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Thread Number: 15994
Current canister vacuums |
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| Post# 170554 2/22/2012 at 20:11 (4,439 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
I remember back in the 1990s and prior, Hoover and Eureka both had several power nozzle and straight suction canisters available. Of course Kenmore did as well and there was always Electrolux. Bissell and Dirt Devil only had one or two small ones, about like they do now.
But what happened to all of the canisters that used to be offered? Hoover and Eureka only seem to have uprights in stores anymore. In fact, the only canister Eureka I see now is the little Power Mite. I see no Hoover canisters aside from the one that comes with the Hoover Platinum upright. Kenmore seems to be the only brand that has a full line of canister machines (aside from Miele). My thought is maybe after the uprights with on-board tools became commonplace (especially the bagless ones) that canisters just lost popularity. Still, it seems odd to me that people with little to no carpet seem to buy uprights instead of canister machines. I guess I'm just a canister guy since that's what we had when I was growing up, plus to me they are quieter than most uprights. (But of course I like uprights as well). | ||
| Post# 170558 , Reply# 1 2/22/2012 at 20:26 (4,439 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
The last time I looked on the Hoover U.S site before they merged with TTi, I can remember seeing the Telios S3332(one of my favourite budget canisters here in the UK) as well as the Morphy Richards based Hoover Studio, in the U.S under the S1631 model number. Sadly I dont think either model did well in the U.S but then the Telios is by far more than a 15 year old design.
I do rather like the look of the Hoover Envy Hush. What a pity we have to put up with severely rubbish UK Hoover models compared to the brand in the U.S | ||
| Post# 170593 , Reply# 4 2/23/2012 at 06:00 (4,439 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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Well, speaking as one that only has a Sebo K3 Premium, I can't stand the weight of the power head on the tubes and hose. I know you can take them off and that - and lets face it - most canisters come with interchangeable heads - but it is a bit of a nonsense having to do that each time you go from hard floor to carpet - I notice Bissell have bought out a hook up, flat down suction only floor head partition on their uprights and Bosch now claim they have an auto adjusting floor head that goes from hard floor to carpets automatically.
I still like uprights though = they have everything on board you need and those with brush stop functions are better and in some cases a lot more compact and lightweight. Downside is a short hose. | ||
Post# 170594 , Reply# 5 2/23/2012 at 06:18 (4,439 days old) by tolivac  (Greenville,NC) |
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I like BOTH types of vacuum cleaners equally well.each has their jobs. | ||
| Post# 170645 , Reply# 17 2/23/2012 at 16:23 (4,438 days old) by powermate1970 () | ||
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Sandy if you want it, its here. I see you are in waterloo. Thats not all that far. I get up to the JD plant to deliver every now and again. The company I work for is working at the foundry. | ||
| Post# 170668 , Reply# 18 2/23/2012 at 18:53 (4,438 days old) by sanifan () | ||
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Rotomatic... Any thoughts on using a Rotomatic PN with a CXL? I understand they are a very good PN. Any thoughts about using an adapter or modding it for friction fit? Lol, I actually have one. Just haven't had time to mate it to the Tristar. | ||
| Post# 170720 , Reply# 19 2/24/2012 at 04:08 (4,438 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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How is the weight of a power head even comparable to the wei
From what I can gather, although power head added canisters appears to be lighter from their smaller footprint, it is the ratio in which the weight of the vacuum is determined by the actual power head and tubes rather than using a canister for above the floor cleaning.
The Sebo floor head in question that I use, is the ET-H - That weighs 2kg on its own. Now, if you were to buy comparative bags of sugar - try tying that onto a pole and see how easy it is to shift around! It ain't easy but the SEBO head is easier to float because of its wheels underneath. I totally understand that not all power heads are heavy - but the SEBO's mechanism with the cord built into the exclusive metal telescopic tubing compared to their cord-without-tubes is also heavier. You then have the extra heavy weight of the 1.8 hose which also has an embedded cord built into it compared to the hose without on lower priced models. With floor head added, plus the tubes you're looking at an overall weight factor with the Sebo K3 Premium totalling 8kg - about the standard weight of an upright vacuum. Go beyond that and yes, the canister idea is probably still going to be even lighter than average upright vacuums - not necessarily Kirby which I think is a bit extreme to compare. Henry Hound models that use their power heads also have a heavier suction tube and bulkier hose, because an electric element runs through it. Whilst the procedure is seamless for cleaning, the use of the hose independently is bulkier and heavier. You ask how I clean stairs? See the promo pic of Sebo X upright - I do similar and I also have an extra hose available, so even if I have to go further, the upright can either be lifted to one more step or tag another hose on. You could well argue and say that the extra hoses can't be stored on the machine like ones you get with the canister - but then again, not many canisters allow you to put on any other cleaning accessory other than the default small suction only cleaning tools. 
