Thread Number: 28865  /  Tag: Recent Vacuum Cleaners from past 20 years
Why don't more UK canisters have Power nozzles?
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Post# 322520   4/19/2015 at 11:40 (3,266 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Hi, I've been thinking recently about canister vacuums, as I see so many American collectors talk about their canisters, pretty much all of them have power nozzles.
I mean vacs like Eureka, Aerus, Rainbow and so on, they all have PN, that got me thinking, most people I know here in England only have straight suction canisters, which really isn't effective on their carpets.

They do seem to be growing slightly in popularity, with things such as the Vax Air Revolve having a PN, but still why aren't power nozzles readily available I wonder?

I mean it's understandable to have straight suction if you don't have rugs or carpets, but nearly everyone I know who has a straight suction also has rugs or carpets, I really think that the brands are cheating the consumers by not offering a good brushroll.

My best friend has been using an HVR 200a straight suction for quite a while, and recently converted to a Vax air cordless lift, and the Vax pulled up so much crap the Henry left behind that the bin was ENTIRELY full! So surely more brands should offer power nozzles? Why are us brits so behind when it comes to the concept of agitation??


Post# 322521 , Reply# 1   4/19/2015 at 11:55 (3,266 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

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Having only visited the UK one time 30 years ago (had a really lovely time, btw), I can't answer the question definitively, but one thing that comes to mind the prevalence of wall-to-wall carpet in UK homes. Here in the States, it's been pretty much ubiquitous since the 1970s, so the power nozzles are a pretty much a necessity to compete with uprights. Higher priced homes here are now reverting to hardwood, tile, etc., as a status symbol. But if hard floors are more prevalent in the UK, then there would be less of a need for a power nozzle. I have hardwood throughout most of my house and I use my Electrolux 1205 without the power nozzle to clean that. I do the carpeted rooms with my Kirbys.

Post# 322522 , Reply# 2   4/19/2015 at 12:06 (3,266 days old) by marcusprit ()        

It's because most people in the UK prefer an upright on their carpeted floor.

I would like to see more cylinders with a PN. I find the noise of a Turbo brush so annoying and i don't like straight suction on carpet.


Post# 322524 , Reply# 3   4/19/2015 at 12:17 (3,266 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

I heard on VL by somebody saying that the British public with cylinders like to scrub their carpets with the floor tool cos its satisfying or something

Post# 322527 , Reply# 4   4/19/2015 at 12:26 (3,266 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Satisfying? Ha, it really bugs me when people use straight suction on carpets, it's pretty much useless! I guess the British public are badly educated when it comes to vacs :P Marcus, I also find Turbo brushes irritating as well! But I'd prefer that to a straight suction.

Post# 322528 , Reply# 5   4/19/2015 at 12:31 (3,266 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

I think it would be a nice idea for kids to learn about vacuum cleaners in science and how they work etc, would be good and useful too :)

Post# 322529 , Reply# 6   4/19/2015 at 12:33 (3,266 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Yeah, now that would have been a subject I'd have aced! But seriously the importance of good agitation should become more appreciated by the public

Post# 322530 , Reply# 7   4/19/2015 at 12:39 (3,266 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

Lol ikr, I would like to make a vacuum exam and take one, maybe a vacuumland member can make one that would be ACE!!! :D
I remember when I was a kid, SOO many people had Vax 121's, 6131's in orange EVERYWHERE and Dc01's and DC04's etc. Now there are mostly Dysons where I live. The only common straight suction is Dyson cylinders mainly or Henrys/Hettys
Also more people are buying upright Dysons to replace their old cheaper cylinder vacuums like Hoover bagless machines and vax etc


Post# 322537 , Reply# 8   4/19/2015 at 13:00 (3,265 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Oh yeah, the 6131 pops up everywhere in my area, my old Art tutor had a 121 which I quite fancied for myself :P the dc01 used to be very popular here in Winchester, I guess they got thrown out when people realised how crap they were! My neighbour had an arctic blue one, and some bitch my mum was friends with had a standard one from 1993. Henry's are super common here as well.

