Did your friends/family love uprights and dislike canisters or vice versa?

[fan-of-fans]

I hear often people really like one type of vacuum and dislike another or vice versa. That hasn't been my experience, as most of my family has had both types at different points in time, and often both at once.

One of my grandmothers had a Singer canister first, then bought a Hoover Concept One when she got a house with carpet, but kept the Singer. She didn't seem to prefer one over the other, although the Singer rarely was used after she got a Hoover Elite with onboard tools.

Then my other grandmother started with a GE Swivel Top, then got a Rainbow, and then a Bissell bagless upright more recently. She still has both the Rainbow and Bissell, but I think she prefers the Rainbow for hose use.

My mom had always a power nozzle canister and preferred those, but she did use my grandmother's old Concept One and really preferred that for carpets. Later she's had bagless uprights because she feels like those clean carpets better for some reason than the canister, but she still uses canister for hard floor cleaning or dusting furniture.

One of my aunts has always had canisters at least as far as I know. I don't know if she had gotten an upright since then though. When my grandmother moved in with her she said she did not like her canister because my grandma insisted on vacuuming her own room, but using a walker she said she couldn't use the canister vacuum!

 

[suckolux]

Our family, locally anyway all had cannisters except for the one aunt who had a Kirby D50 which I found very interesting! Of course we are taking Calif in the 50s-70s mostly hardwood floors. Most had area rugs. We got wall to wall mid 60s antique gold dupont sculpted nylon. Zap!! Compact was ok for that, but 70s shag,nope! I think that's about when the uprights started to pop up in the family '70s, I still have the compact.

 

[eurekaprince]

Everyone I knew had both: uprights for carpets and canisters for cleaning everything else. Usually a nice team of cleaners: Hoover Convertible + Constellation, or Eaton Viking upright + canister (Eureka clones), or Hoover upright (DAM or Convertible) + Canadian Electrolux canister made in Montreal. Most of these owners of cleaning “teams” had suburban houses with plenty of room to store the cleaners - sometimes the upright on the main floor and the lighter weight canister with its tool box/caddy in the laundry room in the basement.

Our vacuum team was a Eureka Cordaway Rugulator Upright 2083 plus a lightweight, quiet Sanyo Dust Cassette canister made in Japan.

 

[kirbyklekter]

No preference we had both

My parents had a canister first. When we moved to a new house it had finished hardwood floors.My grandparents suggested they put carpet down to protect the floors "until the kids get older." So that's what they did.The grandparent's went as far as paying for the carpeting as a house warming present. That's when we got our first upright.

A lot of people say they can't understand why people put rugs down over hard wood floors. In our case it made total sense. With a house full of kids running around,it saved the flooring. When they pulled the rugs up about ten years later, they looked brand new. Most of the neighbors did the same thing for the same reason. Most had canisters as I recall.

 

[human]

When I was a small child, it seemed like everyone in my family had straight suction canisters. We had a pink Lewyt, my mom's mother had a yellow Hoover Consellation and my dad's parents had an Electrolux LX that they (or the maid, actually) used as long as they were keeping house. We eventually replaced the Lewyt with a Hoover Convertible and used uprights after that, except for an Electrolux 1205 that my dad trash picked when I was in high school. Somewhere along the line, my mom's mother got a Eureka Princess canister that was eventually passed down to me. It was the first canister I ever saw that had a power nozzle. Having always equated canisters with straight suction, that was a revelation. To this day, no matter how much I love my Kirbys, I have a definite preference for canisters with power nozzles. My sister, on the other hand, is just into whatever's trendy. She's gone through a couple of Dysons and a Miele over the years. I'm not really a sure what she's running these days.

 

[kloveland]

My family all had uprights. My grandmother had a 1205 when I was born. I don’t think she liked it that much because she said it was hard to store. After she broke the power nozzle she got a used classic Omega which I still have. We had Kirbys, Hoovers and Eureka uprights.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Our entire family had Hoover

uprights: 28s and Convertibles, with attachments.
Later, canisters crept in.
So, when I got my first Connie, then Celebrities.............. it opened a whole new window.
Still, I love them all.

 

[vacuumkid47]

My mother's side is Kirby all the way, has owned one ever since they married.

 

[bagintheback]

My family was/is all upright here, and loyal to Hoover too. I've influenced their buying decisions now so who knows how it would have panned out if I wasn't into vacuums, but Hoover had a great reputation. One of my mom's good friends inherited Electroluxs and kept repairing an Epic 6500 as her main machine for years, but that's the only real deviation.

