Upright or canister vacuum?

debodun

debodun

SF VIP
Location
way upstate in New York, USA
I'm used to a canister vacuum. I have a Eureka Ironsides which is about 25 years old. The switch broke and the local vacuum repair tech said since it's so old, he couldn't get replacement parts. I've been shopping and now find canister vacuums are difficult to find in the local big box stores. Most available models ate uprights which seem to me would be clumsy to handle on the staircase (see photo). I also need a "beater" head. Any suggestions on vacuum cleaner shopping?


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We had an Electrolux canister vac and like all canister vacs, it was like wrestling with an octopus.

We now have an upright with built-in attachments.

Were I you, I'd get a small hand vacuum for those stairs.
 
I like the old fashioned uprights, with the replaceable bags, hate the bagless. I don't care for the canister. One brand I don't recommend is Oreck. I bought one of their lightweight vacs, and it's pretty useless, also goes through belts like there's no tomorrow, even though it's rarely used. Luckily the free little hand vac that came with it, is useful for cleaning up litter around the cat box. :p
 

Anyone ever try those iRobot Roomba cleaners?
I got one for my daughter when she was pregnant years ago, and it got used a lot at the time. I think she still has it, along with her upright. The kids now spoof their dog with it when they get the chance.
 
Here in the Uk what you call Canister we call cylinder


After years of using ordinary standard vacuum cleaners which were never really up to the job, I finally decided to pay top dollar for the best cylinder cleaner I've ever owned...I winced at the price because it's more expensive than the others, but it is simply the very best cleaner ever. There is nothing it can't tackle, and it's particularly superb at picking up animal hair from carpets and hard flooring, and the hose is very long so I can get right to the top of the stairs with it.

It's the Miele Cat and Dog...buttt...here's the rub..

I was just about to recommend it to you but I thought I'd better check first if it's available in the USA..

Here in the UK it costs a little over £200 which is dollar equivalent of about $330 or so.....however I was stunned to find that in the US it will cost you 50 dollars short of $1000...wow! I'm shocked to the core...:eek:mg:

If I lived in the US I'd be using a broom and dustpan lol


Anyway...it reallly, really is the best cylinder vacuum on the market in this price range so if you are interested...have a look at the reviews here....


http://www.amazon.com/Miele-S8380-C...=1403034785&sr=1-2&keywords=miele+cat+and+dog



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I just bought a Eureka Boss Smart Vac upright. It was a Consumer Reports best buy. I don't like it. It picks up great but it's sooo heavy. It makes me tired. My "old as dirt" Sears Kenmore canister cleaner follows me around like a nice little doggie. I'll keep using it until it bites the dust. Anybody wanna buy a new Eureka upright vac? :D
 
I don't have a vacuum cleaner. I gave mine to my brother. I have all tile floors and a lady comes in every other Wednesday for cleaning. If it gets dirty between times I sweep or use a dustbuster.
 
Shirley said:
I just bought a Eureka Boss Smart Vac upright. It was a Consumer Reports best buy. I don't like it. It picks up great but it's sooo heavy. It makes me tired. My "old as dirt" Sears Kenmore canister cleaner follows me around like a nice little doggie. I'll keep using it until it bites the dust. Anybody wanna buy a new Eureka upright vac? :D
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I've got the same story with the Eureka Boss. It is so powerful, and cleans up everything in sight. But, oh the backache when done. I've tried to give mine away. So far no takers.
I think I would settle for an electric broom at this point. :crying: ... mostly tile floors anyway...:D.
 
CPA-Kim said:
I don't have a vacuum cleaner. I gave mine to my brother. I have all tile floors and a lady comes in every other Wednesday for cleaning. If it gets dirty between times I sweep or use a dustbuster.
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For routine maintenance yes the good old fashioned broom is easier. But sometimes you have to mop and let it dry. That's the one advantage of vacuuming, no dry time. In most situations I'll take a hard floor for maintenance.
 
Here's the happy couple! :) :)
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Upright & shop vac. I agree the broom is much quieter.
 
