Canister Vacuums

A major determinant of choosing a canister vacuum cleaner is what type of floor surfaces will be cleaned versus the power of the unit.  Nearly all canister vacuums offer 3 choices of tools for the surfaces of floors:

1. A bare floor hard plastic brush that is 10"-12" wide with soft bristles.
2. A turbo brush that features a drum roller that spins with harder bristles.
3. A power head brush similar to the turbo brush, while powered by a separate motor.

The turbo brush and power head brush units both have a spinning drum roller with bristles that resemble those of an upright vacuum.  The brushes look and perform about the same, but the power head brush vacuum has a smaller separate motor that turns the brush on the bottom of it, therefore making it more powerful and aggressive than the turbo type brush that is turned by the flow of air being pulled past it. 

These brushes will snap the fibers of the carpet and allow the air in beneath the dirt particles.  If air can't get under the particles, then it will be impossible to suck them out, regardless of how much suction the cleaner has.

This type of unit should be used primarily on carpeted surfaces.  They generally come with a separate attachment for bare floors. 

To determine which model to purchase remember these rules:

1. The bare floor model of canister cleaner is great for smooth surfaces but shouldn't be used on carpets.  The best choices available for a bare floor cleaners are Eureka Oxygen 6992 and the Miele Solaris Canister.
2. Turbo canister units are best for scatter rugs or low pile wall to wall carpet.  The best choices for this model include the EIO family cleaner, the Miele Solaris, and the Sebo Turbo canister vacuum cleaner.
3. Power head brush units are great for any type of wall to wall carpet and best in homes where pet hair is a problem.  Good choices here include the Sebo Canister 3. 1, the Miele Silver Moon, and the Eureka Oxygen 6996. 

Other important features for the canister vacuum cleaners include reliability, purchase price, HEPA filter and sealed unit.  Other considerations are replacement filter and bags cost, unit weight, storage and quality of tools, control locations, noise, adjustable wand, retractable cord, ease of changing attachments, bag change indicator, filter change indicator, swivel hose and other extra features such as dirt alerts.

Nearly all canister vacuums are similar in size, offer similar cleaning areas, and come with the same tool attachments.