In the Market for a PN Canister

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Limited selection. Quality for current Eurekas is not good!

Current model Hoover's are ok, but options are limited. Many of us collectors seem to like bagged over bagless since they filter better, overall last longer and you don't have to empty dirt bins after each use.

As far as Hoovers. I don't count the Duros model at all. To me the Duros is just a Sanyo canister, its not a true Hoover by any means, and there is no bare floor brush for it. This leaves Hoovers ONLY OTHER BAGGED POWER TEAM option to the Windtunnel. Sorry but I like selection!!! The Anniversary Windtunnel is a good machine but does have problems. I like the new suction unit. Its well sealed, good filtration, great suction. Slow start motor, 4 swivel caster wheels. Hoover seems to have corrected issues with the circuit board. However what it suffers from are as follows:
1. Lousy hose. Very awkward manuevering, and uncomfortable handle grip. I've used many canisters over the years. This hose is probably by far the most awkward next to the Dyson DC23 canister hose.
2. High Speed motor. I miss a Hoover that sounds like a "Hoover". This one doesn't, it has no similar characteristic sound to a PowerMax, Windtunnel, Dimension, Celebrity or any of its predecessors!!
3. Attachment set is mediocre. I don't like the new style extra short, extra thin crevice tools that many companies are using. They don't fit in 50% of the areas that a crevice tool is useful for. Also they hiss obnoxiously cause of awkward design. I'm not a fan of any manufacturers combo upholstery and dusting brushes. I want the two separate, so that the upholstery nozzle actually has a reasonable size, shape and its own bristles, rubber fingers or other means of grabbing dirt and pet hair.
4. Original Windtunnel power nozzle cleans terrific but is a cheap design thanks to Maytag. All 4 wheels are lousy on it and headlight supports extend into air passage duct interfering with airflow.

Now with Eurekas. According to Eureka.com, for the past several months they have 0, Zero, Zilch, No choices whatsoever for a power head canister that is bagged!!!! In general Eureka vacuums have gone WAYYYY down in quality. There only decent vac is the Boss Smartvac upright and Boss 1934A, and I wouldn't be surprised if they ruin those soon. Everything else really suffers from clogging, terribly unsealed designs and overall bad quality. I have yet to see a regular vacuum shop that carries Eureka products on the floor with exception to its commercial lines.

I debated getting one of the Eureka SurfaceMax bagged canisters that were at BigLots for $99 not long ago. However cheap plastic wands, very flimsy bag door, small bag, flimsy wand disconnect, non swivel hose and a few other things turned me away quick even at only $100. I won't spend that kind of money for a machine that might last 2 years. At least the lime green or orange Kenmores might last 5 years at around $150 for those. Those motors are said to be very unreliable at this point!!

You really need to try something out in a store first hand, if not owning it yourself or using elsewhere for a reasonable amount of time before just going and recommending something. Just looking at it on a website or WalMart shelf should not put someone in a position to recommend a product. You should have user tested experience!!
 
The only experiences I have are with my 1995 Kenmore Whispertone bagged PN canister in white which has been gone since 2004. Hoover Dimension 1000 PN canister which I still have. Eureka Express PN canister which I still have. I based my recommendations on the positive experiences of the Eureka/Hoover/Kenmore. I am sorry if I annoyed you.
 
Just buy the tried and true red Panasonic 902. It's got a universal end on the hose that will allow you to buy a variety of additional tools to suit your needs. It has received very good results in all categories of Consumer Reports tests and is a "recommended" buy. It's a better quality version of the Kenmore Progressive and is inexpensive enough for you to buy a Hoover Linx Platinum cordless handvac which has a rotating brush for stairs and upholstery and cars. The newer Pet Version has some nice attachments as well which are designed to remove pet hair. Problem solved!
 
"Is the Aerus/Electrolux PN going to deep clean my carpet?"

If you've got the "L" shaped PN, the new & improved brush roller with the extra turn of bristles will dig deeper into the carpets.

Here's a pic of the new style roller (installed on my TriStar EXL/A101 PN) After I put the new style roller, the PN really cleans deeper on every style carpet I've vacuumed with the TriStar EXL.

Does your Epic 6500 have this style roller or the older style that has fewer bristles?

floor-a-matic++12-17-2012-00-22-44.jpg
 
Not a fan of modern Aerus carpet grooming!!!

I think the motors in those modern Luxs/ Aerus power nozzles aren't very powerful. Now on the other hand, very impressed with the power of a PN2/ PN4. That with a good agitator would do a good job.

