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

[dartman]

I have just about every style of vacuum made right now. I have 2 Royal canisters, 2 Royal uprights, a Compact C9, a Eufy 11+ basic robot, and a Shark Ionx2 duo clean cordless that has 2 batteries and runs quite a while on one. For super deep carpet cleaning the Royal uprights are best, for everything I like my 4650 as you can vary the suction and turn off the brush, it also has great suction and grooms the carpet about as well as the uprights. The Compact was my mom's and it's light and easy to drag around for quick touch ups. However my current cleaning routine is the Robot starts every day at 1pm and randomly wanders around till the battery gets low and it either parks itself to charge or we rescue it and start it again. It has a powered brush and 2 side brushes and usually all the main living areas are clean and then I break out the Shark to clean the missed spots and the places my Parrot Dobby likes to hang out and make a mess on.
House stays clean with hardly any effort on our part now and I don't break the big machines very often but I still like their strong builds and heavy deep cleaning abilities, plus they'll still be working long after my newest toys are done.

 

[panasonicvac]

I grew up with my parent's central vacuum. I was never really that fond of them until my teen years. Before then, I actually appreciated canisters more than central vacuums. But as experiences grow over the years, the canisters are my least favorite to use out of uprights and central vacuums. Most vacuums I grew up with were uprights. Not just because they were more popular than canisters, but because a lot of homes that I vacuumed before had mostly carpets which that's what uprights are usually capable of. Now I lived in places before where they were both carpets and bare floors. I could not stand with bare floors, I even hate vacuuming bare floors which is perhaps my least favorite areas to vacuum. I'd rather use a broom or a dustmop to sweep all the dirt into a central vacuum vacpan. If I want to enjoy vacuuming, I would rather have something that is not only fun to vacuum on but also something that is super easy to use and something that I don't have to drag too much around. Unfortunately canisters do not meet my list. Unless if I had a place with mostly bare floors, rugs and carpeted stars, the canisters would be my only exceptions to use if a central vacuum is passed on.

 

[rivstg1]

on central vacs

I haven't owned a central vac, but used one at a customers' home last month. I found it interesting to use...quiet and effective ( was use on hard floors) but....I find them 'characterless....by that I mean it felt just so 'utilitarian' ....just a detached tool of sorts...and had none of the character/attractiveness of a vacuum enthusiast like myself. I don't dis any user of these...but a tank/upright vac ...in using it...was more...I don't know...involved...connected. Part of the attraction, for me, on collecting / restoring/ using older vacuums is there individual quirks or uniqueness I( if I can describe it that way). If I wasn't into vacuums....like I used to be...I'd be more attracted to the 'tool/appliance' outlook of central vacs. Instead, I find polishing.....improving and displaying the MUCH more involvement more satisfying. Can you central vac fans relate to those points?

Kelton

 

[tolivac]

For my place new wiring would have to be run-and the outlet-as well as additional breakers.Not worth it for me.And since I have a septic tank a vacuum that drains into it is not practical.I like my MD Silentmaster machine.Works well powerful enough for me and uses Filtrete type bags that can hold 6Gal.Don't need the wet pickup inside.The watermatics I have work for that use.

 

[tolivac]

The Drainvac Viper would work for me since it uses a bag.The Drainvac units that dump into the plumbing I can't use.May get a Viper someday.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Undoubtedly, a good upright not only makes carpets look much better, it also removes damaging grit. And they are usually self-contained with small storage footprint, quick to use, with less physical effort. The ones with a suitable hose on board, allow for easier access for above floor cleaning. A decent upright can be very energy efficient too.

Cylinder cleaners are awkward in terms of storage. I find that you expend far more physical effort manoeuvring the blooming machine out of the way; it gets caught on furniture corners, and the rigid plastiflex hoses are a pain (I preferred Hoover's double-stretch concertina version). They are good for car cleaning, under beds, and nooks a crannies. But they need much user participation to clean carpets.

