Thread Number: 20833
The WORST vacuum cleaners, Ever made. In History.
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Post# 233237   5/19/2013 at 14:43 (3,965 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        

super-sweeper's profile picture

What's some of the worst vacuums cleaners in the history of vacuum cleaners?
(Let's say 1920-2013).

This includes modern and vintage, flops, the poorly designed, and the ones that where
just plain-out horrible in any way possible.

What do you got?
One would defiantly be the Eureka we all cower in the corners from...
The one with nothing more than a filter to retain dirt...

This thing!

 

How on earth is in $99.99, with a 4 star rating!?



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Post# 233239 , Reply# 1   5/19/2013 at 14:46 (3,965 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

all vacuums with filters in bins are total crap in the UK, well mostly


Post# 233248 , Reply# 2   5/19/2013 at 15:44 (3,965 days old) by ilikeoddvacuums ()        
honestly,

any hoover uprights made since 2009 why? BECAUSE THAEY ARE ALL THE SAME THING!!!!! THE SAME REBADGED T SERIES GARBAGE
also let me guess,this is a response to my last post


Post# 233253 , Reply# 3   5/19/2013 at 16:00 (3,965 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

I would have to say the first Regina Housekeeper with the idler wheel on it was the worst vacuum I ever came across.

Post# 233258 , Reply# 4   5/19/2013 at 18:01 (3,965 days old) by vacuumman206 ()        

Reginas were certainly junk for actual cleaning, but now serve as cool pieces for collections. Any vacuum made within the last 10 years by the popular brands is unatractive junk. Dirt devil and Bissell especially; the cleanview platform Bissell has been tirelessly reusing since its introduction is garbage, yet they continue to modify and duplicate it. For dirt devil, the first mistake vac i think they made was the swivel glide(though that goes pre-2003). the swivel wheels were a pain, the handle release easily broke, they had a very loud annoying sound to them, and the design as a whole made every component easily breakable in any situation. with their introduction of the crappy breeze line, they like bissell has continued to modify and duplicate under other names. Eureka is the only company i would say that their repetitious designs aren't too bad. The platform they use for all their cheap/mid-line machines is cheap, but has some positives. for one, of all modern vacuums, eurekas are the only machines to propell themselves. a downside to the cheap upright line is those dust bins are so so hard to open without breaking the latch.

Post# 233260 , Reply# 5   5/19/2013 at 19:11 (3,965 days old) by ncovert (Grove City, PA)        
I can point fingers at a few:

-Hoover Elites (loud, flimsy, basically the 90's equivalent to Plastivacs®.)
-Any Bissell made after 2000.
-Everything with the word Dirt Devil in it.


Post# 233261 , Reply# 6   5/19/2013 at 19:40 (3,965 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

OK, how about the original Electrolux upright, I think it was the model 1451 ? Magnetic clutch when something got caught in the brush it sounded like it was going to explode, also the intricate duct ork that the dirt had to go through before it got into the bag, machine was so prone to clogging, the plastic handle would snap off, cord hook would break, it was a disaster.

Post# 233287 , Reply# 7   5/20/2013 at 02:12 (3,965 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

The British Dyson DC01 is an amazing and durable machine considering it was launched 20 years ago! as for the DC02, that was a cylinder version, excellent vac, the DC03 had almost industrial grade filtration and the motors are always like new! It's hard to kill a British made Dyson, the DC07 non clutched is like everywhere, especially the yellow DC01 and lime DC04, these groom carpets nicely, and the DC08 had SOOOOO MUCH SUCTION (12 cyclones) it goes for over £50 on ebay even for a broken one! and the contact heads for them go for quite some value too! the suction i the greatest out of any other Dyson, at 350 AW


Post# 233290 , Reply# 8   5/20/2013 at 02:27 (3,965 days old) by madabouthoovers ()        

Parwaz - we are talking about the Worst vacs, not what you consider the best ones lol.
I cant help thinking this topic has come up time and time again, but I'll say the worst vac ever was the Hoover "The One" - the most useless, unreliable hunk of junk ever to be sold under the pretence of a vacuum cleaner.



Post# 233337 , Reply# 9   5/20/2013 at 13:37 (3,964 days old) by parwaz786 ( )        

Lol, Sorry Steve, and yes I agree so much, my Uncle had owned a repair shop and he had a Hoover the one at the back of the shop, and I seen quite a few at the carboots, lots on eBay, etc

Vax are rubbish, mainly the cylinders

Asda smart price cylinders are also terrible

 


Post# 233339 , Reply# 10   5/20/2013 at 13:41 (3,964 days old) by dysondestijl (east midlands, UK)        

Asda vacuums
Mainly all bissels
Vax swift
Panasonic bagless uprights aren't the best
Quite a few vax's


Post# 233376 , Reply# 11   5/20/2013 at 18:00 (3,964 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

dysonman1's profile picture
Perhaps because I'm many decades old, there seems to have never been a time when some 'brand' or type of vacuum was considered 'the worst piece of junk'. When I was a kid, the Shetland Lewyt was hailed as 'the worst' because they were so very cheaply made and didn't last but a year or so. When the Hoover Elite came out, I was standing in a Wal-Mart looking at the brand new Elite 200. I remarked that it looked like the cheapest piece of junk I'd seen since the Regina Housekeeper.

What's interesting is that what one generation considered 'junk', a newer generation considers collectable.

If I had to name one vacuum that was absolutely worthless 'as a vacuum cleaner', it would have to be the pink Regina 1000 Housekeeper.


Post# 233379 , Reply# 12   5/20/2013 at 18:44 (3,964 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

Yes Tom, I agree, we are from the same era, the Sheltand Lewyt canister with the electric broom motor and plastic fan was among the worst, only to be beaten by their new Life Long line that came out right after that. And yes, I see you agree the Housekeeper 1000 was the worst vacuum ever built, when customers used to bring them into my store with the clear idler pulley belt burned off I would say to my self "why are you bothering?" oh well, it's only getting worse out there.



Post# 233428 , Reply# 13   5/21/2013 at 03:43 (3,964 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

I think the Premier plastic "pancake head" vacuums were the worst--Had one marked as "Mastercraft" sold thru a janitor supply place-HORRIBLE machine-noisey-vibrated the handle in your hand-stampted steel fan that broke easier than a plastic one-and the plastic base broke when the fan did.Used the machine at a radio station transmitter site-replaced the Mastercraft with a metal Royal commercial upright--MUCH BETTER-put the condenmed Mastercraft on the curb----the neighborhood trash company's E-Z Pack trash truck had a crunchy meal!loved seeing the plastic bits drop into the hopper after the pack cycle!And it got packed again!!!Somewhere I saved the bag from it-black cloth-"Mastercraft" printed on it-and it used F&G type paper bags inside.Just haven't been able to find it-went thru several moves.

