I do like mine but they are not for everyone. What I appreciate about my Rainbow:

(1) great if you have allergies (certified asthma & allergy friendly and AHAM certified)

(2) you have full power and air flow EVERY time you use it and it maintains the air flow during use

(3) No expensive bags to buy

(4) like the new longer power cord and electric hose

(5) can be used to pick up wet spills,shampoo carpets and wet clean hard surface floors 

(6) never any stale vacuum odor

(7) active edge cleaning revolving brush on power nozzle work very well in close quarters and around chair legs

(8)  long warranty

(9) made in USA and in business for 75 years

(10) Never storing  the dirt and filth in the closet form week to week

Gareth,

I sure have enjoyed your posts on the forum. I also agree with you that a Rainbow is NOT for everyone. I used to be able to use an upright but in this house they are almost useless with so many different floor types and levels.

I just could not get past the fact if I paid $1000.00 to $1200.00 for a top of the line cansiter I still was going to be spending about $100.00 to $125.00er year on hepa bags and filters and that goes on for as long as you own the product. 

Keep up the nice posts 

Dan,

I think you are correct about the dolly. I never even used the dolly with my old Rainbow but the new design is so much easier to use. Those extra wheels and the new rubber trim make it easier to go from one surface to the next. Also really like the new cord wrap set up. Since I use mine on a daily basis ,I only loop the cord and drop it on the cord holder. No winding and no cord winder to brreak or add weight.

I also like the fact that I can store the floor brush on the machine during use and can go from carpet cleaning to bare floor cleaning by just changing the tool. No more double hoses,wands and the new extra length hose really helps in my house.

Did you notice they redesigned oblong shape of the Dolly so the tools and even the wide floor brush do not stick out and catch on the machine as it moves from room to room and between furniture.

It is so strange that the basic machine looks so similar to my previous Rainbows but the ease of use and power have really been changed. It seems like they made changes that benefit the customer's ease of use.

Gareth,

WOW ,do you ever give ANY vacuum a real work out with 11 cats,3 dogs and 2 bunnies! I have one little cocker spaniel and he keeps me busy with the Rainbow and shedding dog hair.

Khoi,

Sorry I have not used a Hyla. They look like an old Rainbow style and would asume they would operate much the same.

I know nothing about the hepa filter. I do have one on my new Rainbow. It is to be checked every 3 years. I don't expect to find much on my hepa because I change the water about every 30 minutes or one time when cleaning each floor in the house.

It was my thought they are there to catch materials that really should not be vacuumed up like plaster dust,flour,fireplace ash. All things I would never use ANY vacuum to pick up -bagged,bag less or water filter.

I can tell you my 18 year old Rainbow has given me no repairs in all those years and the exhaust is still as clean as when new. Of all the vacuums I have ever used,it is the only one that never has any odor,smell and it keeps the air flow and suction as you are cleaning.

I still say they are NOT for everyone. Some users want an upright that can go through the middle of the room. The Rainbow is more time consuming to use because of the tools and hose,but I need that ability with a dog in the house and hardwood floors . 

I really like the concept of REMOVING the dirt from the house every time I use the machine. I don't store dirty dishs or dirty clothes so why would I want to clean the house and then store the filth form the street in a closet. Every time you are using a clean machine with full suction and air flow. 

I would like to try a Hyla sometime.

Andy,

I have a D4c also. It is a beautiful style and all Rainbows work the same to me. My D4c is very quiet too. I have heard the early E Series were noisy  but on the new E2 Black they have added a thick helmet of insulation and it is very quiet in operation plus the new power nozzzle design is much quieter. 

You might want to give one of the new Black E2 Series a try sometime. The only reason I bought a new one was because of the new features of the Hurricane motor,new dolly and new power nozzle with the lighted base and led lighting.  I also found the new design of the water basin to be much easier to empty. It is hard to beat the durability of the old chrome machines.

I was just emailing with a Rexair expert yesterday and he was telling me my old SE and the first E series pulled about 60-65 water lift and the new Rainbow pulls 95 with the Hurricane motor. Because the Rexiar's never lose suction or air flow it's hard to tell the difference except when you put your hand over the end of the hose.

It's funny how we have some vacuums like the old Hoover Convertibles,Electrolux's ,Air-Ways that seem to just run and run and run.

Andy,

You got a great deal and that machine will be running years from now. They did change the shape and feel of the new hose handle and you can now either have it locked on or off or still run when squeezed. 

