Dirt Devil Accucharge 15.6 Volt Cordless Bagless Stick Vac with ENERGY STAR Battery Charger, BD20035RED

I bought in December '09 after about two weeks of research facilitating the vacuum cleaner. I needed someone who could handle: Lots of dog hair (retriever / Spitz mix!) Four children, the usual crumbs kitchen, area rugs, hardwood floors, tile and very low-nap carpeting (whew!). We also have a fireplace, and often have small leaves and wood debris from logs brought into the house. In the past, I have tried bissel Turbo Sweep (kept breaking) and Shark (new version with a hand brush, battery died after a year and brush roller was so full of hair, it was a pain trying to keep it clean). Tired of the batteries die or VAC die!

A major problem with wireless vacuum cleaner is that the battery will inevitably die out on you within a year because of "overcharging" it. I really like this vacuum cleaner has a "smart charger" that only charges VAC, what it needs, and then reduces the charge to a trickle as the battery is not overcharged. The charger base is the size of a dustpan and keeps the VAC in place as well, so you need a place on the floor that you can park it. Do not handle the way down, if that makes a difference in your storage options.

First, "cons": plastic body feels a bit thin, it's strange (but feasible) on the stairs, turned the whole body of the cleaner and not just the mouthpiece when you pivot it, and takes some getting used to; handle is not ergonomic and VAC begin to feel the hand "heavy" after a while (I can still use the Vac with only my index finger wrapped around the end of the handle and it helps). Also, if you are vacuuming a very dirty carpet, dirty cup filled quickly, and lose suction.

Now the "professional": the VAC REALLY collect things! I'm amazed at how much dog hair, crumbs, etc. This thing will pull in! Perfect for the kitchen (Goodbye, doggie Tumbleweeds!), Scatter rugs to clean without sucking up the AC, great on tile, hardwood and carpets were napping. I also like the brush roll on / off function, so I can go from hardwood to carpet easily. Gets the edges clean as well. The leader of the VAC is smaller than I thought, so if you can not get the edges clean goes along with it, can I get it clean, just got the edge. Now things like dog food and the air soft pellets (two boys) would rattle around when you vacuum them up, so I often end up emptying the dirt cup when it happens. Noise is moderate, it is still a vacuum. Noise increases slightly on the dirt cup is full. Fully charged on the first lap in under six hours, and again put it back in its charger and will charge only what it needs (the charge goes off when Vac is fully charged again.) Have not used it enough to wear out the battery as I try keep it in continuous use for 10 minutes. It has two year warranty on it, which I think is above average. After I vacuum my carpet cushion, and after about every other user on the regular floors, I use my big VAC to really clean the filter and the filter screen which is a key to get good suction with these types of vacuum cleaners. This thing takes up so much dog hair and dirt, which I usually have to empty dirt cup at least once, when I use it on my den carpet, but not having to drag my 21 - pound Sears vac around is worth it. If the dirt cup was bigger, it would be almost perfect! I currently use the Swiffer Sweeper to clean my hard and it looks VAC will pay for itself within six months of not having to buy those refills all the time! So I guess the only thing left to know now is how long it will last!

PS: The dirt cup release button looks like if you lower it down, but actually pushing up on it, or you can break it! Also on deeply patterned area rugs, do not do a good job, but again the scatter rugs and anything else I said, do it. Hope this helps!

Shark 2-in-1 Cordless Stick Vac and Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, SV800\VX63

This battery-powered vacuum cleaner is wonderful and so easy to use. Incredible suction. I use it to vacuum the kitchen - it gets under the covers and picks up everything - I have a lot of dog hair. Even use it on my door mats around them on the terrace. Just do not try to download something big. I also use it on my carpet for small jobs. I like not having to get out of my Dyson, plug it in, etc. just for small jobs. It is very easy to empty the filter and go back in. I think it's two in one, easy to remove and use as a hand vacuum cleaner with a small annex.

I have thrown away a lot of money on similar products (the worst was the Swivel Sweeper).

A smart addition to any busy household, this wireless stick VAC a nozzle that lifts and traps dust, dirt, dirt and pet hair from carpets and low-gloss surfaces, floor tile, linoleum or hardwood. The motorized brush roll can be set to low or high speed to adjust the suction power depending on the type of floor. The cleaner also provides swivel steering for easy maneuvering around furniture and ultra-light design. It can also be used to prep the floor before washing them with the Shark Steam Mop (sold separately). The two-in-one stick VAC not only cleans the floors throughout the house, but it also converts to a hand-held vacuum cleaner for quick, everyday pickups of dirt and dry spills on furniture, countertops, floors, kitchens and other busy places in the home. Even more, a crevice tool on your handheld device access in tight spaces and corners along the window sills or between couch cushions. A rechargeable battery and three foam filter included. The two-in-one vacuum cleaner measures approximately 10-2/5 by 5-2/7 by 49-1/5 inches.