Post# 233761 , Reply# 14   5/23/2013 at 19:44 (3,961 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
Yes,

super-sweeper's profile picture

@Ilikeoddvacuums, your previous post inspired me to post this thread.

 

I didn't find elite to be to bad- they appear to last, and i find them everywhere :D

However, I do remember taking in a newer Cormericial Elite, with the Elite 200's style of hood in black.

The motor had thrown some bits off the Amruture!

 

I also recall reading somewhere (Some consumer complaint site) that An Main-Drive of a Hoover Elite/ Turbopower (Doesn't mattter, they used the same motor) 's motor had, well, Frankly "Exploded", leaving a gash of a hole in the plastic casing

of the motor (This plastic was quite brittle on early elites, My near-mint Hoover Elite 200 came to me with a crack trough it's motor housing, along with brittle bits of "Screw holding" plastic stubs on the fan chamber.

 

All in all,the Elite was a famously popular vacuum, which many comperitors made a copy of:

 

EUREKA-BRAVO

SINGER-POWER AMP-

BISSELL- POWER PARTNER (COPY OF SINGER "POWER AMP, BISSELL BOUGHT OUT SINGER'S DESIGN).

KENMORE- POWER CENTER

DIRT DEVIL- DIRT DEVIL LITE/LITE PLUS

PANASONIC-(No name avalible).

 

That's all I can recall.

 

While defianantly not practical, nor durable, those "Pancake head" General-Electric/ Premier cleaner where quite intresting.

 

And, If you would please excuse me, what exactly is an "Asda" vacuum?

 

 


Post# 233825 , Reply# 15   5/24/2013 at 01:33 (3,961 days old) by ilikeoddvacuums ()        
Aw set

ASDA=British Walmart
Also,so it's
1.hoover "the one"
2.shetland lewt canister vac
3.electrolux model 1451
I would love to see some more flops not personal experiences


Post# 233841 , Reply# 16   5/24/2013 at 06:03 (3,961 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

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Going through a lot of my old brochures and catalogues, it appears that once upon a time, one could've spent any amount on a vacuum cleaner and got a relatively decent machine. For example, the Goblin Laser was for a long time the cheapest upright in the UK. Whilst it's hose suction is pretty pathetic, as an upright, it's not a bad machine. The only thing against it, really, is it's appalling build quality - feels like it's made of playdough. From the same era, the Goblin Rio was again a pretty decent vacuum with good suction, but let down by it's poor tools. The Goblin Housemaid was pretty useless though. The Dyson DC01 & DC03 were pretty much a joke performance wise.

The Hoover "The One" is probably the biggest disaster of a vacuum in a recent years. There was a LOT of hype around the development of The One with rumours rife amongst competitors about a swanky new cleaner that would put all others to shame. But on launch, it prove to be horrible in everyway - loud, awkward to use, heavy, poor performance, unreliable and poorly constructed. I think it was another member on here who recalled every single one of The One machines sold in a local Currys store were returned. The Hoover Dustmanager is equally as awful and has been on sale for years - god knows why people insist on buying them.

My biggest objection in the UK market at the moment is brands like Electrolux, Bissell, Vax and Hoover selling cheap, low efficiency direct filter cyclone cleaners for ridiculous prices. People can say what they want about Argos Value bagless uprights, but at least the low price reflects the quality of the machine and nobody is going to expect mircales from a £40 cleaner. But particularly Vax and Hoover are selling machines of a similar design with price tags well over the £100 mark. A general consumer would expect to get a quality machine for such a price. See link for a good example.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO Turbo500's LINK


Post# 233850 , Reply# 17   5/24/2013 at 08:32 (3,961 days old) by knoxfrzb ()        
not a vac but

the bissell steam vac carpet shampooers are huge wads of junk

Post# 233864 , Reply# 18   5/24/2013 at 13:44 (3,960 days old) by kenkart ()        
In my opinion...

There are no cheaper, noisier, pitiful machines than any of the bagless machines made today and worst of all, Eureka Bravos and Hoover Elites, all you need to do is use a Hoover Convertible or a Eureka 260 and see just how much better they are.

Post# 264818 , Reply# 19   1/26/2014 at 09:37 (3,714 days old) by keiththomas (Northumberland, England)        

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Well I have researched into vacuum cleaners and it appears the Hoover One which I recalled was given a bar review by the British Consumer magazine "Which". I did look at the machine out of interest and they wanted as much as a Dyson. A Very Ugly looking thing I thought. I am not certain what year it was launched and when it ended. But it has suddenly dropped. Trouble is they are all made at a price and to not last too long.

Post# 264849 , Reply# 20   1/27/2014 at 00:36 (3,713 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)        

durango159's profile picture
Eureka Power Plus bagless and it's twin the yellow Maxima bagged!!! Awful polluters and sound terrible.

Post# 264862 , Reply# 21   1/27/2014 at 05:02 (3,713 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        

This post has been removed by the member who posted it.



Post# 264863 , Reply# 22   1/27/2014 at 05:09 (3,713 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        
Eureka Power Plus bagless

turbo500's profile picture
We had those in the UK as the Electrolux Vitesse Pet Lover. It upsets me greatly that the word "Electrolux" was on such a horrific machine. Absolutely awful vacuum.

US guys, wouldn't the Hoover Z be considered quite a flop?


Post# 264867 , Reply# 23   1/27/2014 at 06:26 (3,713 days old) by kenkart ()        
Most over rated

Has to be any Dyson, cheap plastic dustblower, when they were first getting established in the States, Jimmy martin brought one to my house, I had my little dog then, and had not vacuumed in a week, so we thought it would really pich up some dirt and hair, we vacuumed a good sized area and got almost no dog hair and very little dust, I had a Rainbow E, I went over the same area once and the water was full of dog hair and sand...as far as I was concerned , case closed, because I dont consider a Rainbow very good!

Post# 265640 , Reply# 24   2/1/2014 at 01:24 (3,708 days old) by cocoaboo48 (ny 11418)        
connies

One of my favorites is the connies from the early 60's. They are very simple and powerful. A lot of the early brands like Eureka,Lewyt were very good machines but now they are crap. I was never a Lux fan. Every old lux I came across needed a new hose because they used the old woven type hose.

