Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

I have always had Electrolux canister vacs and my current Electro (1960 model) is on its last legs. I am looking for something NEW that cleans like the old Electrolux vacs did. With separate attachments for bare floors, carpet, furniture. Also with a quality build (not a lot of plastic, with horsehair brushes, etc.). I want something that is built like a tank, has crazy good suction, and has separate attachments for bare floors and carpet. Does this vacuum exist new? Price is not an issue. I will pay whatever it takes to find a new vacuum that acts like the old Electroluxes did. I guess what I am really asking is what is the best high-end canister out there? I suppose my choices are Miele, Simplicity, Riccar, Sebo, etc. Not really interested in dealing with a water tank with a Rainbow; and the Kirby canister seems lame. Seems like Riccar is the most similar to my Electro? But I have had problems trying to buy one. They are often on backorder/discontinued and that concerns me. Miele is highly praised but is very plastic-y to me. Dunno bout the others. Also which of these has the best warranty? I have 50% stone floors, 25% wood, 25% carpet. And a hairy border collie.

There are probably two ways you can go. The successor to Electrolux USA is called Aerus Lux. What is now sold as an Electrolux is made by the original Swedish parent company and is nothing more than a rebranded Eureka. Kludge. Electrolux USA split off from their Swedish parent before WWII and has been a separate entity with it's own products like yours. The original US owner of Electrolux USA was Sara Lee of all things. They decided to get out of the vacuum business in 2000 and sold that division to an investor who renamed it Aerus LLC. They still sell two of the older Electrolux canisters, the Lux Legacy and Lux Classic. These are plastic bodied but robust and very well made. They have been in production since the late 1980s having replaced the last steel bodied canisters. You can use your existing floor brushes with the Lux Classic, which retains traditional old style Lux wands and hoses while the Lux Legacy uses a more modern wand and hose design. There is a top of the line Lux Guardian Platinum that is a mixture of a heavy duty plastic body with some stainless steel panels. The Classic and Legacy are made in the US, the Guardian Platinum is made in Hungary and is also sold around the world under different names. All of these use the C bag you probably use now, though I suggest using the cloth HEPA version sold by a company called "Perfect". And this is a perfect time to segue into their products, which are Chinese made copies of old Electrolux canisters with exceptionally powerful Ametek motors in them. The Perfect C101 is a very close copy of the last steel bodied Lux canister the Marquis. The Perfect C103 is a copy of the Lux Classic with the same ridiculously powerful Ametek motor found in the C101. You can use your old floor brushes, attachments and wands with these. So you can buy a new Aerus Lux from the successor to Electrolux USA or you can buy the Chinese copy of the older steel bodied Electrolux canisters. None of the other brands you mention make a steel bodied vacuum. All of these are fine machines with a lot more power than your old Lux has though I think Miele, Simplicity and Riccar are all overpriced, and most are made in China btw. Only the top of the line canisters from Simplicity and Riccar are made in the US. The rest are Chinese made. Sebo is still German but all the new Mieles I see are now made in China. Miele has terrible attachments and the dust bag is tiny. Tristar is a metal bodied canister vacuum, but the metal is an aluminum-magnesium alloy. They are owned by the same fellow who owns Aerus Lux and they share hoses, power nozzles, suction motors and attachments with some minor changes for the peculiarities of Tristar vacuums. They have no cord winder, you stand the canister on end and wind the cord around the belly. There is no attachment storage, you place them on the wand. They are sold door to door and are overpriced. There are two Tristar copies out there, both being made by former Tristar distributors. These are Miracle Mate from Canada and Patriot made by Schoettler Research and Engineering of California. These have less powerful motors and are even more ridiculously overpriced than Tristar, though Miracle Mate boasts a retractable cord (woo-hoo). There is Filter Queen but they are not much more than a fancy shop vac and a darned expensive one with a weird filter system that is prone to clogging and you have to dump the bucket out like a shop vac. No bag (no bueno). Or maybe find one of the last metal bodied Electrolux canisters like a Silverado Deluxe or Marquis that has been professionally refurbished. You can find these on ebay and from some mom and pop vacuum shops.

If you want a vacuum that isn't "plasticy" a tristar would be right up your alley. I recommend the exl model because it uses a twin fan motor, not the crappy vm3 motor used in new tristar and aerus vacuums and it uses the newer style locking attachments. I'm a little long winded but here's a link to the video I made of my exl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyLoC2AmES4 As far as simplicity/riccar goes I have one of their uprights,the 2nd gen synergy, and its a great vacuum. The canisters are all "made in american with import parts" except for the entry level "jill". The Simplicity Wonder canisters had a few problems but tacony has released an updated version that fixed those problems and they work really well!

The Simplicity Verve is made in China.

too late now but Miele or Sebo best by far, some horrible info on this site sheesh

I'd say Miele and Sebo are great choices as well. They are European manufacturers though, and they have to abide by new and strict regulations on power consumption on the European markets. Yes, you heard me right, power consumption from a vacuum of all things. I mean, vacuums aren't usually utilized for more than 10-20 minutes a day, but European officials have to make themselves useful somehow. As a result of that regulation, we might experience weaker vacuums here in the US as well, since they will probably standardize their production lines to meet global regulations and keep the cost down. Unless you're searching for an industrial standard vacuum, you will have a hard time avoiding some amount of plastic. Miele Complete C3 series would in general be a great choice, and they come in a variety of makes and models with different range of attachments included. Currently the Marin PowerLine SGJE0 is one of the highest ranking models.

The EU power regs don't apply to US market vacuums. US market vacuums have different circuit boards and motors compatible with our 120 Volt / 60 Hz power. In North America, appliances are limited to 12 amps maximum current draw at the wall outlet, which is 1440 watts. Wall outlets are generally protected by a 15 amp circuit breaker. The 12 amp limit is a fire safety regulation imposed by the insurance industry though their Underwriters Laboratories. Bottom line is while power is reduced for EU market vacuums that is not generally true in the US. 10 - 12 amp vacuums are normal here.