Hoover Flair Bagless Upright Stick Vacuum with Power Nozzle, S2220

I went out after a small vacuum with a bag, try to avoid bagless (did not want to deal with dust), but changed my mind when I found one.

Excellent and no-nonsense. I can whip this baby and have it running in 3 seconds. This is great for quick cleaning company, a kitchen, although I have used it for a complete downstairs vacuuming

Good points: two modes - carpet and flooring. Works well in both areas. Curtain mode, simply turn on the power roller head.

The low profile swivel head means I can get into everything, everywhere, including sofas, which means less furniture to move.
Quick-release cord hooks, so I do not use five minutes unravel fairly long cord.

See-thru "unbag" so you know when it becomes full.

It is small enough to store anywhere, and even has a hole in the top of the handle for hanging in a closet.

Bad points: I strongly believe in this. OK, switch to low (see picture). It is also bagless, which I have found is actually a good point, because it keeps this vacuum light and small. The "bag" is very easy to pull out and empty. With no bags to buy, making the price it is an excellent choice.

It is also good for chasing cats around the house.

UPDATE: The handle needs some sort of rubber coating to prevent it from falling when leaned against a wall or desk, managed to break the lower cord catch due to repeated falls. Of course I immediately bought another (from Amazon, of course).

Hoover LINX Cordless Stick Vacuum

Hoover LiNX Cordless Stick Vac (Model BH50010) List $179.99 (3/17/09)

Pros:
Cleans well - on/off brushroll for bare floors or area rugs/carpeting, excellent on pet hair
Control on handle - easy to use
Charge indicator accurate & useful
Dust cup very easy to empty & clean (including baffle tube when necessary)
Filter easy to clean
Stands up to store

Cons:
Awkward on stairs - no stair-handle, must support from below. I'm getting used to this, and it's easier if I use my stronger hand for the machine and weaker hand for the handle.

THE BOTTOM LINE:
Hoover Platinum CSV is absolutely shines in two areas: ease of use (switching from brushroll on to brushroll off, going between surface heights & types), and cleaning ability, especially the tricky maneuver of getting pet hair off area rugs.

WORD TO THE WISE:
I got this information from Hoover after my battery failed: don't store the battery in the charger. (I stored it in the charger and only took it out of the charger when I used it.) There is nothing in the instructions about this, but storing it in the charger can cause it to fail. It's OK to leave it several hours or overnight, but then take it out of the charger and put it in the vacuum. The battery will continue to hold the full charge no matter how long it is stored in the vacuum. (Thanks to the 2 year warranty on the battery, they are sending me a new one at no charge.)

Read on if you are interested in more detailed comments:

Price:
I am sure that with time the price will come down or discounts will be available from the $179 list. I know that the Hoover Platinum Lightweight Bagged Upright (another model in this line) which originally listed for $399 is readily available online for $300 now. (Nov 12, 2009 edit: Price has finally dropped into the $150 range!)

Battery Life:
The battery life is quite good, and I like the "fade-free" aspect of the product - it works at full power for the whole time. It does a much better job so much quicker than my old vac and I am more than satisfied, since I can get everything I want done in a single charge.

Bagless feature:
I think I finally understand why bagless vacuums are so popular, even though they are more work: there is something so satisfying about SEEING how much dirt and pet hair you have removed from your flooring. But however satisfying it is to see what you have removed, it creates an extra step that you need to perform nearly every time you use a bagless vac - ANY bagless vac - if you want it to maintain its cleaning power. With my previous stick vac, the dust cup emptied fine, but I had to pull the dust off the filter with my fingers to ready it for the next use, and occasionally use another vacuum to clean the filter because it was not washable. The Hoover Platinum CSV, however, is exceptionally easy to empty and clean. The dust cup empties from the bottom, the baffle tube is easy to remove from the dust cup assembly if necessary (which it will be, if you have multiple long-haired daughters), and the filter can be bushed off with a dry toothbrush and washed when necessary. Long hair does tend to wind around the baffle tube (part of the bagless system). Fortunately, that is easy to remove when emptying the dust cup.

