Which Sebo Should I Buy? Part 1

As Sebo's market share and visibility have grown due to their quality, value, and warranty, a common question I receive is, "Which Sebo vacuum should I buy?" With a large lineup of both canister and upright models, this can seem complicated. However, once we narrow down your needs regarding flooring, pets, traffic, allergies, and so on, making a recommendation becomes much easier.

In this blog post, we'll discuss Sebo canisters versus uprights. Our next two blog posts will explore specific choices within both upright and canister categories. Hopefully, this series will guide you to the correct selection. As always, for personalized recommendations, you can fill out our questionnaire: The House of Vacs Recommendations.

So, should you consider Sebo uprights or canisters? The first question is whether you have a preference for one over the other. Often, if someone is very familiar with a particular form factor, I recommend they stick with it. Both uprights and canisters are now flexible enough to handle most flooring types, so you'll get a good cleaner either way. Since power isn't a differentiator, what other factors should you consider? Here's a list of things to think about when comparing Sebo canisters to uprights:

1. Cost
   If you're looking for a good value, uprights generally offer more for your money. This is mainly because canisters tend to have more expensive components, including hoses with electrical wiring, electrical wands, separate power nozzles, and other factors. If you compare a canister and an upright with similar features, you can typically expect to spend 10-20% less for an upright.
   

2. Versatility
   Canisters generally offer greater versatility than uprights. You can quickly switch off the brushroll at the handle of your canister for quick pickups on bare floors. You can also quickly switch to a horsehair bare floor brush for the ultimate clean on bare floor surfaces, especially those with a bit of polish or sheen. Uprights were originally designed for carpet and then adapted for bare floors. Typically an upright will simply pull air over the top of the flooring, while a canister with a floor brush will sweep dirt off a surface. What is the difference, you might ask?
   
   Have you ever blown your breath over a dusty table? You see the dust move, but a film of dust remains, right? That's somewhat how an upright works on bare floors. It will pick up loose dust bunnies and debris, but it will struggle more with that environmental layer that is either electrostatically or mechanically clung to the floor's surface. The canister's floor brush provides a sweeping and wiping action that helps remove this environmental layer.
   
   Additionally, canisters typically offer quicker access to their tool hose and have more hose length available, making tool-related tasks easier. The built-in telescoping wand on canisters also makes them easy to use on elevated or low surfaces, such as ceiling fans or baseboards.
   
   In essence, canisters tend to adapt more naturally to different types of flooring and tool scenarios. Uprights can be adapted for these purposes, but as a category, they are more "carpet-centric."
   

3. Noise
   Canisters are almost always quieter than their upright counterparts. For example, compare the Sebo E3 canister at 62dBA to the Sebo X7 at 69dBA. Both are in similar price categories with similar cleaning profiles, but the E3 is quieter. Without getting into the design differences that allow canisters to be quieter, suffice it to say that if noise is a concern, a canister will provide the closest to a whisper-quiet experience.
   

4. Ergonomics, Maneuverability, and Weight
   Uprights are designed with all their components in one place, so their dead weight is typically higher than a canister's. Even with a heavier canister like the Sebo D4, it's generally easier to carry because the weight is split between the canister in one hand and the power nozzle in the other. This balanced weight leads to an easier experience, which also translates to pushing the vacuum across the floor. Canister power nozzles weigh only a few pounds, and the handle weight in your hand is very light, usually a pound or less. With uprights, you're pushing the entire machine's weight (usually around 16-20 lbs.), and because the motor is built into the body, the handle weight is typically between 1.5-3 lbs.
   
   Canisters can also get into tighter spaces. They aren't encumbered by large bodies, so the power nozzles can easily navigate between furniture where bulkier uprights might be harder to maneuver. The impact here largely depends on the house. My house is older, with tighter rooms, and my wife and I inherited a lot of furniture. So, being able to easily navigate tight spaces is important to us. However, if someone has an open floor plan with large expanses of open space to vacuum, an upright would work great in that circumstance.
   
   Finally, let's talk about reach. Most power nozzles on canisters are very low profile and can get under objects easily. The standard Sebo ET-1 power nozzle is about 3.5 inches in profile and can reach more than 4 feet under an object. So, imagine you have a couch with 5 inches of clearance. The canister with an ET-1 nozzle would easily reach the entire distance underneath it. Now consider Sebo's lowest profile upright, the Felix. It uses a version of the ET-1 power nozzle, but with an upright built on top. So, the nozzle's height is still about 3.5 inches, but only until you reach the machine's body. When laying flat, the vacuum's body is nearly 6 inches in profile, and the distance from the 3.5-inch nozzle to the 6-inch body is about 12 inches. In this same scenario, you would only be able to reach about 12 inches under the couch before running out of clearance.

5. Warranty
   When discussing Sebo, the warranty is a significant factor, as they offer an industry-leading 10-year warranty when purchased from an authorized dealer. All of Sebo's canisters come with a 10-year warranty, as do all their uprights, with the exception of the CE12 Softcase, which comes with 3 years. So, be aware that there is one upright outlier with a shorter warranty period.

These are some of the most commonly discussed differences between Sebo uprights and canisters, which may help you decide between them. If you couldn't tell, I'm personally a fan of canisters, even though I used uprights almost exclusively until I was about 30. The important thing to note is that neither form factor is bad. Both will clean adequately and have their pros and cons. After reviewing this list, consider what is most important to you and your home. If you dislike canisters (even though modern units are far easier to maneuver than the old ones we grew up with), then don't force it; look at an upright. But if you're looking for ultimate flexibility and ergonomics, the canister is a smart choice.

In our next post, we will look at specific canisters from Sebo's lineup and which ones might best match your cleaning needs. In the blog after that, we will look at Sebo's uprights. Stay tuned!