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| Post# 170726 , Reply# 22 2/24/2012 at 06:38 (4,438 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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Well I'm just offering a response to your upright theory. Also does the sidekick store on the machine itself or any part of the hose when not in use? I don't tend to use stair cleaning tools unless I'm cleaning for someone. My normal stairs aren't very high and I just use the T shaped suction-only upholstery tool to do the carpets.
I've also lived with canister vacuums and they are easier to use on stairs due to their shapes - but again that detracts the viewpoint of the actual larger main floor head that is powered. Canisters are therefore far more versatile, but they involve a lot of changing this, changing that - uprights don't have that problem, reversing the need to change up unless you have a model that doesn't have a brush roll on/off on the main floor head. | ||
| Post# 170736 , Reply# 24 2/24/2012 at 09:16 (4,438 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
Sandy, your preference for canisters is of course your personal opinion, and you are certainly entitled to it.
But there are other vacuum fanatics like me who do indeed see the benefits of upright vacuum cleaners. My personal belief is that the attempt to combine the two kinds of vacuum cleaner into one has never been that successful. I believe that a home can be served better by two vacuums: an upright to clean carpets, and a canister to clean everything else. I usually start cleaning a room with my canister - starting from high places like dusting the top of bookeshelves and ending up at the bottom like cleaning under the bed and dusting the baseboards. I finish off the room by using the upright. For daily cleaning of high traffic areas, a quick once over with my Hoover upright is the most efficient way to get the job done well and fast. As I mentioned before, my personal feelings are as follows. Canisters can not clean carpets as well as uprights for the following reasons: 1. The electrified hoses are far too heavy. 2. The pistol grip or gas pump handles are far too bulky to allow them to squeeze into tight spaces 3. You can't easily clean from the far end of the room and procede backwards towards the door or entryway as you have to constantly move the canister backwards out of your way. 4. I disagree that canister power nozzles can clean that much farther under beds than an upright. Most canisters don't allow you to put the wands and nozzle flat to the carpet to get far under the beds - the nozzle rises up and it stops contacting the carpet. If I don't want to move the bed, I need to use a regular canister's tool like a regular carpet nozzle or upholstery nozzle to reach far under the bed - the power nozzle can not do the job anyway. 5. According to Consumer Reports, there are very few canisters with power nozzles that rate an "excellent" in deep carpet cleaning of medium pile carpets. There are far more uprights that get this "excellent" mark. No need to repeat the long list of reasons supporting the idea that uprights don't offer the convenience of a canister for above-the-floor cleaning: short hoses, inconvenient "carpet to tool" conversion set-ups, dangerous spinning brushes that can damage toes and fingers and flooring and other surfaces while in "tool mode", uprights that can easily tip over when cleaning in "tool" mode, weak airflow through the hose, etc. I disagree with your comment that uprights are heavy. There are many lightweight uprights that way under 20 pounds that clean carpets with excellence. My Hoover Tempo Widepath weighs only 16 pounds. Again, it's all a matter of personal preference. Many vacuum fanatics swear by the benefits of a Rainbow canister. I could not see myself dealing with a tank-ful of dirty water every time I finished cleaning my home. | ||
| Post# 170737 , Reply# 25 2/24/2012 at 09:16 (4,438 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 170743 , Reply# 28 2/24/2012 at 10:35 (4,438 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Yes Sandy - the design of an electified hose and handle for a power nozzle canister should not have been listed as affecting cleaning ability. It should have been listed as making above-the-floor cleaning less convenient. It is far easier to use the lightweight and simple hoses of suction-only canisters for above-the-floor cleaning. Sorry for the confusion....
