# Upright or canister vacuum?



## debodun

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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## Falcon

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.


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## SeaBreeze

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.


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## JustBonee

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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## hollydolly

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...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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## Shirley

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?


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## CPA-Kim

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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## JustBonee

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?



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....


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## Michael.

We use a *'Henry'* cleaner and it is one of the best on the market.

Most if not all builders in our area use this  to clean up during alterations etc.

The ideal situation would be to have one downstairs and one upstairs.


http://www.henryhoovers.org.uk/

.


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## Bee

I have *'Hetty' *and I am very happy with her.


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## WhatInThe

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.



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.


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## Meanderer

Here's the happy couple!  





Upright & shop vac.  I agree the broom is much quieter.


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## Pappy

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.



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.


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## Lee

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.


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## debodun

Those plastic wheels look like they get damaged easily.


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## Happyflowerlady

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.


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## Shamhat

Debodun, I have hardwood floors and throw rugs.  I'm only commenting because I love your furniture!  That is one beautiful photo!


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## Meanderer

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?


It should bite the dust every time you use it.


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## twinkles

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


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## C'est Moi

Hopefully Deb has decided which vacuum to buy since she started this thread nearly 4 years ago.


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## Camper6

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.


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## Camper6

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.



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.


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## Capt Lightning

I use a Henry too.  One of the best and reasonably priced.  Very popular with office cleaners.

And when Henrys retire, they take up gardening...


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## NancyNGA

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. 



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. 




_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 )


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## RadishRose

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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## ProsperosDaughter

Miele canister


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## debodun

C'est Moi said:


> Hopefully Deb has decided which vacuum to buy since she started this thread nearly 4 years ago.



Yes, I bought a Panasonic canister.


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## C'est Moi

C'est Moi said:


> Hopefully Deb has decided which vacuum to buy since she started this thread nearly 4 years ago.





debodun said:


> Yes, I bought a Panasonic canister.



:thumbsup:


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## hearlady

Kenmore cannisters were always good. Not sure in the last 10 yrs.


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## jujube

I have two uprights, a canister, a shopvac, an "electric broom", and a hand-held.  I'm a vacuum cleaner hoarder.


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## Sunny

I love my irobot vacuum cleaner. Haven't had to use my regular upright (stashed in a closet) since I got it.


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## SeaBreeze

SeniorFella said:


> Lighter is good for seniors.  For ultra light uprights, Oreck is a good choice.



The light Oreck doesn't do the job, it doesn't pick up dirt from the carpets like other vacuums, for me it was a waste of money and sits down in my basement, rarely used at all.  One brand I don't recommend is Oreck. 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.


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## win231

You can get both upright & canister in one vacuum for a very low price.  Shark Powered Liftaway.
I have 3 - one for each floor.  The dust cup can be left on the vacuum & used as an upright or it's easily removed & put on an included tray & used as a canister.  Their latest version is very light & the brush roll doesn't get tangled with hair.


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## SeaBreeze

Thanks for the recommendation Win, if you have 3, they must be good.  I'll have to check them out...also lots of hair/fur in my house. layful:


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## JustBonee

I don't have the latest model,  but I totally love my Shark Navigator Liftaway that I bought a few years ago.  It's wonderful for everyday use.  The ease of using it and cleaning it is just the best.  I've gone thru so many vacuums over the years and never thought I would find one that really works,   like the Shark does.   .. a totally satisfied customer here.  Have never had to replace anything on it yet.  
Just vacuum, clean out, repeat.    And easy on the old back!


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## Liberty

Ditto for me on the "Shark"... we've had one for several years and its the best!  We think the housekeeper broke something or picked up something strange once and it wasn't picking up as good so I called their customer service number - the rep ask me a couple simple questions, then told me a new part would be right out and a couple days later we received a whole new canister portion of the machine to just slip in and use in place of the original one we had.  Great customer service, too!


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## Ruthanne

I have used upright most of my years.  I have had the canister type, too, but the upright seem easier to use for me.


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## SeaBreeze

win231 said:


> You can get both upright & canister in one vacuum for a very low price.  Shark Powered Liftaway.
> I have 3 - one for each floor.  The dust cup can be left on the vacuum & used as an upright or it's easily removed & put on an included tray & used as a canister.  Their latest version is very light & the brush roll doesn't get tangled with hair.



Win, can you tell me which model you have, seems there are several although I would lean toward the least expensive one?  They are listed here SHARK.


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## SeaBreeze

Bonnie said:


> I don't have the latest model,  but I totally love my Shark Navigator Liftaway that I bought a few years ago.  It's wonderful for everyday use.  The ease of using it and cleaning it is just the best.  I've gone thru so many vacuums over the years and never thought I would find one that really works,   like the Shark does.   .. a totally satisfied customer here.  Have never had to replace anything on it yet.
> Just vacuum, clean out, repeat.    And easy on the old back!



Easy on he old back sounds great Bonnie!  And the Navigator looks like the least expensive.


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## Pink Biz

Ruthanne said:


> I have used upright most of my years.  I have had the canister type, too, but the upright seem easier to use for me.



:happy:_What she said!_:happy:


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## SeaBreeze

Thanks to all who recommended the Shark Lift-Away vacuum!  I bought one yesterday (Navigator) at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  I used their 20% off coupon, so although it was $159.99, I only paid $128.  Went to Walmart afterwards, they had it for $140, so I felt good.

Just put it together today and it was super easy, no help needed from my husband (which is rare).  Vacuumed the open areas of a couple of my rooms to check it out and it worked very well, at full suction, the results were impressive.

It was also easy to empty the dust canister, something I did in the garage just to be sure no dust would be in the house from it.  I only used it as an upright so far, plan to use the canister and get under the bed and into other areas in the next week.

For such a reasonable price, I'm very pleased so far!


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## JustBonee

SB,  glad you are impressed with your new Shark.  It made me believe in vacuum cleaners again!   Think I heard that the Shark was the brain child of  a woman who was totally fed up with all the choices out there ..


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## win231

SeaBreeze said:


> Win, can you tell me which model you have, seems there are several although I would lean toward the least expensive one?  They are listed here SHARK.



I have the one that says "Professional" on the top of the brushroll & the newer "Powered Liftaway."  And their newest one is the "Apex Zero" that has the hair-reducing brushroll.


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## SeaBreeze

Bonnie said:


> SB,  glad you are impressed with your new Shark.  It made me believe in vacuum cleaners again!   Think I heard that the Shark was the brain child of  a woman who was totally fed up with all the choices out there ..



I am Bonnie, very happy with it.  Yesterday I removed the grills to the air intake vents in my living room hallway, they are painted white and always show the fine gray dust on the grill, I'm always cleaning them.  Yesterday when they were off, I removed the canister section of the vacuum and attached the long tubular extension, got in there and removed a lot of fine dust, cat hairs, etc.

I'll never be a clean freak, lol....but I have to admit I do enjoy using this vacuum.  My lightweight Oreck is going out with the trash tonight, although it'll probably be taken by someone before the morning trash pickup.  It still works, but not well since the start and the belts get hot and smoke very quickly.  The one I was using upstairs, is now in the basement.

Win231, thanks!  We might buy another one some day in the future, and I'll check out the more expensive models if we do.  But for now, I'm very please with the basic Navigator.


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