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Thread Number: 15548
Metal or Plastic Fan? |
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| Post# 165319 , Reply# 1 1/9/2012 at 15:38 (4,483 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
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| Post# 165323 , Reply# 2 1/9/2012 at 16:11 (4,483 days old) by bravokid () | ||
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Metal is always best where availible lol but the real question is what the fan chamber is made out of and will it hold up to the projectiles picked up. | ||
Post# 165384 , Reply# 3 1/10/2012 at 04:16 (4,482 days old) by tolivac  (Greenville,NC) |
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For Orecks-the FANCASE is the weakest part.It will break if you hit something with either the metal or plastic fan.Overall-I prefer METAL fans and FANCASES all the way. | ||
| Post# 165413 , Reply# 4 1/10/2012 at 09:18 (4,482 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
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Post# 165535 , Reply# 5 1/11/2012 at 03:51 (4,481 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC) |
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Notice how a lot of the older metal direct air vacuums still work-the all plastic ones----imagine having an Oreck that would be 50yrs old?Other plastic direct air vacs are waiting their date in hydraulic hell in the dumpster. | ||
| Post# 165536 , Reply# 6 1/11/2012 at 05:25 (4,481 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
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| Post# 165564 , Reply# 7 1/11/2012 at 10:31 (4,481 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada) | ||
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| Post# 165662 , Reply# 9 1/11/2012 at 21:27 (4,481 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
Metal Vacuum fans are NOT always superior...
One thing for you guys to consider is that metal is not ALWAYS best for ALL fans in vacuums. Virtually everybody on this site never hesitates to say metal is good and plastic is bad (or cheap). In instances beyond household vacuums, plastic is frequently MORE strong than metal. Take for example those yard vacuums that Stihl and Echo and Poulan make that are gas powered and used to vacuum up yard debris such as leaves, sticks, pine cones, acorns, and frequently rocks that are mixed in. Those vacuums are a LOT more powerful than any house vacuum could even dream of being, and vacuum up enough stuff in seconds that would ruin any household fan-first vacuum (all metal or not) for GOOD. What are the fans and fan cases in these yard vacuums made of? Plastic, not metal! Why? Those materials are stiffer and won't bend, rust, or corrode, and they are much lighter. Nor do they shatter or even so much as crack whey they suffer serious impacts repeatedly. I have worked with these yard vacuums for years (I collect them as well as household vacuums), and I have NEVER seen a broken plastic fan or fancase, but I have seen older aluminum fans bent from large branches.
Bullet proof vests are not made of metal, either. Just thought I'd point that out. I am not saying this applies to all Orecks (although it might), and I am not trying to stray off topic, I just had to point this out. | ||
| Post# 165750 , Reply# 11 1/12/2012 at 19:49 (4,480 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
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Post# 165770 , Reply# 12 1/13/2012 at 01:50 (4,480 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC) |
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The Lowes brand blower has the metal fan-and at the Lowes place I saw them at the metal fanned Toro was the higher priced one.And the B&D Leafhog with the metal fan was a higher priced machine.The machines that I saw with plastic fans were the low priced ones made to be blowers only-not vacuums. | ||
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Post# 165893 , Reply# 13 1/14/2012 at 21:15 (4,478 days old) by KirbyClassicIII (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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Electric Lawn Mowers w/ Metal or Plastic Fans?
What about electric lawn mowers? I mean, did you like the electric lawn mowers of the '50s-'80s when they had metal fans as opposed to plastic fans?
What I am talking about: Black & Decker steel-deck single-blade electrics (1970-1987) and all twin-blade electrics (1967-1978) Sunbeam/Aircap/Mastercut single-blade and twin-blade electrics (before 1986) NOMA (Canada) single-blade and twin-blade electrics (before 1992) ~Ben | ||
| Post# 165987 , Reply# 14 1/15/2012 at 19:59 (4,477 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
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| Post# 165997 , Reply# 15 1/15/2012 at 20:45 (4,477 days old) by vac_whisperer () | ||
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Metalmetalmetal METAL! They can take a lot more abuse than a plastic fan. Heck, my next project is to fit my Sanitaire with a metal fan, (if you can do that) Heck, I love anything metal. :) | ||
| Post# 166013 , Reply# 16 1/16/2012 at 05:17 (4,476 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
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| Post# 166021 , Reply# 17 1/16/2012 at 08:19 (4,476 days old) by Blackheart (North Dakota) | ||
I can see either side
I like metal fans and i think they increase power (at least on a kirby) but i feel that a well made plastic fan can withstand a pretty good amount of abuse, growing up we had a Kirby Legend II we had both plastic and metal fans in it, i think the plastic ones lasted us a while longer my parents have never taken great care of the Kirby, i've seen plastic ones destroyed i've seen metal ones destroyed.
I know the G3 i gave them in exchange for the Legend II has sucked up a lot of loose change i want to say it had a grey fan in it and when i came home i would shake out the emptor finding all sorts of change and metallic objects, eventually the fan gave way, i think i once found about 3 nickles 4 dimes and 7-8 pennies in the emptor While i feel the metal fan is the superior performer i feel that the plastic ones are made to withstand the abuse from neglectful users a bit better. | ||
| Post# 166914 , Reply# 19 1/23/2012 at 23:03 (4,469 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2) | ||
Yep, metal fan is better if you can do it. In the UK we have very old Oreck models and I had a passed down family owned XL which I hated. I was very pleased when the plastic fan went on it but disappointed when Oreck UK sent me a metal fan and instructions on how to replace it. It went on for another few years - the red commercial XL uses a metal fan and that's the main difference in the UK where their XL models are concerned.
