Good Powerhead Cainster?

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bagintheback

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I am so tired of uprights right now. I have given my last clean-air bagged upright to my uncle and it's been hard. Now when I need a hose I have to walk to my room and grab a Hoover Elite converter and set the whole thing up for little suction.

I have one canister which is the current generation Kenmore Magic Blue. I would use it normally but it has no power-head so I can't pick up pet hair.

I seriously have no good bagged hose uprights. So, I need to get a canister soon. Here is what I'd like:

*It must cost less than $250
*It must be bagged
*Ether a long cord or a long hose, but I'd like both.
*A power-head
*If no longer made, the bags and belts should be available for a long time.

I will be seriously down-sizing my collection soon so It does not have to be super small.

Thanks, this will help me alot when cleaning with my dad :)
 
go for a eureka with either a VG3 or vg2, or if you want try to find a hoover with a quadraflex powermatic, both of these are highly recommended and will make the rugs look great and last longer
 
The problem with the Hoover is that they no longer make any parts for that machine, so if you wear the brush strips out you can't get any more.
 
I would go for a Kenmore Progressive Canister. I have a couple of them, and Sears has sales quite often where you can get them very cheap!
 
my suggestion would be an Electrolux, there are plenty of super J's and Olympias out there that are inexpensive
 
If you don't mind pushing your price limit up to $300, Consumer Reports rated 2 pn canisters very well: The Kenmore Progressive 27514 ($300) and the Hoover WindTunnel S3670 ($300). Both are very good on carpets, but the WindTunnel has better suction through the hose for tool use. Unfortunately, the Hoover is not the best at handling (I think someone said the wheels are a bit too small).

Your other option is the Panasonic version of the now discontinued Kenmore Progressive 27210. It's the Panasonic MC-CG902 and only costs around $200. It is very good at everything, and gives you a nice separate dusting brush and separate upholstery nozzle on board (not a weird combo brush). This red Panasonic even merited the "Best Buy" label by CR - very good "suck for the buck"! :-)
 
Oh...forgot a link to the Panasonic...

Here's a link to the Panasonic I recommend...

The only thing I really don't like about this model is I find it hard to remove the hose handle from the wand....the newer Kenmores have an easier design to work with.

I say try it out at the store and see if you find the disconnect/connect process a problem.

http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-...uums/model.MC-CG902_11002_7000000000000005702
 
Nathaniel....if you want to save yourself some real money...

Why don't you just get a great bagged upright as a companion to your canister? If you have the room to store 2 machines, this is actually the most convenient thing to do.

For $80 you can get the Hoover Tempo which I bought several months ago. It is excellent for carpet cleaning and is easy to use, has great filtration and not that noisy. Just ignore the little flashes of light you get for the first few weeks from the electric switch (these disappear after a few weeks). I love this vac - and it cleans carpets beautifully. It would make a great companion to your Kenmore Magic Blue.
 
About using Eureka brushrolls in Tri-Star nozzles.

If you have a Tri-Star that has a metal plate on top of the P/N, it was not a Eureka made head, it was made by Interstate (who made the Compact/Tri-Star), and even though the Eureka brushroll physically fits the bristles aren't long enough to really touch the carpet. I tried this when this guy on YouTube made it all the rage, and I never got what was so great about it, the machine picked up the pet hair so much better with the genuine brushroll.
 
I have two different Tristar CXLs -- one with the VGI brush roll and one with the VGII. They both are extremely effective. The VGII does an especially good job of grooming the carpet too.
 
You could always get my favorite canister- a PowerTank. They meet your requirements. Nice long flexible cord, 8 or 10 foot hose, amazing powerhead that grooms really well, extremely high filtration, and power that will blow you away. The only downsides- they aren't quiet and you have to manually wind the cord.

If you don't want a Royal, I would second the Kenmore suggestion. Most of them use great powerheads (the older ones used the same ones as the P.T.) and they are fairly powerful vacuums as well.
 
tristars are excellent... i'd sell you my c80 for $65 + shipping. It has the eureka vg3 pn, a new(er) motor, new long cord, new (long-ish) hose, and i got 24 bags for it on ebay for $13. It's a beast!
 
Nat - I don't think the new cheapie, "made in China" Kenmores are any good. The dusting brush is horrible and I have no idea about the power of the motor, or the length of the cord or hose. The tool compartment cover seems flimsy to me. Not quite sure about it's ease of use either. You could always buy it and return it to Sears if you don't like it though!

For a little more money, you can get that red Panasonic I mentioned and you will be served by a tried and true, tested machine that many people have bought (as a Kenmore Progressive) over the past five years. It's got a 24 foot cord and decent on board tools. You can even buy a better horse-hair Kenmore dusting brush that will fit in the tool storage area of the Panasonic.
 

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