1. Best Budget Canister Vacuum
Eureka Sanitaire SC3683 a lightweight canister vac, which excels on bare floors and provides good value. This makes for a great canister for mostly bare floor users.
Rating: 
Estimate: $100
2. Best Budget Bagless Canister
Hoover S3765-040 is a solid performing canister with features/tools to spare, it fails to perform well on pet hair, but has a power nozzle for effective carpet vacuuming.
Rating: 
Estimate: $240
3. Best Canister for Allergies
Dyson DC23 Stowaway is Dyson’s answer to canister vacuums. It provides powerful suction, fantastic performance, and great features for allergy sufferers.
Rating:
Estimate: $600
4. Best Canister w/ Upright
Rating:
Estimate ($300 for both)
Are Canister Vacuum Cleaners Right for Me?
Canister Vacuum Cleaners are best for people with different needs than uprights. Canister vacuums are best for people who have large, diverse areas to clean. People who need to lug a vacuum around their shoulders and vacuum stairs, drapes, upholstery, outside exterior, car interior, etc.
Canister vacuums are traditionally a lot more price than uprights. Some canister vacuums can price into the thousand dollar range. Yet, there are a lot of quality canisters that go for just a few hundred dollars.
Bagged or Bagless Canister Vacuum Cleaners?
There are benefits to both bagged and bagless canister systems. Some vacuum dealers like Barney William, with 28 years in the Vacuum Cleaner Business, share say that, “I’m not a fan of bagless vacuums.“ Its easy to see why bagless canisters get a lot of attention: like decreased impacts on the Earth, never having to purchase a vacuum bag; but there are drawbacks.
Bagless Canister Drawbacks
- Filters less than Bagged Systems
- Exposed to the container, where dust, allergy sensitive people can get irritated
But like everything in life, even bagged canister vacuums have their drawbacks.
Bagged Canister Drawbacks
- Increased impact on the Environment
- Requires constant purchasing of replacement bags
As you can probably tell, the pros of Bagged canister vacuums are the cons of bagless canister vacuums, and vice versa. So to decide, you have to weigh the strengths of both systems on your own and decide which you would own.
Which Brand? Hoover, Dyson, Eureka, Shark, Miele?
There are a lot of canister vacuum brands which make quality canister machines. To decide on what to purchase based on the brand alone is illogical. To decide really which canister brand is best for me, you just need to look at their particular models. Not all canister vacuums are equal, and what would be a great choice for somebody, may not be the best choice for somebody else.
Attributes to help you decide if the canister vacuum is best for your needs:
- Weight: can you carry it wherever you need to vacuum
- BareFloor Tools: Do you have bare floors
- Power Nozzles: Do you have carpet you need to vacuum
- Upholstery Tools: Do you have upholstery
- HEPA Filter: Everybody should have this.
- Crevice Tool: Everybody should have this.
- Telescoping Wand: Extra reach needed?
