Vacuum cleaners

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

I use a vacuum weekly. My previous'Progressive' stopped working after 9 years of great service. I am returning the new one. The hose connection to the cannister is loose. It has to be removed and inserted everytime I turn the vacuum off or there is no power. While the Pet Powermate is great it has required a redesign of the handle. The handle is now very bulky. Flexibility with attachments like dusting brush is gone. Ability to get into small spaces is gone. This also applies to the base of the wand, too bulky. Dust brush and floor brush have been redesigned. I used my previous vacuum for all my furniture and floor dusting. Now I need to use a swifter for under furniture and cloth duster. I am weighing whether or not to get another 'Progressive'... If auto manufacturers have figured out how to make better American cars, why haven't appliance manufacturers challenged themselves to do the same?<br />I am a senior citizen. Bulky handles and push button releases are not easy on arthritic hands.

How long have you owned it:

A month or less

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

I bought this based on Consumer Reports (I'm a subscriber and researched this vacuum extensively). <br /><br />So excited at first b/c it's beautiful and works great on carpet...until you realize it doesn't get the edges well. So then you start trying the attachments and realize this has a totally flawed design.<br />--If you use the narrow crevice tool (to get under baseboards), it attaches in such a way that it only uses about half of the suction and lets the rest blow out the sides. <br />--If you switch to the round brush, you discover that it is HUGE and does not fit under any of your cabinets, dressers, etc. <br />--So you go back to the narrow tool and find that although a normal wand would pick up small pieces of paper, beads, etc, the crevice tool is so narrow at the end (about 1/2 cm) that everything you try to vacuum up gets stuck at the end of the crevice and you end up having to pick up all the little things up off your floor by hand.<br />--so then you switch to the flat floor brush, but because the end of the wand is so thick, you can only get partway under your dressers and cabinets.<br /><br />I will agree this thing has power. But I'm not sure I've ever been so regretful of a purchase. This is not about reading the manual as someone referenced. It is about bad design which results it in taking nearly twice as long to vacuum thoroughly as before (older Kenmore canister with a normal wand design). <br /> <br />Buy at your own risk. I regret it every time I have to use this machine.

How long have you owned it:

More than six months

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

Comment:

Bought this based on the Consumer Reports rating and reviews, and wish I hadn't. It is powerful, but by far my biggest complaint is the design of the attachments. The telescoping wand is very bulky and awkward. The head is so thick that it won't fit under the counch or entertainment center, so you must switch to the hard floor attachment, but even that is too thick to fit under anything, so impossible to clean under dressers, etc. I do like the power switch being on the handle. Overall, just a very clunky design.

How long have you owned it:

One-to-three months

Bottom Line

No, I would not recommend this to a friend.