By trying to make a canister clean carpets as well as an upright, you end up with designs that make it less convenient to do above the floor cleaning. Cleaning an entire bookcase with the lightweight hose and long sleek hose-handle of my suction-only canister, is a far less tiring job than using the heavy electrified hose and gas-pump handle of my mom's Kenmore Progressive power nozzle canister. And sneaking my canister's sleek hose handle behind my toaster oven in the kitchen is far easier to do than with the bulky Kenmore handle. It would be even worse now that Kenmore has added tool storage compartments to the handle on their new canister models. Of course, Dyson has really made it a chore to clean book-cases or car interiors with their power nozzle canisters, because you can not disconnect the telescopic wand from the hose and must use it whenever you clean. To me, it makes very little sense to try and redesign a canister vac to accommodate an electric power nozzle. You lose too much of the convenience of a canister vac. And there are often problems with electrical connections failing in the hose and wands and power nozzle. I'd much prefer to have 2 separate vacs. | ||
| Post# 170749 , Reply# 31 2/24/2012 at 11:15 (4,438 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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Sandy...truth be told, the electrified silver-coloured hoses on the power nozzle canisters made by Sweden's Electrolux (also found on post-1985 Eurekas) and by Miele seem to be quite lightweight. The electrified hose on the Dyson Motorhead also is pretty light.
The heavy hoses on the Kenmores and Panasonics are the ones that I find a chore to use. They may be very durable, but I found using a Kenmore hose to clean a short stretch of curtains to be really tiring on the arms. Just to let you know, I am soooo happy with the upright/canister duo I have now. My 16 pound Hoover Tempo Widepath Upright cost me only CAD$120 with tax, and my little Electrolux UltraSilencer Green cost me only CAD$400 with tax. I live in a very small bachelor/studio apartment and the 2 vacs take up very little room in my closet. I plan to get one of those hanging tool storage bags sold with central vacs to get the Electrolux tools off the floor. Anyhow.....as I said before...it's all about personal preference. I have a friend who thinks I am nuts to dust a bookcase with a vacuum cleaner - "I don't know why you just don't use a rag....." (He does not understand the joy I get from vacuuming! :-D | ||
| Post# 170925 , Reply# 33 2/25/2012 at 16:52 (4,436 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan ) | ||
It's just a matter of preferance for everyone. Everyone has a different idea and like when it comes to this. I myself always thought that uprights were old lady vacuums. Growing up (I'm 34 now) if I ever saw a upright it was at some old lady house and I always saw young adults with canisters.
I like canisters. I have always found them easier to use and that I can get more done with them. If I were to get a upright it would be something from the 80's time period like the Hoover Decade 80. You can attach the attachments on at the bottom of the cleaner and just pull it around like a canister, I also like the old Panasonic uprights where the hoseplugged into the back and the Aerus Gardian uprights. But if I'm goingto shop for vacuum I automatically look at the canisters first. Thats alwasy my first choice. | ||
| Post# 170938 , Reply# 34 2/25/2012 at 19:46 (4,436 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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It is a matter of preference - there isn't a clear answer that differentiates which one is best - because all cleaning needs are different. Whereas those with carpets in a big house may prefer the compact-ability of a small canister being pulled behind them, I prefer an upright - and not necessarily KIRBY dimensions - to get the greatest amount of dirt out of a carpet - I know what I like and I choose what feels comfortable to me.
How many of you, for example take your upright vac out to the car? I can do that with both my Sebo uprights, because of their top release hoses - the tools are located right to hand, back and at the top. On my Miele/SEBO canisters, you have to return to the main body to get at the main smaller cleaning tools but then you also have the advantage of placing the entire canister in the foot well of a car, thus bringing the machine with you at all times. How can the weight of a hose affect cleaning ability? Well you have to pull more of a heavy weight behind you and then cope with the bulkier hose because it isn't as flexible as a non-cord-embedded hose. That doesn't affect suction ability, but cleaning ability doesn't just encompass the actual action of cleaning something - it also takes into consideration the amount of effort needed - as well as the amount of strain or in some cases less strain to the user involved. Whilst some have noted that some PN heads allow flat to the floor, the air driven turbo heads and suction only floor tools do not - you can do this easily if you fit a standard floor head to a canister and then find the floor head juts upwards because of the storage park slot often located at the back of the floor head. MIELE are also bad for this - often requiring the user to go at angles to allow the suction head to remain flat on the floor at all times. The only exception to the rule where suction only floor heads are concerned, that don't do this seem to be from SEBO's deluxe Kombi floor head. It remains flat to the floor and you can bend at any angle with it, even straight down because the park position has been located at the top of the floor head on the neck. Let me give you an example since you fail to see the difference. | ||
| Post# 171003 , Reply# 35 2/26/2012 at 11:48 (4,436 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 171039 , Reply# 37 2/26/2012 at 18:46 (4,435 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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Flat to the floor suction tools...
You heard me right. The European brands - Miele, Bosch, Hoover, Electrolux - all have storage park hooks on the back of the swivel. So when you lower the handle like an upright vacuum and expect the floor head to remain flat to the floor - it won't - unless there is a 360 degree swivel and a pivotal movement that allows the floor head to go flat at the same angle as the handle and pipes.
