Why I think canisters aren't popular in United States anymore

[fan-of-fans]

I've noticed, when I go to stores to look at vacuums, even if there are a variety of canisters on display, most people don't pay any attention to it. They look at the uprights only or uprights and lift off style vacuums.

Also, I noticed with a lot of the younger collectors, they say that they only collect uprights. And some have said they really don't like canisters at all.

Which I don't understand, I mean, I collect and like both uprights and canisters, even though I mostly grew up with canisters.

But my thinking is the younger collectors only like canisters because that's what they grew up with. Which makes sense because that's what has been popular in the last few years.

In the end we like whatever we like. And that's great. But I wish there was more variety in the market today, at least in US. Because I like both uprights and canisters and would like to see them become more popular again.

 

[madman]

Yeah, I don't have much interest in canisters. I suppose it is what you grew up around. Personally, when collecting anything, I like things that are odd or different or uncommon. I'm not gonna go out there and look for a Kirby, for example, because they're everywhere and everyone has one. On the other hand, I bought a baby GE Tidy canister, because I just came across it, and it was so odd, that I had to have it.

idk

 

[kirby519]

Personally I find canister vacuums a pain to manipulate around furniture. The power unit gets caught on the furniture as you move around. Also my preferred cleaning pattern is starting in the far corner of a room and vacuum walking backward out of a room. Hence an upright lends itself well to my approach to cleaning.

Also having to backup to get out of a corner with a canister is frustrating. The power unit is always in the way like in a small bedroom. With an upright you don't have that challenge.

In some cases you may be limited to what you can get under. How ever that doesn't bother me. I don't feel the need to vacuum under everything every time I vacuum or all the furniture, lamp shades and anything else one would chose to use a vacuum to clean.

Then of course there is all the hype about the bag less vacuums with Hepa filtration that was only available on uprights at the time. Unless you already owned a Rainbow. Manufacturers had to respond with dust bags that claimed Hepa filtration. In addition the new uprights were also designed with hard floors in mind. Some commercial machine already had Hepa filters however John Q public didn't know that unless they were in commercial cleaning or in a health care facility. Therefor the new uprights got attention along with above floor capabilities in the form of a live hose you pull free to clean above floor at will. It wasn't until a few years later that the bag less canisters (that had similar dirt cup and filters as the new uprights) appeared on the market that wasn't a Rainbow.

I know that I wouldn't want to use my Kirby on engineered wood floors or stone floors. I wouldn't want to risk scratching the thin layer of laminate on the wood flooring. Stone floors would be hard on the rug guard and also noisy. And vacuuming grouted ceramic floors with a Kirby in upright configuration is just far to noisy going over all the grout lines. Thankfully I'm a carpet guy.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I know some uprights can have the brush roll shut off for hard floors. But to me I don't care for the scratchy noises they make on these floors, and like you say the noise level is amplified. To me a canister is best for that.

Also I know some uprights can have extension hoses where you just leave it sitting and can do above floor or hard floor cleaning that way. But the majority of the newer ones with the stretch hoses were far too short and doing any cleaning results in the unit falling over because the suction is far too strong.

For that I also prefer a canister.

Carpet cleaning I fully agree an upright is great. But for this I prefer a soft bag upright rather than trying to maneuver a bulky, heavy bagless plastic vacuum around furniture.

 

[n0oxy]

canisters

I'm not sure what would be considered a younger collector, I'm 44, when I grew up, we originally had a Eureka upright and then we got an Electrolux special edition canister.
I don't like uprights and have none in my collection. I much prefer canister type cleaners whether that's a pull around machine, backpack or central vacuum. I find that these types of cleaners are much easier to work with and far more flexible. An electric power nozzle canister will clean carpets as well as an upright and it's so much easier to get under and around things. I've never had issues with my pull around canisters getting stuck on things but in those cases I would suggest a backpack or central vacuum. Even if you don't want to install pipes for a central vacuum, you can use any central vacuum unit without pipes by attaching a utility valve to the intake and connecting the hose. This is far more powerful than any portable cleaner. Even though some uprights have hoses, this set up does not work near as well for above the floor cleaning. The only upright I have ever thought about getting was the Sebo Felix because it can be used in some ways like a canister cleaner.
Mike

 

