Vacuum Reviews

I was looking for a bagless canister vacuum to use mainly on my hardwood and tile floors. I already have the Dyson Purple Animal which does a great job on carpet, but I can't get under furniture with it without using the wand and floor tool. My first impression of the Telescope was that it was doing a good job of cleaning the areas for which I bought it. But there were a few problems - 1) the power cord is awfully short (compared to the Animal), 2) the air driven brush on the floor tool comes on when the machine is turned on - you have to turn it off for hard floors by pushing in on a lever of sorts on the side of the tool. The problem is that when you're doing carpet the slightest touch to this lever turns it off - such as when you bump into a piece of furniture, or even the edge of a comforter hanging from the bed. It is very sensitive to touch and doesn't always stay out the first time you pull it out. 3) The floor tool from the Animal will not work with the Telescope. There is an adapter to make the Turbo tool work with the telescope, but not the floor tool. I prefer the bristle floor tool from the Animal to the floor tool which comes with the Telescope and was disappointed that it wouldn't fit. Customer service was wonderful and they sent the adapter for the Turbo tool, which I then adapted myself to use with the floor tool. 4) The power on/off button and the power cord rewind are colored and shaped the same, just on different sides of the machine. You have to look carefully (or memorize the locations) to avoid hitting the wrong one. 5) Maybe it's just me, but I don't think I've ever used it and had the telescoping wand stay extended the first time. One section always collapses and I have to extend it again.

Overall, the Dyson machines are very nice - clean well, store easily, empty easily. The Telescope is amazingly small when in storage mode and it's easy to carry when cleaning. While I'm not planning on returning the Telescope, if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't purchase it. I don't think it's worth the money being charged for it.

Ok, after much deliberation, I bought the Dyson canister for the sheer selling point that it was a canister and it was made by Dyson. I won't lie, I have waited for the Dyson canister to be released here in the States since they started marketing the DC07. I really liked the idea of a bagless canister with no filters to buy. My family is very health conscious and we try to do our part for the environment. Upon inspection of the unit after removing it from the box, I noticed that the HEPA filter was of great quality and the bactisafe screen just looked cool. I plugged it in and kicked it on and much to my surprise it had as much suction, if not more, than the Animal upright. The downside to the DC11 is the fact that its turbobrush is air-turbine powered and tends to slow down or stop a lot on medium to high pile carpets. Our house is one of theose strange creatures with high pile, medium pile, tile, wood, and even cork. So, I tested the vacuum on all the floors and found it worked great on everything except carpet. There it seemed to be lacking. I tested it for about a week and then was forced to return it for an Animal upright. After vacuuming with the DC11 and then going over the same areas of carpet with a Eureka canister with powered brush, I found the Eureka was removing almost as much dirt and from the carpet as the Dyson originally did. There is just not enough agitation in the brush to work great on carpet. Final verdict, great for floor, may need some compromise for carpets.

We have had our DC11 for three weeks at the time I am writing this. It replaced a 5 year old top of the line Hoover canister that died. The Hoover proved to be only average in total satisfaction over the time we had it. When searching for a new vacuum my top priorities were suction, bag-less and HEPA filtration. I was willing to sacrifice in other areas for these key features. I considered most of the top brands but was enticed by the Dyson because it was not only bag-less but also had a lifetime HEPA filter which will save lots of money and waist over the life of the unit. After getting the DC11 I was immediately impressed with the build quality and suction. There are lots of smart design features which make using unit a joy. We have about 50/50 medium pile carpet and hard floors, it cleans each equally well. My only real complaint is the length of the hose and cord are on the short side. This is not major and I am happy to live with it and is even less of an issue being that the unit is so light an portable. The unit is not the most quite on the market but that was not a key selling point for me. It is much quieter then our old vac but noticeably louder then a Lindhaus. I highly recommend the DC11 if you are looking for a vacuum with great suction, no bags and lifetime HEPA filters.

It has been 20 days since my order was placed. It has yet to ship! Pay no attention to the reviewer who said he got it in 3 days.