Post# 265645 , Reply# 25   2/1/2014 at 02:02 (3,708 days old) by ultralux88 (Denver, Colorado)        

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The Regina Housekeeper was very crappy, certainly one of the most poorly built and shortest lasting machines I've known to exist, but for being in the vacuum business they are really before my time, in fact I've only ever worked on two of them myself since working in the business since 2004, which says that despite the many thousand sold very few actually lived while I see many Hoovers Eurekas and most other machines from that time. However the Hoover Windtunnel V2 s very much in my time and very much a horrible piece of crap! The big issue that was never resolved was the fact that the brushrolls would strip out where the drive shafts went, originally they had the solid molded brush roll with the round hole with a flat spot on both sides for the drive shaft to go, the plastic would strip right out as soon as too much resistance was applied. They tried to fix this by using a metal insert in the end of the brushroll for the shaft to go in, thinking that would solve it, but all that would happen is the insert would strip inside the brush, yes this took longer, but it still happened. the bearings on the other end would always fill with hair and melt up, and the hair would collect against the gearbox and the bruhroll and melt that up, and the gears had a nasty habit of stripping out as well, and they weren't too fun or easy to change either. They had a lovely habit of the brushes stripping the first time you ran it. Thankfully I only worked on one or two myself, and never did any serious in-depth repairs, but I watched others do it many times, and I heard all the horror stories. I don't think there is a single worst vacuum ever, but there are definitely many tied for that place. too many good and unique ideas gone terribly wrong...

Post# 265851 , Reply# 26   2/2/2014 at 20:22 (3,706 days old) by sries (Tacoma WA)        
This is just my opinion but...

sries's profile picture
The Dyson Dco everything.

Post# 265861 , Reply# 27   2/2/2014 at 20:58 (3,706 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
Muhahahaha!

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I like your style, Sries! Board up the doors and Telephone ports, because this thread is about to flood due to Dyson fans!


Post# 265921 , Reply# 28   2/3/2014 at 13:28 (3,705 days old) by sebo_fan (Scotland, UK, member AKA ukvacfan, & Nar2)        

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The worst uprights I've ever tried are the Dirt Devil (UK company based) bagged uprights based on the old Electrolux Contour uprights. A chore to push, awful plastics and even if later models were fitted with HEPA cartridges, these heaps were too noisy as well.

Also sold under Swan and JMB catalogue versions.


Post# 266000 , Reply# 29   2/3/2014 at 19:23 (3,705 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

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I would nominate the Hoover Z All-Terrain Vehicle Vacuum! It may have cleaned well but what a bulky monster!

Post# 266010 , Reply# 30   2/3/2014 at 20:02 (3,705 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
I have a HOOVER "Z"

gottahaveahoove's profile picture
Big surprise, right? They DO clean well, but they were considered HOOVER'S "Edsol". THey were designed for a "MAN" to like/use. A "butch" vacuum....... I like it's performance, but could NEVER use it daily. Too many bells and whistles. a LOT to break. I've opened up mine once at a mini meet. If you collect HOOVER, ( and shouldn't everyone?) you MUST have at least one Z.

Post# 266011 , Reply# 31   2/3/2014 at 20:07 (3,705 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
And by "Edsol" you mean,

super-sweeper's profile picture

"Edsel", Chevrolet's car of yesteryear. Of course, I collect Hoovers, Don't you do, too, John? Laughing


Post# 266012 , Reply# 32   2/3/2014 at 20:13 (3,705 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
yes, Edsel... thanks. I KNEW it was wrong.......

gottahaveahoove's profile picture
Do I collect HOOVER??? Maybe one or two, or 400 + but, who's counting? lololol

Post# 266013 , Reply# 33   2/3/2014 at 20:14 (3,705 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)        

durango159's profile picture
John, you'll have to bring down that Z some time! I've never tried one. Would be interesting. Great seeing you as usual.


Post# 266016 , Reply# 34   2/3/2014 at 20:35 (3,705 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640)        
I'll make sure it's downstairs next time you come.

gottahaveahoove's profile picture
It's currently wrapped up in the "unfinished" bedroom... too hard to get at. It was fun to use a few meets ago. before your time. Great to see you, too.


Post# 266019 , Reply# 35   2/3/2014 at 20:46 (3,705 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA)        

suckolux's profile picture
Chevrolet? You were kidding right??FoMoCo

Post# 266022 , Reply# 36   2/3/2014 at 20:59 (3,705 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
YES! Ford!!!!!

super-sweeper's profile picture

What am I thinking? I've got that Dinah Shore Chevrolet commercial stuck in my head!

My, what a pickle, Or should I say Edsel? Laughing


Post# 266023 , Reply# 37   2/3/2014 at 21:00 (3,705 days old) by sries (Tacoma WA)        
A responce to Super Sweeper's comment to me

sries's profile picture
Yea thanks i don't allow any one in my family to even say Dyson, not even my parent's lol. :)

Post# 266550 , Reply# 38   2/7/2014 at 08:26 (3,702 days old) by electrikbroomgu (Rome, NY)        
Worst of the worst

electrikbroomgu's profile picture
Has to be the already mentioned original Regina Housekeeper 1000 in all it's pink glory. The plastic they used must have been the cheapest most brittle known to man kind. Sadly that very same garbage plastic made it's way into the Electrikbrooms starting in 1984 on the motor housings which see 90% of them cracked where the dirt path screws into the upper bag retainer portion. By late 1989 that same cheap plastic was used on the upper handle too on the Cosmo style brooms and they are often found cracked.

Post# 266564 , Reply# 39   2/7/2014 at 09:51 (3,702 days old) by Oreck_XL (Brooklyn, New York 11211)        

oreck_xl's profile picture
I would have to say probably anything made by Electrolux (a.k.a. Eurekalux) since Eureka took over the Electrolux name. The swivel necks on their powernozzles are an abomination and as a whole the machines are just a complicated mess of wires and circuit boards. Another case (like Hoover) where a good name is being "dragged through the dirt" and bought by unsuspecting customers.

- Hershel


Post# 266755 , Reply# 40   2/8/2014 at 15:55 (3,700 days old) by Durango159 (State College, PA)        

durango159's profile picture
I heard that the neck connections on the Eureka made Electrolux power nozzles was essentially fixed. Many of those Electrolux machines are whisper quiet while packing a good punch. I like the easy rolling rubber coated rear wheels on their power heads


Post# 266801 , Reply# 41   2/8/2014 at 22:29 (3,700 days old) by MysteryManBob (New Port Richey,FL)        
"Chiritory"

mysterymanbob's profile picture
I have heard lots about the Hoover "The One", but I've never used that in person.
from experience, my worst cleaner is actually quite an interesting unit.
it was made by NINTENDO in 1979 and is Japan exclusive.
It's basically a remote control Roomba ( which are also terrible )
It's pretty fun as a collectable knick knack, but not a functioning vacuum.


Post# 266813 , Reply# 42   2/8/2014 at 23:40 (3,700 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
Just a clarification: Eureka never "took over" the Electrolux name. Sweden's Electrolux company bought Eureka Williams in 1974 and from then on Eureka was a division of the worldwide Electrolux appliance corporation. Electrolux bought back the rights to use it's own original brandname in North America in 2007. Therefore from 2007 onward Sweden's Electrolux was selling their vacuum cleaners in North America under both the "Eureka" brandname and the "Electrolux" brandname. Their North American vacuum cleaners have from then on been designed either in the USA, or Sweden, or some combination of both.