 

[suckolux]

Edgar you put it well! When I got to play with our neighbors new 1205 with a powerhead I thought oh this is what I want this is very clever and a canister with the power head is still my preferred it just can reach anywhere

 

[panasonicvac]

Very few of my families and friends have or has had canisters but the rest of us would either have uprights, centrals, or even both. However though, I know only a few that would have an upright along with a canister because the upright doesn't have a hose or any attachments on board. For example, a Eureka Sanitaire direct air upright.

I think almost all of us prefers to use either an upright or a central over a canister for MANY reasons. However though, I know for sure there are a couple of us that would use a canister over an upright or a central for other reasons. For example, I have an aunt that owns a Rainbow E2. It used to be her main vacuum when she first bought it until she had grown tired of it and later bought several uprights to replace it, she still uses the Rainbow to suck up any water spills since she doesn't own a wet/dry vac. And she could still use it as an air purifier if she wanted to which I wouldn't be surprised if she does also use it for that purpose.

Now there can only be one good real reason of why I would prefer to use a canister over an upright or a central. Depending on the type of home. For example, my grandfather owns a cabin that has a mixture of both carpet and barefloors that canisters would be excellent to use for. Okay well some uprights in mind can handle with that type of flooring as well. But that's not the only reason. There's a closet here I know for sure alot of uprights in mind would have a hard time of fitting under there but is perfectly fine with alot of canisters and I don't want the closet to get too full in there. Okay well there are a few uprights in mind that you can collapse the handle down and fit under the closet. But that's still not all. The cabin has windows where every year we would find a bunch of flies up there. I find it much easier to use a canister with a ladder to climb up and get all of the flies out of there. Okay well only a couple uprights in mind could also handle with that type of situation since they can be converted to a canister but is that all? Not quite. If I wanted a good performing and quality made canister vacuum for this place, I want a nearby dealer not only close to where the cabin is located at but also close to where my grandfather's other place is located at. Okay well there's only one upright in mind that can still handle with everything else and have both dealers near by but why would I still choose a canister over the Lindhaus Healthcare Pro? Well, that's because they're more versatile for all surface cleaning. Hold on here, if you prefer centrals over canisters then why doesn't this place have a central? Easy really, there's no place to install a power unit here.

Anyways, I'm still not a fan of canisters but that would hopefully be the only place that I would use a canister over an upright or a central anyday. Actually a backpack wouldn't be a bad choice to have here either but I would still rather use a canister over a backpack vacuum.

 

[jo]

Canisters here

Most of my family had Electrolux Canisters. We grew up with the Electrolux canister and consequently my Brother, sister, and I all have them too. My Mom hated any upright, she grew up with the Electrolux canister and said uprights are way too hard to push and maneuver in tight spaces so never had any desire for one except for an electric broom style for daily after dinner cleanups of the kitchen and family room.

My Sister has tried several different brands of vacuums, mostly canisters and comes back to the Electrolux as it lasts the longest without issues. Currently though she is liking the new stick type vacs such as the Shark rocket with the motor and dirt bin all at the handle height as it converts, is very versatile and easy to use.

Grandparents on both sides and Aunts and Uncles all had them too as far as I can remember and I come from a family of 7 children on my Father’s side and 3 on my Mother’s side. Now, I’m not sure if all of the current younger generations have them and I’m sure they have varied off since the Aerus/Electrolux door to door sales is Just about gone.

Jon

 

[jake1234]

All Uprights Here Too

All my friends and family are uprights, and always have been. And hopefully always will as I much prefer uprights to cylinders. A few friends and family have had vax 3 in 1 cleaners when they were all the rage but the main cleaners have always been uprights. Im in the UK so my nanna had a Hoover Turbopower 2, now she has some vax bagless upright unfortunatly. My great grandmother had a Hoover senior 612 (cant remember what you call it in America) and a Vax powa 4000 canister for carpet washing. The senior was always used for main vacuuming. My grandad had a Hoover Purepower and after having a few bagless cleaners after that and hateing them he has now gone for a vax commercial bagged upright, good choice grandad! My aunty had an Electrolux Glider and an Electrolux Contour, and I have all uprights with a few vax 3 in 1 canisters and two other cheap cylinders, a daewoo and a goblin. My neighbour still has and uses a Hoover Turbopower Junior that I refurbed for her.

 

[rivstg1]

very interesting topic

I think my family has more affinity for canisters/tanks. I"m amazed that I can't recall any vacuum we used ( extended family used canisters too) past our Elux 1205....truly...and its so odd....a complete blank in my memory from around '84-99. I prefer an upright...but I have both types (becoming a collector) as they both have value. Interesting reading all of your stories.