Just received this vacuum today & it is the best I have ever used in 26 years. Absolutely beats out my central vacuum system!! Takes up ALL the dog hair, I cannot emphasize that enough.My rugs look great and so do the hard floors. Handles very easily, rolls itself along, you only need to guide it. Great price, quick shipment, I couldn't be happier.

Used by a cleaning service in the homes of executives and professionals, very fussy customers. Great power and easy to use. Have used 6800 series canisters for 8+ years, and will continue to do so.

This vacuum had wonderful suction at first, but only lasted one year. Now I can only vacuum one room, and then it loses its power because it's overheating. It then starts spitting everything back out. It doesn't pick up anything of any size, such as small playground pebbles. This was a waste of money - I've bought a new vacuum and will just keep this one for the basement.

I have a Fantom cyclone and a thunder and they are the best vacuum ever. They pick up all the deep down dirt. Please go on ebay and by a Fantom Cyclone XT since the company is out of busness

I bought a used Fantom And it is the best vacuum I know of.I can vacuum with my less than a year old bagless vacuum Twice very throughly, take one pass with my Fantom and have a dirt spinning in the canaster and this is from a small area rug. Please go one ebay and buy one. If it isent as good as I say, you got a broken or cogged one. These vacuums are so good, I love my Fantom Thunder.

BOUGHT THIS IN FEB 2002.WAS VERY PLEASED UNTIL THIS MONTH SEPT
2003.VACUUM NOT WORKING AND MELTING SEALER BAGS.
I WILL PROBABLY BUY AN UPGRADE MODEL NEXT TIME.

I have had my Vac 300 for about 1-1/2 years and never had a problem with it until just this past month. Now the left side of the sealing strip will not seal and I did not realize that until days later when I went back into the freezer. My brother swears by this product but has purchased a more expensive unit. I plan to also "upgrade" to a better level because when it works, you can't beat it, and once you get used to it, you can't be without it!

I actually use the Vac 500, but the solution to many of the problems I read about here is to replace the lower seal and/or the upper seal unit. Both of these are easy to replace and a simple call to Tilia with the problem will result in FREE REPLACEMENTS.

I just did this for my 500 and I am back in sealing business.

Satisfaction with this product is quite good, until it comes to the problem of locating the filters that fit in the dust bin. I have tried all locations: Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond. None of them carry the filter, only the vac. Even the Black & Decker website offers no help. Can anyone tell me where to purchase the oblong filter encase in plastic? Help!!

This vacuum cleaner is the reason I am on-line right now - It's so bad that I'm looking for another one. The parts are cheap and it can't handle more than two rooms at a time. When you empty the canister, dust gets EVERYWHERE. This has been an awful vacuum cleaner. I have tried new filters, pulling hair out of the brush, and emptying it after each room. It still won't pick up pieces of fuzz from my carpet. But it does pick up dust, so at least it does something right. You're better off looking elsewhere if you don't want to be disappointed!

This vac is not intended to be your primary vacuum. It is light weight and easy to handle. I bought it for my children to use, to help out around the house. They love it. I use it for small jobs. The canister is very easy to empty and not messy at all, in my opinion. I think it's great! I don't know how much it costs new. I bought mine from a thrift store, but it looked brand new. I probably wouldn't spend over $40.00 on it new.

This vacuum has a very powerful moter and, as advertised, will actually pick up nuts and bolts neither of which I have laying around my kitchen floor. The filter design is lousey. It is not designed for the fine dust this machine can pick up and it fills up long before the "cup" designed to hold the nuts and bolts. I cannot finish vacuuming my kitchen floor without cleaning the dust filter at least once - and contary to what you may believe my floor is not filthy. I have contacted Black & Decker 2x's and their response it to send me more filters. The power of the machine is great, hopefully Black & Decker will redesign the filter system.

This vacuum is wonderful for those who need a small, very powerful vacuum, for a small space. I use this for my darkroom, and it's pretty much perfect.

However, it has too many attachments, with bizarre adapters, and even comes with a quick reference sheet to help you figure out how to get each one one. Someone needs to get fired at Black and Decker, immediately.

I gave the vacuum and a bag of pieces to my friends father, who has worked in carpentry and construction for 20 years, and he had serious trouble figuring out how to get on certain pieces.

