Above floor cleaning on an upright, at what cost?

[stricklybojack]

I'm starting to doubt the need for above floor cleaning on an upright is worth the cost in:
the added weight,
the lost performance with the longer more bendy dirt-path,
the added bulk to the machine,
& the added cost to the machine.

At least for how much i use it that is -i'm sure for many it's a huge plus- I'm just a two machine guy i guess.

 

[GM1982]

Its definitely an added plus, especially for people like myself who have lots of carpets and do not want to drag around a canister. Its very convenient, because you do not only have floors, but the on board attachments allow you to clean small spaces, under furniture, in crevices, cobwebs on ceiling. I have the Aerus Guardian Upright, and it does a great job, but the tools are off board and are so annoying to constantly attach and disconnect. I cannot wait to find a better set up, the Guardian, compared to a vacuum with onboard tools only adds minimal weight, like 3-5 lbs. that's nothing for most.

 

[suckolux]

I find it handy for the quick daily clean , but for deep cleaning weekly I like seperate.Concept 1 for rugs and Silverado for all else

 

[electromatik]

For me, it's a necessity. I don't want to own two big machines. I only want one for it all. If I am going to have an upright, which I'm not, I would need a hose. I use a vacuum for lots of things such as vacuuming lamp shades, couch, chairs, mattress, window sills, furniture, in addition to rugs and carpet. Can't do all that without a hose. I still use furniture polish occasinally to treat and protect wood though.

 

[Jakesvacs]

Haha, you picked quite a example there!

It depends on the brand of vacuum aswell as the building materials used as to the weight of them. In this example the cleaner uses the wand as one of its selling points with big bold letters shouting "power wand". The wand is more pronounced off the machine to make grabbing it quicker and easier when cleaning. However, this is a commerical design so the need for it to be quick and easy makes sence.

I find onboard tools such a godsend for vacuuming the house, makes things so much easier.

 

[GM1982]

The Miele upright s7 makes one of the best on board hose and wand set... Riccar is pretty good as well. Click and go

 

[tolivac]

The "Power Wand" on that Fuller/Mighty Maid vacuum looks like it could get in the way-ie bumps into walls and such as you go.I too,like separate machines-just easier and better.The uprights like the Fuller one shown are just to clunky,awkward,and prone to clogging-and to make things worse-to compensate for the longer dirtpaths-they need the 12A noisey motors.Now I know who makes Mighty Maid vacuums-did spot a black colored one-rather beat up-buried with a Dyson in the appliance dumpster at the dump site.

 

[eurekaprince]

I much prefer two separate vacs: an upright for carpets and a suction-only canister for everything else. The engineering to create one vac that does it all is overly complicated and too expensive and too prone to break down. The combination vacs are also too heavy and bulky to use. Uprights that try to offer the ability to clean surfaces beyond carpets often have hoses that are too short and useless tools and problematic systems to shut off the brushroll to protect feet, hands and floors. Power nozzle canisters have overly heavy electrified hoses and bulky hose handles and noisy power nozzles and electrical connections that are prone to breaking.

You can get two high performing easy-to-use vacs that will cost less than a combo vac and take up not much more room than a power nozzle canister in your closet. From my analysis of the latest Consumer Reports tests, the best duo for the money now is the Hoover Platinum Bagged Lightweight Upright (get the package without the companion PortaPower canister to save some $) and the Miele Olympus (Contour in Canada) suction only canister. Together they will cost under $600 and take up no more than two square feet in a closet. Retailers should bundle them together in a package deal!

 

[GM1982]

Eurekaprince

One vac can do it all, and most people prefer that.... especially people with busy schedules that don't have time to fumble with two vacs. The Miele Twist $429 or there are a few other reputable brands that offer on board hose that work well, are durable and can stretch 7-12 fee long.

 

[blackheart]

Diverters

That some uprights have a diverter for their hoses a good example would be the eureka smartvac where you turn a dial to divert suction to the hose or the floor this provides it with decent airflow at the nozzle and decent hose power

 

[electromatik]

The Miele Twist is only $429??? Why then do they charge over $1,000 for thier best canister with thier best power nozzle? My that's a huge price difference.