Carpet Cleaning:
I have used (and liked, and still believe it is a good stick vac, although with limitations) the Eureka The Boss Lite Cordless (96 b)Eureka 96 B Quick Up Upright Cordless Stick Vacuum cordless (rated 4 ½ stars on Amazon) for years on my hardwood floors and area rugs for quick cleanups, so I have a basis for comparison.

My old Boss Lite was great on bare floors, but only better-than-nothing on rugs. (I used to kneel down and wipe the surface with a well-wrung out sponge to get the hair off my area rugs because the brush-roll on the Eureka just wasn't up to it.) By comparison, the Hoover Platinum Cordless Stick Vac is amazingly good at getting surface pet hair, dirt, and sock lint off rugs. It won't deep clean, but it will help to make the carpet surface LOOK clean, which is all I want for a quick clean up.

Ease of use:
Easily goes from one surface to another seamlessly, except for certain very lightweight mats. Rubber backed bathmats and doormats require me to lift the vacuum up off the bare floor and onto the rug, but it does a good job on those at cleaning them rather than sucking them up. It cannot be used on the very lightest towel-weight throw rugs with no backing, even without the brushroll - it sucks them up. With ordinary area rugs, however, the Hoover Platinum CSV goes up and over the edge with amazing ease.

Edge cleaning:
This vacuum has excellent edge cleaning. I don't ever have to stoop down to get that random bit of whatever from near the baseboard. This is a MAJOR plus when compared to my old stick vac.

Clearance:
The Hoover Platinum CSV will go under about the first 9 inches of furniture with only about 2 ½ inches of clearance,- you can't go further than that, because the bagless dust cup gets in the way. But if you have more clearance - about 8 inches (what my kitchen chairs have under the crossbars between the legs)- then you can get completely under.

Was there anything I liked BETTER about the my old stick vac?
Yes, I liked the way it hung on the wall to charge. The Hoover has a charging base which charges the battery, and the vac, while it stands on its own (a plus), does require floor space.

Electrolux ErgoRapido Bagless Cordless Handheld/Stick Vacuum Cleaner, EL1014A

This wireless stick Vac you let, compact, og have et tiltalende design og Farve! It has a bekvem base station, og have a indbygget in hånden vac. Filteret your number at clean og have ikke blot at a nem tomme Beholders, but også a "Twang" function, where hjælper you at fjerne the filter of støv uden tilsmudsning dine Haendig. Awesome! The Håndstøvsuger clear my 850 square feet ejerlejlighed (alle træsorter) in a simple opladning, with tribute til overs for at bruges hånden Vac for padding. (Jeg has been ikke bruges til at it gulvtæppet or more indstillinger, so can ikke tale about the præstationer der). It's compact, perfect til lejlighed-beboere or til Brug in udpegede smaller areas of greater et hjem as Køkkenet, foyer, pet areas, etc.. Og completely ærligt, jeg seems you yndig og Elske the orange Farve - - meget glad when you Laver verdslige arbejde as støvsugning:)

People shell Have rime forventninger til, what a Pind støvsuger may Gore. A Pind VAC Vil Never Have the Suge-og fra power a normal bigger vacuum, you should og ikke forvente, at the! Jeg holder et pænt hjem, og vacuum once a ugen with my "almindelige" vacuum, a kraftfuld, Fulda størrelse Poseløs oprejst with HEPA filtration, where the wood nicely, but you lidt besværlige og tongue at bruges hverdag.

Jeg bruges Ergorapido bare til daily Brug in Mellem "rigtige" vacuum's, for at holde my plads pæn og ryddelig hverdag, free for kattehår / Kuldiga, Krumme in Køkkenet, narrow spores in the foyer fra shoe, etc.. - - Og the arbejder AWESOME til dette formal. Jeg ikke wanted forvente, at gore arbejdet on one line, in Fulda bigger vacuum - - but it is amazing til hverdagsbrug til at rydde op lidt Messer og støvede areas her og der.

Jeg has ejet other knitting støvsugere in fast time, you og blevet skuffede over Deres præstationer (Dirt Devil "Vac-n-Mop" = forfærdeligt!). But this product indtil now you meget bedre! Jeg Vil bestemt Anbefales it til nogen at udkig after a manøvredygtig, let at bruges og elegant vacuum for letter arbejde or cleaning in Mellem "almindelige" støvsugning.