Post# 292563 , Reply# 43   8/9/2014 at 11:31 (3,519 days old) by N64_hoover_dude ()        

The Dirt Devil Vision Canister registers an average of 104 decibels O_o

CLICK HERE TO GO TO N64_hoover_dude's LINK


Post# 292573 , Reply# 44   8/9/2014 at 13:23 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Orek and Durango, I have a late 1990's US made Electrolux Epic 8000. The swivel neck on the powered floor brush is a horror story. Ok, it's prettier than a Kenmore Powermate and the wires don't run down the side of the neck like the Kenmore, but that is it's great weakness. The wire routing can under some situations allow the user to guillotine one of the wires, and the wire guage is ridiculously small. Trying to strip those wires to repair one that was cut by the swivel neck even the smallest hole in my wire stripper was too large for the guage of the wire. I mean my motorcycles with 12 volt electrics use heavier guage wire. And the little cover over the contacts between the swivel neck and wands is held on by the smallest possible self tapping screw. On mine the hole is stripped so the cover for now is held on with rubber bands. I have thirty plus year old Kenmore Powermates that have withstood more abuse with less going wrong than this Electrolux brush. And that design continues to be built today.

I nominate the Electrolux brush as the worst brush design made.

The vacuum itself? Well made, great suction and airflow, no exhaust air control (it goes everywhere inside the vacuum) and one huge omission; no secondary filtration whatsoever. I can stuff a standard Kenmore secondary filter into the back of the bag compartment, and it works good, but still ..........


Post# 292574 , Reply# 45   8/9/2014 at 13:28 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Now that I have ragged all over my Electrolux, I have to say that my Hoover U5133-940 is much much worse. That thing has absolutely no redeeming features. Loud, nasty, blows air out of every seam including one hot jet that exits the bag compartment door and hits my face as I use it (ugh!). The worst possible hose and tools, and a frustrating little spring loaded trap door that tends to push the hose out of it's receptacle in the base, keeping in mind the way the hose is secured to that base is completely inadequate. How many times have I stretched that supposedly stretchy hose just a smidge and had the hose pop out of the receptacle. Kludge! Can any vacuum be worse than this?

Post# 292579 , Reply# 46   8/9/2014 at 13:52 (3,518 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

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The Electrolux Epic 800 DOES have secondary filtration. The filter is under the attachment carrier, under the door at the top of the machine.

Post# 292586 , Reply# 47   8/9/2014 at 15:02 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

No Dysonman, that is the exhaust filter you are describing. On a canister vac the secondary filter is between the bag and the motor. On the Epic 8000 there is nothing but a nice big hole from the bag to the motor fan. Electrolux later offered some kind of charcoal filter to cut unpleasant odors, but I have never seen one nor even seen one available for sale. Instead I cut half an inch of a Kenmore 5X5 inch secondary filter for one of their canister vacs and place that at the back of the bag compartment. The ribs in the bag compartment hold it in pretty well.

The exhaust filter is pretty useless too because exhaust air flows freely inside the vacuum body and comes out of the cord hole as well as through that filter. The housing around the motor lets a lot of exhaust air get past it.


Post# 292600 , Reply# 48   8/9/2014 at 17:23 (3,518 days old) by kenkart ()        
Anything made after 1980 or so...But

The most vile creatures ever built are Eureka Bravos,Orecks ,Dysons, any Regina Housekeeper and Hoover Elites...I remember working on all these and thinking how pitiful they were compared to a 260 Eureka and a Hoover Convertible....now those two were really fine machines!

Post# 292601 , Reply# 49   8/9/2014 at 17:37 (3,518 days old) by ronni (USA)        

I thought the exhaust filter was mainly to catch the carbon dust from the motor. Isn't the main HEPA filtration of a tank cleaner (along with many uprights and some canisters) in the disposable bag, while the secondary filter catches much of the micro particles that escape the bag's filtration--or in Aerus's case deodorizes the air with the carbon filter?

Post# 292605 , Reply# 50   8/9/2014 at 19:02 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

The secondary filter is primarily to protect the fan and, in the case of a thru-flow motor typical of most canisters the motor itself, from anything that gets past the bag. A lot of vacuums have HEPA exhaust filtration in addition to HEPA bags, but if your bag fails or for some reason there is a poor seal to the hose the secondary filter protects the motor from being FODed by debris. Some vacs add a layer of HEPA filtration at the secondary filter, along with charcoal filters for odor elimination.

The Electrolux Epic 8000 and Renaissance models had nothing between the bag and the motor intake. After air exited the fan it cooled the motor and went into a housing. There was this spring loaded trap door thing that would direct the air forward to an exhaust filter, a darn thin one mind you and out through the tool compartment (gaps in the door let exhaust escape) but in practice the exhaust air circulates freely inside the vacuum.

Here are some before and after shots of the Epic 8000 clean-up. I had to go back in a second time to remove the motor, disassemble the fields from the fan and soak these in an orange degreaser to remove the stench of whatever the previous owner/abuser sucked up. Whatever it was it was wet and, um, shall we say organic and it blew through the motor and splattered everywhere inside. During the second go around I figured out how to get the bag compartment out of the lower body, which revealed how to remove the door and all the wiring so I could immerse the whole body in water to clean it. The motor sat outside disassembled in 110 degree heat for a week to finally get rid of the stench. You can see from one image there is no provision for secondary filtration, and the exhaust filtration under the tool tray is a cruel joke.


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Post# 292606 , Reply# 51   8/9/2014 at 19:10 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Here is the Electrolux floor brush I am so fond of. I included two shots showing how I made a secondary filter for it using normal Kenmore secondary filter media like you find in their current vacs, and one of the motor catching some California desert sunshine.

The Lux floor brush has a high parts count, linguini thin wire guage (and it's taking a full 115 VAC on my voltmeter) and a delicate swivel neck with wires running through the swivel. Just asking for a problem.


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Post# 292612 , Reply# 52   8/9/2014 at 19:25 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Here is a nice simple, robust Panasonic brush for comparison. This is, to me, the standard of excellence for powered floor brushes.

This is a Panasonic brush. The same basic brush has been in production for almost forty years. The headlight cover releases by squeezing in the sides to release two tabs. The top snaps firmly into the base at on each side, and the two screws go through the top, the swivel neck and into the base. They come apart in less than a minute when you have done them a couple of times, while the Lux brush has six screws you remove from underneath followed by prying off a horseshoe shaped collar on the swivel neck to get the cover off. After that you have to remove another inner cover to get at the belt and brush. The brush of the Lux head is held in by a further two screws. Go back and look at the photos of the Lux head. The Panasonic head uses slots in the base that mate to tabs on the brush ends. Just lift out. When the cover is in place the brush ends are secured in the base. So simple. The Panasonic head is so much easier to work on, no wires go through the swivel neck and the guage of the wires is larger. Plus the brush goes right to the wee edges of the machine so you can vacuum right up to the baseboard. It's a superior piece in every way.