I was just laughing when I started to read the instructions. If they had just made everything connect via tubes, like any other normal vacuum, everything would be great. I just use two different pieces, and put the rest of the attachments in a box.

It is loud, but that comes hand in hand with being very powerful.

I don't think they really intended it to work out this way.. but you can use the blower mode to clean out the filter, which fills up very quickly.

I love this little vacuum. It has very, very strong suction. The many attachments give it versatility and let you choose what works best for you. I did not find them at all frustrating or confusing - the one page instruction sheet clearly shows recommended configurations for different jobs (upholstery, corners, floor molding, etc.). But I tried a couple of configurations and quickly found that the stick and floor attachments are excellent for my furniture - especially in removing pet hair, and it's wide, so I can cover the surface quickly. The other pieces were a little small for the job. I would prefer a longer (or a second) hose attachment, as well as a little better upholstery attachment and a separate dusting attachment, but the attachments from my regular vacuum also fit this one, so this won't be a problem for me. Still, I fully recommend this little gem.

I purchased an upright Electrolux about 20 years ago and the vacuum is still going strong, needed another vacuum and greed got the best of me......"an Electrolux for just a little over $300?....I better snatch that up right away!"....What a mistake!! cheap, poor fitting plastic, poor overall performance. a warmed over Eureka (Same Company).

Evidently Electrolux sold off the high quality vacuum cleaner portion of their business to a company called Aerus, they have a web site or you can buy a slightly different version of the Aerus 3000, still the high quality of past Electrolux's, on QVC called the "Ultralux by Electrolux" for $344.

I first, i thought i was getting a "True Electrolux" for a bargin price. The old saying "you get what you pay for" is oh so true. As it turns out, this is a cheap Eureka vacuum cleaner. First time i tryed to clean under a chair, i discovered the brush head lifts off the floor completely. Forget cleaning under a bed. It's noisy, looks like cheaper tthan normal plastic parts. It also left scuff marks all over my wood flooring. I could get the same vacuum cleaner but branded Eureka for a lot less money if thats what i wanted. For me, it's going back for a refund. My advise, stay away from this product. If it is an Electrolux you want (as i do) then be sure you buy the real item. Don't know why, but the real Electrolux is now called Aerus or something like that. Same great products but a different name now.

My 3 cents worth,

I purchased the Electrolux Aptitude last month despite some bad reviews here. After using it for one month, I am thoroughly satisfied with it. This is the best vacuum that I have ever owned. It is a replacement for a Hoover V2 that literally fell apart. The Electrolux is much quieter, more solidly built and easier to maneuver. Hoover claims to outclean all other uprights but I find that this vacuum leaves the carpet cleaner and raises the nap of the carpet better. Also, there is no dust residue on the vacuum cleaner, the attachments, and wheels after using it whereas with the Hoover, even with it's HEPA filter, there was always dust.

In summary, I would recommend this cleaner; it's relatively light and very easy to use, quiet, great looking, cleans very well and leaves no dust after using it.

This vacuum is not worth the money. My vacuum worked for two weeks before the belt broke and they do not carry belts at this time. According to a customer service representative they did not expect belts to malfunction so they are on backorder for the time being. When I called customer service I was told a number of stories, but in the end no one offered to help and I was told I would just have to wait for the parts to come in (about 3 months). According to an electrolux repairman, these are basically overpriced eurekas because this company paid for the electrolux name. My advice is to buy a bissell.

This stylish vacuum is light and compact but as powerful as the big lug-arounds. It leaves the carpet free of dirt and debris and fluffs up the pile like new; however, it's main advantages are it's quietness and dust free operation. Other HEPA vacuums that I have owned always had dust on them after I used them. This vacuum has virtually no dust on it after you use it and that's using the regular vacuum bag (there is a vacuum bag available that filters even more dust, etc.). The dust bag is extremely easy to change and has a "self-sealing" feature that prevents dust from escaping while it is being removed from the canister. I found no problems in assembling and disassembling the hoses, wands and accessories; so I don't know what the other users who reported a problem in this area were doing wrong. The only drawback is the "on-board" cleaning tool storage which fits awkardly on the outside of the canister but the compact size of the vacuum is more than an even trade-off for this shortcoming.

