After years of reliable service sucking up glass, soot and household dust, KB3’s vacuum has finally given up. She’s been looking at the offers around at the moment and is impressed by an £80 saving on a Dyson DC07, however since she has “…hardwood floors downstairs and carpet upstairs”, isn’t sure if the Dyson’s up to the job.

Fellow members of the Hitched Forum have ridden to her rescue with Alison76 suggesting the Miele S5211. Not only does she own one, but points out “I’ve just looked at the Which best buy table and the top 4 were all Miele and there were another 3 or 4 Miele also in the top 20″. She also suggests the S4211 as it”…came out better than the black one I listed, and it’s slightly cheaper too.” Gryfon too also has a Miele which she describes as “fab”.

Worried that cylinder cleaners will give her a bad back and prove troublesome storing, Alison76 once again reassures her: “…It takes less room than our old upright one took. I have a lower back problem and don’t get any aches and pains using it.”

If you’ve got any advice for KB3 jump across to the forum and have your say.

KALIB’R from Overclockers UK is another who’s bucked the housing market downturn and is about to move into a new house. As a cat owner he wants a vacuum for “sucking up them darn cat hairs” and has asked for recommendations for the best machine for the job.

While Electrolux, Panasonic and Henry’s all have their fair share of fans, fellow cat owner footman suggests Miele as “…anything that picks up our cats hair must be good!”, Westyfield2 recommends the S4581 he bought, while collisster gives the Cat & Dog the thumbs-up. KALIB’R tempted by the “fetching shade of red” says he’ll “look into a Miele Cat & Dog” to which footman replies “you wont regret it, its the best we’ve had”.

To read the rest of discussion and leave your own suggestions for KALIB’R jump over to the forum.

Over at the hifi and sound system forum Talk Audio, John Dorian is interested in buying a new vacuum and wants to know whether Dyson are really the last word in bagless cleaners.

While several Dyson owners are happy with their machines, the concensus from Talk Audio members is that Dyson are “very flimsy and plasticy” and “the build quality doesn’t seem up to much” especially since moving their manufacturing to the Far East. The Rug Doctor who describes himself as “…in the dust business sort of” uses both a Henry and Karcher in his business, but has a Miele at home describes Dysons as “…crap for rugs/carpets so I have never owned one”.

Even Dyson owner R-P admits that the noise levels of a Miele are “about 20dB less loud than a Dyson” and “the emptying of the cylinder is messy”, but “…we (unconsiously) leave it in the room when we get visitors, something you won’t do with a Miele…”

If you’ve got any suggestions for John on the best bagless cleaner or have a Dyson story to share hop over to the forum and have your say.

After his old vacuum drew its final breath and sucked up its last strand of pet hair, Jon Frost at Overclockers UK is looking to buy a new cleaner. Although he’s got his eye on a Dyson he’s also asked for suggestions for something that is “robust” and “liable not to break”.

While Bissells, Electroluxs and Panasonics all receive their share of recommendations, along with vehement support for Henry’s, Miele vacuums are suggested immediately as the one to go for with Wiggins and [FnG]magnolia both recommending them ahead of Jon’s preferred choice even though they’re bagged cleaners.

The bagged vs bagless debate - a topic we also cover frequently on Forever Better - then continues as Overclockers members share their thoughts on the subject. If you’ve got a preference for one over the other and can help Jon out, hop over to the forum and have your say.

At the Overclockers UK Forum, HAz has reported that the time has come to replace his Dyson and wants recommendations for a new vacuum.

He makes the point that the new cleaner “…must be strong and have good suction” which leads to a multitude of suggestions from fellow Overclockers, including several recommendations for Miele. Following HAz’s rejection of ‘Henry the Hoover’, Rocklobster writes “If you don’t want a Henry get a Miele”, while Psymonkee recommends the Miele Cat & Dog due to HAz’s need to clean up after his feline companion. Gumbald chips in to say “Everyone normally says get a Miele in these threads” while radderfire agrees with him, recommending Miele as one of the brands he’d look to as “I normally trust the Germans to make something decent”.

If you’re a Miele vacuum owner now’s the time to let the world know. Head over to Overclockers UK and share your knowledge with HAz.

Isn’t it great when you know you’re about to get your hands on the object of your desire? Silverpod of the Damsels Forum definitely thinks so and after lusting after a new vacuum for a while has finally ordered a new machine.

Like all good shoppers these days, she did plenty of research online and made her decision based on the recommendations of other Cat & Dog owners. Fellow Damsel member jubjub bought her Cat & Dog just a month ago and describes it as “…excellent”, while Lady M’s Mummy, Skibunny, Cheetara, Narcissa Malfoy and Pancake01 all love theirs, the concensus being that Silverpod won’t be disappointed when it arrives.

There are plenty of other satisfied Cat & Dog owners too, as regular readers of Forever Better will know, it’s a subject we cover often.

Judging by the judicious use of angry emoticons in her post on vacuum cleaners, MoneySavingExpert member mary43 is fed up with the troublesome things. While sprucing up her house for the visit of her one-year old grandson her current vacuum has let her down and having found Dysons too heavy in the past has asked for recommendations for a decent machine to buy.

Meester recommends Miele calling it “…the best brand for suction and reliability” and then gives a full rundown of seven vacuums suitable for mary43’s needs including the Cat & Dog, Revolution 5000, S4581, S4511 and the HEPA 5281. Miele owner LandyAndy is also a fan and describes his as “…very good and, relatively, quiet.” Mary43’s only concern is that she finds upright cleaners easier on her back.

Have you got a tale to tell over a particularly useless vacuum cleaner? What would you recommend to Mary43 in her situation? Have your say in the forum.

Another shout has gone up for a good vacuum for dog hair, this time from WeightWatchers member Countrymouse69 who’s asked for recommendations among her fellow dieters for the best one to go for.

In addition to suggesting reading Which? reports, Blueblue63 immediately extols the virtues of Miele with her own machine enduring the cleaning grind for the past eleven years, although she admits she has no pets only her kids to clean up after. Shelabalo loves her Dyson which like Bluebells63’s Miele has lasted for the past decade, while Eva1968, Debbiemarshall1970 and JKSMUM all advocate Sebo, with Debbie in particular pleased that the five years with her Sebo have been faultless.

If you’ve got a recommendation for Countrymouse69 or have your own story to tell, jump over to the forum.

gk172, a member of Money Saving Expert has finally tired of her Dysons. After having bought three in a row including an DC07 which she described as “…good but a little fragile” and an DC14 which “…didn’t seem to have the power of the DC07″ she’s recently bought a Vax Mach 6 which also falls short of her expectations.

Her dilemma is whether to keep the Vax or go for another brand, so she’s opened the floor to suggestions from fellow money savers on what to buy next. While several debate the pros and cons of the Henry range of cleaners, Sharon59 highly recommends going for the Cat & Dog. After replacing her useless Hoover upright with it she describes it as “…nice and quiet ” and has really noticed the difference it makes.

What are your suggestions for the best pet hair vacuum? Are there any breeds you find defeat the best cleaners around? Have your say in the forum.