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Post# 292613 , Reply# 53   8/9/2014 at 19:33 (3,518 days old) by ctvacman (CT)        

I would say the first electrolux upright as well.

Post# 292648 , Reply# 54   8/9/2014 at 22:17 (3,518 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
Ronni,

the after filter in the Renny,8000 and the plastic canisters are to catch carbon dust and anything down to 1 micron. The after filter is three layers. The previous bag was the first 4 layers of filtration. Today the new bags will get 94% down to .3 microns (HEPA) and are 4 times better according to tests done on the bag before it came out.

Post# 292650 , Reply# 55   8/9/2014 at 22:33 (3,518 days old) by ronni (USA)        

Thanks for clarifying the filtration system. I do wonder if the previous owner(s) of your Epic 8000/Model C133A ever ran the cleaner with a damaged bag which allowed so much dust throughout its inside. I have learned that mice sometimes find their way into the installed bag and chew through it. If mice were EVER seen in the house, or if a cleaner were stored in a garage or porch when not in use it would be prudent to find something to cap the hose inlet.

Regarding the Panasonic power nozzle versus the Electrolux N115K the superior quality and simplicity of the former is evident. I would imagine that Aerus has since improved that design as your Electrolux power nozzle is over 15 years old.

However, it's also probable that the Electrolux power nozzle may have been constructed in such a way as to require frequent--at least annual--service from a tech due to the apparent flimsy materials and complicated assembly. In a way I don't blame them--as Electrolux service techs were probably as busy as the Maytag repairmen.

I understand now that Aerus has a service tech program in which annual "service checks" are provided by persons who have been trained on basic repairs and replacements (although some have told me that it is also a thinly-disguised method of pushing new products, too). Appointments are made with the use of their customer database--which one's name is added to when a purchase or repair is made.



Post# 292704 , Reply# 56   8/10/2014 at 09:23 (3,518 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Ronni, I don't think it was mice. A paper bag won't long contain wet contents. Judging from the appearance, smell and, um, texture :o of what was clogging the hose, handle, wands, floor brush and even the poor Sidekick, someone was vacuuming vomit and/or animal waste with it.

As for that thing making claims to HEPA levels of filtration, I'm laughing. Exhaust air circulates all through that vacuum and comes out places other than the after filter under the tool tray. Not that my Kenmores of that era are any better in this regard. The first gen 5055 bagged machines have an exhaust filter but a fluid follows the path of least resistance and most of the exhaust air blows out the cord hole or out another vent on top. The Whispertone doesn't even make a pretense at trying to filter the exhaust, there is no filter and no way to create one. At least Panasonic threw a piece of foam between the bag and the motor to catch the big chunks. It wasn't until the Progressive line came out that Panasonic/Kenmore put serious secondary filters in their machines and ducting around the motors to force all the exhaust air out a proper pleated HEPA filter.


Post# 292784 , Reply# 57   8/10/2014 at 20:31 (3,517 days old) by Gr8DaneDad ()        

Desert-Tortise,

Were your Epic 8000 in good condition and as it left the factory, it would not leak exhaust. My Renny doesn't nor do any of the machines from that era that I've worked on. Yours has led an abused and hard life, it is not representative of all Electrolux machines,  not even representative of a small minority of the machines of it's time. It is one very poorly treated example. Your bashing is gone beyond obsessive to ridiculous. Why don't you just get rid of it and lavish your regard on your beloved Kenmores?

 

 


Post# 292796 , Reply# 58   8/10/2014 at 21:42 (3,517 days old) by firebirdman55 (Owensboro Kentucky)        

firebirdman55's profile picture
Bison...pretty to look at...very unreliable.

Post# 292798 , Reply# 59   8/10/2014 at 22:22 (3,517 days old) by marks_here (_._)        

marks_here's profile picture
LOL that describes my ex's in the 80's - 90's...pretty to look at...very unreliable LBFAD....looks better from a distance!

Post# 292802 , Reply# 60   8/10/2014 at 23:00 (3,517 days old) by ronni (USA)        

Thanks, John. I just purchased a partially used box of Home Solutions bags and read that same information on it. I would take for granted, then, that all Home Solutions bags have the filtration you've described?

I wonder just how necessary after-filters are for a person with no dust allergies if the Home Solution bags--or especially the HEPA bags-- are so efficient at filtering the air?

Anyway, I love to have my windows open when the humidity and heat are tolerable (which has been most every day this spring and summer), and since I am proactive at keeping the dust in my house at minimum levels (e. g. replacing the furnace filter regularly, dusting, and vacuuming) it seems pointless to have a cleaner with an after-filter. My daily drivers are a Model G and a Model 1505/Silverado. I suppose a secondary filter wouldn't hurt for added motor protection and reducing odors, though.


__________


DT, Tom knows his Electroluxes and Aeruses, so I would agree with his assessment that your cleaner's condition is atypical of the brand. Your idea of the bag getting wet with vomit and animal excrement is plausible from the photos you've posted of it. Suffice it to say that at least one damaged bag caused your machine's inside to get coated with contaminants.


Post# 292820 , Reply# 61   8/11/2014 at 00:46 (3,517 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

I never intended to antagonize Tom and I apologize for doing so. Tom is as knowledgeable as anyone we will ever find regarding Electrolux vacuums. I value his advice highly.

To me a true HEPA filtered vacuum filters air with a pleated filter from the bag compartment into the motor, the motor is in a container that is sealed both to the secondary filter and an exhaust HEPA filter. Air that has been through the bag and the motor never circulates inside any other part of the vacuum other than that sealed motor chamber and every bit of that air is routed directly from the motor through a pleated filter and out of the vacuum. Vacuums like a Miele canister are so constructed. The motor in my Windsor is in a sealed container with nice rubber gaskets and all motor exhaust is confined to that chamber until it exits the exhaust filter.

None of my Kenmore vacs meet that criteria, the Whispertones don't even pretend to have an exhaust filter all the hot air goes out louvers under the cord winder. Nor does my particular Electrolux meet that standard. The exhaust is not that well confined, it circulates the whole fore body of the vacuum, a little sneaks out the cord opening and the final filter isn't pleated. It's a fine vacuum and very well made, I enjoy it a lot, but HEPA? Eh, maybe a bit strong a statement to call that particular model HEPA. Near HEPA? I dunno. I have never even seen another Electrolux vac of any kind so I don't know what goes on inside those. Maybe other models are better that way. I only know the vacuum I have. It once was abused, yes, but now it is all together, I did a proper refurbishment and it works as designed.


