Best Canister Vacuum 
Best Canister Vacuum |
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| Thursday, 15 March 2012 | |||||
 Click to see on Amazon Our pick for best canister vacuum is the Miele Neptune. This vacuum gets rave reviews and ratings from consumers - an average of 96 out of 100 - and is lightweight and powerful. It also excels at cleaning bare floors and low to medium pile carpet. Like most Miele units however, it is not cheap (almost 500USD) but consumers still love this machine despite the cost.
Why do we like this vacuum? 1) Very highly rated by consumers. There are very few disparaging remarks about these vacuums and the consumer ratings numbers – from virtually all sources - are consistently over 90%.
2) Great on both hard surfaces and carpet (the Neptune model comes with the much needed turbobrush for better carpet cleaning).
3) Designed to last a minimum of 1,000 operating hours or what Miele indicate is an average of 20 years residential use. This is far beyond what most vacuum cleaner manufacturers provide these days (see our article entitled Are vacuums built to fail?). 4) 7 year warranty on the motor. A very long warranty compared with most other vacuum cleaners. 5) Lightweight and easy to carry at 14 lbs. Easy to maneuver and carry up and down the stairs. 6) Very quiet. A common consumer complaint about many a vacuum is that it is too loud. Consumers frequently comment upon how very quiet the S4 series vacuums are. A list of pros and cons taken from our Miele Neptune Canister Vacuum Review is shown below:
PROS - Sturdy and well-built - Suction control (can even vacuum delicate curtains on the lowest settings) - Very quiet - Expensive but worth every penny - Extremely lightweight - Retractable cord - Very maneuverable - Compact - 7 year warranty on the motor - Rubber wheels do not scratch floors - Wheels turn very easily CONS - Power cord is a bit short - Brushbar is not motor driven so not so effective on some carpets (especially higher pile carpet) - Bags somewhat pricey OTHER TOP CANISTER VACUUMS Several other good canister vacuums make up the remainder of our list and these are separated into vacuums costing over 200USD and those generally costing 100USD or less.
200USD and up - Miele Capricorn - Miele Olympus The Miele Capricorn as at the top-end of the Miele S5 series of canister vacuums and it is lightweight, powerful and quiet. Owners also feel that it is well designed and well built. The vacuum has a host of features including HEPA filtration with activated carbon for odor removal, an LED control panel on the handle, variable suction, a standby button, a powerbrush attachment (for low pile to thick pile carpet), a bare floors attachment, a headlight, automatic power cord rewind, height adjustment, and more. All of this comes at a cost however and the Miele Capricorn generally goes for close to $1200 (you generally don’t see this discounted much either). Despite the cost, consumer ratings for this canister vacuum average about 9.2 out of 10 and it appears that most owners are pleased with their purchase. You can read more about the Capricorn in our Miele Capricorn Review. Also, we have taken the list of owner pros and cons and reproduced them below for convenience. PROS - Vacuum has the feeling of quality – well designed, well built - Very quiet - Powerful suction - Fairly lightweight - Filtration works well leaving air fresh (HEPA filtration, activated carbon and a sealed system) - Controls are easily accessible on the handle - The SEB-236 Power brush is very good on pet hair - Good on both carpet and bare floors (has attachments for both) - Canister moves easily - Vacuum hose rotates 360 degrees and does not tangle or kink - The Power brush comes with a bright light (and 5 height settings) - Adjustable suction controls on the handle - Automatic power cord rewind - Attractive styling - Changing bags is easy and clean CONS - Expensive machine (generally over $1000) - Power cord is a little short The Miele Olympus is at the more affordable end of the S2 series of Miele canister vacuums. This machine allows one to enter the world of Miele vacuum cleaners at a reasonable price (generally $299). It has many of the features of other Miele S2 vacuums but it does not have separate attachments for bare floors and for carpet. Instead it uses a combination tool which is really only designed for bare floors and low-pile carpet. But for its intended use the vacuum is very well rated and it also quiet, light and powerful. It has variable suction and an Air Clean filter as well as auto power cord rewind, and several tools including a stainless steel telescopic wand. The Olympus warranty provides 7 years on the motor and vacuum casing and 1-year parts and labor on all non-wearing components. You can read more about this canister vacuum in our Miele Olympus review. A list of the vacuum’s pros and cons are provided below: PROS - Very light - Very Quiet - Powerful - Not too expensive (for a Miele) - Good on bare floors - Vacuum bags last for a long time CONS - Only average on carpet - Power cord is too short - Some comments that the attachments don’t seem durable - Hose is short - Vacuum bags are not cheap Two other Miele canisters that have great features and get good consumer ratings include the Miele Polaris and Miele Capri. These could meet your needs if any of the above Miele units do not.
PROS - Easy to assemble - Good on both carpets and hard surfaces - Compaction system works great and limits the need for emptying - Dirt canister easy to empty - Able to get under low furniture - Very powerful suction - Adjustable suction - Has a motorized brushbar that can be turned on and off - Not too loud - Good quality construction - Washable filters - Controls on the handle - Effective on pet hair CONS - Power cord is short - A bit heavy for some The Electrolux canisters are generally less expensive than the Miele canisters and the reviews are not quite as stellar but they are still very good. The EL6984A UltraSilencer is exceptional at cleaning hard surfaces (limited effectiveness on deep carpet) and is extremely quiet. It also has HEPA filtration and is somewhat “green” as the plastic used in the vacuum construction is 55% recycled and the motor is very energy efficient, yet still powerful. The Electrolux EL6984A UltraSilencer also weighs a paltry 12 lbs and many consumers comment on how easy the vacuum is to lift. It also comes with a large carrying handle that helps when moving the unit around the house or up and down stairs. Consumer pros and cons as described in the EL6984A review are below. PROS - strong & adjustable suction - lightweight - retractable power cord - very quiet - eco-friendly - excellent on bare floors CONS
- fairly average on low-pile carpet or area rugs - not very effective on deep pile carpet - some attachments clip onto the handle – an awkward place - brushbar is not motorized - nozzle can be hard to push on carpet The Electrolux UltraActive Deepclean EL4300A has been designed to tackle households with both bare floors and carpet. It has a nozzle with a motorized brushbar (on/off controls on the vacuum handle) and variable suction capability. The EL4300 is also very light at 12.5 lbs and it is compact and easy to store. This is a bagless canister with an easy-to-empty dust canister, height adjustment, many tools and attachments, and it also carries a 5 year warranty. You can read more about the EL4300A in our Electrolux UltraActive Deepclean review. A list of pros and cons are shown below: PROS - Quiet - Powered carpet attachment works very well - Good at picking up pet hair - Lightweight - Easy to Maneuver - Customer service appears to be fairly good - Dirt canister is easy to empty and can be washed - Retractable power cord - Fairly compact - Capable on both carpet and bare floors - Brushbar can be turned on and off - Nozzle easily gets under low furniture CONS - Some of the key attachments do not store on-board - Some controls are located on the canister not on the handle If you are in the market for a more moderately priced canister vacuum then the following machines are good choices, and they can usually be found online for about 100USD or less. All of these also get favourable consumer ratings and reviews. 100USD and less
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