Post# 322546 , Reply# 9   4/19/2015 at 13:24 (3,265 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

People here loved the Dc01's, sooooooooooo popular omg and they just got thrown out for either littlt things, or people upgraded to the DC04 or DC07 :D

Post# 322551 , Reply# 10   4/19/2015 at 13:45 (3,265 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

They do last a decent amount of time in comparison to other Dysons, but most I find nowadays have snapped handles or the plastic is so brittle it's cracked in several places. And on top of that they've all be clogged up :P

Post# 322560 , Reply# 11   4/19/2015 at 14:43 (3,265 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

They are not widely sold here because consumers don't buy them. As has been said already, the UK consumer generally likes an upright cleaner for carpets given that so many UK homes have fitted carpet all over. Those who prefer cylinders do so because they are more convienient for getting around and under things. I don't think it is ever fully appreciated (even by people who live here) just how small and cluttered our homes are.

The canister cleaners we've had with power nozzles were usually large and not particulalry easy to use once the heavy hose and tubes were fitted.

You have to ask yourself what the advantages of these cleaners are for UK consumers. In that you will get your answer as to why they have never caught on.


Post# 322561 , Reply# 12   4/19/2015 at 14:48 (3,265 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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Firstly, there is a historical element here: canisters were invented in Europe and uprights were invented in the USA. The idea of a revolving brush to help clean carpets is "embedded" (pardon the pun) into the North American vacuum cleaner culture. And Americans invented the power nozzle in the 1950's to introduce the carpet cleaning effectiveness of an upright to the canister vacuum cleaner. I think even turbo nozzles were invented by the likes of Singer and Sunbeam in the USA in the 1950's.

Secondly, we here in North America have been limited to vacuums of 1440 watts = 12 amps x 120volts. So our canister cleaners were never going to have the airflow that European canister cleaners used to offer. We never saw a Eureka canister offering 2000 watts of power - ever.

So generations of cleaner users on both sides of the Atlantic got used to using different kinds of vacuums. Also - North American houses in the suburbs in the 1950's allowed for large swaths of acres of wall-to-wall carpeting which was always faster to clean with a revolving brush than a suction only nozzle.

I think now with the new limits on motor power in Europe, you will see the return of lots of power nozzles on your European canisters. You may even see a flood of newer lightweight fan-first (dirty-air) bagged uprights like Orecks which can effectively clean carpets in narrow spaces and carpeted stairs with a 5 amp motor.


Post# 322564 , Reply# 13   4/19/2015 at 14:57 (3,265 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

As regards Europe, power nozzles were offered for carpets because they neither had the quantity of fitted carpets nor the upright vacuum cleaners to use on them. It was canister pretty much all the way. This was not the same at all in the UK, where upright cleaners have always been avaliable and indeed popular. Probably a 50/50 split, with a lot of us owning both types at the same time.

Manufactures don't have to worry to muich about performance so long as their cleaners still sell. There will never be a "return" to power nozzles for the UK as we have never really had them to begin with. You'd be lucky to find ONE cleaner which had them at any given time, never mind a full range and a choice. Also, the days of fan-first cleaners have long gone...our manufacturers never made much reference to the two types and the clean-air system quietly took over as the principle system. You'd be hard pushed to find a dirty-fan cleaner and those clean-fan models we have are still selling well it seems. So no need to change anything at the moment.


Post# 322566 , Reply# 14   4/19/2015 at 15:01 (3,265 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. It's just annoying that people use straight suction on carpets, it's pure ignorance, the suction and thread picker aren't strong enough to remove the embedded grit and hair, it just doesn't have that reach and power that a brushroll has. But the majority of people I know use straight suction on carpets, as canisters are more popular over here.

Post# 322567 , Reply# 15   4/19/2015 at 15:07 (3,265 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

It's not ignorance, it's about the fact that overall they prefer the cylinder type of cleaner for whatever the reasons. They don't excell at cleaning carpets, but the beat an upright hands-down on everything else. And lets face it, there's so much more to life than cleaning a carpet.