[oreck_xl]

Perhaps history will someday repeat itself

In the 1950's canisters were all the rage as it was the new, modern way to clean homes. In reality, it was taking a step backward in terms of cleaning carpets. Straight suction alone is no where near as effective. The Electrolux model F and the Lewyt 121 "zapper" were only a handful of canisters offered at the time with a power nozzle. Having a revolving brush is essential to deep clean carpets. Growing up we always had an upright, and while the power nozzle has evolved, I always felt an upright did a better job cleaning carpets. Plus, years ago you always had those annoying cords on the outside of the pipe that plug into the hose and sometimes a separate pigtail to plug into the body of the canister. And those rubber straps to support the cord to the outside of the hose (ala Electrolux). Nowadays, most people have as much or more bare floor surfaces in their home in which case a canister is best suited. But it is awkward with a clunky power nozzle plus all the attachments. I've always had a soft spot for the Hoover Dial-A-Matic as it was the first with an easy to use hose port. Kind of a happy medium between upright and canister.

 

[human]

Yeah, what n0oxy said...

I have to agree. I find canisters to be much more maneuverable in tight spaces. You just have to be strategic about where you place the motor unit, relative to where you're vacuuming. Also, as the tendonitis gets worse in my elbows, I increasingly appreciate having to push around less weight since a power nozzle and a wand are a whole lot lighter than an entire upright machine. If I'm going to get into some deep down dirt suckin' carpet cleaning, I'll break out one of my Kirbys but for everything else, my Electrolux canisters are a far better general purpose choice.

 

[n0oxy]

power nozzle canisters

It's interesting that two of the biggest vacuum manufacturers, Hoover and Eureka were so late to the game with their first power nozzle canisters. I think Lewyt was actually the first company to do it, Electrolux was close behind and Kenmore, Compact and G.E. followed soon after. Eureka did not introduce their first power nozzle until 1972 and Hoover in 1974, perhaps they had a good reason for this but from a competition perspective it sounds like it was a big mistake.
The 1950's did bring us some of the best canister cleaners, that seems to be the decade when many manufacturers really focused their efforts on those.
Mike

 

[ralph123]

Look at the Shark uprights that are so popular right now. Many convert into canisters (i.e. liftaway - the canister comes off the upright). Bypass type uprights are canisters in upright configuration. Some stick vacuums also take the place of a canister in function.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I think canisters are going to grow in popularity once hardwood floors become more popular.

 

[beagledad]

Agreed. It's much easier getting a power nozzle under and around furniture. One step of the quick release and you are able to suck up anything high or low. Then back to the carpet. They also take up less space to store. A Miele canister can be stored inside a cabinet if needed. Just collapse the wand and wrap the hose around the body.

 

[lesinutah]

Hmm

Hardwood isn't going to be the fad. Engineered wood and tile and engineered laminate will be flooring for forseeable future.
I see cordless vacuums growing. I see central vacs or various forms of them will dominate the market.
If you think central vacuums are in infancy. You can't get a vacuum to touch what central vacs do for cfm. Battery powered vacuums are even less advanced. Vacuums won't have cords or they connect to your wall.
Les

 

[rivstg1]

tanks vs uprights

Well, similar to what a few of you have already mentioned, I can understand why cordless lightweight vacs are becoming so popular...and tanks/canisters that are 'convertible'....due to the rapidly growing market of hairstyle floors. I bet this WILL continue as well. The public just doesn't NEED the power house uprights as much with the demise of carpeting everywhere in the house.

I can see how many of you feel canisters are more maneuverable in tight spaces ( ie the hose/head, not the canister itself)....but I've always been frustrated by them. The Rainbow was my first canister as an adult, and while I really liked/like it, I'd get irritated at it ...for getting caught on corners of the house layout. Ironically....I"ve since added a few more tank/canister to my collection! how, I came to do that I'm unsure.... I like the styling/feel/look of my Filter Queen and Royal Deluxe Power Team's....the FQ has a SHORT cord by comparison though, and that ends up bothering me too. haha, the Royal....long hose and real long cord doesn't bother me much. I'm a upright fan overall though...just find them easier to use/maneuver overall....thus, I don't get perturbed using them ( not getting 'caught' on furniture/walls etc.

