I ended the turmoil and pain of a poor delapitated soul.
Dear makerspace - you need a new vacuum because I got mad and threw it away.
I realize my rage induced actions have consequences and if needed I will buy one. But I’m tired of pushing around a doll toy and pretending it does anything. I stand by my decision and I accept the consequences that might come because of it.
Nicole
Having vacuumed all of Monroe: I feel your pain. I will go halfsies if necessary.
“Do or do not” -Yoda
Pushed $100 to DMS towards a new vacuum. Hoping @uglyknees will follow laudable action with praiseworthy wisdom, by running point on selecting a more worthy instrument.
If you attach suitable vanes to the motor, you could make a useful wind turbine to power small projects. Consider a vertical shaft design.
Personally, i think we need a riding vacuum.
Yar!
(As they say in ancient tongues.)
I would suggest hitting up a real vacuum shop and investigating their options. I’ve had a Royal 2000 for about 10 years now and have never had a bad thing to say about it, except for bags and weight. It’s meant as a consumer unit, but I believe it would certainly hold up to the rigors of our usage.
Would anyone be willing to quietly place the poor old girl aside with my name on it somewhere? I’ve been looking for a no-cost unit for some tinkering, but Craigslist keeps letting me down. I can pick it up Monday in the AM, but I don’t really want to dig through the trash, though I will consider it… 
PM or post here if anyone is willing, and thank you.
There is a janitor supply shop called janitor world, They sell some pretty cost effective commercial vacuum cleaner.
Here is one of the highest rated vacuum cleaners on Amazon:
It is just north of $150 with tax, shipping, and GPS so that you can successfully navigate from room to room.
There is an aftermarket option where it will detect when someone is making a mess, not cleaning it up, and then hunt down and taser them.
Also, I would recommend at least one handheld vac (preferably per area) such as the:
I have one of these and use it constantly. The downside is that the battery life is a about 20 min, (but enough to clean up an average mess) it takes a while to charge, and it does fill up pretty quick, but it is easy (though gross) to clean. The price point now is reasonable at $50 each with free shipping through Amazon Prime and possibly no tax.
There is a 20 V model available, but the reviews are no better and the price is substantially more.
The upside is that if it is portable and at hand, it MIGHT encourage people to clean up after themselves since they don’t have to drag out a full size.
Or it might not.
JAG “If you don’t clean up after yourself, then YOU suck” MAN
P.S. What happened to the Roomba that used to be around?
You mean, the dead disks under the laser printers?
You mean, the dead disks under the laser printers?
If they say “Roomba” on them, then yes.
Why are they dead? I don’t recall the obituary.
JAG “Your ad here for $50 a month” MAN
That shark doesn’t look too bad, especially since it’s bagless and the motor will stop when in upright. I’m curious about the motor and housing, I’m of the belief that full metal motors with an auto-cutout if load gets too high is a good thing, personally.
Gotta second this. Here’s the type of thing I would be looking into. Why replace a “doll’s toy” with another? Most of the bagless, super-hyped, info-mercialed type (e.g.g “Shark” or “Dyson”) are intended for use in a single-family homes, have super-short cords, and generally don’t suck enough to be used in a commercial environment such as the 'Space. YMMV, but I say spend the extra and get something with a good, long cord, intended to be used comfortably for hours at a time, and with large, disposable bags so you can avoid the whole “dirt cup” fiasco. This is not your home, but a commercial setting and should be treated as such.
I put a note on the board meeting for $200 to opps for a new vaccuum. Should it be more? We do apparently have a cleaning service that keeps things together - but I like to try to keep things tidy usually and a working vaccum helps make that happen.
Andrew,
Looks like a good recommendation - it is also well rated on Amazon (and at the same price so you might as well buy local) though there are some detracting remarks:
I’m a little surprised at the low noise level - less than 70 dB? That is pretty quiet for a vacuum cleaner. I also like the true HEPA filtration - I thought about mentioning that as a feature, but the space is already pretty filled with PM2.5 and PM10 particulate matter (just an educated guess) so I’m not sure what difference it will make. (thought it certainly won’t hurt)
I don’t have any experience with backpack vacuums, though someone could have some fun and redecorate it into a proton particle pack ala “Ghostbuster” style.
Oh… and Nicole, with regards to the budget - this model is a shade over $400.
JAG “Cleaning up Class 5 Full-Roaming Vapors since 2002” MAN
Some of us cannot wear backpacks of any sort. I can push or pull a vacuum, but backpacks are a big problem for me.
Fair point on the cleaning service, and if a backpack style seems too “restrictive” you could pick another style. Backpacks get my vote because they’re so easy. You strap it on, and with a 50’ cord, centrally located outlets, and some pep in your step and 1000ft^2 room can be cleaned up in no time. Pushing an upright or pulling a canister comes in a distant second, though canisters get my vote b/c they’re much easier to tow than the uprights are to push, unless you have need for beater bars and carpet brushes (I don’t think we do) but there are many other factors to consider. Regardless, I still think we should be thinking “commercial-style”, “long cord”, and “easy disposal” (i.e. bags, not bagless), which puts us in this class of devices, rather than the “Shark, Dyson, Hoover” realm. Mind, I’m not poopooing any particular brand, as those I mentioned may very well have competitive commercial-grade products, but the ones we see on TV ain’t them.
[Here’s][1] a site which offers a nice breakdown of the various styles of vacs out there, just in case anyone wonders…
Oh, and yes, I think more like $400-600 would put us into the class of device I think we would find most beneficial…
[1]: http://www.pro-team.com/vacuums/default.aspx?style=3
Andrew,
Your thoughtful discussion and sharing of personal experience is greatly appreciated!
In lieu of Richard’s comment, I would be concerned that unfamiliarity or incompatible ergonomics would discourage use of the backpack vacuum cleaner and the biggest problem the DMS has is getting people to spend 5-10 minutes cleaning up individual messes, not cleaning the entire space for hours at a time. Also, as far as commercial/industrial use, we already have inexpensive shop vacs for that kind of thing. Extension cords can easily make up for a 25’ foot cord limitation and are endlessly useful for other applications.
Mind, I’m not poopooing any particular brand,
Well, it is not just a matter of brand, but individual models from the same manufacturer can vary greatly in performance and satisfaction as you alluded to. I value actual personal experience and data over hype and perception and in some cases I have found inexpensive equipment to perform surprisingly well or even better than more expensive and allegedly better manufactured units.
When I worked commission radio repair for several years, a lot of the techs used Makitas. But I found them heavy, unwieldy and annoying to use (hated the awkward reverse switch) and happily made over $55 K a year just using my cheap Black & Decker drills that only cost a fraction as much.
Perhaps another consideration is the warranty period; I could definitely see a value in getting something that is warranted for 3 years such as the ProTeam you recommend versus something else that might be only 90 days.
Thank you for the site link with the breakdowns - it is very interesting.
JAG “Dyson Vacuums Should Have a Disco Ball” MAN
Well said, and I generally agree. Brand and $$ spent is far from the whole story. And I agree perhaps the backpack is NOT the best fit for this tool for this purpose. They’re still my favorite.
Re: extension cords: built-in cords rarely have to be “tracked down” and “unemployed” from other uses to be available.
For some reason, this story is popping into my head…