Post# 322572 , Reply# 16   4/19/2015 at 15:29 (3,265 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        
there's so much more to life than cleaning a carpet.

Is there? To be honest vacuums and Sci Fi is all I have, sorry if I came across as rash, but it just annoys me when people don't consider the performance of the Vacuum. Either way, I'm more of an upright person, but Kirby's are my favourite

Post# 322574 , Reply# 17   4/19/2015 at 15:32 (3,265 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

Just curious, being a bit nosy and looking at your profile, which DC04 do you have? :D We have the silver and lime DC04

Post# 322576 , Reply# 18   4/19/2015 at 15:34 (3,265 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

I wasn't directing that at you personally, I was saying that the cleaning of a carpet was not going to be at the front of every persons mind, never more so perhaps than at a time like this when the UK faces a general election. For me, I'd be annoyed if someone gave more thought to their lounge carpet than they did to which party they voted for, but of course we are all irritated by different factors.

Post# 322577 , Reply# 19   4/19/2015 at 15:35 (3,265 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Oh I had the purple and magenta one, I didn't like it as the agitation and suction was poor and it clogged to much.

Post# 322579 , Reply# 20   4/19/2015 at 16:02 (3,265 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

The earlier Dyson's performance is not as good as the newer ones

Post# 323039 , Reply# 21   4/23/2015 at 04:50 (3,262 days old) by oliveoiltinfoil (England, UK)        

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There are a handful of PN canisters popping up in the UK at least, and Europe. Sebo are the only vacuum brand in Europe who have never dropped their PN canisters. They have at least had one cylinder model with a PN available. Right now they are 3. AEG now produce a TOL canister with a good looking floorhead, Vax produce two, the air revolve and air silence, and Miele now sell the C3 with a powerhead, so they are coming back, thankfully.

Post# 323042 , Reply# 22   4/23/2015 at 06:26 (3,262 days old) by Mike81 ()        

Here in the Finland we have only canister vacuums and 99,5 percent is straight suction. Some top models come with the turbo brush. I think AEG/Electrolux UltraOne is the only model what comes with the powerhead. One model with the small powerhead and one model with the full size ph.
We still have a lot of rugs in our homes, but no wall to wall carpeting. People are just cleaning rugs with the straight suction and banging rugs outside to get all the grit out.

But I didn't give up. I made wiring for the powerhead to my Electrolux UltraPerformer/UltraActive. It was cheaper (vac 150€ ph 100€) than buying vac with the powerhead.


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Post# 323067 , Reply# 23   4/23/2015 at 14:58 (3,261 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

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I would think wall to wall carpet would be more popular in Finland as it helps insulate your home from cold weather in winter.


Post# 323071 , Reply# 24   4/23/2015 at 15:07 (3,261 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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Whoops here we go again regarding carpet.

Interesting blog piece here..

The article goes onto highlight special areas of rivers that the Finnish have developed for purely washing rugs. How environmentally cool is that?


CLICK HERE TO GO TO sebo_fan's LINK


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Post# 323073 , Reply# 25   4/23/2015 at 15:29 (3,261 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine)        

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Well there seems to be quite a cultural difference here! But this is the way I was brought up. On those cold Maine sub zero nights, WtoW helped keep or home warm and cozy.

 

I dont know of anyone that has w to w carpet in their bathroom or kitchen. Tile, wood or linoleum is most commonly used there.

 

But washing all your rugs outside seems not only nasty to me, but also a royal pain in the butt.

 

Why not have WtoW and use a Top of the Line upright vacuum to keep it as fresh as newly installed?


Post# 323077 , Reply# 26   4/23/2015 at 17:06 (3,261 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)        
I've...

Only ever seen one home with carpet in both the bathrooms and kitchen, it's my grandparents home. Commercial grade in the kitchen (still idiotic), and the bathrooms have tile around the bath and toilet, the rest is carpet. I don't really get the unhygienic thing. W2W will act as an indoor air filter, with a decent vacuum it's not hard to remove most all dust, and then you use hot water extraction to clean everything else... I'd just really like to see more in depth as to why that thought has developed. Just because you can't take it down to the river to be cleaned doesn't mean it can't be done. Seems like the type of irrationality I usually expect from America.