I recently tried a friends TriStar MG series machine with the Aerus thick square plastic wands and L shape head. While the suction was good, I was unimpressed with the power nozzle. Just didn't feel much power coming from that and it didn't groom well. We tested many vacs that night on a medium pile carpet. The following vacuums did a much better job grooming the carpet: Hoover Decade 80, Hoover PowerMax Supreme canister, Meile Blue Moon with SEB236 power head, Eureka Rotomatic 1784B canister, Kirby Sentria, Electrolux Ultra Silencer Power nozzle canister, Electrolux Central vac with Solaire head.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=tri+...mgurl=imgc.classistatic.com/cps/poc/121014/54
 
Nathaniel,

There are and have been many good and great vacs but 2 of the best ever to clean a house are Hoover uprights and Electrolux tanks.Also easy to find supplies,parts service.Back to canisters I have Sears customers from the proverbial 'little old lady' to house cleaning services and sooner or later ALL seem to have some degree of problem with modern Kenmore and be very upset with Sears part/service pricing and system.As with many the plainer Sears have less problem areas.I still prefer the Electrolux and used a Golden J quite a bit this weekend for bookshelves,corners,etc.The newer Elux/Aerus wands can be used with Sidekick on hose or 1 or 2 wands unlike the hose only position of older style.You also get the swivel at Power Nozzle but it will wear with high milage.Some find the hose handle awkward.The above floor tool must use adapter.I prefer the older or 'classic'wands and attachments which are a fit all size.You can still easily swivel PN for under bed by placing toe on latch at elbo and rotate wand.I feel the atts are better than Miele,etc.(compare)The 4 ply self sealing bag is the BEST ever(AirWay was very close).There is no fixed or removable bag holder to fit into,lose or get in way.You open door,remove bag(using cardboard tab),drop in bag,close door.I would also challenge anyone to line up 10 bagless uprights,dump out dirt,find and remove multiple filters.Then drop in a clean 4 ply bag in Elux,vacuum up dirt,clean filters and continue cleaning with good suction.With Automatic Elux/Aerus it will shut off when it needs bag.After 5 bags change the after filter.This take about as long as changing bag(use stop watch and report your time).Filter reminder-Place filter on closet shelf,lay 5 bags on top of,use bags,then use filter.As with Sears the basic Aerus is simpler,lighter,easier and a Great vac.New is wonderful but you would probably still get an exellent vac such as the one above on EBay at a huge savings.Many others above should be good but consider dealers,quality,parts availability,small atts,no extra wands,etc.Also calculate bagless filter cost vs.saving and ease of Elux/Aerus.Happy Shopping,then Happy Vacuuming.
 
more

The Elux Power Nozzle motors have proved to be good quality.The few I have seen needing to be replaced were in commercial use,mostly on the discontinued but great CBs.More importantly the brush is always turning at proper speed with gear belt on both Power Nozzle & Sidekick.Let us imagine 2 vacs,1 with smooth flat belt & 1 with gear belt.Start with both in perfect condition and after cleaning for 10 minutes they jam on a sock hiding under bed,throw rug,etc.With the Elux--turn off,remove item from brush,press reset(Trivia-the very first PN-1 did not have reset),continue cleaning.With the smooth belt--turn off,open windows to air out burned rubber smell,remove item from brush,get spare belt,find tools,open PN,replace belt,close PN,replace tools,add spare belt to shopping list,continue cleaning.It is common for the Elux belt to last from 10 to 20 years.(The recent,but not newest Sears had a very similar belt but somehow it did not have as long a lifetime.--As mentioned above some carpet grooming can be from to stiff a brush that can wear carpet fibers.I have seen the Elux test lab on a tour of nearby factory and they ran various nozzles 24/7 on a mechanical arm.The difference in carpet wear on Elux(little)and others(much more)was dramatic.--Other features of plastic body Elux such as the LE styles are-suction adjuster on hose,no bag/no start with electric lock out switch,ability to use Power Nozzle at hose end as a sort of giant Sidekick for mattress,van,etc,and more.Options-For a complete Elux outfit to clean everything in a home make sure you have rug/floor(not just floor brush),add longer crevice tool in addition to short crevice that stores behind dust/upholstery on filter cover(something about the 1205 & newer Elux crevice makes it at least one of top 3 ever in my opinion),consider making longer standard hose if much of cleaning is without PN & SK,find the white dust brush & wall brush that was available starting with MoXXX(rare and now almost forgotton).
 
My New Electrolux

I just placed an order for this Silverado. I was thrilled to find it last night with the PN5 and in such great condition. At last I will have a decent PN canister, and a complete Electrolux at that. I've owned one other Lux canister in the past, a model G, but the hose leaked like crazy and I had no Lux PN to go with it. I'll probably order a 100 pack of C bags later next week. What can beat $36 for 100 bags?

Thanks everybody for your help. I'll update when it arrives.

bagintheback++12-20-2012-22-43-28.jpg
 
Silverado

If you are getting this exact machine in pic--Looks great(far above average),That hose works well and gives like new suction,It has slightly later,improver PN-6 with on/off switch,As you can tell from CW grommet will have the early good motor.Compared to the plastic body you have slightly more weight&no after filter but you do get CHROME.Bags--When I was with Elux bags came in packs of 12 or 26 as well as the box of 100 which many families with multiple vacs & businesses or churches liked.Was also good for the salesmen who made higher commision on more dollar volume.-Put a Christmas bow on it and Happy Vaccuming!
 
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Rob Gwisdala, that was not a typo.