I currently use a Sebo D2 cylinder, and having used it for some time now, I have decided that my next machine will definitely be an upright with an integral hose. Far less hassle all round.

Whereas with this cylinder I have to make a conscious effort to even think of hoovering the place, with an upright it was a fairly automatic unconscious decision.

(Pull upright from cupboard, release flex, plug in, switch on, handle release, away you go)

versus...

(Pull cylinder from cupboard, pull hose from cupboard, unhitch extension tube/cleaning head from storage slot, assemble tube to hose, click hose into cleaner - and the usual fight with the hose! - withdraw flex, plug in, switch on, away you go)

Oh, and I will not give these cordless things the time of day.

 

[n0oxy]

Drainvac

Drainvac does make a lot of other central vacuum units besides the ones that automatically drain the contents, I think having one of those would be neat but I can't think of any way to install that in an apartment. I do think that Drainvac makes some of the best central vacuum units that are available, another great model is the powerhouse.
Mike

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

 

[fan-of-fans]

Department Stores

I do have to wonder if the decline of Sears could be partly responsible for decline in canisters as well. Since many of the canisters I saw here were Kenmore, I imagine a large percentage of them were bought there. And Sears has traditionally been one of the last stores promoting the traditional large power nozzle canisters and bagged machines, apart from brands sold at specialty shops.

And with many Sears closing, those who were/are wanting a canister found there weren't any available in their area, so had to resort to an upright?

Possibly even the same could be said with the closing of Montgomery Ward and other similar retailers, who offered a similar selection.

Even JCPenney, was probably once a pretty good seller of them, before they began to transition out of offering hardlines in stores. Although, technically JCPenney does still sell vacuums, but probably not a big selection. And they too, are on the way out.

 

[tolivac]

One disadvantage of canisters-usually they have to be assembled before using.The upright is ready to go!Canister fans are used to the assembling and setup.Upright users may not.I do use BOTH!!!
I like the idea of the bagged Drainvacs-will get the Viper at some point.It would have a larger bag than the Atomic.The Atomic is handy for cleaning the car!Just would like to see them make bags for it without that stupid zipper.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I think part of the decline is

the new vacuum with 'onboard tools'. These are stronger than the old uprights with 'dusting tools'. We never had a canister until I got a Constellation. Now, I have them all: Slimline, Portables, Connies, Celebrities. They're all great for all of my needs. But, we grew up with Convertibles and attachments, which worked fine in this big, old place.
Some people, (my sister) for example, always preferred a canister over an upright.

 

[tseg]

My first "high end" vacuum was a Miele C3 cannister... it was the Alize non-powered head, but I then proceeded to spend a lot more $$ to get the powered hose, wand and head, along with about every attachment. When I want to do a thorough house cleaning nothing beats it. But I agree in somewhat cramped quarters maneuverability can be challenging. I then got the Miele U1 (upright), an upright Shark Duo Clean stick vac, and now, most recently, ordered an upright Sebo Felix.

I found for a "quick hit" an upright is just more efficient with my time. My additional uprights are because I do have 3 floors in use in my house and I wanted a good vacuum on each floor and the stick vac for quick use around the kitchen and foyer.


In summary, my personal experience suggests uprights are winning over cannisters due to perceived time efficiency, which may also be why bagless are winning out(? - I think there is perceived time efficiency, but it really does not exist in my opinion). While I like the Shark functionality, being diligent about wet-cleaning the filters monthly is a PITA. I was reminded why a switched from Dyson to Miele a few years back.


So there you have it, the industry switch to uprights is due to consumers' perceptions about time efficiency in vacuums, which trump cleaning effectiveness.

 

[dysonman1]

I have a vacuum shop

What I've been finding is that people either have total bare floors with one or two area rugs (for the coffee table or dining room table to sit on). Or, they have a mixture of some carpets (bedrooms) and some wood floors (living room) and some vinyl (kitchen).

It's a rare person who has a wall to wall carpeted home any more (I do).

Half my customers who are looking at vacuums are looking at the wrong type for their home. But, they don't know better. And Wal-Mart doesn't sell canisters.