Post# 323078 , Reply# 27   4/23/2015 at 17:09 (3,261 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

Carpet in a bathroom is a bit dodgy, if urine goes on the floor, eww. Also in an abanodoned houses thread I posted a link of a mansion with a carpeted bathroom

Post# 323079 , Reply# 28   4/23/2015 at 17:10 (3,261 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)        

Yeah, I don't disagree with that. There are certainly areas where carpeting just does NOT belong. But for most living areas it's fine.

Post# 323082 , Reply# 29   4/23/2015 at 17:32 (3,261 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

I agree, I understand about the bathroom, not sure about the kitchen/ I dont see why not just keep a little rug in the kitchen, we have one by the sink actually :)

Post# 323083 , Reply# 30   4/23/2015 at 18:01 (3,261 days old) by Vintagerepairer (England)        

I agree that carpets act as a filter. My place was hard floors throughout when I arrived and I hated it. My dust was forever airbourne. At least the carpet held onto it until it was time to vacuum.

Post# 323085 , Reply# 31   4/23/2015 at 18:20 (3,261 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)        

That's exactly why I started keeping a robotic vacuum to run every day. My home is, as one person said "striped". It goes hard floor, carpet, hard floor, carpet, hard floor. From front to back, when the cats start shedding there are tumbleweeds of cat hair rolling across the hard floors if they aren't cleaned daily. So I set the Roomba down, hit start and walk away.

Post# 323087 , Reply# 32   4/23/2015 at 18:45 (3,261 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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Finland and most of Scandinavia are incredibly energy and environmentally friendly. Certainly if you have ever gone to an IKEA store you can see where they get their inspiration from. Not only that, but they like their real fire places or wood burning stoves where the heat in the home hovers all around. No wonder they prefer insulation; out of view, out of mind.

In Scotland carpet is a must to insulate a home in MOST areas of Scotland unless they're lucky enough to get warmer weather all of the year.

But in areas such as bathroom, toilet, kitchen and even a utility room where laundry takes place, hard floors/lino are a necessity.

I have said this before though and I will say it again - I think the reason why UK prefer uprights over canisters with PNs is simply because we have been brainwashed by Hoover and other brands that an upright beats carpet whereas a canister vac gets the dirt above the floor line.

Also helped along by the fact that the "cylinder leaders," Miele have seldom offered a cylinder vac with a PN in the UK again since the days of the Revolution model.

Clearly things are changing now with other brands offering PN's over SEBO who were one of the first brands to offer a PN with a cylinder/canister.

Still though, I prefer a straight suction cylinder vac. Im used to them being lightweight from hose to floor head. The SEBO K3 Premium may well be a light and compact vac by design, but I find the Felix upright to be far more nimble at getting around my home even when it uses the same PN.


Post# 323089 , Reply# 33   4/23/2015 at 18:47 (3,261 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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Parwaz - I also have a mat by the kitchen sink. Stops me sliding when I am washing the dishes.
And the mat is machine washable and small enough to be put in a washing machine.


Post# 323091 , Reply# 34   4/23/2015 at 19:09 (3,261 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

Cool, nice to know we are not the only ones lol :) Ours is a rubber backing and measurea approx 50CM X1 metre. Its difficult to vacuum with any machine because all of them have powerful suction and just gets either lifted up or moved round

Post# 323093 , Reply# 35   4/23/2015 at 19:29 (3,261 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)        

I get that they're environmentally friendly, and that their homes to start are much better insulated. But what exactly does that have to do with their view of carpet as unsanitary? Even on the environmental side of things, unless you're talking cleaning hard floors with a Floormate vs cleaning a carpet with hot water extraction I doubt there's that much of a water usage difference. The story may be different on the manufacturing side on carpet vs hard flooring, but that I'm not too sure about.