Post# 292869 , Reply# 62   8/11/2014 at 08:48 (3,517 days old) by tig21er (Indiana)        
The

Guardian is a true sealed system with HEPA.

Post# 292897 , Reply# 63   8/11/2014 at 11:05 (3,517 days old) by Gr8DaneDad ()        

The only Aerus vacuums which claim HEPA filtration are the Lux Guardian Platinum canister(double HEPA), Lux Guardian upright, Lux Guardian Ultra canister and the Lux Guardian canister.  The HEPA filter from the Guardian Ultra will fit on the Legacy. Epic 7000, Epic 6500 and Epic 6000, however since they aren't sealed, they will still not be HEPA... very close but no cigar. All the plastic models with an exhaust filter, using a current home solutions bag are just under HEPA levels and any canister or upright using Home Solution bags are at least 94% filtration, with exhaust filter, ~97%. Most of the uprights, with very minor modification can be sealed, and the addition of the Guardian HEPA filter gets you the same results.

 

 


Post# 292910 , Reply# 64   8/11/2014 at 11:39 (3,517 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Not that I need full HEPA but my fiancee has horrible allergies, what does tha top mounted canister filter do for an EPIC 8000/Rennaissance 9000 filtration wise? It looks like plugging that thing in is like putting the hose on that outlet, it closes the trap door to the front of the vacuum and sends all the exhaust through the filter.

I would also be curious since I have never once seen one to know what the charcoal filter for those machines looks like.



Post# 292916 , Reply# 65   8/11/2014 at 11:48 (3,517 days old) by DJub85 (Virginia)        

Regarding the Aerus pre-motor charcoal filters, they are readily available from the Aerus website or any Aerus dealer, and they fit all C machines from the '68 1205 forward, including the current model Legacy, Classic, and the recently discontinued Ultra. They remove odors, and they protect the motor in the event of a damaged bag. They also have little notches so that they perfectly fit in the ribbed bag compartment. They are available for the R-style machines (Renaissance, etc), and the Platinum has its own charcoal filters.

 

Thinking about the Guardian Ultra's sealed HEPA system, I have no idea why they didn't transfer that sealed HEPA setup to the Legacy (and maybe even Classic) when the Guardian Platinum came out and discontinued the Ultra. The Ultra shares essentially the same body as the Legacy and Classic, so why did Aerus just throw away the sealed system internals from the Ultra? It couldn't be that expensive... and then Aerus's entire product line could be made of sealed HEPA systems. Maybe that's coming down the road... who knows.


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This post was last edited 08/11/2014 at 12:37
Post# 292919 , Reply# 66   8/11/2014 at 12:14 (3,517 days old) by Gr8DaneDad ()        

the charcoal filters are available for every machine, including R and U bag users. I have them in some of my machines but I've lately tried some 24" x 24" bulk filter material and made my own afterfilters (*thanks D-T for the idea) and at $5 a sheet, it's dirt cheap and very effective in any of the machines with out a perforated bag chamber. 

 

D-T,

The exhaust filter is there to catch carbon dust from the brushes and any fine dust that makes it past the bag. Very, very little should make it past the bag.....

I've attached a picture of my Silverado daily driver with a charcoal filter and you can see that after nearly a year, very little fine dust has accumulated after the bag. They should last a long time.


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Post# 292924 , Reply# 67   8/11/2014 at 12:29 (3,517 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Interesting. Thanks. I thought maybe there was a little housing or something that went with the filter but it isn't much different from what I'm doing stuffing a cut down Kenmore secondary filter down the back of the bag compartment. Thanks again.

One thing I do like is the Electrolux bulk filter material can be washed and re-used. I didn't expect that.


Post# 292926 , Reply# 68   8/11/2014 at 12:36 (3,517 days old) by Gr8DaneDad ()        

the generic stuff I bought is the same; wash, rinse and reuse.... it gets cheaper by the minute. Next order I make I'll order you a sheet and send it to you, I would like to hear what you think of it vs. the Electrolux/Eureaka material. 4 times as much material for roughly the same price. I can't compare as I've never used the E/E stuff.


Post# 292944 , Reply# 69   8/11/2014 at 13:56 (3,516 days old) by edgar (Belgium)        
tristar

edgar's profile picture
In holland everything called hoover (models since 2001) tristar and princess. very very bad.

Post# 292952 , Reply# 70   8/11/2014 at 14:13 (3,516 days old) by ronni (USA)        

Would it be safe for the motors of pre-1205 cleaners to custom fit charcoal filters in their bag chambers? What about custom-fitting exhaust filters?

Post# 292956 , Reply# 71   8/11/2014 at 14:21 (3,516 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Hoover I can see but Tristar? Really? Are they the same Tristar made and sold in the US or something different? I've always heard good things about them (another vac I have never once laid eyes on however, all these cool vacs out there and where do you find them?).

We have two vacuum shops within 100 miles. One sells Tacony products and Miele, but the owner is not fond of canister vacs and doesn't stock them so I have yet to see a real live Riccar or Simplicity canister. The only Miele canister was a suction only trade in (sounds like a former girlfriend). The other shop, the one I frequent, carries Sebo and Sanitaire primarily along with a crap load of sewing machines and has a lot of used stuff. And then of course there are Sears, Target, K-Mart and Wally World. Cool vacs are seemingly better hidden than a black project out at Edwards AFB.


Post# 292960 , Reply# 72   8/11/2014 at 14:28 (3,516 days old) by edgar (Belgium)        
Tristar

edgar's profile picture
No it,s a different tristar. You can but them for 30 euro. They have got a 2 years warranty, but since the low pricing, nobody takes the effort to return them. Easy money. We also have 2 kinds of dirt devil. the cheap ones ( they suck as well) and the dirt devil Rebel, made by Royal, and they are pretty nice :-))

Post# 292982 , Reply# 73   8/11/2014 at 15:29 (3,516 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

Euro 30, that's less than $30. Heck, you buy well used thrift store vacuums for that sort of money. How can anyone sell new ones that cheaply?

Do you have an image of one? They must be nasty to be so cheap.


Post# 293128 , Reply# 74   8/12/2014 at 04:44 (3,516 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

The vacuum I especially hated was a Mastercraft Upright I ordered from a janitorial supply for the radio station I worked in-for the manned transmitter plant.It was a HORRIBLE machine--Clacky,noisey plasticmade by Premier-Normally I like their machines-this one was terrible.Its stampted steel fan broke twice-and when it did the peice would break or crack the plastic fancase-base.The final straw the fan broke-like third-final time.When the fan broke-the peice jammed inside the fancase braeking the case again and burning up the motor.Somewhere at home have the black outer cloth bag for the thing.The rest--enjoyed watching it-put the thing out for trash pickup--the EZ Pak Goliath trash truck had a CRUNCHY meal-that thing was crushed to plastic schrapnel by the packer blade.After the pack cycle-could see peices drop back into the hopper.FITTING END FOR THAT HORRIBLE VACUUM!!!!!Replaced it with a metal Royal.MUCH BETTER-Quieter and did a better job.Also ordered a NSS M1 for that station-wouldn't be surprized if those machines are still in use!!

