Finally, l’m having to admit that the housework isn’t going to do itself and the dust won’t lockdown until my cleaner returns. So, I get out the Dyson. I was a much stronger person when I bought it, but I was shocked to discover how cumbersome it is and really painful to my hand and wrist.
I believe one can trade in old ( well only 3 years old), but what for?
My criteria are;
Lightish, easy to carry, easily detachable bit for stairs, sofas etc, v good battery life, good suction, ideally good allergen resistance and, if it’s not too much to ask for, quiet.
£500 is way too expensive, but £250 may be too cheap.
I’m sure this has been asked before ( possibly even by me) but a lot of new machines have come out in the past year.
Any recommendations would be appreciated. Or even any ‘Don’t Buys”!
Many thanks. J
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Yes, I'd be interested in the answers too. I have an old Vax Pet Vac and it's pie hot at picking up anything but it's built like a tank and it feels like one when I am trying to wheel or lift it anywhere. We also have a Henry but that's too heavy for me to carry from room to room.
I have a Miele Cat and Dog C3. I used to have a Dysons but found it so heavy and cumbersome even before the RA kicked in, that I got fed up. It's corded but for me is not too heavy and has such a long cord and good wheels so I can just pull it around easily, and only need to lift it to get it up the stairs. Uses bags, which I actually prefer as you just need to pull the bag out to empty it rather than lift the thing up to empty it. It has attachments and is just all round reliable and has excellent suction power, which can be adjusted to vacuum everything from curtains to hard floors. I bought it as we have two cats and it was recommended by many people as best for pets. Best cleaner I've had, but at around 7kg may of course be too heavy if you need to carry it up lots of stairs etc.
Agree wholeheartedly Mmrr...I have two...one up-one down!
They aren’t as efficient as the Dyson ... but I can lift them with one hand,& the most recent one has a bag you just throw away (there is the ongoing cost of buying bags..but it works out at less that £1a month) & you can take the whole handle off which makes it great for stairs & the car.
The company is also very good at after sales service..., on my first one the handle wouldn’t stay upright when I had finished vacuuming ...so I called them ....they sent me a new handle which I looked at in horror but when I phoned .....they put me onto an engineer who talked me through attaching it that was about two or three years ago and it’s still going strong.
I had a dyson but gave it to my son as it became far too heavy. I now have a Gtech which is good and much lighter. If you can afford the hand held one as well it would be good as it's not easy to clean furniture etc with just the main one.
I was lusting after the handheld one....but when I saw the one that you could could detach the handle I bought that...I think the handheld would be more useful in the house...but I have a car with dark tweed upholstery & the one I bought is easier to navigate a car interior.
I have got an old Dyson handheld....but it is heavy & only lasts about 10 minutes per charge.
I have a Bosh Athlete Cordless. I find it’s lightweight and easy to use, easy to empty, does come with tools, but far to difficult to change, I have a GTech hand held for stairs etc. Highly recommend both. X
I only do the downstairs with mine, I have laminate in the kitchen and hall, it’s very good for both hard flooring and the carpet in my through lounge. I have an old Miele upstairs, corded, but so heavy, I need to replace it. I was in the process of getting a cleaner to do my housework before this all happened, not coping these days. X
Just bought a Shark anti hair wrap easier to use than my Dyson and comes with 2 batteries which can be plugged in janywhere ,each runs for 80min. Glides over floor without much effort .
Good Housekeeping Institute have done comparative tests on everything including vacuums. It might be worth checking them out. We have a Dyson, a GTech upright and a GTech handheld. The Dyson wins for level of cleaning but the GTechs are soo light and easy.
I suspect you know but my vote is for Gtech. We have both the AirRam MK2 K9 & Multi. It’s been worth getting the K9 having 2 dogs as the brush bar & fixing parts (!) are strong. We have had need to replace the odd part over the years, the left wheel in particular, 3 times, but the after sales service is excellent, parts received the next day, no exemptions. Gtech were apologetic, there was a batch that they had an issue with, something to do with the pressure on the wheel when the switch is pressed, resolved now though. We had the first problem with the hand held about a fortnight ago, the switch stopped working. I actually thought it was me & my rubbish hands not pressing it hard enough but it was actually broken. We did have to pay for the part as it's now out of warranty but we didn’t think it was expensive at £15, received the next day & very easy to replace. Telling you all this to be completely honest but we've had the upright for nearly 3 years (originally had the MK1 K9 which is still in use) but is used every other day & in between, the hand held we've had a little over 5 years, not used as often though. The upright is easy to empty, the hand held does need a little more pulling ooomph. Both filters are easy to take out to wash.
