3 Best Canister Vacuum For Carpet (Reviews & Comparison)

Usually, all canister vacuums do not have carpet cleaning features. Some are good for hard floors but do not suit high-pile carpet surfaces, and some have strong suction power with pet attachments but are not suitable for all types of carpet and stairs cleaning. 

But we have tested a few good-quality canisters on all types of flooring in everyday situations. We found Three canister vacuums out of seven that have superb carpet cleaning effectiveness. 

The Motorized cleaning power head, Suction control settings, floor head adjustment settings, and variable power mode option are the crucial features that should be kept in mind while selecting a canister vacuum for carpet cleaning purposes. 

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The Best Value Canister Vacuum For All Height Carpeting Floor – Kenmore 81714 (Pet Friendly)

Confidently clean all-height carpeting floor from area rugs to thick pile carpeted floor with our top pick, the Kenmore 81714 lightweight bagged canister vacuum. In our research, this lightweight canister vacuum yet capable of sucking all hiding messes from carpet fibers. Our product tester rates this model 4.8 out of 5 for its superb cleaning effectiveness.

Firstly, let’s discuss why the Kenmore 81714 is your best bet. 

The Kenmore 81714 has some stellar features; a telescoping wand, motorized cleaning head, height adjustment setting, variable power control, and suction power setting; which makes this canister model the best option for mostly carpeted homes. 

Performance test on all types of flooring.

Different height carpets

We were highly impressed with the Kenmore multi-surface cleaning performance. The Kenmore 81714 is equipped with a power head, which means a motor runs the brush roller. On the average canister vacuum, they used a suction-based turbo-cleaning brush roll system instead of motor powered, and it’s not as powerful as the powerhead. 

The Kenmore 81714 has four different height adjustment options that allow you to fit the floor head with the carpet’s pile height. 

On average canister vacuum, most users complain the cleaning head seems hard to push on the carpet; that happens when a vacuum chamber is created between the cleaning head and the surface. To prevent this issue, Kenmore invented a new ultra-plush technology that breaks the seal and gives you an easy maneuverability experience on any type of carpeting floor. 

You can increase the suction power with the sliding electric suction control switch, which is located on the hand near the fingertips. 

Hard floor cleaning performance

Some canister vacuums have plenty of suction and brush roll spinning power for cleaning carpet flooring. But scatter debris when used on bare, hardwood, or tiles floor. In our hard floor pick-up test, we didn’t experience any of these issues with the Kenmore 81714. It sucked up every small and larger debris in a single pass, thanks to its 3-way floor type selection switch. Keep the switch position on the hard floor setting while using it on the hard type surface. At this position, the suction motor turns on only, and the cleaning head motor keeps shutting off. This feature allows you to clean hard floors effectively without scattering debris. 

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What to look for in a canister vacuum for carpet

To find the best canister vacuum for carpets, we have tested up to 6 canister models from reputable brands. We tested them on three different types of carpets. Firstly we sprinkled 80 grams of sand onto each pile combination surface, then vacuumed for approximately 40 to 50 seconds. After all, we got that only two canister vacuums collected 97% of the sand.

We found three features that the carpet canister vacuum has. 

•  A motorized power head: A canister vacuum with the power head, meaning that the cleaning brush roller gets power from an electrical motor, and the rotation force transmits from the motor to the brush roller by a belt. Generally, most average 150$-200$ canister vacuums offer turbo-powered cleaning heads, which get spinning power from the suction-based propeller. Compared to these two types of cleaning heads, the motorized type is more powerful than the suction-based cleaning head. Bonus point: the electrical brush roller can be switched on or off. 

• A cleaning head with different height settings: There are three different height carpets low pile, medium pile, and high pile. Their height also varies; low-pile carpets under 1/4 inch, medium-pile carpets from 1/4 to 1/2 inch, and high-pile carpets from 1/2 to 3/4 inch. The long carpet’s fiber can get tangled around the brush roller. Also, the spinning brush roller’s rough contact might damage the carpet surface. With a canister vacuum, that floorhead has different height settings; it may raise the floorhead clearance according to the pile heights. 

• The different suction adjustments: While if your canister vacuum has a powerhead and good-quality suction, unless there is no suction adjustment setting to match the suction power according to the carpet type, the cleaning head will become hard to maneuver on the floor.