The Sebo Deluxe Kombi floor tool and their Deluxe Parquet tool can do this because of the double joint mechanism - try with the Miele etc and the floor head will jut up because of the park position snagging on the carpet - the way around that is to swing the handle and tubes to the left or right which allows the suction floor head to remain flat to the carpet. | ||
| Post# 171041 , Reply# 38 2/26/2012 at 19:21 (4,435 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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I still say it is far safer and easier and more productive to clean carpets far under a bed with a suction only canister using a regular carpet nozzle or upholstery nozzle. And yes, for many of the European (mostly German-made) carpet nozzles, you have to turn the wand and hose handle to the left or right to get the nozzle to stay flat on the carpet. Most canister's carpet nozzles allow you to do that.
I think most motorized power nozzles available with canisters have difficulty staying flat with the carpet as soon as the wand gets close to the ground. Perhaps the early Eureka Roto-Matic power-nozzles allowed you to swivel the wand to one side to get it really flat with the ground. But some set-ups don't allow you to do that movement. For instance, if you use Kenmore's Powermates with a telescopic wand, you can't rotate the handle to make it lie flat to the ground. I also don't think it's wise to use a canister's power nozzle too far under a bed anyhow - even with a headlight, there is a large possibility that the revolving brush will get jammed on an unseen plastic bag or lost sock or child's toy or magazine or other large item. Again - just my opinion: far easier to clean carpets under a bed with a suction only carpet nozzle or right-angled upholstery nozzle if you don't want to move the bed. | ||
| Post# 171045 , Reply# 40 2/26/2012 at 20:07 (4,435 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan ) | ||
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With my Rainbow power nozzle I can clean under my bed, tables and other furniture that has some kind of height very easily with out any problems. I have always thought that Uprights were more difficult to do that type of chore with. My moms Dysln old Bissell and Kirby with the exception of the hose with the bare floor brush were more difficult to do this type of cleaning task with.
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| Post# 171145 , Reply# 41 2/27/2012 at 18:45 (4,434 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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The danger of a power nozzle under a bed...
Since the UK don't have that many canister/cylinder vacuums with power heads bar recently introduced Wertheim models and then established Miele/SEBO set, am I to understand that not all power nozzles are the same - i.e if something gets caught in my Sebo ET-1 floor head, the motor shuts down automatically, often dragging whatever it has caught with it!
Or do some power nozzles just keep on turning and then eventually breaking?? | ||
| Post# 171153 , Reply# 42 2/27/2012 at 19:31 (4,434 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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"Or do some power nozzles just keep on turning and then eventually breaking??"
RS - in truth, most power nozzles seem to have some shut-off mechanism that is activated when the brush gets jammed with something. I know that the Sears Kenmore Powermate nozzles all have some "restart" button that will reactivate a jammed motor. But sometimes these are activated too late to prevent damage to the item picked up by the nozzle, and sometimes it is too late to prevent a broken belt. The shut-off mechanisms are not always reliable. In truth, one really does not need to agitate the dusty carpet lying under a bed. Since it is not stepped on constantly, it is really only surface dust and litter that needs to be removed most frequently. And so I think a regular carpet nozzle with lint grabbers or a right-angled upholstery nozzle with bristles (like the one TTI includes now with a lot of the Hoover canisters and Sears Kenmore Central Vac Systems), would suffice to clean under a bed - in my opinion. When it comes time for that monthly or seasonal "tear apart the room" cleaning, one can move the bed and clean the carpet with an upright. | ||
| Post# 171193 , Reply# 43 2/28/2012 at 04:10 (4,434 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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| Post# 171302 , Reply# 44 2/28/2012 at 18:30 (4,433 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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RS.....
When I do a thorough cleaning of my bedroom, I actually move the bed and lean it up against the wall so that I can deep clean the entire territory of carpet lying underneath it with my Hoover upright. In this way, I can really make sure no spots are missed, including the challenging points where the wheels/castors of the bedframe rest on the carpet. So I don't need an upright that can fit all the way under the bed for those thorough cleaning projects. EP Brian :-) | ||
| Post# 171307 , Reply# 45 2/28/2012 at 19:35 (4,433 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
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Thats all very well but I doubt most people will move their double and king size beds to get under it.
See this video of a guy using the Sebo X1.1 to get under a coffee table - same kind of procedure and look at the lack of effort he doesn't have to do, to clean under there! CLICK HERE TO GO TO sebo_fan's LINK | ||
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