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Matilda
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 8:27am | IP Logged
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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?
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Charlotte (Matilda)
Mom to four (11 , 10 , 9 & 5 ) an even split for now
with bookend boys and a double girl sandwich
Waltzing Matilda
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D. Marie
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:03am | IP Logged
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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...
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Wife and Mom of 7
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kingvozzo
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:40am | IP Logged
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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.
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Noreen
Wife to Ed
Mom to 4 great kids and 10 sweet ones in Our Lady's arms
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LisaD
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 10:54am | IP Logged
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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 :)
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~Lisa
Mama to dd(99), ds(01), ds(03) and ds(06)
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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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.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Lisa R
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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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!
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Lisa, married to my best friend, Ray and loving my blessings Joshua (17)and Jacob(15), Hannah(7) and Rachel (5)!Holy Family Academy
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anitamarie
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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.
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Carole N.
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 4:35pm | IP Logged
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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.
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Carole ... in Wales
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: Canister vacs vs. uprights
