just suction but overall I cant complain... My mother in law recently bought this vacuum as well because she had used it at my house and liked it. My sister bought one for a friend for a house warming gift. I do agree that the hose is alittle short for some jobs but if it were any longer it would probably get in the way... and considering how often i use the hand tools it isnt a big issue. Also you can purchase an extender. I love my hoover empower!

I give this vacuum a full 5 stars, even though I was going to give it four stars, to offset the ignorance of those who cannot walk while chewing gum. The reason I would have given it four stars instead of five is because ours broke after vacuuming up things that shouldn't have broken it, IMHO, such as a long wire twisty-tie. Perhaps that is expecting too much of a vacuum in this day and age, so I'll let it slide this time to offset the lack of following simple directions that led other reviewers to proclaim that hush mode doesn't work.

The fact is that Hush Mode most certainly does work, if you just use your grey matter. YOU NEED TO UNLOCK POWER BOOST, PEOPLE! If you leave the power boost on, hush mode is only a bit quieter than normal mode. But if you don't leave power boost locked on, then hush mode is unquestionably the quietest of the sub-$250 vacuums available at Wal-Mart (where I tested half a dozen of them for low noise due to our newborn baby prior to purchasing this vacuum). It is pleasantly quiet, and you probably won't disturb a sleeping baby that wouldn't be disturbed by normal noise levels.

Also, it should be noted that the model numbers (U526X-XXX) prior to the hyphen only seem to indicate vacuum color. After the hyphen, it may indicate slightly different accessory packages. It might be helpful to check out the hoover website for this product at http://hoover.com/db/U5265900.asp if you need more information.

The HEPA filtration seems to work well. If you cannot afford HEPA filtration systems, vacuum regularly (and consider getting hardwood or laminate flooring), because this vacuum cleans the air while vacuuming, or so it seems. I have no way to clinically test this theory, but it seems that there is always less dust in a sunlit room after vacuuming with this vacuum. Just remember that these bagless vacuums can be less than pleasant to unload, and depending upon the level of dirt/carpet fibers loose enough to be picked up by this vacuum, it is possible to fill the vacuum up with a typical 1700 square foot carpeted area (at least with our shedding carpets!); carpets that shed less, cleaner floors, and a lack of pet hair or residents losing their hair will dramatically reduce the chance this will happen, of course. :)

I hope this review was helpful. Have a wonderful New Year!

I've had no success in finding the "Y" bags in stores. Anyone know where they are? Please share. Thanks.

I find these bags to be very good in getting the tiny dust particles. Yes, I do find the bags in general to be on the pricy side especially since I have had several rip. At any rate, I have not had a problem with putting the bags on or taking them off. I vaccuumed up something accidentally and needed to remove the bag to get it out. As I attempted to carefully remove the bag (one I had just changed), it ripped right off of the cardboard ring and I had to replace the entire bag. As for the big "Poof" when changing bags, I try to be careful and haven't really had a problem.

They're just vacuum bags, nothing special about them. But they're pretty durable, although they do fill up rather quick. No complaints otherwise.

Excellent product as far as suction on carpet. I first considered the DC15 but did not care for it when trying it out at our local Sears. Something I highly recommend every one do. Try it out first! We ended up deciding on the DC14. I did not find it as heavy as others seem to state. My '04 Bissel it was replacing was much heavier and was terrible. Oh sure some things could be changed about the Dyson. I would tend to accidently hit the on/off button while trying to move the vacuum while using the hose. Cord management should be improved but the cord length is great. I wish it was a lower profile unit (without having to buy an extra attachment). This may have been mentioned, but I was told that all the DC14 units are the same. The only difference is what extra attachments come with it (oh and of course the color). So I first considered buying the 'animal' version because, well, I own a pet. I thought the animal version had more suction and was designed to pick up pet hair and dander better. But they are the same unit and one is not better at picking up hair than the other. So, I got the standard all-floor unit and will buy the other attachements if I feel I need them. I am so glad I did not pay $125 for another wimpy vacuum. Finally, I have purchased something worth the money or maybe it's even a bargain at that price.

I researched other units for 2 weeks+, engineer background who over-analyzes everything, and this vacuum won me over...got it on sale (phew!) for just over $350 and am now glad I spent the $$. After many Eureka's (in the $120 price range) and 1 very heavy Hoover (never get one again), this Dyson blew me away! Dyson is GREAT for cat hair, has smooth transitions from hardwoods to area rugs / rooms with carpet. For the cheap, thin rug by the door, just turn the knob to hard floors so it doesn't suck up the rug! Best Features worth mentioning - 1) it's QUIET! I never realized how loud other vacuums were, until the Dyson. You can put kids to bed and probably get away with running this vacuum! 2)love the "quick release" of the hose and the 3 standard attachments do all common cleaning - I use it to reach corners, behind dressers, dust baseboards, dust ceiling light fixtures, etc. 3) very long power cord... 4) great power - had mine for 3 months, and it's great. I think I love this thing! The carpet pile has actually re-lifted, and I can see tracks again!

Cautions to be aware of: 1)if you're used to bags, frequent emptying of the cup is annoying, but easy to do and worth it for the power 2)it could be heavy to carry upstairs, but rolls really easy and smooth, like it's lighter than it is! If you go into it knowing these things, it's not a problem!

You will like this vacuum!