Yesterday, a man came in looking for a new vacuum. His rice car bit the dust. I sold it to him 10 years ago, and he got all his use out of it. He has 3000 square feet of flooring in his home, 2000 square feet are bare floor with 1000 square feet of carpeting (medium plush).

I showed him the Felix from Sebo. I became a Sebo dealer recently at the request of a trusted friend, who loves his Felix. I love them too. But that's not what I sold my customer.

I sold him a Sanitaire upright and the Sanitaire (Mighty Mite) canister. I was perfect for his needs. They have carpeted stairs, and kids are going to use the machines (the family is Mennonite - so the kids have 'chores'). The Sanitaire canister is light weight, fits on the steps, and has wonderful attachments and a bag you cannot get in wrong. The upright has the 7 amp motor and VGII so I know those rugs will be clean.

I have been selling a good number of Titan canisters, ever since Sears closed. People who have a Kenmore canister for a long time, and bring them in to be fixed, are easily sold a new Titan. I just show the improvements, like the on-board electric mini power nozzle for stairs.

I also sell the Electrolux (aerus), and have been very happy with those sales. I have gone to the customer's home to demonstrate (after the customer has been into my store), so I get the great feeling of being an "old time" Electrolux salesman, without having to hard close the sale (she already knows how much it costs before I come). I sell the Classic canister, since it's already perfect. Only one customer of a new Electrolux had a canister before (a church). Everyone else has had an upright. The light weight of the hose/wand as well as the versatility has sold every one of those upright users a tank type cleaner.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Cole,

there are 2 all ceramic tile bathrooms, the kitchen is both ceramic tile and parquet floors. All of the other rooms have hardwood floors with wool Chinese rugs in the centers of the room. Only my room is wall to wall carpet...white Karastan. The big staircase is red Karastan. I find a nice Hoover brushvac is great for that staircase, and I use canisters with a nice floor brush for all hard surfaces, upholstery, mattresses, etc. Handivacs, I find, are great for a quick go over on the hard surfaces. Hoover(s)., "Convertibles", excel on all of the carpeted areas. There's always a Slimlines, Connie, etc at the ready, on each floor. So, I'm ready at all times to get the place spotless. And, I have several GUV(s) for the cellars and the car.

 

[n0oxy]

Sebo dealer, uprights and Drainvac units

Tom, that's awesome that you are now a Sebo dealer, and I think you said you are a Miele dealer as well. The only other brand I would suggest you look at selling is Lindhaus, they are very high quality but not as widely available.
Even though many uprights have on board hoses now, they are still more difficult to use than a canister. It's almost impossible to pull an upright around by the hose without it tipping over. With a canister cleaner that is a nonissue and switching to cleaning floors to above the floor cleaning is very easy and fast.
I love the Drainvac units, I have the powerhouse, viper, atomik, and the Twin Turbo 240 volt unit. They are definitely some of the best units in the central vacuum industry.
Mike

 

[jake1234]

Canisters and Uprights

I have always preffered uprights. I only have a few canisters in my collection and lots of them are the vax 3 in 1 multifunction machines which I love. My house is mainly carpet, hard floors are in the kitchen, bathroom and hall though. I have loads of uprights around the house and only 1 canister, a vintage Hoover Constellation. I just feel like canisters are all too similar, lots of them just using the same generic floor head and extension tubes. There is a lot more 'going on' with an upright if you know what I mean. I do think canisters have their uses though as has already been said, car, garage, D.I.Y and the sort. I wouldnt use anything but an upright on my carpets though.