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| Post# 260534 , Reply# 21 12/23/2013 at 18:00 (3,769 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
Amodel Polymer fans are much stronger than metal fans !!!
I did some research on this and what I found is very interesting.
The fans that are installed in the newest Kirby's from the G5 through Sentria II are made from Amodel, NOT Kevlar as almost everyone on here has thought. For a while Kirby used Lexan, which was discontinued when the switch to superior Amodel was made in the G5. Amodel is widely used in the Aerospace industry so Kirby designed the new fan with the aid of NASA so that it would be the most durable and produce maximum airflow(CFM).Many folks on here, confused Lexan and Kevlar with Amodel. There were some problems with the Lexan fans after a few years of use. They would suffer stress fractures and would break apart if hit by any foreign object (not regular dirt). Amodel is a new type of polymer that is several times stronger than either Aluminum, which is used in the Royal metal upright vacuums, or Kevlar which was NEVER used in any Kirby vacuum. The Amodel fan is tougher than metal and believe it or not, will almost always outlast Lexan and metal fans. A few years ago, Kirby did a demonstration for some VCCC members during a tour of the factory where they used a Kirby vacuum with Amodel fan to suck up a bowlful of large nuts, bolts, marbles and pebbles. After disassembly, the fan had only a couple of very small nicks on it and deemed fully serviceable. The Kirby Sentria with it's higher speed motor, and NASA designed Amodel fan, produces more airflow (115 CFM) than any previous Kirby model. Here is a statement which you can lookup on the internet from Solvay Advanced Polymers who is the manufacturer of AMODEL: " About AMODEL Polyphthalamide-- With a heat deflection temperature of 536 degrees Fahrenheit (280 degrees Celsius) and continuous use temperature of 338 degrees Fahrenheit (170 degrees Celsius), AMODEL PPA retains its exceptional mechanical properties -- strength, stiffness, fatigue and creep resistance -- over a broad range and in high humidity environments. This versatile family of high-temperature nylons can give you the strength of aluminum, the stiffness of steel, and the impact and ductility of hard rubber --" I hope you all enjoyed the fruits of my research of AMODEL. -Stan CLICK HERE TO GO TO sptyks's LINK | ||
| Post# 260674 , Reply# 23 12/24/2013 at 19:17 (3,768 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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That's interesting...
Well Rex,
I really don't know how to answer your claim of all those broken fans. However It does make one wonder why Kirby would continue to use Amodel if it proved to be inferior to fans made of metal. Since Kirby have always been known for thier exceptional build quality and has used Amodel to make their fans for 15+ years now, wouldn't you think they would have reverted back to using metal in the G6 or G7 if the Amodel fans proved to be problematic? I don't know the answer, but it sure does make one wonder why Amodel is still being used. -Stan | ||
| Post# 260687 , Reply# 24 12/24/2013 at 21:51 (3,768 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
Easy, | ||
| Post# 260721 , Reply# 26 12/25/2013 at 09:44 (3,767 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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Well Rex,
While I fully respect your opinion, it doesn't mean I have to agree with it. So I guess we should just Agree to Disagree on this one. If there is anyone else out there who owns or has worked in a Vac shop and has seen this problem first hand, please feel free to chime in and tell us about your Kirby fan experiences. | ||
| Post# 260843 , Reply# 27 12/26/2013 at 13:27 (3,766 days old) by NYCWriter (New York City) | ||
My two cents ...
… and I'm not claiming personal experience as either a consumer or a "servicer" of metal fans, but I can tell you that not all metal is created equal.
Just because it's "metal" doesn't mean it's stronger than plastic. I've had several duffel/gym bags with shoulder straps made from leather, vinyl, and fabric, with elaborate strap systems. Usually the strap is has a buckle sewn onto the end, connected to another sewn-on flap by one of those metal spring-loaded hook-and-eye mechanisms. Every single one of those bags I've ever owned failed when the metal pin itself snapped right off! Not the threads giving way, not the strap fraying -- it's always the cheap-ass METAL that snaps right in half. Metal can be just as brittle as cheap plastic. | ||
| Post# 260849 , Reply# 28 12/26/2013 at 14:04 (3,766 days old) by Blackheart (North Dakota) | ||
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Just from what i've seen
The metal fans perform a little better but i feel they are more prone to breakage. Using my Legend II and Heritage II along with my trusty baird meter i can see that the metal ones do offer stronger airflow.
The Heritage II is using a plastic fan and pulls an 8.5 The Legend II is using a metal fan and pulled just under 10 probably about 9.75 Now here's the real shocker i switched the crushproof hose for the same Heritage II hose i was using on my other two to test the G6 it pulled about an 8 it was moving a little back and forth from about the 7.5 to the 8 mark My parents are hard on their vacuum they now have a G3 and a few years back when i would come come i'd take the emptor off and shake it to release the heavier objects i found i'd guess 10+ different coins in the emptor, screws, other objects they should not be picking up with a direct air machine. About 2 years back i had to replace the fan as it had just finally had enough. I think the biggest thing is the flexibility of the materials the plastic fans allow for some bending which allows them to survive these objects passing through where the metal fan is more brittle and instead of bending it will just snap. | ||
| Post# 260908 , Reply# 29 12/26/2013 at 21:00 (3,766 days old) by sptyks (Skowhegan, Maine) | ||
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Sentria airflow | ||
| Post# 260924 , Reply# 30 12/27/2013 at 03:16 (3,765 days old) by Blackheart (North Dakota) | ||
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well
If you test a kirby at the fan case they will pull a 10 my G6 will pull a 10 and i believe the G3 would too.
I did not test them at the fan case though. All three were tested at the end of the same Heritage II hose (the machine had needed to be swapped out to use with the G6) To answer your question i have not measured a sentria | ||
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