Eureka's reputation was built upon its legendary, sturdy and powerful upright vacuum cleaners. In fact, so well known is Eureka for its uprights that many don't know that Eureka also makes excellent canister vacuum cleaners. So, if you're considering buying a canister vacuum, take a look at what Eureka has to offer.

Canister vacuum cleaners offer one great advantage over upright vacuum cleaners; they are lighter to push around than uprights and offer greater cleaning reach for stairs, underneath furniture and awkward-to-get-at places. For this reason many of us prefer canister vacuums. But many, when thinking about 'what is the best canister vacuum cleaner', often think of Electrolux or Miele, whereas Eureka canister vacuums are often overlooked. This really is a missed opportunity as Eureka makes some of the best rated canister vacuum cleaners on the market and sometimes at a fraction of the cost of their competitors.

Take the Eureka 3684D canister vacuum. It's powerful - thanks to a 12amp motor - and it comes with a blower port and great on-board tools. Like all good quality vacuum cleaners, Eureka 3684D comes with a HEPA filter. The wand is telescopic (a feature that most other leading brands lack) and is made from metal and not plastic; can you think of one other canister vacuum where the wand is made of metal? The Eureka 3684D canister vacuum also comes with a generous 20ft cord.

But, the biggest plus about the 3684 vacuum is the Power Paw Stair Brush system. The Power Paw Stair Brush is a hand-held attachment that uses a powerful brush roll to suck up deep down dirt and pet hairs off stairs and upholstery better than other cleaning appliances.

Eureka also makes the 972B canister vacuum. Admittedly, this vacuum is not as powerful as the Eureka 3684D and it doesn't have as high a specification either. But its selling point is that it's cheap and is a good mid-range canister vacuum. It has 11 amps of power, a 16ft cord (which is self-winding), steel telescopic wand (a cheap vacuum with a metal wand?). It weighs in at 10lbs, slightly heavier than the 3684D. If you have low-pile carpets, hardwood or tiled floors then the 972B will be adequate. If you have deep-pile carpets or other demanding surfaces then you should consider the 3684D or HP6855A, discussed below.

In my opinion one of the best canister vacuum cleaners on the market today is the Eureka HP6855A. It has great visual appeal with sleek lines and a contoured profile. It weighs 20lbs, has a quick release system to allow you to detach the wand and attach the on-board tools quickly and easily, and comes with a headlight, so you can see what's underneath the sofa each time you vacuum. The Eureka HP6855A is a very powerful vacuum cleaner and comes with Allergen Micron Filtration, which ensures that 100% of dust mites and grass pollen are retained inside the vacuum; in fact, all particles are kept locked in, down to anything that is fifteen times smaller than the width of a human hair.

Like most other manufacturers, Eureka makes a broad range of canister vacuum cleaners; one to suit every purpose and budget. Whilst some Eureka vacuum cleaners do lag behind in terms of power, reliability and functionality of their competitors, the canister vacuums discussed above really do compare favourably with anything else on the market.