Bonnie said:
Anyone ever try those iRobot Roomba cleaners?
I got one for my daughter when she was pregnant years ago, and it got used a lot at the time. I think she still has it, along with her upright. The kids now spoof their dog with it when they get the chance.
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Yes Bonnie, we have a Roomba. It was fun to watch at first, but now sets in my shop on the shelf waiting for our next garage sale. We have uprights, the bag less kind. I also have a Black and Decker hand vac which is a little terror. Does a great job on car and small jobs.
 
awww those Henry & Hetty cleaners are just so darn cute they would make vacuuming fun.

I have a Hoover Wind Tunnel canister and while it does the job well I don't like storing it. Has in addition to the regular attachment a small mini vacuum for upholstery.
 
For over 20 years , I had my Amway Cleartrac vacuum; which I used and loved, and it cleaned everything . As I got older, it just became harder and harder for me to push around. (Strange, because it wasn't heavy when I first got it )
When we moved to this house a year ago, Robin gave me her Dyson, and got herself another vacuum. I am very happy with the Dyson. I can easily push it around, and it does an excellent job of vacuuming.

I used to have a Roomba, but the battery wore out on it, and now it won't charge up any more. Except that it would get stuck in awkward places (think under the couch), it was great, because it did a good job of keeping things clean, and it crawled underneath things that I could not reach with an upright vacuum.
 
Debodun, I have hardwood floors and throw rugs. I'm only commenting because I love your furniture! That is one beautiful photo!
 
Shirley said:
I just bought a Eureka Boss Smart Vac upright. It was a Consumer Reports best buy. I don't like it. It picks up great but it's sooo heavy. It makes me tired. My "old as dirt" Sears Kenmore canister cleaner follows me around like a nice little doggie. I'll keep using it until it bites the dust. Anybody wanna buy a new Eureka upright vac? :D
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It should bite the dust every time you use it.:)
 
my daughter has a shark upright with the beater bar and it realey cleans her carpet
i have an up right that i use---i agree with falcon to get a hand vac for the stairs
 
The switch broke.? If that's all that is wrong with it, just bypass the switch. That's what I did with my shredder. Just plug it in .

You can even get a line switch after you bypass the regular switch by just connecting the wires and soldering them so that power goes to the unit.

I have both an upright and a canister. The canister is a shop vac which is wet or dry.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I like the old fashioned uprights, with the replaceable bags, hate the bagless. I don't care for the canister. One brand I don't recommend is Oreck. I bought one of their lightweight vacs, and it's pretty useless, also goes through belts like there's no tomorrow, even though it's rarely used. Luckily the free little hand vac that came with it, is useful for cleaning up litter around the cat box. :p
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The problem is you can't get the bags anymore for some of the uprights.
I have a great Panasonic upright. The bags are no longer available.

So I just buy something close and adapt it by trimming the opening.

If it's too long I just roll it up and staple it.

It just bugs me when a simple accessory is no longer available for a perfectly working appliance.
 
I really dislike upright vacuums. Too hard to maneuver around and under objects, like chairs and tables (and piles of books, junk, etc :)). The stores don't carry cannisters anymore, and they ones you can order are really expensive. One thing that works pretty well is a smaller shop vac with a hose adapter.

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With the adapter you can fit the wand and all the accessories from any old cannister vacuum to it. The shop vacs have plenty of suction, compared to household vacuums. Make sure to get a hepa-filter with it. Some of the shop vacs tend to throw out some dust on the blower side otherwise. :)

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The one big downside... they don't follow you around very well. The hose tends to come off or kink, if you try to pull it around with that. One day I'm going to figure out how to adapt the wheels on one so it will move smoothly. (bucket list LOL )
 
Yes, I agree the uprights are hard to maneuver. It's all one huge piece and heavy. I have a Hoover upright that came with a small extra vac (bigger than a dust-buster)- with a hose and brush good for stairs and drapes, etc, but it was always falling over onto it's side.

I gave the small one away and use the electric broom and a dust buster on the stairs. That's all I can do.

I could not find a decent canister type that I could afford. Americans have always been paying through the nose for efficient and well made vacuum cleaners!
 

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