The bumper is rubber and completely surrounds the vacuum. The canister vacuums also usually have a quieter motor, due to the sound insulation around the motor. This is less efficient than the canister motor. The motor in the canister is stronger than the motor in an upright vacuum.

The canister itself is a sleek design allowing for ease of use around corners. With even the thickest shag carpet, the Pristine will roll easily across the carpet. The Riccar Pristine model has a very quiet motor, and can actually be adjusted to vary the suction power.

The canister vacuum motor is a Flow Through motor, meaning that the air travels in a straight line through the moror and then out the exhaust. This is why canister vacuums have more suction. Where the Riccar Pristine shows real advantages is in the power nozzle, the part that has the. The bottom is also polished to allow a smooth surface. Upright vacuum cleaners us a bypass motor.

The Riccar uprights almost exclusively use this type of motor also. It should be noted that there are upright vacuums that actually use a canister style motor. Meaning that the air must travel around the motor to exhaust out the back.

The bottom of the vacuum has four swivel castor wheels to allow complete maneuverability.