I bought this vaccum after developing allergies for the first time. My parents have had an elextrolux for the past 25 years and it has always worked great. Although Eureka is now making these electrolux vaccums I expect that in order to preserve the integrity of the name they will make every effort to make sure this product line is up to standard, and I think they have succeded in this regard.
Contrary to the other reviews I took my vaccum home and was able to connect all of the pieces by myself without any problems. The bags are small, but so is the vaccum. If you want bigger bags chose an upright, but beware, the hepa filtration on those units is not as good. The filter and bags are easy to acess. The power head is very sturdy but has a little trouble standing on its own- it can do it, but will fall down with the slightest breeze.
The vaccum is very quiet. To test the suction I first vaccumed with my old vaccum and then revaccumed with this one. I was very impressed. I could hear every piece of sand and crumb climbing up the hose- and there was a lot!!! It even has a light so you can vaccum in the dark, or in a dark corner. The head seems to move itself effortlessly across the room.
If you are considering this machine, don't be afraid of the other reviews. I did not experience their woes.

I bought this vacuum a little less than a year ago, and it did the job. It picks up very well, and I liked the bagless style (not sure why they bother with a HEPA filter though--dumping the dirt from the canister would be a nightmare to people with allergies.) I did have problems with the lower hose getting blocked, but though it was a pain to clear it, I was still happy overall with this cleaner.

HOWEVER, it's completely broken in less than a year of average use (vacuuming twice a week). The end of the beater bar broke because some of the plasic part that held it deformed from overheating. My vacuum repair shop said they could fix it with new parts, but that it would just happen again. They also said they see Eureka vacuums all the time because they're not built to last. I wouldn't recommend this cleaner, and won't buy Eureka again because I can't afford a new vacuum cleaner every year. Do yourself a favor and find something more durable.

I bought this vacuum after lots of research into features and quality (I have a dog and need a good one) and I love it. It is very quiet and powerful and the attachments are great. When the power switch broke right after the warranty expired, I contacted Eureka to express my displeasure and suggest they reimburse my repair fee. Imagine my surprise when they FedExed me a new vacuum over night. In today's world of diminishing customer service, Eureka went above and beyond to prove they are interested in taking care of their customers!! This vacuum is a great product and they are willing to back it up.

Have been using this vacuum heavily since it arrived last week and I'm extremely pleased. It is lightweight, quieter than any vacuum I have ever used, and appears to do a great job of picking up stuff. The dust cup is easy to empty and I enjoy the fact that I don't have to buy bags. I selected this vacuum partly because it is billed as a true HEPA filter and I don't want to recirculate the dust I have just vacuumed up. As far as I can tell, the filters are working great. The on-board attachments are easy to use. The flexible hose is a little short but adequate to do what I need to do.

My sister in law owns this vacuum. When I visit them, I clean
their house...when i use this vacuum i always smell something burning. Then i knew the problem, it was on a low carpet setting. so i put it on the highest setting. (the carpets are really low and flat). Now it would be fine, but it wouldnt pick up anything, then the beater brush makes sqeeking sounds and burns up. Then when i use the attatchments, the hose keeps popping out of the vacuum!

Pros:
* very powerful suction
* excellent edge cleaning

Cons:
* excepting the motor, it is a conglomeration of cheap plastic parts
* the hose is too short, though the hose extension is helpful and it does fit extension tubes from other vacuums
* the electrical plug is not grounded

Overall, I am very pleased. It suits my inclination towards things that work great and are cheap.

If you have limited funds, this is a good vacuum for the money. I bought this vacuum recently and have used it on hardwood floors and short pile rugs with no problems. It easily suctions up dirt. It only has a 12-inch width....but that works better for me than the wider 15-inch ones since it gets between chair legs and into tight spaces. My complaints? It's a bit heavy...and NOISY! (the loudest vacuum I've ever used). And the quality of the parts isn't as good as vacuums that cost two or three times more, but since I only paid 89.95 for it, I feel I got more than my money's worth. And at that price I'm more than willing to overlook the noise and weight.