 

[ridgidwd0670]

I grew up with canisters (Electrolux & Compact/TriStar)

After I moved out on my own I owned a Eureka Dial-A-Nap ESP upright with VG2. This was my 1st experience using a upright (my Eureka didn't come with any tools; but I used my Electrolux for above floor & hard floor vacing)

Now I use my Ridgid WD0670 shop vac for vacing hard floor & above floor vacing; & the Eureka for carpet only

Sometimes I would use my old Compact or Lux

 

[myles_v]

I am definitely a younger collector, and I hardly have any interest in uprights at this point. While I do have a few, I much prefer my Electrolux, Filter Queen, and Miele canisters. My Miele C2 Electroplus has been my daily driver for the last year and a half, and it will remain my daily for the foreseeable future. I grew up with uprights and both of my parents always preferred them, but lately I've found them more and more boring for some reason. They tend to be good for carpets and not much else, using the hose ends up being clumsy in many cases and they're often times so-so for hard flooring. I recently converted a friend to a canister, she asked me for a vacuum recommendation for her house which is 80% hard floor/20% carpet. I suggested a Miele, she told me that she's always hated canisters because her parents had one when she was a kid and she hated using it. I loaned her my Miele for a week and she changed her mind. I think that 40-50 years ago the canister was half-baked, they often weren't the best at cleaning carpeting and they were typically heavy and awkward to pull behind oneself. Now, modern canisters have solved both of those issues, but many modern vacuum consumers only have the negative memories of canisters from their childhood. This is something that I'd like to see change, especially as the typical American home shifts away from wall-to-wall carpeting to more hard flooring.

The talk of cordless and central vacuums is interesting. I think that cordless machines will continue to gain traction, especially as people shift to living with hard floors rather than carpeting. Hard floors don't require much deep cleaning power like you'd need with plush carpeting. As much as I prefer bagged corded canister vacuums, the market is definitely switching toward cordless bagless stick vacs. Whether this will be a fad or not will be something that only time can tell, I once believed that messy bagless vacuums would be a fad but apparently they're sticking around so I may be wrong about cordless machines as well. I have a Shark Ion P50 which is an excellent machine, it cleans well and it has the traditional upright design that I prefer. It reminds me of my old Westinghouse Unplugged and my Bissell Anna.

I think that the central vacuum fad has seen its heyday. They were popular in an era where people were building new single family homes and stuffing them full of every feature they could think of in order to seem better than their neighbor. I am personally a huge fan of central vacuums, but the fact is that I have yet to meet a single person who isn't a collector who actually likes central vacuum systems. A close family friend has a system in her million dollar home, but instead she uses a $200 Shark. She doesn't like the weight and bulkiness of the hose, which I don't blame her for. Central vac hoses are big and clunky, it's easy to scuff up walls with them and damage furnishings. As much as I'd like to see central vacuums gain popularity, I just don't think it'll happen. They have a high initial investment for something that's so utilitarian and hidden. People would rather spend $400 on a flashy Dyson that they can hang on the wall near their entryway, just to let all of their visitors know that they are the kind of person who spends $400 on a vacuum cleaner. Central vacuums just don't have the same cachet.

 

[turbo500]

Interesting that it’s widely considered that people stick to what they grew up with. I’m the opposite. My mother was and still is an upright user, but I personally prefer a good cylinder/canister. When I was growing up, most people around me had uprights except a few. On our street, only 2 houses had cylinders and one of those was a Vax 3-in-1 which were incredibly popular at the time. But these days, I prefer a good cylinder, though I do tend to have both on the go at home

 

[cbimmer]

To me, the biggest advantage to having a central vacuum is the filtration. Especially if you have pets. Most every vacuum will get that stale pet hair odor eventually. Since the exhaust is vented outside you will never have any odor in your house. I have a hose on both floors and it takes less than a minute to take it off the holder and plug it in to an inlet. It needs to be emptied every few months and I'll never have to worry about a battery running down on me. My sister is proud of her Dyson stick vacuum that requires multiple charges and multiple times emptying the dirt cup each time she wants to clean her house. So I really don't see how a battery powered stick vacuum saves any time. I agree with the posted above. If more people actually tried something like a Miele canister they would probably prefer it.

 

[myles_v]

I completely agree, I prefer central vacuums mainly because of their filtration. Unfortunately, the average consumer finds them more of a hassle and more cumbersome to use.