Looking for a good sub $250 vacuum cleaner

[SzczerbiakManiac]

My old vacuum cleaner died thanks to a well-meaning, but extremely long-haired former roommate who liked to vacuum regularly. I found the Dyson thread (http://www.loungeoftomorrow.com/LoT/showthread.php?t=8860), but that's out of my budget.

I need something that does carpet well and if it's great at resurrecting crushed fibers, all the better.

Bagged or bag-less doesn't matter to me. Either emptying out the nasty container of loose detritus or having to fork out more bucks for filters seems like a wash.

I also need a hand-vac option. Sometimes I'll vacuum things high up, so I'd need a tube with attachments to get at that stuff.

Being able to purchase it at Costco or through Amazon Prime is a major plus.

Thanks :)

[Snowflake]

Well, I can't sing the praises of Dyson enough.

Have you thought about ordering it from someplace like HSN that will split the payments up? It's damned good vacuum and has all the things you are looking for.

My old Eureka was passable, until I got cats. Oreck, piece of garbage.

[Betty]

Ours is currently broken - or so I"m told by the vaccuumer :rolleyes:

However, having owned by bagless and bagged, I strongly urge you to use the bagless one where you can empty out the dirt.

Vaccuums work best when empty I think? you are more likely to empty it when your done (or when it's full) when you can see it all in there. And it's very gratifying to have it empty, vaccuum and then see all the dirt it's pulled out.

You just don't get that with the bag. Plus - sometimes the bags fight you when you put them in/take them out. Ours just snaps in place and it's good to go.

Unless it's broken. :rolleyes:

[Chernabog]

Our vacuum just croaked too, so any model suggestions in here would be awesome :P

[Disneyphile]

Woot! occasionally has Dyson vacs for around $250.

We swear by ours too, even though we don't have carpet anymore. But, it worked wonders at our old place, even with four cats. :)

[wolfy999]

Dyson....only Dyson!

[Stan4dSteph]

Have you checked out Consumer Reports ratings? I think they have some good recommendations for vacuums in your price range. That's what I'm going to use when I get a new one sometime soon, and I won't be getting a Dyson.

[SzczerbiakManiac]

Funny you should say that, I just let my Consumer Reports subscription lapse last month.

D'OH!

[Andrew]

Dyson, Dyson, Dyson. Overstock.com has several (http://www.overstock.com/search?keywords=dyson&rangeminprice=150&refinebrand=Dyson&searchtype=Header) around the $250 price point.

We have the DC14-Animal (three cats and two long-haired humans) and even five years later it's just incredible what this thing picks up.

[Ghoulish Delight]

We bought a Black & Decker (I think...I'll check when I get home) standard bagged upright in 1998 with hose and hand tool attachments at Target for < $100. Still does a marvelous job of cleaning, even with copious rabbit hair and hay.

[scaeagles]

Love my Dyson. Except the stupid thing works so well I have to clean the brush monthly, which is a pain.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

We bought a Black & Decker (I think...I'll check when I get home) standard bagged upright in 1998 with hose and hand tool attachments at Target for < $100. Still does a marvelous job of cleaning, even with copious rabbit hair and hay.Heh, I was getting ready to post the same, though it's actually a Hoover "Elite Soft & Light". Seriously, this vacuum is so good that we still have no need for a replacement, even after 11 years of vacuuming my long hair and tons of rabbit fuzz, hay, and other "leavings". With a new bag, it's like it's brand new out of the box.