Please recommend a canister to an upright guy

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broomvac

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Hi friends,

Although over 75 vacuums have passed through my hands, I've possessed only two canister vacuums. Two! Neither had power heads, either. I know, I know...how can I call myself a vacuum collector? How can I claim to be a vacuum enthusiast when the only canister vacuums I've ever had were a Eureka Mighty Mite and a maroon Dirt Devil Can Vac?

See, I always felt upright vacuums suited my home better. I have tons of carpet in my permanent house and because I thought dragging a canister vacuum around would be a hassle, I never bothered to give the canister vacuums at thrift stores more than a glance. This summer, however, I've been changed by my landlord's Riccar Impeccable. For the first time, I have been daily driving a canister vacuum and I'm starting to like it.

Clearly, this Riccar is Tacony getting as close as they can to making a Miele without breaking any rules, so naturally it's pretty great! The brush roll is mean, the cylinder is pleasantly quiet, and the power is nothing to be sniffed at. I love hearing the particles rush through the wand and hose and I find myself cleaning more than just carpets as I would with my Sanitaire or Diamond Edition.

Ironically enough, this experience has made me want not a Riccar Impeccable, but a Sebo E3 Premium with the ET1, whose looks and filtration setup I prefer. Both vacuums are so far out of my price range, though, that I can only dream until I find a used unit for a reasonable price.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for any other good used canisters which might show up in the local shops. Since I am no canister expert, though, I'm turning to you all to make canister recommendations to me. Those of you who have more experience than I, please tell me which ones I should consider buying and which ones I should pass up. My requirements for the canister, vintage or contemporary, are the following:

--Must have a power head, preferably with height adjustment
--Must be able to accept synthetic "cloth" HEPA bags. Genuine ones are preferred, but aftermarket bags are better than nothing.

The I understand this will give lots of different responses, but I'm open to ideas. Please let me know what you think I should be inconveniently dragging about my living room. :)
 
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For budget wise, I always like the Panasonic/Kenmore canister lineup. There not as quality compare to the other top of the line canisters but I'd say they're better than most disposable canisters on the market.

For mid wise, I really like the Cirrus C-VC439. They actually sell for not a bad price but in my opinion, I think it's built better for that price point compare to the other disposable canisters and I'd say the performance is terrific.

For top of the line, the Lindhaus Aria lineup I would say is one of the best canisters that I've ever used! My particular favorite one is the Platinum model, although you might prefer the Elite over the Platinum because it's a little cheaper.
 
I’d get Miele’s fantastic Alize C3 with the spotlight on the handle and add a turbo carpet nozzle to it for improved cleaning of surface litter on carpets.

Clean a room from top to bottom with this powerful, quiet, lightweight Miele canister then finish the room by doing the carpets with your favourite upright....starting from the far end and backing out toward the entry so you don’t leave footprints. Two heads are better than one!
 
If you want POWER then the Aerus Lux Guardian Platinum is the best. Be prepared to drop at least $1500 for it. For under $1k I suggest any bagged Miele with a power nozzle.
 
Canisters

I'd look into a tandem air Wonder/Prima. I've had a lot of canisters, and I'd say this is overall my favorite mostly due to it's carpet cleaning performance. It's weightlessness on the hard flooring has been a problem as it's run into my cat's water dish 2x now.

blackheart-2018072216124307674_1.jpg
 
canister suggestions

These are in no particular order, the Riccar Prima and its twin brother the Simplicity Wonder are great canisters. The Sebos are also great machines, a D4, E3, or K3 all include electric power nozzles, I would avoid anything with a turbo nozzle, they are prone to cloging and will not clean nearly as well as an electric power nozzle. The Mieles are also great machines although replacement parts are more expensive if you need them. Here's another option to consider, a central vacuum. You can use them without pipes by attaching an inlet to the unit directly and then connecting the hose, that is actually the most powerful canister set up you can get, you can then choose which electric power nozzle you want, the power nozzles from Sebo, Wessel-werk and Lindhaus are all great choices.
Mike
 

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