Post# 293186 , Reply# 75   8/12/2014 at 16:29 (3,515 days old) by edgar (Belgium)        
desserttortoise

edgar's profile picture
Post# 293221 , Reply# 76   8/12/2014 at 20:27 (3,515 days old) by eurekaprince (Montreal, Canada)        

eurekaprince's profile picture
I think many of our vacuum experts here would say that the Regina Housekeeper was the worst....though it innovated the concept of an on-board "quick-draw" hose for above-the-floor cleaning!

Post# 293247 , Reply# 77   8/12/2014 at 22:58 (3,515 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

A smiley face on a vacuum cleaner. Marrone.

Post# 293281 , Reply# 78   8/13/2014 at 07:54 (3,515 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        
A smiley face on a vacuum cleaner

turbo500's profile picture
You mean like this?

Just for the record, these are brilliant. VERY popular over here and one of the best cylinders on the market.


Post# 293291 , Reply# 79   8/13/2014 at 09:31 (3,515 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

From what I know of them Numatic puts a very good through flow motor in their vacs. They are pretty much a no-foolin' around working vac. This Tristar thing, well, it looks like they are trying to make you ignore it's cheapness by making it cute.

Post# 293296 , Reply# 80   8/13/2014 at 09:56 (3,515 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        
Ronni

dysonman1's profile picture
You would not be able to use the Charcoal filters on pre 1205 Lux cleaners because of the 'cage' that the bag sits in. The 1205 was the first sealed bag chamber, so the charcoal filters would work in any 1205 or newer Lux with the exception of the model L (it had the bag 'cage' too).

Post# 293301 , Reply# 81   8/13/2014 at 10:29 (3,515 days old) by Turbo500 (West Yorkshire, UK)        
They are pretty much a no-foolin' around working vac

turbo500's profile picture
Spot on, DT. They're very common in shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and offices over here as well as now having quite a large hold on the domestic market. My office is full of them.

Post# 293323 , Reply# 82   8/13/2014 at 14:03 (3,514 days old) by Jaker15 (Meridian, ID)        
One

jaker15's profile picture
of these days, I'm going to get a Numatic. GoVacuum.com sells a custom Numatic Henry of sorts, I say custom because they pair it with a TurboCat power nozzle that's supposed to make it one of the best canisters out there. Besides, the newest model sounds AMAZING when you power it up!

Post# 293329 , Reply# 83   8/13/2014 at 15:04 (3,514 days old) by DesertTortoise ()        

What motor is Numatic using now? Last I saw they were using a Lamb 115923. Did they go with one of Lamb's new Advantek or Advantek Ultra motors with the tapered fan? Some of those have eye-popping specs.

Post# 293349 , Reply# 84   8/13/2014 at 16:46 (3,514 days old) by edgar (Belgium)        
numatic is great

edgar's profile picture
I just love nematic. spot on indeed, we call them though as nails over here. As turbo500 already said, you will find them in cleaning companies, schools etc... There is a great deal of household henrys as well at the moment.

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Post# 368264 , Reply# 85   3/11/2017 at 19:07 (2,573 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY)        
Here Are Four More...

crazykirbydude's profile picture
The Shop-Vac Lift Up lightweight upright. I got one many years ago, my parents got it for me because I had my tonsils removed. It was basically an Oreck, but worse. Mom finally got rid of it when the handle snapped off of the body. I was sad. I always wanted another one, just for nostalgic value. The other one was the Eureka Capture. The thing has too many filters, terrible brushroll and they got absolutely filthy really quickly. The reason they are famous is the motor would start screaming after about six months of use. It was terrible. The last one is the Eureka Altima. There's just so many things about this thing. Oh, and of course, the Eureka Maxima

Post# 368473 , Reply# 86   3/15/2017 at 15:16 (2,569 days old) by anthony (leeds uk)        
I did some DIY

anthony's profile picture
for my daughter last weekend .Afterwards i wanted to clear up some dirt so out came her Dyson [not sure of the model like that matters ha ha]The first time i have ever used a Dyson let me tell you it will be the last all i can say is its the biggest pile of junk i have ever got to grips with [clumsy .ugly extremely auckward to use .it certainly would not go under the average sideboard the only word i can think of to describe it is ABORTION or maybe that word should apply to its designer .yes i know some of You love them all i can say is your easily pleased

Post# 374864 , Reply# 87   7/3/2017 at 16:31 (2,459 days old) by buster1849 (-)        
Worst vacs in my opinion

Any dirt devil made after 1998
Any fantom made in 2001
All Sharks
All bissells from 2002-2009
Any Hoover made from 2010-present
Euro-Pro stick vacuum
Any dyson from the DC15-DC65

Here is a link to a video of me cleaning my old and now dead 2005 Bissell Powertrak


CLICK HERE TO GO TO buster1849's LINK


Post# 374865 , Reply# 88   7/3/2017 at 17:32 (2,459 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina)        

human's profile picture
Basically anything plastic, bagless and made in China since about 2000. It's all just so much plasticrap. Give me 20th century American made heavy metal, baby!

Post# 374871 , Reply# 89   7/3/2017 at 21:55 (2,459 days old) by man114 (Buffalo NY)        

On the comment of Fantoms from 2001, I have a Thunder from right before they went bankrupt. It's the same as any Thunder.

Post# 374875 , Reply# 90   7/4/2017 at 01:01 (2,459 days old) by kirbyds80 (California)        
Eureka/Sanitaire

As nice as they clean, I can't stand them.
Bulky, loud, cheap plastic parts,
The self propelled models have transmissions that wear out, and scream like a banshee overtime you turn them on.


Post# 374877 , Reply# 91   7/4/2017 at 02:39 (2,459 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)        

I will also go against the crappy,plastic-crap bagless DUMPSTER vacuums-you all know the ones!Yes,for the most part includes Dyson!Also a Premier made Mastercraft upright marked as "commercial" used this at a radio station-the thing kept breaking fans and plastic fancases-who would think of a plastic fancase around a steel fan?Watched with pleasure as that horrible machine met its pressing-crushing death in the back of an E-Z Pack RL Goliath trash truck!When the compactor blade pulled it into the body-a few pieces of plastic dropped back into the hopper!Did save the bag from the stupid thing-still packed somewhere.The ONLY good part!

