Vacuums....Searching for "The One"

So I don't know about you, but when I plan on making a bigger purchase, I believe in doing my research.  I'll ask friends, search for reviews, and always compare the item to other products.  What I've been needing for almost a year is a vacuum.  Try living without a year when you have two pugs...not easy.  My allergies and asthma have taken a beating.

2 months ago I purchased a mini vacuum, the Bissell FeatherWeight Vacuum.  A friend had told me that she had gotten it for like $20 and that it was awesome.  So I headed out to Wal-mart, and bought mine.  I paid $25, and it was good, but it wasn't great.  I found it just wasn't meant to handle heavy dog hair.  I also found it did better without the flat head (or whatever it's called).


A couple days ago, I ended up taking it into the classroom to help with the guinea pigs.  Well, it didn't do great with the dog hair, but it's awesome at sucking up guinea pig poop!  The kids love it...they are much more apt to clean the guinea pig cage as they barely even have to bend over.  I don't consider it a wasted purchase, but it definitely wasn't the right one for my home.







Now my dream vacuum for a long time has been the Dyson canister vacuum.  It's a dream other than a short cord.  Now it is amazing on pet hair!  It is shocking what it pulls up.  I was able to try a friend's Dyson a couple times and swoon....The bad news?  It retails for over $600.  At this point in my life of rebuilding my home to look like a home, I can't justify spending the money and I don't have that kind of money lying around.  It would need months of savings.

So what am I looking at getting?  The Bissell Pet Canister Vacuum.  It's on sale right now at Canadian Tire for only $99.99 (regular $179.99).  I don't know anyone who has ever owned this model before and so I did my research by starting to look for reviews.  Usually there are reviews on the actual Canadian Tire site, but no one had added them.  So I looked further.  Best reviews actually came from Amazon.com, which has way more than just books.  Some of the comments said,

• "I have owned many vacuums - most of them too heavy or too difficult to change from carpet to tile. The attachments of this vacuum are easy to use and it is light weight. The canister doesn't hold a lot but I would rather empty a small one more often to have the super suction and convenience of a canister. It takes care of the pet hair on furniture and floors. If you have a large home or don't like to empty the container often, try something else. This little guy is great for smaller homes & apartments & those who don't like to work hard at vacuuming."
• "We have mostly wood floors with some area rugs as well as carpet in the bedrooms. This is the one vacuum that I an use throughout the entire house. Prior to owning this, I was using 3 different vacuums- one for each floor type basically. This bissell does great with the pet hair. It does pretty well on the area rugs. It is fantastic on the wood floors. It's great in the bathroom. It works well in the cars and on the furniture and dog bed.
  
  I am so happy that I ignored most of the reviews here. This vacuum may not be as great as a $500 canister, yes, I get that. But I have never owned a $500 canister, nor will I ever. I don't need a vacuum to last 20 years. I just want something affordable, that I can use in every room of our house. It's been great at picking up the kid's crumbs under the table and on the rug. The suction power is good. It's a pretty quiet vacuum. I love it and am very happy."
• "I love, love, love my Bissell Pet Eraser Canister Vac! And, it does vacuum up pet hair and I should know I have 6 cats and 3 Samoyeds (long white-haired dogs).I have never had a problem with the hair not being sucked up or the pet hair attachment getting clogged (yes, you have to clean it and remove the long hairs that wind around the brushes, but this is true of all vacs with this type of attachment). Yes, the vac is cheap compared to another vac I have which is a Dyson Pet Hair Vac which cost me well over $800.00 and I hate it. It tips over when you use the extensions, it is heavy and very hard to get under and around furniture. I have all hardwood floors in my house and I don't need a beater bar--in fact I hate them as they scratch up hardwood floors. I do have area rugs, and the vac does a great job on the rugs and upholstered furniture. Yes, the dirt/hair container is small, but that is so much better than having a large container which smells if not emptied often and then becomes clogged if you pack all that much dirt and hair into the large container and then try to empty it---what a mess. I have a 3500 square foot house with two stories and it doesn't take me long to vacuum. It works great on the stairs. Its lightweight and with the extension I can do all 14 steps. I have owned many vacs in my 45 years of marriage and I rate this as the best vacuum I have ever purchased. Thanks Bissell for a great product."

So based on those reviews, the awesome price, and the need to go into the city tomorrow anyway, I think I shall try to get one.  My allergies and my asthma will definitely be thanking me!