My message stated that several machines I tried that night groomed better than the Tri-Star MG Series which uses the Aerus made L-shaped power head. I am not the biggest fan of Kirbys but the Kirby did groom better than the TriStar that night.

On that carpet at another collectors house, the Sentria did a decent job.

However, in my house we have a very dense packed medium pile carpet. My aunt is highly particular and does not like to see foot prints, vacuum prints or any marks on rugs so she picked out this hard to groom carpet. However, some machines of mine actually groom it quite nicely, which I think is wonderful, because I LOVE VACUUM PRINTS!! So far the vacuums that groom it the best are
Hoover PowerMax Supreme canister
Eureka RotoMatic 1784B canister
Riccar 1700 canister

My Hoover Power Drive upright with a new agitator might groom it better. The agitator isn't bad and does well on other rugs but I think for this carpet it probably needs a new brush roller for a better job. Otherwise my other uprights do ok, but the 3 canister vacs above groom it the best.

Other vacs I've tried on the hard to groom rug that do mediocre but don't groom it quite well. Listed in no particular order: Kirby G4, Hoover Windtunnel Supreme with new CWP brush roll-- that brush roll is a disgrace to Hoover!!! Hoover Decade 80, Hoover Convertible, Eureka ESP, Dirt Devil Envision Wide Glide, CenTec CT14DX power nozzle, Bissell PowerForce bagged--this one grooms ok, Eureka Altima bagless, Kenmore Lime Green canister vac with CT20DXQD nozzle, Hoover Windtunnel Bagless with new CWP brush roll again terrible brush roll!!! Ruins performance of both Windtunnel uprights
 
Bag In The Back

I would be very cautious about using those cheap bags in your nice Electrolux silverado. (They are not Genuine Electrolux Bags) therefore they aren't made as good as the Genuine bags are. I learned the hardway using those bags. The fine dust goes right through them and into the motor.. I only use Genuine bags in all of my Electrolux Vacuums, and haven't had to replace a motor since. Just thought you would like to know....Dan
 
a little more

Nathaniel,A few more features you will find on your Electrolux-blower connection(that is no longer on deluxe sears & many more)and cordwinder(that can not be found on many $1000 plus vacs.--The cord has been changed in your above pic and should mean the winder is back to new condition.--Bags-It is true that genuine can be considered better and there have been some terrible generics.But I sell and also use in my bench vac and others for general cleaning,car,etc the FOUR ply seen above with good results.Do Not use 1 or 2 ply!Many bag problems are related to moisture,wet pick up and extreme fine(sheet rock,etc)dust.--But enough from me.When the sleigh,or big brown truck,brings it-unpack-clean house and let us hear your thoughts.--Merry Christmas-Jimmy
 
I once ordered

from that Onestopvacstop on Ebay. It was a used Rainbow and it arrived in terrible condition. It looked awful and wasn't very clean and I was floored and not expecting that based on the reviews of the Ebay seller. I sent it back and ended up just buying a new one from Rainbow.
 
mark40511

That is terrible. Could it have been UPS's fault? This guy has got 100% positive feedback since 1999.

My package is moving at an extremely slow pace, even taking into account the multiple holidays. No update on the tracking number for over four days. I'll be updating when it arrives.
 
bagintheback

That's what I thought too! But trust me, this was BAD! It wasn't UPS's fault. When I opened the box, it smelled like a dirty used machine. And it did work, but something was majorly wrong with it! Very little suction. I was baffled by the good reviews based on the item I had received. This was about 2005 when I ordered this. It was a D4 Rainbow. That's when I decided to just send it back and bought a brand new rainbow, which I don't regret.
 
Mark

I don't blame you for returning that Rainbow D4. It could have been something as simple as calcium & limescale deposits build-up in the motor from the previous owner living in a hard-water area. But the Ebay seller should have serviced it thoroughly before selling it to you!

I guess this is one big reason I haven't been so fond of Ebay. Whenever you buy something used, you are potentially buying someone else's problem machine. I prefer actually seeing & trying out the vacuum first before buying it. Of course, this is just my opinion though....

Rob
 
Yea! I read the reviews and their Ebay store from top to bottom and had every belief that it would have been fully serviced. Do you know honestly what it looked like to me? Exactly like someone had a used Rainbow not serviced that someone had stored away in their basement for five years and then packed it decently in a box and shipped it off. It did run, but the suction was unbelievably bad. It had a funny smell as well. I think that a father/son run that business and I think I must have caught buying it at a bad time or something. They must sell good vacuums based on their reviews, but this was bad! I'm very careful dealing with Ebay. The only other vacuum I've bought off Ebay was from the user "fivestarvacs" out of Maine (I believe) and I even spoke to him on the phone. I first had bought a Renaissance vacuum from him and it looked fantastic and worked great, but the switch went out. He sent me a new hose, it went out as well. So I sent the entire vacuum back and traded it for an Epic 6500 he had and it looked fantastic when I received it to. He was a really nice guy and easy to deal with. My epic 6500 is still working great almost 2 years later.
 

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