Favorite central/canister cleaning head?

[Hatsuwr]

The modern one I have the most experience with is Wessel-Werk's EBK 360. I like it, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

Pros:

• Cleans well and reliably - single pass is almost always enough
• Motor is more than powerful enough
• Belt wears pretty slowly (lasts at least as long as the roller brush)
• Wide cleaning path (~12")
• No hair tangling issues
• Standard IEC C7 power connector

Cons:

• Lighting isn't terrible, but it easily could be much better
• The mechanism that locks the neck upright is relatively weak
• Replacing the roller brush includes replacing its bearings and pulley gear
  • The pulley gear is plastic and wears at a similar rate as the bristles. Would rather see a metal pulley and more targeted replacement options.
• Motor bearings used to be high-quality sealed ones from... Schaeffler, but it seems they downgraded to shielded off-brand bearings.
• The wand retention mechanism is a leaf spring button style (the button being on the wand). It doesn't fail quickly, but it does weaken over time.

Other:

• I think it's about time to switch over to a brushless motor, and possibly even direct-drive.
• Better control circuitry would be nice. Right now it's just a simple rocker switch. This is cheaper and a bit easier to replace, but I'd rather see the rocker switch control a relay for longer intervals between needing any replacements. Cost different would be minimal.
  • I know many people don't like soft starting, but it would take some wear off the drive components (and switch/relay).
• It would be good to have a smaller gap between the cleaning path and the outer edge of the cleaning head on the non-driven side. It's not too bad how it currently is, but there's definitely room for improvement.
• Old height adjustment pedal was a bit 'mushy' to use. It's been redesigned, but I haven't had a chance to use the new one yet.

 

[cheesewonton]

Look at a Lindhaus PB14. Probably the best power nozzle made. I have three EBK360s that came with different vacuums and I'm not impressed. Second best is the Cen-Tec CT25QD. Sebo ET-1 or ET-2 is good too.

Direct drive brush rolls for Kenmores are hideously expensive because the motor is part of the brush roll. I suppose someone could design them with removable brush strips but that is not the case so far. Interesting tidbit, Panasonic first used a direct drive brush roll in a small Japanese power nozzle sold with the MC-P600 canister vacuum. This was a Japan market vacuum.

 

[Ant_Tenna]

Seconding Lindhaus power nozzles. I've had a couple HF6s with PB14s and a PB12e on an Aria Platinum, they're all fantastic. The standard PB12 comes with a single-chevron brush roll but the variant included with the Aria Platinum comes with a dual-chevron brush roller that improves the cleaning performance even further. The brush itself is available from Lindhaus and can be swapped into any PB12 that doesn't have it already.

The Sebo ET-1/2 is my second favorite after the Lindhaus nozzles. The WW EBK360/Miele SEB228 is alright but I prefer the aforementioned nozzles. The WW EBK340 and Miele SEB236 I really like though. The Riccar/Simplicity RPB/SPB doesn't quite have the build quality/refinement of the German/Italian nozzles I've mentioned but they clean very well and have some nice features. The one on the end of my Simplicity S38 works pretty good.

 

[kirbylux77]

I personally favor the Centec powerheads. They are well designed, clean well, and a proven design by Panasonic that clean well and very reliable. The Sebo ET350 / ET-C powerheads were also great too, and I prefer these over the ET1 and ET2 design - they need a couple more height adjustment positions to handle lower pile carpet and groom effectively without being hard to push.

I am also a BIG fan of the Eureka Vibragroomer 3 / Sweep & Groom / Eureka Express powerheads, and the Chinese clone of it, the Dust Care PN11. They are very simple, reliable powerheads with a aggressive brushroll, and being a metal brushroll it's much more resistant to pet and human hair tangling, and brush replacement costs cheaper since you're only replacing the strips. The only disadvantage they had was using a flat belt, but you can use a Kirby 301291 knurled belt in them so they last a bit longer, and the PN11 has a cog belt.

 

[cheesewonton]

I personally favor the Centec powerheads. They are well designed, clean well, and a proven design by Panasonic that clean well and very reliable. The Sebo ET350 / ET-C powerheads were also great too, and I prefer these over the ET1 and ET2 design - they need a couple more height adjustment positions to handle lower pile carpet and groom effectively without being hard to push.

I am also a BIG fan of the Eureka Vibragroomer 3 / Sweep & Groom / Eureka Express powerheads, and the Chinese clone of it, the Dust Care PN11. They are very simple, reliable powerheads with a aggressive brushroll, and being a metal brushroll it's much more resistant to pet and human hair tangling, and brush replacement costs cheaper since you're only replacing the strips. The only disadvantage they had was using a flat belt, but you can use a Kirby 301291 knurled belt in them so they last a bit longer, and the PN11 has a cog belt.

I like the ET-C / ET-350 also but it's a little too hairy chested for many users. They kind of beat the rug into submission. The greater range of height adjustment and the near infinite settings within that range is one of the reasons I like the Lindhaus nozzle so much. It also has a nice solid, all of a piece feel to it without being too heavy.

I think most of those Cen-Tec brand power nozzles trace their design back to the first Whirlpool designed geared belt Kenmore Powermate of 1981. Whirlpool built them for a decade before Panasonic picked up the design and expanded it. Now Suzhou Cleva Electric Appliance Co Ltd makes them but what is really cool is that the modern brush roll, motor and poly v-belt from the Titan T7 power nozzle drop right into the old original geared belt Powermate. That original design has lived on and is still a favorite of mine. Good designs just don't die. The CT25QD shares a lot of dimensions and basic layout with that old 1981 geared belt Powermate and many parts still interchange.

 

[durango159]

Hoover Quadraflex Powermatics were awesome power nozzles. They cleaned very well. It's a shame that brush strips were discontinued for them many years ago.

For today's day in age, I'm very impressed with the Lindhaus power head. It is pleasant sounding and grooms well. Also, the Panasonic designed and now CenTec used PlushPro nozzle is a really nice power head to use.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Cen-Tec CT14DX that was made by Panasonic under the VacuMaid brand.