My wife and I are in our fifties. When we got our robotic vacuum we spent a week arguing about what to name it.
Meryl Sweep
I like how there’s this unspoken rule that they qualify as just alive enough to be named.
My parents’ fridge made weird noises sometimes so my dad named it
OK, I’ll bite, what was it?
I was trying to remember when I wrote the comment. I think it was Gertrude.
Yep totally just sent that to my wife.
Vactor
And if that new cordless vacuum doesn’t work well it will be a significant disappointment that you and your partner discuss multiple times.
But if you clean the super-fine filter it’ll work great for like 2 uses! (Then back to mediocrity and mild resentment…)
Doesn’t everyone get excited though? Even as a kid I would get excited because it would make chores easier.
Yeah, I was delighted as a kid when we got a dishwasher! No more washing by hand every night? Hot damn!!
I’ve started handing my 5 year old the handheld vacuum and she seems to be on the fence about admitting she enjoys it. I remember using a corded handheld vacuum to vacuum the stairs as a kid with some regularity too
Uh oh… I’ve been excited about cordless vacuums since my early 20s 🫣
40’s? I’m barely in my 30s and talked for weeks about my new cordless mop/vacuum hybrid thing LMAO
Please do tell, I wonder how they combined a vacuum and mop into one.
A Trader Joes will be opening soon in your area:
As someone in his 40s definitely not excited about overpriced grocery store opening.
Maybe this is for people who don’t have kids?
I got one that uses the same battery system some other tools (lawnmower, strimmer, drill) uses and oh baby it’s nice.
Turned thirty, and I’m just so done with cordless.
Battery issues. Recharging issues. Suction issues (especially when it randomly decides ‘this is is too hard’ and cuts out). Cleaning issues.
Gonna be a dumb boomer and hold out on proper corded vacuums. Which I guess means looking to the industrial/commercial grade at this point.
Wife wanted a cordless vacuum this year after our main driver died. Our house is multi levels and about 80% carpet and I’ve always been sceptical of the efficiency of the dinky cordless vacuums. I then found this guys testing videos on YouTube and immediately changed her mind.
We ended up finding the highest performing Shark from below for $250 refurbed and it performs as well as he shows.
Also need to give a shout out to Miele. German made and my dad swears by his, just a bit too rich for me to afford right now.
Corded Vacuum Tests - https://youtu.be/PugLAnsIQUA
Cordless Vacuum Tests - https://youtu.be/RTkUNwBo9Ao
I love how you point out that your house is multi level even though that is what the majority of houses (not appartments are) lol.
And why did you choice for carpet? These days most people get PVC, Wood, Tiltes or something along those lines
We bought it used of course haha. We looked at new but it was more bang for our buck with a 20YO house. My wife wants to rip all the carpet up but bigger house means bigger problems of course lol. HVAC last year, and now the kitchen appliances are starting to go. Thankfully the roof was done before we moved in
I’m so done with vacuums, point blank. First you’ve got the mass-produced Walmart/Target/Amazon/Home Depot bullshit. Dirt Devil, etc. They’re made like a child’s toy, designed to break, and there are so many ever-changing, oh-so-similarly-named-but-slightly-different models that you literally often cannot find relevant information, even on the manufacturers’ websites.
I repaired and ultimately replaced like 4 of those over the years before buying a vintage steel behemoth Kirby like my grandma would have had. It worked great, but hauling it up and down stairs was not great and I left it behind when I moved.
Then I moved to a fancy new stick vac, which is…fine. Feels like a miracle weight-wise, cordless-wise, and maintenance-wise, but I have two dogs and it only picks up like 60% of anything.
I hate them all.
Get a Henry, those are amazing vacuum.
And well nothing good comes form massive corporations like Walmart/Target/Amazon/Home Depot
2000w shopvac with a 30L drum and the hepa rated bags.
Fuck a Dyson.
Hah. This is exactly what I use. Powerful corded is better than poncy cordless any day.
I’m on board with your thought process but just keep reasonable expectations; it’s probably not going to last more than 5 years regardless if it’s battery operated or plug-in at this point. We have built in obsolescence and designed to fail products.
Nah, buy a proper workshop/trades grade wet/dry. Those things are designed to take daily tradesman abuse, household work isnt really a challenge.
Get one that has a little canister on wheels. It’s much easier to move around. I got a Miele years ago and never looked back.
Yep agree. The tradie tools have got the right thing going. You get a couple batteries and then the tool skins, like vacuums or blowers. The battery dies after a few years and you just get another.
