Buying an Appliance is Driving Me NUTS!

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When I want to buy something, I have a certain formula to which I adhere. I go on Amazon, find the products in question, and check the reviews.

The first thing that I check are the one star reviews. OK, a few complaints might be from cranks. When I see the same problem multiple times, I don't even consider buying the product. I also have a formula in my head, to which I adhere.
The product has to have at least 90% in 4 and 5 stars.

I am looking for a vacuum. I checked Consumer Reports' buying guide, and looked up the ones on Amazon with the best reviews.

I have been at this, on and off, for three days. The appliances that were given rave reviews on CR, had horrible 1 star customer reviews on Amazon.

I have already upped my price range a number of times, but it does not seem to make a difference.I think that the problem may be that things are not made as well as they were in the past.

What should I do? Should I close my eyes and just take a shot at one item or another? I made up my mind that I would have an order in today, but so far I have been reluctant to go for any of the vacuums.

What would you do? Any advice?

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@Phoenix32890,

I'd loosen the criteria a bit. I like CR and I trust their reviews, but like you said, reliability is what you get from the Amazon reviews. Maybe 70% 4/5 stars? Or read the ones that people but text to?

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@engineer,

That's the thing. I find that even the vacuums that got 90% 4/5 star reviews, also had serious deficiencies that showed up in the 1 star reviews. Apparently, they are all hit and miss.

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Very interesting. At the bottom of the page where CR gave rave reviews of the cordless stick vacuums, there is this message in tiny writing:

Quote:

Consumer Reports does not currently recommend cordless stick vacuums because of the generally high incidence of problems reported by our members. The problems can include batteries that diminish in power over time, or die completely.Such problems are particularly acute in the fifth year of ownership.

1 Reply

@Phoenix32890,

You could go for the corded versions. I know there are several that CR likes.

1 Reply

@engineer,

Well, I did it! I checked more thoroughly again, There were problems that I refused to deal with. Adding insult to injury, since the printing of the 2022 CR buying guide, the prices of the machines were up, considerably.

So..............I opted for a much cheaper vacuum, which actually had better reviews, higher 5/4 reviews, and less 1s.

Now, if I could just get through the debris in my garage, I would love to see if my old Electrolux is still working, Now THAT was a workhorse!

2 Replies

@Phoenix32890,

Drag that old Electrolux out of the garage, and if it's not working, take it to a vacuum repair shop..........those folks work miracles on old vacuums.

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@glitterbag,

Great idea, Glitterbag!

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I noticed something fascinating. All my life (and I have been around for a while)
I have never heard of "pet vacuums". People have always had pets, but there never was a special vacuum for them. Now I don't know if the vacuums are designed differently than "pet less" vacuums, or is this a marketing ploy.

BTW, I don't have a pet, so I figure this vacuum will last longer than if I did.

2 Replies

Congrats! One problem down. I will say vacuums are simple machines at heart. A repair shop could likely make that Electrolux sing like an opera star.

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@Phoenix32890,

I loved my old Electrolux back in the day. But we bought a Miele (22 years ago) and then his mother gave us her Tristar - both of which are excellent and have only needed maintenance (a good cleaning out) every 3 -5 years. It's worth the $ to do that.

The other suggestion I have, for whatever appliance you're buying, is to check with a repairman and ask which brands they never see. We had to buy a new fridge after only 10 years because the motherboard quit. I asked our local repairman and he recommended a couple and then told me what never to buy (Samsung). Also, he told me which dishwashers he never saw so that's what we bought. So far, it's been 14 years (Fisher & Paykel).

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@Phoenix32890,

Best vacuum I ever bought was the Dyson, I've had it for years now, still works like it's brand new!

1 Reply

@jcboy,

I have a miele, a good German brand.

James Dyson is a Brexiteering scumbag, and I will not buy any of his products.

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@glitterbag,

Excellent. A repaired Electrolux beats anything new by a country mile. As long as the old motor didn’t get fried, you should be good. I’m not sure how cost effective a new E-lux motor might be.

I’m a snowbird so located in my Sarasota home I use an old Hoover I bought back in 1987. Still runs ok though I’m not sure if the self-propel part still works. I just push it along regardless as it has great suction.

Up north in upstate NY we’re using a Dyson. Love it.

1 Reply

@Ragman,

I don't expect anyone else to share my prejudices, and I hear they're decent enough vacuums.

I just don't like him.

1 Reply

@izzythepush,

Dyson = douche?

1 Reply

@Ragman,

He is an arch Brexiteer who moved his business abroad when it started to bite.

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@Phoenix32890,

I had the same experience with the same outcome three weeks ago. Ended up buying a Shark for a fraction of the cost. I may end up sorry I did it, but I could buy five of them for one of the pricier ones, and still come out ahead. . Plus, the filters only need replacing every few years, so long as I simply maintain the machine.

2 Replies

@Joeblow,

I agree. As long as it works well, if I had to replace it in a couple of years, no big deal. If I bought an expensive vacuum and I had trouble with it, I would be very pissed!

1 Reply

@Joeblow,

Actually, I really like Shark products. I bought a fantastic Shark steamer for about $50 - I could steam clothes, shower tiles, kitchen backsplash and cupboards, glass - loved it. Unfortunately, our hard water here clogged it up and I am desolate. But I bought a Shark floor steamer/cleaner that's still working - great products.

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