 

[n0oxy]

cordless and central vacuums

I have no interest in anything cordless, they are simply not as powerful as corded vacuums and probably will not be for some time if they ever are. Central vacuums are awesome, they are far more powerful than any pull around canister or upright and this removes the issue of the pull around canister getting stuck on things, but you still have all of the flexibility that a canister cleaner provides. I find myself using my central vacuum units for cleaning more than anything else, I have the units all around my apartment, including 3 240 volt units, those are really powerful, connecting a hose directly to those is incredible, each unit has two motors.
My apartment is all hard floors and I would not change that, even if carpet was offered to me for free I would say no thanks. Even though I have several power nozzles and could clean carpet easily, I think bare floors do not hold dust and dirt in as much and cleaning bare floors is somewhat easier.
When it comes to the lift away uprights, I would think the Sebo Felix is the best vacuum in that category. But again, once you try a central vacuum unit, you may not want to go back to anything else.
Mike

 

[tolivac]

240V central units are good for really LARGE homes and commercial use where more than one user is using it at a time.Otherwise see NO advantage in a 240V machine for average size places and one user.You can only force so much air thru a 1.25" or 1.5" hose no matter what size motor the machine has.Like with image projection-you can only force so much light thru say a 35MM film opening no matter what size lamphouse the projector has.I am sticking to 120V central units-would be too expensive to have a 240V outlet wired for them.

 

[n0oxy]

240 volt outlet

Having an outlet wired was not as expensive as I thought it would be, but this is probably because the wiring was already there, the outlet that was used was probably used at one point for a window air conditioner. One thing that is really strong with the 240 volt units is the water lift, the hose can definitely restrict the amount of airflow but the water lift is noticably stronger with a 240 volt unit, it's amazing to watch a turbine nozzle spin with one of those. There are some pretty strong units that run on 120 volts though, the unit that really comes to mind is the Drainvac Viper which I will provide a link to, it has 144 CFM and 151 water lift, for the price, this is by far the best central vacuum unit you can get. The 240 volt units are definitely louder since they use two motors, no getting around that.
Mike

https://www.thinkvacuums.com/drainvac-viper-system.html

 

[fan-of-fans]

Yeah I always thought canisters were the best all around machines. You have everything with you and if you want to go from carpet to hard floors, just pop off the power nozzle and add floor brush. Cleaning above floor, just pop off the wand and you have the attachments, or add wands for up high cleaning.

Uprights can do some of this but aren't as easy to maneuver in hose mode unless you use a long extension hose and let the unit stay in one place. Or the older pan converters that had rollers so you could pull the upright by the hose, although they were a bit likely to all over still. And of course the Kirby setup too which was basically converted to a canister but more work to set up.

Cordless vacuums are advancing - and many have a nice assortment of attachments now to clean everything. Still not a huge fan of battery power, but they have advanced far ahead of the old Black and Decker Dustbusters.

I still see in many homes for sale with all hard laminate or tile, the bagless uprights.


There just isn't a huge selection of canisters in stores. If they do have any it tends to be just one or two models, usually small and bagless and no power nozzle. Though I have seen a Bissell power nozzle model at a Walmart in my area. And they used to sell the Eureka models with a small power nozzle too when they were still sold.

 

[electromatik]

I completely concur

You have to be cautious about vacuum sales statistics in the U.S. because the door-to-door models are still selling nationwide and they don't show up in the sales statistics because they aren't sold at stores and they don't usually record with a barcode scanner. Vacuum sales are measured by purchases at major stores and vacuum shops mostly. People who are buying vacuums today are buying rapid replacement machines. I know people that go through 3 or 4 cheap vacuums in a 10 year period. Whereas an Aerus, Filter Queen, Kirby, Patriot, Rexair, or TriStar buyer is keeping it usually for decades.

I have never understood the thrill of uprights. To me canisters were always much more interesting. Especially the power nozzle equipped models. They impress me much more than any upright.

The idea that canisters don't apply today is silly. With the growth of hardwood floors and such, the canister provides the best total home cleaning ability. With the hose and attachments you can clean carpets, rugs, and above floor.

Canisters are more viable today than ever, and it pains me to see them withering.

 

[madman]

I think the general market for vacuum cleaners is probably almost entirely affected by the current era's preferred flooring type.