Friday, February 27, 2009

Diaper Bags & Vacuums -- Opinions Wanted!

Posted by Abby at 9:16 AM

Is the life expectancy of vacuums now two years?? My last vacuum lasted about two years and now my current vacuum (of just over two years) just died. The ribbing of the hose is tearing and I've been planning to wrap electrical or duct tape around it. The plastic on the end of the hose has chipped off over the last two years and just barely holds the hose attachments on so I wondered if we'd have to get a new hose at some point. Now it seems we'll just need a new vacuum. The height selector (high/low pile carpet) won't work anymore and somehow that's keeping the brush from even turning. I guess I could keep using the hose feature of the vacuum and just vacuum with the hose...

But I'd love to know 1) what kind of vacuum you have 2) how long you've had it 3) what you paid for it and 4) how you'd rate it on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest).

And while we're at it, I've been on a hunt for a new diaper bag/purse to replace my current one. Does anyone have any recommendations for a diaper bag that is small (my current one is 11" wide x 6" deep x 8" high)? I have been able to fit all the essentials for newborns on up to toddler stage in this bag. I'm sad that it's getting worn out. I may have found someone who is willing to MAKE me one for a decent price ($20-$40...not 80 BUCKS for a BAG!), but I'd love to hear your thoughts and recommendations too!

 

14 Comments:

  1. Desi said...
    February 27, 2009 at 11:26 AM  
    My vacuum is a bagless Eureka Boss Spinduster. It works pretty well. We've had it for 4 years with no problem. I buy new filters and a belt for it once a year. I would checkout Consumer Reports before you buy a vacuum. That's what we did and it has really paid off! I would rate my vacuum an 8 out of 10.
    Mary Beth said...
    February 27, 2009 at 12:06 PM  
    We have a horrible vacuum. It's not even worth going to look at it to tell you the brand and model. Our really good one died (Hoover Wind Tunnel) that we got for our WEDDING died back in the fall, after 8 years and too many moves to count. We got the new one at wal-mart for $40 (I think it's a Eureka), and it feels like it's worth about that much. I think you really do get what you pay for in vacuums.

    And I've been out of the diaper bag thing for too long I guess, I am no help. Sorry!

    Good luck!
    Abby said...
    February 27, 2009 at 12:27 PM  
    Thanks!

    I've been checking Consumer Reports but am still undecided at this point. I lean toward vacuums with bags though because of allergies and the mess I tend to create emptying bagless vacuums. :)

    Mary, was your Hoover Wind Tunnel a bagless? I've heard good things about Hoovers...

    Our old one was a Eureka. I loved it actually, but the durability...really should've been better for $150!
    raehink said...
    February 27, 2009 at 2:34 PM  
    You really need to visit with Aunt Beccy. They just replaced theirs after mucho mucho research. She knows a lot about vacuums. Love ya.
    jjstringham said...
    February 27, 2009 at 2:56 PM  
    I got a Dyson and I LOVE it. They're way more expensive than most vacuums, but they also come with a 5 year warranty. Before the Dyson, we were going through vacuums once a year. We've had this one for three years now and it still works just as great as the day we bought it.
    Emnacnud said...
    February 27, 2009 at 3:16 PM  
    mine is a bagless vacuum and it is crap do not go bagless you may have already learned this but it is only our second vacuum and i was miss led by the idea of no more changing the bags. anyway it was the cheapest one out their $50 it is a bissell powerforce bagless upright. DO NOT GET IT. IT IS CRAP. i need a new one.
    Rae said...
    February 27, 2009 at 5:35 PM  
    Dyson. Bought it for $250 refurbished from eBay in the summer of 2005. It has served us SO well--despite my sometimes clueless treatment of it. The only problem we've had only started about three months ago, and it's easy to fix: It involves me being smarter about not vacuuming things like yarn.

    *blush*

    Also: I just have to tell you that the captcha word verification for me said "reedness". I got a kick out of that. :)
    Erika said...
    February 27, 2009 at 5:36 PM  
    We have a Eureka Capture and have had it for about 14 months. I think we got it for $150 or something. I don't think it does a very good job with the hose. Vacuuming normally is fine, although I wouldn't do bare floors with it. And it's bagless and it seems like the filter is always FILTHY and always needing to be washed. I don't like that. It also started to make a weird noise when you run it, so I don't think it'll last too much longer. :( So I'd probably rate it a 5 so far, but if it breaks down soon I'd go lower.

    As far as a diaper bag goes, I don't have a favorite. I will probably get a new one with this baby. Let me know if you find a great one.
    Wendi said...
    February 27, 2009 at 9:33 PM  
    I've got a Dyson that I got off of Woot for about 240. I LOVE it. Its bagless and beautifully simple to empty. No big mess. It sucks way better than the other one that I used to have. I've had it for about 3 years now. It works great on hard floors too.

    My mom just made my sister a really cool diaper bag... but it is a bit big. How small were you thinking of going?
    Heidi said...
    February 27, 2009 at 10:24 PM  
    We checked Consumer Reports and did their suggestion of the Eureka The Boss or something like that... it was around $150 at Walmart, it does have bags and a filter that runs about $20. We were trying to find something before Bennett came home from the NICU and it had good reviews. That also tells you how old it is, we got it four years ago and it still runs just fine, we've never had problems with it. Of course, we don't really vacuum that often... now that we have a crawler that's eating everything we vacuum but otherwise I'm pretty bad about it so I don't think it's gotten four years of use out of it.

    I found a small black diaper bag at Target for $7. I love it. Small enough to pass as a purse but big enough to hold diaper & wipes.

    How are you feeling??
    Abby said...
    February 28, 2009 at 8:31 AM  
    Aunt Rae - I think I talked to Beccy about her vacuum a couple of years ago. It's REALLY nice, but I remember it cost quite a bit. I wish I could invest in an expensive one right now but I think I'll be looking for a more inexpensive one for now.

    Jamie - My sister has a Dyson too and LOVES it (she posted her comment a few down I think...). I've often wished for one and borrowed hers several times when we lived near each other.

    Emily - THANKS! Duly noted! I will NOT buy the Bissell. :D

    Rae - I can't believe your captcha word was "Reedness"!! That's AWESOME! (For anyone else reading this...her son's name is REED.)

    Erika - I'll let you know what I find in the diaper bag department!

    Wendi - My current diaper bag is 11" wide x 8" high x 6" deep. I'm hoping to find something similar in size.

    Heidi - WE HAVE THE SAME VACUUM! That's the vacuum we bought two years ago! I guess MAYBE it was THREE years ago now that I think about it a little harder. But still not as long as it should've lasted. I'm glad yours is holding up better than ours did. I'd get it again if I wouldn't be worried about all of the plastic parts...

    And THANKS everyone!!! I love having friends to pool for advice on stuff like this!
    Tarena said...
    February 28, 2009 at 5:05 PM  
    Mine's a kenmore, canister kind (the kind the kids love to ride on). We've had it for about 5 years and haven't had any problems. I think it was around $300 at Sears.
    Qait said...
    February 28, 2009 at 5:40 PM  
    I don't know what budget you're working with, but our vacuum is a Eureka "Altima." Which is kind of funny because our car is an altima.
    Anyway, it was a wedding gift, so we've had it for about two years. It's great! We've seen it at WalMart selling for about $80.
    I think it's a great vacuum for that price!!!
    raehink said...
    March 1, 2009 at 9:17 PM  
    You might ask her again. They just replaced their old one last month. I think they bought a Dyson. Could be wrong. They took the old one out to the desert and shot it multiple times.

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