Post# 323095 , Reply# 36   4/23/2015 at 20:03 (3,261 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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Well the industry might be different there Fantom. Not all countries use electrical appliances to clean floors. A lot still use brooms, feathery brooms or just wet mopping for hard floors.

I can't answer why that blog poster states that having carpets in a home is unsanitary. It might be the way in that country alone, just like the preference to uprights for carpet cleaning in the UK versus cylinder vacs with PNs.


Post# 323101 , Reply# 37   4/23/2015 at 20:43 (3,261 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)        

It's not, from the research I've done it appears at the very least Sweden is the same way. I'm guessing there are more than just those two.

Post# 323123 , Reply# 38   4/24/2015 at 04:19 (3,261 days old) by oliveoiltinfoil (England, UK)        

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I do agree, carpeting is just much nicer. It is easier on your joints as well, for anyone because it is softer and more absorbent. It makes a room quieter and warmer and also stays cleaner for longer. Washing a hard-floor and then 5 minutes later it has mark all over it is so depressing, constantly keeping on top of it. In the kitchen hardflooring is a must as spills are quickly mopped up, and of course in the bathroom where water splashes and it is a place of high humidity.

However, to properly maintain carpets, the second best thing you can invest in is a carpet washer, and a good one like a Bissell Big Green. A commercial type. Most other carpet washer are just not powerful enough and leave water in the carpet, but using a powerful and effective carpet cleaner 2 or 3 times per year will keep your carpets in top condition. It doesn't matter if you have a Kirby or a Vax, vacuuming only cleans so much in a carpet. Dirt clings onto fibres which can only be extracted using detergent, like your clothes. No one vacuums there clothes all the time to keep them clean and never wash them ?

I know some will say that washing carpets is bad, as does Mr Dyson, but speak to some carpet fitters. Quite often, especially these days where a lot of carpet is made from man-made fibres, they recommend you wash the carpets at least once a year. Some of them even say you can do it with one part bleach 10 part water, and the dye in carpets now is much stronger and more durable. Carpets will not shrink so long as you don't over saturate them. I have been washing our carpets for a few years now and they haven't shrunk or ruined in anyway, they just look the same colour as when they were first laid down.



Post# 323124 , Reply# 39   4/24/2015 at 04:52 (3,261 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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Just another point in addition to what Benny, Nar et al have mentioned regarding PN cylinders.

 

The UK has been part of Europe for a long time now and whilst we do have our differences from mainland European countries, we usually get the same products due to the close proximity and our small size. Most mainland European countries, especially the hotter countries like Italy and Spain, have 99% hard floors, rendering most uprights useless.

 

Even in France and Germany, hard floors are more popular and uprights mostly used only in commercial enviroments.

 

PN cylinders aren't popular in the Europe for the same reason - what's the point in having a PN if you have no carpet? So be default, we usually get the same machines. I guess the big manufacturers didn't see the point in making a PN cylinder just for the UK which is a largely upright dominated market anyway.

 

There were some PN cylinders, but these were usually very expensive, much more so than an upright. I imagine most buyers couldn't justify the price difference between and upright and a PN cylinder.


Post# 323125 , Reply# 40   4/24/2015 at 04:56 (3,261 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        
it's pure ignorance

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I'm sorry, but this comment really irritated me.

 

You have to put yourself in an average customers shoes. We, as collectors and enthusiasts, know this stuff. But your average customer may not even care. Not everyone is interested in vacuums and the majority of buyers will be happy as long as their floors look clean, regardless of the method.

 

My non-enthusiast family and friends mostly couldn't give a toss about "deep down grit" or otherwise as long as the vacuum picks the bits up off the floor, they're happy.

 

It's nothing to do with ignorance, it's just that the general consumer isn't particularly interested in vacuums like we are.


Post# 323139 , Reply# 41   4/24/2015 at 07:53 (3,261 days old) by Mike81 ()        

I have to add that people in the Finland are used to canister vacuums with the light combination floorhead.
It's our way to do the weekly vacuuming quickly. That's what normal consumer cares about. Not how well the rugs are deep cleaned.

