Canister or Upright Vacuum

Love my dyson and the hose comes out of the top of the handle so it can reach high up or do stairs. The suction is AMAZING in my opinion. Neighbor had a canister and loved it but her hubby picked up the dyson at costco and she got to much out of her carpet, she is embarrased that all those year, it wasn't doing it for her.

I have a canister vac and love it! It's great to get under beds and do the stairs. It's nice not to have to lift the whole vacuum up to get the stairs done! I would also recommend the bag variety, instead of the bagless. We have a bagless and it's really gross to empty out the canister after you vacuum. Hope this helps!

I had always owned a Sears Kenmore canister vacuum. However the last one I owned was sort of a lemon as I had several problems with it. I did not get the extended warranty because the first canister I owned worked like a gem for many years. So I wa out of luck and ended up purchasing a Dyson at Costco about 3 years ago. My most favorite part of the Dyson is that there are no bags to replace. The suction is also amazing. I vacuum everyday (sometimes twice in places!) since I have 3 boys and a Saint Bernard and the Dyson attacks the pet hair! However I have a house with tons of stairs (5-6 steps in several places) and I MISS my canister vacuum. I am considering going back when I am ready to replace this one. But then again, the Dyson has really held up with all it's use! Good luck!

I find the canister with motorized beater bar to be the best. I have rheumatoid arthritis, so lugging around an upright is very hard on my joints and back. My husband prefers an upright, as he thinks the canister is a pain to tug around. So, I think it's all personal preference.

love my dyson, stick with it. I have an upright. The hose comes out and does the stairs very well with the attachment. I love that if one part goes you can easily replace with a new part. I don't know anyone who hates their dyson!

This probably will not help much because I don't know the name, but there has been an infomercial out that has a vacuum that is exactly like the Dyson, it is just a little smaller. It also is about $200. So a lot less than the Dyson. Let me know if you want to know more and I am sure I can figure out the name.

You may consider a Meile - I recently did a lot of research on vacuums and found that they have an awesome HEPA filtration system, run very quietly, and they say they only achieve their filtration with BAGS (not canisters). Personally I think canisters are disgusting since I have owned one.
Good Luck!

I love, love, love, my canister vaccume..... I will never go back to an upright. I love to beable to reach above cabinets, and dust with it. Also, I have stairs that I use it for and couches, etc... Hope that helps!

Ditto! The Dyson is the BEST one out there. I have had my Dyson (the same one) since they very first came out (so a very long time). I wouldn't have any other kind of vacuum cleaner. I can't believe how much better it is than other vacuums out there.

Although I cannot speak from personal experience, I have several friends that bought the Dyson upright and either thought it was a waste of money for what they got or hated it altogether!

When I bought a new vacuum about a 1 1/2 ago, I referred to the Consumer Reports article on vacuums. I ended up with a canister from Sears, a Kenmore model. Although it does take a little getting use to (like having the canister follow you around instead of in front of you as you vacuum), I really like it now. It is great on stairs, has a telescoping handle to reach high places, a button for an automatic cord rewind (no more rolling up the cord myself! YEAH!), a POWERED hand attachment for the stairs (must have the powered one, not the air driven one), hand controls on the handle, etc. One of the things I like most is that I can get under low places (like the bed & coffee tables) and completely vacuum since there is no canister to worry about getting in the way on the upright. Now I will say, if vacuuming with one-hand is a must, then a canister is not for you, stick with the uprights as you will need both hands since you will have to pull the canister along at times.

If you have the opportunity to try the vacuum before buying it, DO SO! Sears has a place set up and I think Best Buy does too. Make sure you don’t stick to the small patch they give you to try it out but instead moving around corners as you would do at home.

Hi R.,
I don't know anything about the Dyson, but I bought a SEBO several years ago and I LOVE it. I bought it at a "sew and vac" store--they're not sold at department stores. It is a professional vacuum with a big price but totally worth it to me. It has two levels of filtration (HEPA) and incredible suction power. It pulls up far more dirt and is extremely easy to use with all the tools on board. One of my favorite things with it is the extra long cord so I don't have to keep finding a new outlet to plug it in.
HTH,
B.

R.
I have had a Kirby vacuum for 9 years now and it still works like a champ. It is self propelled and has lots of attachments for cleaning different things in your home. It also has so much suction it can get the deep down dirt and sand. The bag has a micron filter ans we also got the shampooer attachment which will help with the asthma. It was a little pricey but worth every penny. Though they may seem convenient, I would stay away from a cannister vacuum if you want your carpet to last a long time. With the hose you lose a lot of suction power so you end up just beating the dirt further down into the padding. (imagine drinking through a 12 foot staw and how difficult that would be) An upright vacuum has a lot better suction and will clean closer to the floor getting more of the dirt and sand that will destroy padding and carpet. Hope this helps. Good luck!!

I would stick with the Dyson-I love mine after having tried other vacumes. The only other one I had that I liked, that we bought with our son with allergies in mind, was a riccar. I was pleased with that one and it lasted a long time (still use it as my backup) but I love using the dyson now..K.