Battle of the Midline Vacums: Dirt Devil Vision Vs. Eureka Altima

When my Kenmore of 7 years kicked the bucket after a rather nasty Fruit Loop spill, a practically-the-entire-box kind of spill (thanks to my 2-year-old), I had to quickly buy a new vacuum…the mess was everywhere. $160 and two vacuums later, I learned that it pays to do your homework.

Vacuum #1: Dirt Devil Vision, approx. $59-$70. You think Dirt Devil, you think it's got to be a good vacuum. The price was great too. It features a bagless system, HEPA filter and a few fun attachments. It worked pretty well at first. The Fruit Loop mess cleaned up easily, but it couldn't hold a candle to my deceased Kenmore (why I didn't just get another Kenmore, I'm not sure) on bare floors. Everything kept getting kicked out the back and hitting my feet, no matter what setting I put it on. Very frustrating.

Fast forward two months. The vacuum starts acting like it is plugged up. So, after cleaning the filter and checking the hose for a plug, it starts working better…for about one use. The filter gets cleaned again, but the hose isn't plugged up. Its suction power is so low, that it won't even suck up a small piece of dirt or cereal. As I have no receipt, and no box, I have a useless vacuum that's not worth it to get fixed. Other problems include a cord that constantly gets in the way (it comes off the machine near the top of the handle and gets tangled easily) and the hose pops off easily. It is also extremely loud for a vacuum and the filter is messy (you have to bang it against the side of your trashcan to clean it, which then sends up clouds of dust and junk that goes everywhere and defeats the purpose of the filter in the first place-I actually had to clean up the mess it made, sneezing all the while from my dust allergies).

So, after doing some homework, I find that nearly all reviews on amazon.com say exactly the same thing "worked great at first…now doesn't work at all." If only I'd checked first! The negative reviews far outweighed the positive ones. A family member had similar issues with a Dirt Devil she got a few years back and Dirt Devil wasn't willing to do anything about it, despite their warranties.

Vacuum #2: Eureka Altima. This 25 pound vacuum was $89 at Target, comes with an electrostatic duster that has a telescopic handle (you stick it in its holder, flip a switch and it spins, creating a charge and cleaning it). It is also bagless and has a HEPA filter. And this vacuum actually sucks. The dirt it keeps sucking up even when the floor looks clean is kind-of scary and it propels itself quite nicely (it feels like it glides over bare floors and does a decent job cleaning them). The dirt canister is easy to empty and it doesn't spread dirt around while doing so. The filters are smaller and can be cleaned in the sink and left to dry. The amazon reviews are mixed, but mostly positive, and gave this vacuum 3 ½ stars and the Dirt Devil 2 ½ stars.

The Kenmore, sadly, is on its way to the dump and riding along beside it, my Dirt Devil.
Dirt Devil: 0 Eureka: 1.