I have Eureka. It's an older model but haven't had problems. It leaves tire marks temporarily but I haven't seen many carpets that don't unless they are berber. I don't think tire marks are wearing out carpet.

We have a Nilfisk HEPA vacuum. It is many years old, the link below shows what I think the current version of ours would be. It works great with our Smartstrand carpet. We purchased the beater-bar carpet attachment not shown in the link. I purchased the Ara Marco Smartstrand carpet and the pile height is a little over 1/2" thick. If you purchased very thick carpet, I am not sure what to recommend.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nilfisk

I really, really need the answer to this.

amysue- you might have read my earlier posts about my run-around with Dyson customer service but I went ahead and ordered the DC28 anyway & it still is very hard to push. I'm worried about damaging the carpet most of all. I'm going to have to dig out my old Oreck and give it a try. I'm sure it'll be easier to push but I never felt that it really did a good job cleaning, especially after seeing what the Dyson could do.

I have the new Kenmore Progressive. It does have a bag cause I need the extra filtering HEPA due to allergies. It is not real easy to push on my Smartstrand - (New Sensation) and I do get the footprints, which I really didn't think about having when I picked it - was told it was a texture but it is more of a plush. I LOVE the carpet, don't mind the footprints and I feel the vaccum is doing a good job. I do put it on the highest level .

My one concern though is - every once in a while I will find a strand of the carpet lying loose on the tile where the carpet meets the tile in the entranceways to the rooms. I think maybe the door is rubbing the carpet as I did have a 10 lb pad put in under the carpet. It was installed in June. Should I be seeing this or is it to be expected?

To all: there are many different soft fiber carpet products available today. It is an expanding trend. Prior, to the soft fiber trend, there were many, many carpets that were soft, although the fiber was a traditional yarn. Many of these traditional products are still for sale today. This is really nothing new.

Amysue - not sure what you mean by, "left big track and wheel marks in the carpet--seemed to harsh for it." How big were the wheels? I can't imagine a typical vacuum cleaner's wheels being to harsh for Smartstrand carpet.

Mboston - your carpet is a 60 oz. textured cut pile and it will show footprints as do virtually all such carpets do. As far as the yarn in your doorway, how was it installed there? During installation, was the carpet edge sealed or protected to prevent this?

Jbranch - it was turned under and attached to the tack strip. I hate to put down the metal strips over it and its only 1 piece here and there but I hate for it to continue then find out the carpet is actually damaged. I probably will call the installer back out to check it. I have saved some of the pieces.

I dug out my old Oreck and remembered why I had bought the Dyson - the Oreck was dead. I pushed it around on the carpet anyway and could see that it, too, would probably be hard to push. I think I need self-propelled.

amysue - was the Windtunnel you tried self-propelled?

I'm waiting to hear from Mohawk to confirm that the Dyson will not harm their carpet and I am in a desperate search for a new vac I'll be able to use everyday. If the Dyson won't hurt the carpet, I'll use it for deep cleaning every 1-2 weeks.

An e-mail from Mohawk:

"Dear Mohawk Customer,
Mohawk encourages the use of vacuums that meet the requirements of the Carpet and Rug Institute's Seal of Approval/Green Label Program. Use of a specific vacuum would not void a warranty. However, our warranties do not cover damage from improper maintenance. Please refer to our Consumer Carpet Warranty Brochure for additional information.

CRI Green Label Approved Vacuums
To determine if a specific vacuum model is CRI approved, please visit the link below:
www.carpet-rug.org

Amanda Patino
Soft Surface Technician
Consumer Affairs Analyst
amanda@ask-mohawk.com"

I'm still not sure whether it's safe to use the Dyson :-(

Tessa - asked and answered. Get a Nilfisk.

Here is a link that might be useful: Video of me using my Nilfisk on my carpet!

jbranch - Thanks for the advice. I did check out the Nifsilk web-site and all I could see were canisters & a stick; I was looking for an upright. Also, there don't seem to be any dealers near where I live (Michigan) and with that price, I'd like to try it out first.

I did return the Dyson DC28 and since I had a 30% off Kohl's coupon, I purchased the Dyson Ball Animal DC25. I also received an additional $80 in Kohl's cash, so I actually paid only about $340 (vs. the $600 sticker price) so it was definitely worth a try.

The Dyson Ball actually works! It still takes a little bit of muscle but nowhere near as difficult as before. I really do feel like it's doing a good job of cleaning without being too harsh on the carpet. I think this one is a keeper.

Like many of you I didn't discover the vacuuming dilemma until after I purchased my new smartsrand silk for the whole house. Fortunately I found a vacuum that works really well and is very reasonably priced. The Hoover Whole House vacuum. Easy to push and cleans great. Beater bar can be turned on and off, great height adjustments, self retracting cord plus more great features. Only costs around $100.00 and is available at Walmart. Gave my two Dyson's away to family members. Very satisfied now with my beautiful soft carpet and ability to easily clean it. Mowhawk recommended as well!

Kirby.....enough said.

I tried Shark, Hoover, Bissell vacuums and none worked.

The one that worked was the Eureka AS1051A. It was easy to push across 67oz Smart Strand and was around $100.

I have a winner! I read your posts and called a local vac dealer. He recommended the Riccar Vibrance ($299) for plush carpeting. He loaned it to me this evening and it's super easy to use. I vacuumed my SmartStand Silk as well as the rugs in my house and it works great. This model is their "entry model" (least expensive) but built best for thick plush carpet. It's not too loud either. This model is not ideal for hardwood floors as it makes a lot of noise and is not height adjustable. It's an upright with the hose that loops over the top for use with attachments. Very light but solid at the same time. It's made in the USA (St. Louis) and I read the company has been around 70 years (that's what I read, but not a known source). I recommend contacting a vac store and asking if they will loan you one to try. He said my next option is a Miele canister for $650 and that's just too much. Apparently the industry has not yet caught up with these new carpets and there are very few options.

I just got Karastan smart strand carpet silk in my house. I really like it. For the vacuum, I got a Riccar Vibrance. It works great. I would recommend looking at that brand of vacuum. It has attachments for hard to reach spots. It has adjustments for carpet and floors, too.

This post was edited by marlsod on Sun, Mar 30, 14 at 17:45

Today I found a vacuum that really works on smart strand. It pushes almost as easy on the carpet as on a bare floor. The rear wheels and front wheels are wide. This vacuum is also very light. Light weight with wide front wheels is what makes it work so well.
It's the Dirt Devil Featherlite cyclonic vacuum.
And best of all it's $55.

Does anyone have info on what vacuum to use for SmartStrand Silk, berber, with a high pile? Has anyone tried a robot vacuum? Carpet has loop pile. Afraid the beater bar will pull out loops.

Thanks!

@catloverforlife do you turn your beater bar off to vacuum your smart strand or just adjust height?