My Arrival; Is The Bagged Power Nozzle Canister Market Dying?

[compactc9guy]

I use Both

Well for me its simple i own a Compact C9 and a Electrolux AP 200 also a Discovery 2 .I will start by saying i love how easy it is to clean whit a canister change attachment keep going possibility are endless. You got the crevice tool ,floor tool, upholstery nozzle ,dusting brush ,power head .There is so much you can do i love the long hose of my C9 and AP 200 long reach , love it so much quick easy versatile. I always used canister from ,Hoover, Filter Queen, ,Shop vacs and Kenmore also Electrolux and my Compact.Ill never get another upright i have bare floors andt hat is what canisters are for . I do own a discovery 2 that i got in a yard sale for 20$ i use it for quick pic ups or rugs. .But when i want to deep clean its canister time . You can do alot more whit a canister because you got the hose, wands, floor tool, attachments, so versatile i love having all the tools at the ready for me to clean whit .I used them all i kept the attachments from previous vac so i have a lot to pick and chose and mix and match one tool for every job whit 1 machine .I will keep my 3 canister and my upright never know what i might need that day i love both.

 

[n0oxy]

centec ct10

I also have a lot of hard floors, so I enjoy using the Centec ct10 nozzle, it's designed for hard floors, I use it with my Electrolux canisters, my Rainbow, Prima, and my electric central vacuum hose.
Mike

 

[carolinaguy1996]

Sorry for not being on this post. The higher-end brands can still make canisters that use bags and power nozzles, and I mean the door-to-door kinds. The department store, only Kenmore is involved and a few Hoovers.

 

[drsnuggle]

The Future in Europe

Hi All!
I cannot contribute to this thread regarding US made canisters. Buy let me give you the lay of the land in Europe. I think it is 50/50 regarding canister bags and canister bagless (UK excluded as they differ a lot in their vacuum choices from the rest of Europe). However, when I look for NEW models with bags there is not many from the top selling brands (Philips, Bosch, Miele, Sebo...) compared to stickvacuums and robotic vacuums. Stickvacuums seem to be all that they promote. Finding a bagged canister in Europe with a powerbrush is hard enough. Yes, Sebo (E, D and K series) and Vorwerk (The Tiger) have them still.

Another problems seems to be bagged uprights. In that department there seems to be very little happening these days. I know about people using a stickvacuum as their only daily cleaner on bare floors and rugs. Horrible.

 

[pr-21]

If you could only have one or the other, I would buy a good canister with a power nozzle. You can't get an upright under the bed or behind furniture....I have a
Lazyboy Sectional that is on a metal track. It has a loveseat on one side and a couch on the other, with a corner piece that connects them. Not movable unless you take it apart. I clean behind it with an electrolux sidekick....

This sectional looks great, but when it wears out, I will replace it with just a couch and loveseat with an end table in between them.

Don't get me wrong, I still like my uprights, but I use them mostly in between thorough cleanings, with a canister. Last year I got a new Avalir and I used it to do all, by using the Zip Brush with it and an extension hose to reach high ceiling fans and ledges......and the floor tool to get under beds.


Sincerely,

PR-21
Bud

 

[human]

I'm with Bud

I agree. I find uprights, even when they have canister-like attachments, to be much more limiting than a canister with a power nozzle. Ironically, the machine I'm using the most right now is my Electrolux Discovery II, which is an upright that evolved from a canister design.

 

[eurekaprince]

Jakub, what is the common European view on the Vorwerk Tiger? Is it a good canister vacuum? Good airflow theough the hose? Good filtration? Well made? Too expensive? Better or worse than Miele? Electrolux? Sebo? Bosch? Karcher?

I like the Vorwerk tools and attachments, so I wonder if the Vorwerk canister has a good reputation in Europe.

 

[sharky]

Vorwerk Tiger

@eurekaprince, I'd like to chime in here, if you don't mind.

From 1973-81 the first Vorwerk canister (VK240) was sold. It was a bulky, odd looking, but very sturdy and effective machine. In 1981 Vorwerk did a complete redesign, introducing the Tiger series. Keep in mind that Vorwerk only sells one model at a time.

1981-87 Tiger 250, 700 watts, electrified hose with remote control

1987-99 - Tiger 251, 700 watts, slight redesign of the VT 250, with 360 swivel at the hose, optional hepa. Over the years slight design changes were made, mostly to the hose (external cord or integrated wire, controls)

Although these models did not provide tremendous airflow, they were quiet, sturdy and easy to use machines. Very popular, still in use in thousands of German households (as they were exclusively sold in GER)

From 1999-2004 Vorwerk came up with the idea to over a canister option for their upright. You had to assemble the main body to a kind of chassis (which contained the cord rewinder) for using it as a canister. I had one of these and they were a pain to use.

As sales went downhill, Vorwerk decided in 2004/05 to relaunch the Tiger 252, which was basically a VT 251 in a different color scheme with the motor from the upright and a new use, still using conventional paper bags.

In 2006, the Tiger 260 came out, which is basically the same design as they sell it today. The VT 260 still had a AC motor with 900 watts, but came with large fleece bags, automatic suction control (which is not working properly) and HEPA filtration as standard. Most Vorwerk afficionados and salesmen will tell you, that this is the last decent and reliable canister made, although truble with the hose connection/electrics is common. I've gone through three hoses over a period of nine years now.

Overall it is a great machine with tons of suction and amazing airflow, even with the bag filled to the top. It is very heavy and quite bulky.

In 2011, they came up with the VT 265, now in white/green design (their new corporate color scheme) and DC motor. And that's where the trouble started. The new motors are tested to last 20 years or longer, but the electronic controller does not. The quality of the electronic components Vorwerk is putting into their machines since 2010 is abysmal. So, having to toss your 1000$ vacuum after three years or having to spend 250 bucks for a new circuit board has become normal.

The VT 270 is a 265 in yet another slightly changed color scheme. In 2016 the VT 300 came out, offering new failure prone automatic fancy stuff for the power head and suction control. I was told that with these machines not only the electronics are junk, but the plastics use are of minor quality now, too.

What a pity, since suction is excellent. The main downside with all Vorwerk machines is the lack of a decent power head. The EB 360/370/300 power nozzles are very flat and easy to use and are probably the best pns ever to use on hard floors. But when it comes to carpet, they a struggling with thicker ones and not deep cleaning at all. The brushes are tiny and wrapped in hair in no time, and electronic failure is common. What a shame.

Vorwerk is offering very good tools, such as the electric hardfloor mop or the universal crevice tool. All this is helping to win new customers. But as having to face very expensive repairs or frequent breakdowns within the first three or four xears of ownership, enthusiasm within the customer base is fading away very fast.

Good suction, nice design, but bulky, heavy, unreliable and overengineered junk.

 

[eurekaprince]

Thank you for that comprehensive response Axel. Very interesting!!!!