We do have an upright Dyson, one with the ball & the reason we changed to the Gtech was weight, it is soooo heavy. My h had need to use it the other day & called me over to push it, to see if I’d remembered just how heavy it was. Boy, did I struggle! Even a metre or so & my arm & shoulder was hurting. It may be good at picking up but it's the suction that is the problem, it's too good, making it too hard to push.
Whichever you eventually buy I hope you find the right one for you Jo. It is a real problem when you have problems such as ours, more so when the dust is so deep it has cobwebs over it! x 😆
I too had a Pet Vax which was extremely powerful but too heavy I’ve also had Dysons in the past I now have a Shark and it’s brilliant I think when you have RA a light machine is good 😀
I have a Seibo for downstairs and a Gtec K9 for up and downstairs too. the Seibo is great but heavy but the Gtech is light and powerful. Only problem with them I feel is they fill up quickly but are easy to clean to be fair. The handle of the GTech telescopes so easy to take up and down stairs and does clean very well. The hand held bit of GTech (it came as a kit) is great for upholstery, stairs and the car. I bought direct so look up their website for prices. Picks up cat hair very well too.
You may need to look at the cordless version, Dyson has a very good suction but there are others, Try AO on the net you may find a price you like. The cleaner is a long way of yet, a bit like my carer, and the dust will not stop due to lockdoown.
Thanks. Yes, I’ve just had a look. They have £100 off the Shark. It’s had some bad reviews, but others are excellent. And I’m not inclined to make James Dyson any richer!
I bought the Swan Eureka Power Turbo Stick Vacuum a few months ago for £200...I was a bit dubious being so cheap but I could not afford the Dyson or other high end makes. It was the lightest I could find at 2.4kg so I went for it & sold my Vax that I only had for 6 months but it was way too heavy for me even getting it out of the cupboard & also my G-Tech which had also become to heavy for me. Well I am very happy with my Swan stick & it is great to get out everyday (my Beagle does molt a lot especially now being unable to get him to the groomers it is great to vacuum down my leather sofa from his hairs in the morning whereas before I had started using a broom & dustpan & brush to do it all to avoid the VAX & GTech. The Swan is super easy to empty & everything is washable I hope this helps.
What a helpful thread. I am happy with my cordless Dyson (bought a while ago, she adds hastily) but my elderly Mum needs a new vacuum and struggles with her balance so wants something very light and easy to push. She wouldn’t want mine as the motor is at the top and she needs the weight lower down... does that make sense?
I also love the Miele as mentioned 🙂great guarantee. well made, good suction. I bought a new one recently, cats and dogs as I also have two cats - love all the accessories.
Taking up and down the stairs with painful hands may be a slight issue. But it was the lightest of all that I had tried as the cordless sticks were too weighty.
I tested the entire range at one of those electrical superstores when ready to buy he didn't have it in stock. I managed to find online from Argos next day delivery for a better price. Happy with it.
Your Dyson might be the one I was going to recommend - the V7. I used to have one, it weighs 2.3kg, and I swapped it for a newer version which is much heavier and much less manoeuvrable, and it hurts my wrists.
If your V7 just need a new battery, it's very easy to change.
The waste-eject button on my new Dyson, a V10, I think, is efficient. but quite hard to operate. The V7 push-button system requires less force from weak hands.
Agree, it's a hard decision. I think overall, I'd go for ease of use, rather than efficiency. I use my hoover much more now than I did because it glides round easily and I'd rather have that than a 'best-buy' that doesn't move as well.
We have a Sebo but its heavy so a G Tech K9 and hand held K9 it was bought as a package direct from G Tech. We were looking at them in Lakeland and another customer told us you can buy direct and we did, saved over £100. Really easy and efficient to use and battery has a long use from charge. The handle telescopes down so better to store it. I would never have one on display like they do on TV ! lol x
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especially now being unable to get him to the groomers it is great to vacuum down my leather sofa from his hairs in the morning whereas before I had started using a broom & dustpan & brush to do it all to avoid the VAX & GTech. The Swan is super easy to empty & everything is washable
I hope this helps. 
Bats in a hospital again
NOW THEN! (In a northern accent)
Had a fantastic day yesterday..............................
What a difference in a year.....
Weekend in Ghent!
