Still using the straight suction on the carpets? You must see this.

[Mike81]

I thought to bring this video here, because result was quite shock for me. Of course I knew that the straight suction isn't the best way to get carpet deep down clean, but difference is huge. Also powerheads had a bigger difference than I thought.
All vacuums in this test had almost empty bags/clean filters. Also suction differences were quite small.
In the link is the original video.


http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9fTrONqXOY

 

[blackheart]

For deep carpet cleaning.

Agitation is a must! Thank you for Sharing that Mikko.

 

[human]

Agree on agitation...

I only use straight suction on hard floors, not carpet.

 

[kenkart]

I use a upright occasionally

But use straight suction most of the time, you would be amazed how much grit and dust a good straight suction nozzle will pick up behind a upright!

 

[pinkge]

I use....

my GE pink/coral 1955 roll around with the flip rug floor tool.It deep cleans my rugs and carpet.Suprising how well it cleans on straight suction.I can hear the grit and small rocks go up the wands.Great machine and filters very well.Does a wonderful job on my parquet floors too.Gets the deep in the cracks dirt.And deep dirt in the nap of the carpet.
Michael

 

[Mike81]

Carpet types

Some straight suction nozzles can be quite good, but they need a lot of manual labor rubbing against the carpet. Also carpet types vary a lot. This carpet where I am doing the test is dense soft and quite high pile. Very demanding to get clean and powerhead (especially the Kärcher one) seems to be the most effective. On my short pile carpet straight suction works much better. It's just hard to beat agitation when it comes gritty stuff especially on this carpet in the video.

 

[sebo_fan]

"Agitation is a must." Really?

Yes and the SEBO brush roll in the Karcher PN is a metal roller with slide in bristle tufts compared to most brands that have a mix of plastic agitator beaters and brushes. The Karcher/SEBO looked like it was the PN to leave the least amount of dirt.

 

[Mike81]

Kärcher/Sebo

Yes Kärcher/Sebo powerhead did clearly the best job. It has large brush roll and stiff bristles. Bristles are also very close together. Lux and Miele has much smaller brush rolls with soft bristles. Despite that Lux ph did a quite good job. I suspect that it is, because it seems to run at very high rpm (150 watts motor vs Miele 50 watts).

 

[sebo_fan]

Those bristles are the standard ones though - SEBO produce a harder strip in red bristles.

 

[Mike81]

brush strips

It these black brush strips are standard then I assume those red ones are very stiff. I might even order one. Replacing is very easy indeed.

 

[n0oxy]

cleaning carpets

Agitation will always clean carpets better, or at least make it easier. I'm actually amazed that so few backpack vacuums include a hook up for a power nozzle.

 

[turbo500]

Agitation will always clean carpets better

In my experience, it depends on the carpet and the vacuum.

For example, Vax in the UK have a budget range of single cyclonic uprights that aren't great machines overall but have a very aggresive brushroll. I recently refurbed one for a friend and when I ran it over our hallway, I had to stop as it was ripping the carpet fibres up. My Sebo upright or my PN Miele don't do that.

Our carpet is a medium pile, hard wearing loop and I can get away with using either a cleaner with a brushroll or straight suction. Both do a good job.

However, my sister has a thick, wool loop pile carpet throughout the upstairs of her house and she absolutely cannot use a brushroll on it. They rip the carpet to bits and make it go all fuzzy.

On the flip side of that, my in laws have a thick, cut pile carpet and that absolutely needs an upright - cylinders do nothing on it.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well said Chris.

The only Vax I have found that has the least aggressive brush roll is that of the Cordless AIR and previous Air uprights. I haven’t tried the current range.

I may change one of the carpets I have to a more hardwearing texture.

Backpack vacs dont tend to have power nozzles because its all about being lightweight for the owner. Traditionally a few were used to clean air planes and relied solely on suction only floor heads. The thin carpets may have more to do with it.

 

[gsheen]

I have a house that has 50/ 50 carpets and Tiles/wooden flooring. I will always gravitate towards a upright vacuum, I just find them easier and more conveinant to use. That said I have always said that for the convenience and to properly clean a home having a canister and a Upright is the best solution. The upright for the quick day to day cleaning and the canister for going under beads and above the floor cleaning. In South Africa their is currently no canister on the market with a electric PN outside of D2D machines like Rainbow and Thermax.

I have to admit that while I own a few canisters with PN's I fine them clunky and heavy to use, I just think why not just use a upright instead.

For my own home cleaning though I go through stages, Some times I just prefer using a straight suction canister for all the cleaning and then I swap to a upright. What I do notice is how much better the carpets feel to walk on when I have gone back to a upright. They really do lift the carpet pile They also look cleaner.

 

[turbo500]

The new Vax Air's are pretty good, Nar. The brushroll isn't nearly as aggressive as the cheaper models, but is more dense so grooms a lot better.

 

[Mike81]

upright vs canister

About canisters with the ph being clumsy depends a lot of type of canister and ph. Full-size ph with the canister equipped with the standard length (1,8 meters) hose is clumsy. My UltraFlex canister has aftermarket extra long hose (2,6 meters). It makes big difference to the vacuuming experience. I can cover a lot of area without need to move the canister. And if I use the small very manoeuvrable Miele SEB 217 ph whole vacuuming experience is not clumsy at all. But the full-size ph will always be a bit clumsy.
On the other hand lightweight upright with the swivel mechanism can be very manoeuvrable. My Kärcher upright has no swivel and it's very heavy weighting 10kg. Now that's a clumsy. UltraFlex canister with the Kärcher ph is easilly more manoeuvrable and when I need to vacuum the hard floors parquet nozzle makes vacuuming very effortless.
But after saying all that lightweight upright with the good swivel mechanism would be ideal if you have a lot of carpeting (mainly wall to wall carpets). I especially like the Shark Powered Lift Away.
What it comes to cleaning power upright vs canister. It's all about the cleaning head used in the canister.

 

[sebo_fan]

I'll stick to my SEBO Felix then!

 

[vacerator]

Excuse my sarcasm,

but it's the 4th of July holiday weekend, and I'm in a giddy mood. Hubby will not go anywhere for a short road trip because he traveled last week for work. I don't blame him.
So here goes;
I never use straight suction, only rainbow suction. No, I don't own a Rainbow Vacuum cleaner.
I do however have a few powerheads I use. Vacuum cleaner ones that is.
I also have a Eureka Vibra-Beat nozzle, known in England as a Parnall. It beats it good! It even does suck up dirt, as most will say it does not.
Mine is a later version, with only one row of brushes, so it does not push dirt out in front of it. I even us it in the car. It buffs up the nap on the floor mats good.
Speaking well of the UK, our friend and ally, I wonder if the colonists had not fought a war with England, we'd likely be mainly independent as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand today.
So, I took my grandfathers casket flag out of the space bag again this year.
He fought in WW1 in France for the US army. Born in Italy.
Come Tuesday, I'll tuck it back in the space bag, and suck all the air out.

 

[tolivac]

Are you sure you want to store a really old flag in a space bag-I would be concerned the pressure could damage it.