My Vacuum hobby started when I was frustrated vacuuming my large & thick rug in the living room with the straight suction canister. Then I bought my first turbo brush to "solve" the problem. Obviously it wasn't the final solution.
I started to do modification to the turbo brush and managed to get some improvements. I still wasn't happy and experiments continued.
At that time I also started to explore the internet about other peoples experiences over the world.
Well obviously I found out that in the US people are using the powerhead with their canisters.
Needless to say I wanted one badly and I started to search for the cheap powerhead. No results.
Finally I found one net store which sells spare parts for the household appliances. And yes powerheads! They had only one model from Miele and couple or three models from the Electrolux. Miele was SEB 217 and Electrolux models were smaller.
Finally I bought the Miele SEB 217 and thought that I must be crazy to spend 100€ to get just the powerhead when the basic Miele S2-series cost around 130-150€.
Then I just "cruelly" disassembled my Electrolux (almost new at the time) and made power outlet for the powerhead.
First time I used the powerhead it was so effortless to vacuum rugs with it. No turbo head screaming or brush roll slowing down. Major advantage was also ability to vacuum hard floors with it by just switching brush roll off.

Next step is the bigger powerhead with height adjustment :)


Post# 323141 , Reply# 42   4/24/2015 at 08:08 (3,261 days old) by Sensotronic (Englandshire)        

I have always preferred power head cylinders over straight suction machines and thankfully Hoover offered several models in the 80s and 90s that met my needs.

I think the first power head offered in the UK on a Hoover machine was on a Freedom cylinder and after that we had several ranges of Sensotronics and Compacts that featured one or two models with a power head. I believe the last UK Hoover to have a power head was a top of the range Alpina.

For above floor and detailed cleaning I do prefer a straight suction machine with a longer hose, but for all round versatity I think a good power head cylinder beats a tools attached upright for convenience and performance. I hope to get a Sebo K3 or E3 Premium soon so I will be able to test out that theory.


Post# 323145 , Reply# 43   4/24/2015 at 08:50 (3,261 days old) by ralph123 (Little Rock, AR)        

Marcusprit said: "It's because most people in the UK prefer an upright on their carpeted floor."

I have to agree with Marcus. Most vacuums sold in the UK are bypass uprights. As Tom Gasko has mentioned, these are canister powerteams in an upright configuration. You can turn off the brush roll to clean bare floors on many of these. You can always get a nice small canister straight suction vacuum for the bare floors.

I can't remember who said it, but a "cleaning efficiency expert" once said that cleaning with a power team was slow and kind of like dragging a dead pig. Many uprights can outclean powerteams for far less money.

Unless you want a water filtration vacuum to do aromatherapy, you probably don't need a canister in most households.

I've mentioned before that my parents have a 9-lb riccar supralite and a small straight suction Riccar canister with the awesome floor brush. It's an awesome cleaning combination.

the key to using a bypass upright vacuums as a canister is to purchase the right tools. I have the deluxe tools for my Simplicity 7 series.





Post# 323148 , Reply# 44   4/24/2015 at 09:15 (3,261 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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^I actually prefer using a cylinder. I'm currently using a Miele Cat & Dog with the air driven turbo brush, but planning on up grading to a C3 powernozzle model once other household commitments are paid for.

 

We have mostly carpet, but of varying type with hard floors in the kitchen, laundry room and 3 bathrooms.

 

Using the cylinder means I can go from carpet, to shag rug, to hard floors, to stairs, to sofa's and beds, to dusting, easily moving around and under large furniture and reaching high up in corners and on the tops of high furniture, without having to turn the machine off or stop what I'm doing and switch the cleaner to another mode. It makes life much easier.


Post# 323149 , Reply# 45   4/24/2015 at 09:16 (3,261 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        
The key is buying the right kind of tools...

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Yes, but the thing is, Ralph - in the UK we don't get much supply of universal cleaning tools for upright vacs. Only certain brands offer extra cost optional tools and some of them are not all that extra versatile.

