Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



Active Topics || Favorites || Member List || Search || About Us || Help || Register || Login
Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
 4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Subject Topic: Canister vacs vs. uprights Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message << Prev Topic | Next Topic >>
Matilda
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star
Avatar

Joined: Feb 17 2007
Location: Texas
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1827
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 8:27am | IP Logged Quote Matilda

We will probably be in need of replacing our vacuum soon and since we are removing more and more carpet from our house, I am debating whether or not we need another upright or if a canister would do better. I have never had a canister vac and was wondering if anyone would like to discuss the pros and cons of both.

My first question would be, can you still vacuum a room that has carpet in it? We still have carpet in our smallish den and the children's rooms but we are going to be getting rid of the carpet in our room and have already put wood down in the main living room/schoolroom area.

Any thoughts?

__________________
Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11, 10, 9 & 5) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
Back to Top View Matilda's Profile Search for other posts by Matilda
 
D. Marie
Forum Rookie
Forum Rookie
Avatar

Joined: Dec 04 2008
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 71
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:03am | IP Logged Quote D. Marie

Charlotte,
We bought a canister vac several years ago from Sears. Canister vacs are very expensive, so we went with a less expensive Kenmore since we trusted the Kenmore name. It has both a floor attachment and a carpet attachment that both work well; although, we had to continuously replace the beater brush and other parts. Do not get the Kenmore, it is a waste of money. So I think a canister vac is a great idea for what you are needing, but be prepared to invest in it and spend the extra money on a nicer vac!

Blessings...

__________________
Wife and Mom of 7
Back to Top View D. Marie's Profile Search for other posts by D. Marie
 
kingvozzo
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star
Avatar

Joined: March 28 2005
Location: Maine
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2653
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:40am | IP Logged Quote kingvozzo

I have an electrolux canister vac (called aerus now) and I love it! It has a power head attachment for the few remaining carpeted rooms,and a wonderful hard-floor attachment for everything else. It's lightweight also (much lighter than the old electrolux like my mother had) so it's quite easy to move up and down stairs.

In my opinion, an upright only works if there's wall-to-wall carpeting.

__________________
Noreen
Wife to Ed
Mom to 4 great kids and 10 sweet ones in Our Lady's arms
Back to Top View kingvozzo's Profile Search for other posts by kingvozzo
 
LisaD
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star
Avatar

Joined: Dec 27 2005
Location: California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 526
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:54am | IP Logged Quote LisaD

I've had a 12-amp HEPA filter Kenmore canister vac for 2 years. We had another top of the line Kenmore canister for 12 years before that one. Consumer Reports gives them a very high rating.

We have carpet, but I like the canister for ease of using attachments, excellent hard floor cleaning (kitchen, baths and entry here), and ease of cleaning stairs. I use the attachments to clean drapes, blinds, corners of ceilings, window sills, etc.

I have been very happy with our Kenmore vacs :)

__________________
~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
Back to Top View LisaD's Profile Search for other posts by LisaD Visit LisaD's Homepage
 
Mackfam
Board Moderator
Board Moderator
Avatar
Non Nobis

Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14656
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 3:28pm | IP Logged Quote Mackfam

We had a Kenmore canister that we received as a wedding gift. A couple of years ago, it started giving out. I convinced myself that what I *really* wanted was an upright. So, after reading the reviews at Consumer Reports, we bought a Kenmore upright with HEPA filter. I don't like it...mainly because of ease of use issues. It is a very well performing vacuum though.

I have mostly wood floors in my house, with carpet in the bedrooms and an area rug in the living room...so I go back and forth between hard floor and rug. Just so you know. And...stairs are all wood.

Pros of an upright
**I like that my current upright has a HEPA filter, though I think that most vacs today would offer that option.
**It is a little easier to vacuum on the carpet with an upright.

Cons of an upright
**Mine is extremely heavy!!! Extremely!!
**Poor storage of utensils on body of vac.
**All plastic tools - I've got nothing against plastic in this situation, but the plastic long tube (the one that goes from floor tool to the accordion hose) is very flimsy, the connectors are plastic and are wearing thin, and it is just generally cheap. I ended up wrapping duct tape around the entire length of my plastic tube thingy to ensure that it stays connected and offer some rigidity. Duct tape! I miss the sturdy steel long tube of my old canister and I miss the substantial plastic of my old canister. Check the plastic!!!!
**It is harder to drag the big upright around behind you when you're vacuuming the hard floors. It *says* it's supposed to be able to vacuum the floors with the regular upright part of the machine, but it doesn't do a good enough job reaching under and around things and is generally bulky and clumsy so I always resort to the long tube with the accordion hose. Going back and forth is a pain.

Pros of a canister
**ease of storage of tools on the body of the canister
**pulling behind is easier that pushing forward - just basic physics
**All steel construction of the long tube-y thing.

Cons of a canister
**the canister part gets hung around corners or under furniture...annoying
**I used to think that changing the powered carpet attachment out for the floor brush was inconvenient...then I met my upright.
**They are challenging on the stairs!

**IF** I considered another vacuum and **IF** I were considering an upright, I'd look with a very critical and skeptical eye at:

**the materials and sturdiness of the tools
**the ease of going back and forth between tools for hard floor vac and upright for carpets
**the weight of the vac
**the clumsiness or ease with which I could vacuum using the long tube with hard floor attachment
**how long the accordion tube is - this makes a huge difference on the stairs!
**(I know I'm gonna botch the description of this tool...)I'd make sure that one of the attachments is the little fiber thing with all of the stiff, bristly hairs that are about an inch or two long. My upright doesn't have one and I miss it very much...it's how I dust some weeks.

Now that I dislike my vacuum it will probably last for a century! And...really, it does do a very good job at picking up dust and dirt. But, if I were shopping again, I'd probably go back to a canister because I find them easier to use on the hard floors and in terms of changing between the attachments, it is vastly more convenient to change out the floor/carpet attachment on a canister.

Someone here may have found the perfect upright. These are just my experiences with a particular canister and upright...I tried to offer some generalities. HTH in the decision making process.   

__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
Back to Top View Mackfam's Profile Search for other posts by Mackfam Visit Mackfam's Homepage
 
Lisa R
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star
Avatar

Joined: May 29 2005
Location: Ohio
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 789
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 3:59pm | IP Logged Quote Lisa R

Hate our upright! Only our boys use it.

We actually have both and I always go for the canister. Maninly because of the attachments, ease of moving around and the weight!

__________________
God Bless!
Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy
Back to Top View Lisa R's Profile Search for other posts by Lisa R Visit Lisa R's Homepage
 
anitamarie
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star


Joined: Oct 15 2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 819
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 4:34pm | IP Logged Quote anitamarie

Our old house had mostly hardwoods and I loved my canister for it. In fact, I miss it even in our mostly carpeted house now. I think they are much easier to maneuver, and I wish when we replaced the canister we had gotten another.
Back to Top View anitamarie's Profile Search for other posts by anitamarie
 
Carole N.
Forum All-Star
Forum All-Star
Avatar

Joined: Oct 28 2006
Location: Wales
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4484
Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 4:35pm | IP Logged Quote Carole N.

I always had a canister until I had a central vac. When we moved overseas, I had to make a decision. My ds made it for me ... we have a upright! It is a Dyson Slim. Light, easy to store, powerful. We have mostly carpets with a few hardwood/tile floors. It does have to be cleaned often, but for the most part, we love it.

__________________
Carole ... in Wales
Back to Top View Carole N.'s Profile Search for other posts by Carole N.
 

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

  [Add this topic to My Favorites] Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Hosting and Support provided by theNetSmith.com