Going From Suck to Blow

Last night, I was going to make an entire evening of cleaning. Vacuum the carpet, drag out the Hoover, and steam clean the entire upstairs. This plan was thwarted when my vacuum cleaner gave up the ghost. I had just finished my room when a big cloud of smoke and the smell of burt rubber and metal wafted from the thing. The entire upstairs smelled like burnt garbage. It was horrible. Even worse, I hadn't gotten to the office, nor Brother's room. That room hasn't seen the vacuum cleaner since the day he moved in. I can only imagine how bad it is. I don't go in that room. I'm too scared to do it.

At any rate, I find myself in need of a new vacuum cleaner. The one that just died, I've had for about 4 years, and it was around $50 at Walmart. Considering that I have pets that shed enough fur to make a winter coat of my own, I thought the vacuum held up surprisingly well. It was a Bissell.

I know a lot of nurses have purchased Dysons. In fact, I think one of the requirements to work on our surgical ICU, is to own one. I hear they are good vacuum cleaners to have, but in the past, I've balked at the price. Probably because I was a poor college student and found other things I'd rather spend my money on.

Then, there are the Electrolux cleaners. Kant's mom had one that she first got when Kant was a baby, if not before. It lasted forever, and The Lue swore by them. She got a new one as a gift a few years ago, and I believe the old Electrolux was passed down to the son. Or something like that. However, I know Electrolux has changed hands fairly recently, so I don't know how their most current models stand up. Fairly within the same price range as the Dyson.

Kirby? I'm not dropping a grand on a vacuum. I don't care what kind of attachments it comes with. I dated a guy who was suckered into buying one. Dumbass.

I've read reviews on probably every well known cleaner out there. Some good, some bad. In the end, I came back to the Dyson because it was the brand I read the most positive things about.

So this is the one I am looking at. It's red! Like a sports car!! And purple!! It looks like the official sponsor of the Red Hat Society. In the end, I don't really care what it looks like, as long as it gets the job done, and it's going to last me long enough to get my money out of it. For $400, it better work wonders on the carpet. In fact, it better make my carpets so clean, I could eat off it without so much a cat hair in my food. I don't mind shelling out dollars for a quality item, but it better last me until I die. (As it stands, I paid dearly for my cookware and forged cutlery that has a lifetime guarantee...so when I die, I fully expect to be buried with all of it.)

So, I ask you, oh loyal readers (all five of you), if you have ever owned a Dyson? What was you experience? Do you have a suggestion for another good vacuum cleaner? (And don't say Hoover Wind Tunnel...I've yet to read a good review about those.)

I'm all ears!