Sooo, my Hoover died yesterday and I unexpectedly found myself in the market for a new vacuum, again. I had been researching online and decided on a Bissell lift-off since my biggest struggle has always been the stairs. I got to the store and found they were out. The fellow asked me why I was so interested in that particular model anyway so I responded with the stair requirement as well as my allergies to both types of dustmites. He proceeded to tell me about the Dyson. I was concerned about the expense since it was twice as much as the Bissell I was looking at, then I found out the price of the replacement filters, $30 a pop. I couldn't tell from the forums where I had researched the vacuum since it's rarely in Canadian dollars and here I was in a store that sold them. At that price it certainly wouldn't take long until the two cost me the same anyway. So I brought home the Dyson.
There have been some complaints with the Dyson and I think it's all about perspective. For instance I'm 5'5" and to some that's tall for a girl, in my family, I'm a midget. I have no trouble handling the Dyson and not only am I short, I'm a notorious wimp. The Dyson is actually lighter than my Hoover and the Hoover had just as much trouble getting under things. The light on the Hoover didn't do anything for me either. I'd recommend that if getting under things is important, get one of those little swiffer carpet cleaner things since you're not that likely to find a lot of ground in dirt or stir up dust in those locations anyway and use the hand tool every so often to get it done well. (or if you're small like me just crawl under and breathe deeply, jk)

My favorite things:
- the wandy thing; not only is it cool, it does an excellent job on the stairs, no more lifting the vacuum with me because of the long hose which I found easy to use. On the bottom stairs though it wanted to follow me so it was a bit wierd at first but once you're higher up and the vacuum is against the bottom, I had no trouble with the hose and stretching it to where I needed it. I also had no trouble with it on the second and third set of stairs either. It was so easy I was doing all the baseboards too just for fun. It's also cool that the roller turns off when you're using it, we did a nice job of destroying the lino with the old one when we were doing the stairs.
- suction! non stop! it picked up a ton of the fine dust my other vacuum missed the day before as well as some dog hair. We bought the house from the dog owners a year ago and the steam clean and regular vacuming had failed to get these renegade leftovers. The fine dust from the different rooms (since of course you don't have to dump as often as my old one) kinda reminded me of those jars with layered colored sand, there was SO much!
- cleaning; with my allergies to dust the old vacuum may have had allergen filtration, but that doesn't protect me when I'm wacking the filter against the side of the house and getting the canister out to dump it, both of which had to be done everytime I vacuumed. The spring loaded canister dumping mechanism is brilliant! No more stuffiness/tiredness after cleaning day from the allergies. The hepa filter looks easy to clean too so I almost can't wait the several months it will take until it's time to clean it.
- detachable parts for clog killing; my old vacuum would get clogged ALL the time, we'd have to take parts of it apart with 2 different screwdrivers and then stab it with a coat hanger in all kinds of wierd angles to declog it. Vacuums will get clogged, especially if you live with furry friends so it's nice to know that when it happens, it's super easy to get where you need to be to clear the obstructions. I didn't even have to read the manual to find this handy parts.
- the little edge brushes; obviously this is not as good as going around with the wand for when you want to do a deeper clean but it certainly does a good enough job so that you have the luxury of not having to use attachments EVERY time like most vacuums I've used. It also doesn't seem to attack my bed skirt as violently as others have.
- auto shutoff when the motor gets hot; this is especially good considering that's what killed my Hoover yesterday

Bye bye Hoover, Hello Dyson!!

Great little versatile vacuum. Powerful enough to pick-up most stuff from your floors. Comes with many attachments. I use it on my hardwood floors, ceramic tiles as well as the couches.I can do a surface vacumming of your carpets but you still need something more powerful to deep clean it.
Its small weight and size makes it good also for the car.

I was distraught when my little 1-gallon shop-vac died recently. My roommate and I had used it for about 10 years as our primary vacumm--lightweight, easy to carry around the house, and it sucked up all the dirt and dog hair my pooch could bring in. The one-gallon vac is no longer available, so I bought this one. This vac is much improved over the old one--quieter, slightly larger capacity, has wheels and a longer hose, and we can now use the disposable bags or still just use the "bucket". All in all, they've taken a great product and made it even better. If it lasts as long as the old one, I'll be even happier!

Easy to use. Really picks up the dirt. Haven't used it for water yet. Attachments work great.

The information on the pages that pertain to this hose needs to be changed to reflect the fact that the hose DOES NOT fit Hoovers with a HEPA system. It only fits Hoovers with product #'s beginning U53.., U54.., U64.. I ordered it along with a new Windtunnel that has a Hepa system, since the product information stated that these 2 items were bought together by other people. Unfortunately, it does not state that these people (now including me) have to return the hose because it does not fit all Windtunnels. So be sure to check and doublecheck before you buy. ...

False advertising. It is only 15'-16' *fully* stretched and is only a "20' reach with wands and crevice tool" according to the tiny print on the bottom box. This is not an extension but fits as a replacement, so you are only getting 9'-10' more reach than the original 6' hose. That is still helpful, altho the quality of the tubing is 1/2 that of the original hose and will not sustain pulling or pinching with the same durability.

Ignore all those with a gripe about what it will and won't fit. It only fits bag models. Ignore those with quality issues. It's the same construction as the original hose, or at least not detectable to me. It's the same hose that will compress with the suction of the vacuum, so you still have to be careful not to pull to hard and tip over the vacuum. This really helps to get up high without having to place the vaccuum on a chair. I purchased this for $13 bucks, must have been a great sale on Amazon at the time... maybe they will change it back for you.