The U.S like huge dusting brushes and are happy to discount Miele's round dusting brushes for example whereas I think most consumers here are quite happy with the smaller cleaning tools in general. Cue smaller than small cleaning tools on board a lot of canister/cylinder vacuums in general with the "smaller European size."

Again as with the old UK selling point regarding uprights for carpets and cylinders for anything else above the floor line, cylinder vacs here tend to be given smaller cleaning tools for point to point cleaning, reinforcing the idea that the long hose and machine behind it as per the design is for getting at awkward areas with EASE compared to the shorter hose supplied on an upright.

This then qualifies most uprights' inability to stand up when a hose is used, if fitted whlist the cylinder/canister concept is generally safer but lighter to pull or carry around.

Personally speaking I find that sometimes if too many tools are stored on board an upright, it all becomes too bulky, too heavy for the upright and liable for tools to fall off.


Post# 323183 , Reply# 46   4/24/2015 at 17:17 (3,260 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        
Just ignorance...

Okay, maybe I was too harsh, I find it hard to detach myself from the "collecting point of view" But I feel very strongly about the fact that any home with rugs or carpets needs a brushroll head of some sort, with it be a turbo nozzle or an upright or a power nozzle, it makes such a difference. My friend recently brought a vax air cordless lift to replace his numatic Henry HVR200a. It made such a different, cleaning his small upstairs hallway filled the dirt bin to the top! As most people know the suction on the cordless machines aren't great, but boy, that agitation was brilliant! I'm not condoning straight suction machines, they are fine on hardfloors, but agitation is necessary on carpeted surfaces or rugs in order to effectively clean them

Post# 323218 , Reply# 47   4/25/2015 at 05:52 (3,260 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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In you experience yes, but in my mine, a carpet doesn't always need a rolling brush roll to keep it clean. Depends on the type and texture. Wool carpets only need gentle agitation, which is why I have more straight suction or delicate brush rolls. If I used an upright all of the time with an aggressive brush roll, I doubt I would have any carpet left!

You might be impressed with the Vax Air Cordless Lift from your friend, but I also own the original model without the Lift function. Mine removes dirt but it also removes a hell of a lot of wool as well.

It isn't the brush roll alone but rather the trio of suction channels Vax/TTI/Hoover have added to form the "Windtunnel" design. Don't be confused by actual dust and carpet pile. The Henry would have done a similar job had it been fitted with Numatic's Airobrush turbo brush floor head.

You're just more impressed by the fact that you can see what gets picked up.


Post# 323357 , Reply# 48   4/26/2015 at 08:26 (3,259 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        
You're just more impressed by the fact that you can see

No, not true. I prefer bagged vacuums to bagless, it's not the fact I can see the dirt that I like, it's the fact that it cleans better. The Henry didn't pick up hair, that's the truth, whereas the vax did. I am massively found of Numatic's Airo brush, i have several myself, I think they're great. It's not the carpet pile it picked up either, his carpet is woven carpet, meaning no piles as such.

Post# 323363 , Reply# 49   4/26/2015 at 09:43 (3,259 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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The bristles on the Vax Cordless air series aren't tough, they're not aggressive which is why I bought one as I have wool carpets. I like the fact that from time to time I can also use the brush roll on and off as this upright doesn't suck down hard on flooring unlike the original Vax Mach Air corded series.

Had your friend used a turbo brush to start off with, you might notice less of a difference to what the Vax picks up.


Post# 323376 , Reply# 50   4/26/2015 at 10:50 (3,259 days old) by hooverjedilord (Hampshire)        

Yeah, I think that would be the case, however he wanted a cordless vacuum, so he got the lift. It probably would have been easier for him to just have one of my aironozzles, but he prefers cordless.

Post# 323388 , Reply# 51   4/26/2015 at 12:12 (3,259 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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Im not entirely surprised Vax brought out another model. Im a bit surprised that they haven't upped the power. The suction through the hose on the original Cordless Air is pathetic. It will pick up bits of paper and toast crumbs and even a cob web. But its still not quite there yet.

Meanwhile LG have brought out an 80V cordless vac.



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