 

[GM1982]

electromatik

Very easy...features. The Miele Twist is a base model. (No headlight, auto controls, or extras attachments like a hand turbo or floor brush.) They charge over $1,000 for the canister because its the top of line- S8. A Miele canister base model can be found for $499

 

[GM1982]

Why do they ask $36,500 for an Audi A4, and $127,000 for an Audi R8...features, performance, options, etc.... that's a huge price difference

 

[kirbyultimateg]

Kirby uprights and Royal All Metal uprights are excellent for carpets/rugs/hard floors and above the floor cleaning. Kirby's are also able to shampoo carpets/rugs/stairways/furniture/car interiors.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I don't care for the onboard tool setup on most modern uprights. The main reasons being: there is no way to move the vacuum without pushing it by the handle, the hoses tend to make the whole machine fall over, and the attachments are generally lacking.

The older uprights with converter pans avoided most of these problems, but then the tools weren't on board and had to be stored separately, and you didn't have as much suction as you do with onboard hoses.

This is one reason I prefer a canister for all-around cleaning. They're much easier to do above floor cleaning with, and the attachments are generally better than those on an upright.

I guess as mentioned above Kirby uprights and Royals kind of have the best of both aspects, especially with the Kirby's "canister mode".

 

[parwaz786]

Is my opinion, the DC25 has the quickest release for aboe the floor cleaning, in fact, any upright Dyson, I like the DC14 wand the best though, but I have not used the DC33, so that might be just as good in design etc, but i hate the plastic wand and my neighbour says the DC33 is great.

I used a DC27 all floors and i found it to be impressive, has more suction than my DC25 Animal

 

[vacuumman206]

what i used to do when I'd do full-house cleanings was do floors first, and then do above-the-floor, but I was using an elite and with its rather short hose I rarely bothered putting the machine down...I continued to carry it. My duties of full house cleaning are no longer, I stick to just vacuuming the carpet in my room. But even if I did the rigorous vacuuming in the house, I'd definitely still use an upright for everything, but one with brush shut-off and a long hose. But for those that like canisters, I haven't had a canister that didn't need to be lifted to reach higher surfaces without a wand, which is something I like not to use for above floor cleaning with canisters. they just get in the way and on canisters you have no were to put them on the machine while they may be briefly unused. My rainbow is one vac I don't mind lugging around on the floor or in my hand though.

 

[sebo_fan]

I've tried the extension hose and then an added straight extension tube approach with my Sebo uprights - but its too bulky and the hose has to be stored elsewhere after use. They're only good if you use the hose once a year IN the home for ceiling clearing or require it for the car OR if you just want the hose at the time of cleaning whatever you are doing and prepare to compromise. I find vacuuming the ceiling is a job that happens may twice or three times a year - it may be different for others.

Last night for example I bought a lovely fleece top blanket for my bed. Being new and clean though unwashed, it left a lot of lint on my duvet which would make me sneeze through sleeping. At the time I was vacuuming my room with my Sebo X and decided just to get the extension hose out to reach all parts of the bed. A perfect job with the turbo brush added and no problems. However, I had to go back to the closet to store the hose and the mini turbo brush. Such is the life when you own a classic upright like the SEBO X.

I now use my Miele canister to clean out the car with the car clean set and whatever canister I have in the home to clean the ceilings and above floor line areas; this is one reason to why I bought Sebo's D series; not just for the longer cable length to get around my parents large home, but for the fact that the hose and tubes achieve greater reach with everything I require being to hand as well as being lighter - and nothing to store away at the end apart from the whole machine.

Yet, although the canister isn't compact sized (it isn't supposed to be). I live by the mantra that an upright is ideal for carpets and the canister ideal for everything else. When you live in a home that has everything such as hard floor, carpet, high ceilings, pets and everything else life throws at you, I've never felt that ONE vacuum cleaner is sufficient although my parents did live quite happily with our Sebo X1 Automatic for many years and took a broom with a damp tea towel added to the bristles for cleaning the ceilings before they knew of Sebo's additional tools. Hard floors just got wiped over with a damp mop to take up months of dust. My parents were too busy to be cleaning home all the time; an aspect that I can now afford to do.

The same goes with washer dryers - we had them - 3 of them all from different brands - in the end it is far easier just to have two separate machines to cope with in a large home. European machines in general are steadily improving in their reliability but they're not quite there yet in being able to build a washer dryer (without being too expensive, cue Miele) that is built to last - and without expensive heater elements from burning out.

 

[heritageIIhd]

Growing up we only ever had one vacuum at a time. I remember a tan Hoover, and then about third or fourth grade mom and dad got a Kirby because I had allergies and asthma.

However, I have a Simplicity upright and a Simplicity canister now, because I like both worlds, the canister for hardwood and the upright for carpet.

I vacuumed for many years with the Kirby when I lived at home and I remember how that *^(%& hose would always either tip the machine, or fall down when you tried to prop it up, LOL.