I never liked those huge gas pump handles like the Kenmores,Hoover and Filter Queen either. I don't even really like the one on my Electrolux Epic 8000. Of course that is just a personal preferance of mine.

Shaun,

I was just talking to a Rainbow expert yesterday and was told on a digital water lift scale it will pull 95-96.

I think my Dyson Dc07 does have more suction at the end of the hose but it is so hard to use the hose. The machine keeps falling over and I don't like the brush roll on my DC07 or messing with the dirt cup. I do love the Dyson tools and design.

I have the DC23 which I like except messing with the dirt bin and it has a short hose and cord but great suction.

Joel,

I am not sure about the water lift on the previous machines. I know the first E Series had about the same as my SE. I would assume that after they went to the brush less motor they would be the same. I think the BIG difference is in the new power nozzle which it better sealed and has 60% increase in air flow. You can tell the first time you use it that it has much better air flow. 

Allen,

I have never used the power nozzle from the E Series or the E2. I know I did not like the power nozzle that was on my SE. It too big and bulky and flipped flopped when you went from one surface to the next. It must have cleaned ok because I never got much dirt when I followed it with my Kirby or one of my Hoovers uprights.

You can tell a big difference with the new power nozzle. It is so easy to use and the handle stays up. I like the led lighting and the revolving corner brushes get so close to chair legs and around furniture. It is also much quieter. Of course it is much nicer to be able to change to the floor brush and use the same hose and the all direct connections are an improvement over my old SE and I like the fact they changed the design of the hose handle. Now the power nozzle can be locked on or off or you can set it to be used like a trigger which is nice if you are cleaning small throw rugs. Also has the suction control right by your thumb.  

Allen,

I had the SE for 18 years. Mine was and still is a very good machine but you should check out the Rainbow web site and take a look at the new machine. So much more user friendly. That is the only reason I bought a new machine.

The new dolly,Hurrican motor and compleley redesigned power nozzle really make a big difference. 

I have had mine 5 months and NOT ONE TIME has the new power nozzle fell over. The new water pan design is much easier to empty. I know JUST what you are saying about the SE but you are still trapping the dirt and filth not just redistributing it around the room. Check out the web site and let us know what you think.

Allen,

They still make the deordorizer but now it is called "clean air". Also the water lift has been increased from about 65 on my old SE to 95 on my new machine. It is a difference you can feel at the hose hose end but the thing with the Rainbow has always been the constant air flow. I have several vacuums with very strong suction but are not really that good at cleaning.

I have seen so many people try and use a machine with a clogged bag but it still pickes up the surface litter and fluffs the rug nap so they assume the rug is clean. 

I have used one of my most powerful machines that gets very high ratings by consumer reports and has tremendous suction at the hose end but  it just pushes the dirt around and you end up having dust on the blinds,end tables  although it makes the carpet look great.

So much depends on what type of flooring you have and how you use and care for your machine and no one "best" machine in all applications. In my case ,I am  very sensitive to dust and I just hate buying bags and every time I use my Rainbow it is removing the dirt from my house and I don't have to store that filth in a closet.  Rainbow is not the right sweeper for everyone and I would be the first to admit that fact.

I think that it is interesting that in today's world a company has made so many "user" improvements. So many times today you buy a new appliance and all you see are cost cutting and cheaper made products. Almost every thing they have done with the new machine is an improvement over my old SE. 

Hey guys,

Don't forget to use your Rainbow to do the fall clean up of the screened porch. It is wonderful . I use the Rainbowjet to scrub both the screen porch rugs and the cement floor. Also use the Rainbow sprayer to spray the plants with insecticide before I bring them inside for the winter. 

When I use the Rainbow concentrate it only takes one cap full and I can scrub the 10X12 cement floor and pick up the scub water.

Only have to empty the basin one time as the floor cleaner is very concetrated. Because the tool turns 360 degrees the hose never binds up and it has a scrub brush on one side and you flip it over for the squeegee.

When you are done I empty the basin and then pick up up 2 quarts of clear hot water and that cleans the wands ,hose and basin. Nothing could be easier or faster.

It even removed some green mold on the rugs where plants had sit during the summer. 

This small squeegee tht fits on the fabric tool is also handy to do the windows. I use the sprayer to wet thew windows down with cleaning solution and then the sqeegee to pick up the water. It works so fast and no wasted paper towels.

If you have an older model Rainbow you can use the squeegee attachment to clean the cement floor but you use the spayer to dispense the cleaning solution first. The new Rainbowjet is self contained with its own pump and you control the flow of the cleaning solution  with the 3 -way off/on trigger.