KW3010 Bagged Canister Vacuum

If you are used to cordless fitting into small spaces and being lighter in the hand, you will probably prefer a canister over an upright. They do have the canister itself you have to pull behind you, but with wheels and modern lightweight materials, it's not a big deal, just something to get used to so you aren't wacking into the edges of walls or running over the cat, lol. You're going to want bagged for continued performance. Bagless are good, while they are good. But as you've seen, it doesn't last. Filters clog, cyclones clog, dust gets into the motor and slows it down, it's a whole mess. They require frequent emptying and regular maintenance for continued performance, and even then you are slowing the downhill slide, not stopping it. Bagged vacuums, you replace the bag a couple times a year, cut thread or hair off the brushroll as needed, maybe replace a belt once a year, that's all. Currently Kenmore are generally your best bet for a canister on a budget, they have a range of models with similar performance, and a good assortment of prices, generally based on various features like hose length, cord length, included attachments, onboard attachment storage, etc, not based on one performing better or worse than the other. Their standard models with powerheads range from around 200 to around 500 dollars, depending on the features you are looking for. We currently have the lowest of the low in their model line, not even one of the standard models, the KW3010, it's straight suction only, no powerhead, manual cordwinder, as basic a vacuum as you can get, currently around 65 dollars on Amazon. But it has amazing suction, does great for bare floors and above floor cleaning, large bags, long cord, and it does a decent job on carpet with the included nozzle, though a bit better with the Wessell Werk tk286 turbo nozzle we bought to use with it. (Personally I feel like the standard nozzle does better for deep down dust and grit, and the turbo does better for pet hair, surface dirt, and carpet grooming, so we alternate which one we use, sometimes one, sometimes the other).

Now that Sears is mostly gone, I'm not sure if this is good advice, but the Kenmore canister vacs are a great budget ($100 to $200 cheaper) alternative to Miele. I own two. The first is from 1998 and a friend borrowed it and her kid vacuumed up a bowl of dog water and then let the vacuum sit for a week, so it makes a weird noise now - but it still works great as a garage/car vac. The second I bought in 2015, and it is still great. Motorized beater for rugs and carpet, floor and brush and crevice attachments, HEPA filter bags, HEPA filter on the exhaust, very easy to find third-party bags and parts. Manufactured by Panasonic, who also sells vacuums under their own name.

For household cleaning, I prefer a canister vac. I have a Kenmore (Panasonic) with cloth HEPA filter bags and a pleated HEPA filter over the exhaust. It has a motorized carpet beater brush, but we got rid of most of our rugs, so that only comes out for entryway rug cleaning. With the long wand, it is easy to reach the ceiling. Vacuuming the tops of bookcases requires standing on something and getting the canister off of the floor, but that's nbd.

Now that Sears is mostly gone, I'm not sure if this is good advice, but the Kenmore canister vacs are a great budget ($100 to $200 cheaper) alternative to Miele. I own two. The first is from 1998 and a friend borrowed it and her kid vacuumed up a bowl of dog water and then let the vacuum sit for a week, so it makes a weird noise now - but it still works great as a garage/car vac. The second I bought in 2015, and it is still great. Motorized beater for rugs and carpet, floor and brush and crevice attachments, HEPA filter bags, HEPA filter on the exhaust, very easy to find third-party bags and parts. Manufactured by Panasonic, who also sells vacuums under their own name.

The comparison of a 120 upright vs a pretty decent Kenmore canister would have to do with some of the following: Ease of use under furniture, dining room chairs/table, etc. Being able to turn off the rotating brush for bare floor. Being able to change heads for bare floors, area rugs, etc.(can't with an upright) Length of hose, length of electric cord. Auto rewind cord on the Kenmore. Quality of hose, and of other attachments. Decibel level. I'm betting the Kenmore can take more out of the carpet than the 120 upright, but it's hard to quantify. Cleaner air with the Kenmore Hepa filtration. There is probably some other factors, but the bottom line is, are these things worth it to you to spend more on the Kenmore?

My Kenmore canister vacuum was so versatile. It could easily get under the couch and coffee table, had all the attachments and the cord auto retracted into the vacuum. It was also a very simple design which meant that it lasted a really long time. I now have a Dyson and hate it.

Kenmore canister-- affordable and a BEAST

Commercial tools and appliances tend to be recommended. So bagged vacuums that hotels use regularly, washers and dryers that laundromats use, tools and appliances that restaurants and commercial kitchens use. I live in the states, didn't know that Miele made vacuums. I have a 20 year old Kenmore canister vacuum still going strong.

What I was just going to suggest. It's a huge part of the reason I love them.