And I agree those ones with soldered in batteries feel like they’re meant to be disposable. The corded vacuums are what you need for carpet or anything else though. Nothing beats a wet/dry shop vacuum haha
the difference between me and 20’s me is that i can now afford a new vacuum
Literally. I’m 29 and recently “splurged” on a cordless vacuum since the cat hair situation tends to get out of hand in spring and it was a fantastic purchase but definitely one I had to weigh up. I’m very glad I got it though. It’s also handy when you eat in your bed and leave crubs.
she ate 👏 in bed 🛌 and left crumbs 👏
I’m 25 and ngl I’d be excited to get one of these
Got one at 24 and it made me excited.
I need a vacuum that can handle dog hair really well. My current one uh… Doesn’t suck?
Your current vacuum… not:
Same but for cats. I have a Black and Decker which is specifically for pet owners
Shark brand vacuums. They kick ass
Shark hasn’t been good in years.
Samsung and miele are making the best cordless vacuums (which are also terrible compared to any bagged vacuum but I digress.
Idk about cordless specifically, but the $400 Samsung I had a few years ago was the worst vacuum I’ve ever had. Temperamental, and one of the houses cracked in less than 6 months. Went back and bought another $70 Walmart Bissell that lasted 7 years, after my previous one went 8.
I have heard nothing but great things about Miele.
I believe your experience is not normal or maybe it’s a model thing. But consumer reports only likes sharks up rights and my own anecdotal experience ( I lived in a 3 story townhouse and carrying them up and down the stairs was very much a first world problem for my admitted smaller wife) would tend to agree with the results. The only two I returned was the shark on raw suction power. It simply did not clean as well on both wood or carpet. The Samsung got nearly everything first pass on our carpet. Inlaws have a mieli they love but…idk they are the nice kind of boomers, so🤷♂️. CR agreed with them though.
I guess if anything do not buy because of brand name and look at the model.
I recently bought a sebo, corded and bagged, and it felt like becoming a true adult.
I have too many vacuums, didn’t ask why already typed lol. But out of all of them, the one I make sure I have around on the main floor is a 12 year old riccar bag + cord. I value the portability of cordless for spot cleaning, but on cleaning day the ricar is undisputed heavyweight champion.
I’ve only bought corded vacuums from them, which of course benefit from the line power, so perhaps they’re not a good choice for battery operated
A lot of people still swear by Hoover and Oreck since they’ve been around since the freakin world wars.
Also I can recommend Bissell floor and carpet cleaners, always had a good experience with those
I was excited by one, but it was shit and I went back to my Henry. I will never leave you again Henry.
I also love my henry, he’d survive a nuclear war I fucking love him.
leaves Henry again the moment some new hotness promises improved sucking action
Remember always buy one that uses replaceable battery packs. Even better if you can just use a power tool battery. There are even adapters for certain brands of vacuums so you can put a power tool battery into the vacuum.
If the battery is not replaceable you have to trash the vacuum after a couple of years of use, since the battery won’t hold a charge. Replacing the li-on cells is not easy and requires a spot welder, you can’t just use a soldering iron.
Or worse yet, the battery is serviceable (barely, one has to completely disassemble the unit for access), only to find that a replacement costs almost as much as a brand new vacuum. The best part is, since there is usually little to no info online about the part number for the battery, one only learns of the cost until after one has taken on the challenge to take the damn thing apart (which definitely didn’t take 1-2 hours). Looking at you, Shark 🙄
I was 31 when I got excited about one. It had the same battery as my drill.
And tools. Almost any new tool feels like Christmas. I got a new riding lawnmower and I was giddy. And I’m in my 50s.
I bought a used Ryobi lead acid riding mower with bad batteries for cheap. Converted to lithium. I was and still am psyched to get that thing out every week. And I’m in the same age range as you.
I plan on doing the exact same thing!!! I have a buddy who has done a few already and flipped them.
I was going to do it this time but the wifey was less than thrilled since we needed a mower immediately when our last one died. We have a pretty decent sized yard that is a pain to mow with a push mower. And when I said “new mower” before I meant new to me since it wasn’t new. It was however free since a family member gave me one they weren’t using anymore since they downsized their yard. So spending money on something that was going to require work wasn’t gonna fly. It is definitely on my plan for next summer however. At least this new one is less noisy than the last. My next door neighbor has one of those exact same Ryobi mowers (still with the SLA batteries however) and I’m so jealous how quiet it is.