I do heavy research on everything I buy. Here are my thoughts on buying this canister vacuum: Impressions The Bosch Formula BSG71370UC is amazing: high performance, solid construction, convenient design. Small/light enough to be portable, but large enough to have built in attachment storage and a high capacity bag system. Suction power is adjustable, providing two things. First, full power is to powerful for some surfaces (there are warnings in the manual). Second, running at normal/low power, the unit is quieter than a microwave oven and you think its not pulling well until you put your hand over the hose - yeow! First impression of the first use on carpet that got regularly vacuumed: "wow, its looks like its been washed!" Attachments
This is the top of the formula line, including the turbo upholstery attachment. This draws energy from the airflow on the suction and transfers it to a scrubbing brush, with the sound of a turbo charger. This and all the attachments work like gang busters. The main carpet wand has a switch for turning the large scrubber's electric motor on/off (carpet/floors), and the suction with the crevice tool is so strong, nothing gets away. Even with the integrated motor, the head of this unit is low profile enough to fit in and around most furniture. The cord auto retracts, just give it a tug and let go. You can pull the canister itself behind you, the 3-360 wheels turn on a dime, but getting around objects still requires pull. With cleaning power combined with multiple filters, this is ideal for people with allergies. Floors
It handles bare floors mightily, just flip the handle located power switch to off to stop the spinning brush. For complete area cleaning, the small brush attachment hits the baseboards and low walls. The units wheels, of course, handle even better. Hair
My main use for this and the reason I bought this unit is cat hair, a job it handles well. With 2 sizes of scrubbing nozzles, no unattached hair can hide for long. Parts
In the configuration for full carpet/floors, it comes apart in 3 sections, hose, tube/handle, and powered nozzle. All 3 require both hands to disconnect, one to squeeze the release mechanism and the other to pull. One of the extra's on this unit is that the power wires for the motorized head are integrated into the tubes/hoses. This makes for quick dis/connects. Negatives
1) The hose is supposed to spin 360 degrees to avoid tangles but doesn't spin freely enough to work without thought. 2) I like responsive switches. The power switch has a lag time, designed to be used by feet so you have to hold a moment to turn it on and off. 3) Price is high, but abcvacuum.com cuts right through this. Surprise Use
Dust Buster replacement: Leaving it parked and plugged in, full time behind the sofa my cat frequents. Its so quiet on low, the bits moving down the pipe make more noise than the motor. Long Term Update
Having it for many months now, here's what else I've learned. The bag full gauge is tough to read, so the easiest way to tell the bag needs changing is that suction goes down - ie when you find yourself using full power. The turbo attachment isn't much more powerful than the standard small nozzle nor as powerful as the electric nozzle. So provided its clean, the floor/carpet electric nozzle cleans upholstery with gusto, leaving the turbo nozzle doing just the hard to reach places. And last but not least, a WONDERFUL way to clean stairs is by connecting the electric power floor/carpet nozzle directly to the wand, leaving the extension tube off. Alternatives
The rule with canister vacs is dexterity, the rule with uprights is mobility. This is my favorite canister, the Eureka Sanitaire SC6600 is my favorite upright:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Eureka_Sanitaire_SC6600A_Upright_Vacuum
Both do carpets + floors + elevated/hose suction. Decide for yourself which is more important. Canister = superior clean, upright = superior speed. The Sanitaire SC6600 is better for on-the-go use, with a 3 stage power switch with off/suction/suction scrub. The second position is for floors and if you're in the third (doing carpets) and pull out the hose for spot cleaning, it automatically switches to the second and then back again when you reinsert.
Sanitaire (eureka) also makes a canister thats worth looking at but with which I have no personal experience. Oddly, its sold under their commercial brand so its hard to find:
http://www.epinions.com/pr-Eureka_SP6951_Vacuum
Click Here to see more reviews about: Bosch Formula Electro Duo Plus Hepa Canister Vacuum Cleaner
Product Description:
Includes Bosch BSG-71370UC Formula Canister Vacuum Cleaner Crevice Brush Upholstery tools.
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