 

[tolivac]

My Mother liked all types of vacuums-Canister,Upright(Kirby) to central NuTone bagless-I was the chosen one to dump it out.My Stepmom was a canister person She would always say "I want an Electrolux" Dad would have no part of that.She had an old Sears Kenmore "Wheelbarrow" canister and Dad had the Kirby 511.Stepmom HATED the Kirby.She used the Kenmore.In 1972 those vacuums adn our house lost in the flood of 1972 in Rapid City S.Dak.Burst of the Canyon Lake dam.After the flood Stepmom got a Sears Kenmore canister-new from sears.Dad bought a Royal metal upright for her-She HATED that machine just as much as the Kirby.I now have the Royal.The Kenmore canister???Don't know what happened to it.I used the Royal when I visited them.Remember the delightful ding of the fan when the vacuum picked up bits of the dogs bones from the living room floor.Dad loved watching his dog chew the bones on the living room floor.Stepmom wanted the bon es outside.The Royal would stink from the bone peices adn dog hair.When I got the machine earlier this year-no odors!Simply replaced the full paper bag(A) and vacuumed out the cloth bag with my MD central vac.Think of Dad and StepMom(She liked to be called "Miss Nancy")When I use their Royal.Was purchased from the Bernina sew and Vac shop in Downtown Rapid.Don't know if that vac shop is still there.So would also like to have had that old 1950's Sears Kenmore vac Miss Nancy had.Liked using BOTH machinesKirby and the Kenmore to clean my room and other vacuming duties on their "duty Roster"

 

[countryguy]

My mom, as well as all of her close friends, had canister vacuums. There was only one friend that had a Hoover upright and then she bought a Rainbow D chrome dome. My mom was the only one that had a Filter Queen, a couple of her friends had Electrolux ZB55's and then there were about 5 friends that all had the Rainbow D. I guess the Rainbow guy was the best salesperson My aunt had a Eureka Golden Crown and I remember seeing a Singer Golden Glide, a Sunbeam VC-A and a Eureka Princess at other homes.

Gary

 

[myles_v]

Currently I use the central vac for weekly cleaning sessions and a cordless upright for in between cleanings. If I did not have the central vacuum then I would have a Miele in the hall closet for both deep cleanings and the quick clean ups. The basic format of a hose+extension wand+electric power nozzle is perfect for me for all of the cleaning jobs that I do, whether it's canister or central. The only issue is the hassle of dragging out the hose for the central vac for small jobs which is why I keep the cordless upright around. If there were a decent cordless canister vac on the market with an electric power nozzle then I'd have that for quick cleanups instead.

My paternal grandparents had a Hoover Convertible until they were sold a Rainbow. The Rainbow was traded in for a Thermax which they hated and replaced with a Eureka Victory Enviro Vac. From that they've owned a Kirby, Bissell, and now a Shark Rocket. Clearly I have no say in what vacuums they choose.

My maternal grandmother has only ever owned uprights. Aside from a Fantom in the 90s, she only owned Hoovers until she bought a Windtunnel 2. Awful vacuum, way too heavy for her and it fell apart. Now she has a Shark and a Bissell last I checked, both uprights.

My parents only ever owned uprights. But with that being said, I am not sure that it is due to personal preference. They never considered the option of using a canister vacuum and I suppose they never saw the need to try anything other than an upright. Although my father has a friend who asked me to suggest a new vacuum for her home with 80% hard flooring. I suggested a Miele canister and she scoffed, said that he despises canisters because she grew up with one that was terrible. I offered to let her borrow my C2 and a week later she ordered one for herself. I am guessing that many people who despise one or the other just had a bad experience and decided to avoid it by avoiding that format of vacuum altogether.

 

[dysonman1]

My mother hated uprights. Made fun of people who owned "useless" machines like Kirbys. She used the attachments every time she cleaned, they were so important to her. One time, a neighbor just bought a Dual 80 Kirby and invited my mother (and me, I was a tyke) over to see it. When the lady went to get us some tea, my mother whispered to me "that thing is worthless". She smacked the lady's sofa and dust rose into the air. "See, worthless!". When we got home, she smacked our sofa and nothing happened. My mother would run the upholstery nozzle over the sofa every time she vacuumed the rug. Took a moment, but kept the furniture clean. While I like uprights today, especially my new Eureka Floor Rover Elite, I still prefer canisters as they always seemed to be a more complete job.

 

[o0john0o]

Canister for me

Even if I had carpets throughout, I’d get a canister with a good power head like a Sebo. It’s easier to dust, get under beds, reach ceiling corners, etc.