Post# 377292 , Reply# 92   8/26/2017 at 18:53 (2,405 days old) by buster1849 (-)        

Bissell cleanviews are pretty damn powerful if you keep the filters clean but too bad they leak dust so much

Post# 377779 , Reply# 93   9/3/2017 at 14:40 (2,397 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)        

any craftsman shop vac (built by vacmaster) parts break off easily

emerson built craftsman shop vacs are way better than vacmaster brand

xxx iforce worse than any other vac i've ever seen--power nozzle motor sound really loud like a jackhammer & elbow break off when pn hits the wall or furniture




This post was last edited 09/03/2017 at 15:06
Post# 377808 , Reply# 94   9/4/2017 at 09:19 (2,397 days old) by crazykirbydude (Lexington, KY)        
@anthony

crazykirbydude's profile picture
I think James Dyson is a brilliant inventor. I absolutely DESPISE his vacuum cleaners. I think they work well in theory, but when put into practice the machines are terrible. However, I REALLY love his AirBlade hand dryer. It COMPLETELY drys my hands. I think his Task Lights are pretty cool too, but I agree with everything you said about his cleaners.

Post# 377859 , Reply# 95   9/4/2017 at 17:02 (2,396 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada)        

countryguy's profile picture
I love the Airblade hand dryer as well! They dry the hands so quickly. Their fans works well too but unfortunately are way overpriced.

Gary


Post# 377878 , Reply# 96   9/4/2017 at 23:57 (2,396 days old) by Eureka1998 (New York )        
Worst machines

eureka1998's profile picture
The Hoover Windtunnel 2 was a very defective machine. My aunt had one. Many people have talked about how the filter would jam up with air and stop the machine. A new stick vac came out not too long ago made by Joy Mangano, who invented the miracle mop. People who have used it said it only runs for about 5 minutes before it gets EXTREMELY hot and it shuts off. It's useless.

Post# 377893 , Reply# 97   9/5/2017 at 07:58 (2,396 days old) by Bvac6 (Fort Wayne, Indiana)        

bvac6's profile picture
Eureka Airspeed One has to be the worst vacuum I have ever encountered. Awful, flimsy, dust leaking glob of plastic. A foam filter and a thin screen material for all the dust it manages to pick up. I saw one where i work, used to clean the second floor common areas. A Regina Housekeeper would stand up better! Yikes!

Post# 378018 , Reply# 98   9/6/2017 at 19:51 (2,394 days old) by kenkart ()        
I remember Clay Floyd saying

In 61 and 62 when he started working for the Denver Rainbow office , he and Mr Mench thought the new Westinghose canisters with the single fan motor were the cheapest things they had ever seen..LOL, Now he says they look wonderful compared to what is being sold!

Post# 378275 , Reply# 99   9/11/2017 at 19:50 (2,389 days old) by icee (Indiana)        
Still going!

icee's profile picture
Can we appreciate this thread is still going since 2013?

Post# 378276 , Reply# 100   9/11/2017 at 22:53 (2,389 days old) by kenkart ()        
Truthfully

There has been a lot of garbage put on the market, most of it in the last 35 years, along with more plastic comes less value.

Post# 378570 , Reply# 101   9/17/2017 at 21:31 (2,383 days old) by Tseg (World Traveller)        

I read a paper that the Dyson hand driers in public bathrooms massively circulate germs because what is blown off is contained in the hand drying trough and just recirculates and gets added to with each new set of hands.

Post# 378575 , Reply# 102   9/17/2017 at 23:09 (2,383 days old) by broomvac (N/A)        

broomvac's profile picture
I do love classic Dirt Devils, but I must admit, their quality sure is quite appalling.

I'm worried the wheels are going to fall off my Broom Vacs because the wheels are just plastic riding on plastic axles molded into the body of the vacuum. The plastic-on-plastic interface slowly grinds into red dust, increasing the tolerance of the fit and making the wheels wobbly. That, and the attachment is basically a simple cantilever beam-type mount, so the plastic slowly bends over time, giving my Broom Vacs "negative camber." Argh! The soft-bagged Dirt Devil Plus upright I recently bought had succumbed to these two issues quite badly, too. So badly, in fact, I pitched it. It was a shame; I really wanted that otherwise nice vacuum, but the axles were ruined, and the only way to fix it would be to get a new base. Good luck with that.

And don't even get me started on the fragility of the threads. Working on old Dirt Devils sometimes gives me indigestion; I'm worried I'm going to strip some plastic threads on an NLA part and ruin the vacuum.

The Can Vac, too, has all of these issues. Not only that, but I have never possessed a vacuum whose bag pores clog so quickly. If it wasn't so annoying, I'd say the vacuum has a talent for crapping out. The suction starts out relatively strong with a new bag, then as soon as you start to put it to work it calls it a day. I feel like I'm changing the bag every time I use my Pro Series Can Vac because it's suffocating on a few crumbs. Smh.


In retrospect, why do I like classic Dirt Devils anyways? I'm a glutton for punishment I guess.


Post# 444672 , Reply# 103   8/12/2021 at 16:14 (958 days old) by Zinda (Peoria)        
Far too many terrible vacuums to post individual models

Based on what I've seen as far as design and build quality going from most overpriced and terrible down to cheapest and terrible then I'll have to rate based on actual cleaning ability after some use since the question is not specific enough for me to give any one specific when there are so many bad vacuums that have been made.
Costly but crap
Oreck (any XL) made like they were running out of plastic and had already ran out of metal. The worst design ever, terribly inefficient in every way, just looking inside one makes me wonder how in the hell did these ever catch on. I just had a buyer come look at an XL (that only had the high speed wire come loose like so many of them do), it's working perfectly, no rattles brushroll is spinning freely. She puts her hand down by the brushroll and says "No suction!" I'm like wtf? How can you even tell by doing that? Then she leaves. Priced at $35 perfect condition¿ I test it apart and find nothing wrong. She was right it's a piece of garbage,dirt devil's are better!

Next is all Electrolux made between 2000 and their end of production on vacuums in USA! Way over priced, way over designed then nothing was tested failure rate was 100% every model developed the same issues from year to year and they did nothing! Servicing them is a real treat too! Never get it apart without something cracking or breaking. I've modified parts inside where the diverting valves are to get them working. Far too much time and effort for a vacuum repair!

Dyson all models but the DC17 and similar, very few models will run without clogging up when the wand is used plus the tiny hole in the wand makes it useless. Plastic dries out and they crumble into dust! Dyson even has a warning not to allow sunlight to land on it! Plus the guy can't say anything without a million hidden pages of text to define exactly how he can even say what he says!

Fantom had 2 of these 1 was a super cheaply made and ultra weak designed poc I smashed it on my driveway to get the cord and motor out of it, not 1 screw was removed and I got it out in a few seconds. The other was a very nicely designed well built heavy duty vacuum that simply had no suction. Factory assembly problem with the very first 2 main parts in the assembly. There's a gasket that goes between the exhaust and the main duct as it transfers between them. The parts need to twist into place and when this happens the gasket does not slip with the right piece. It slides and covers the exhaust ports about 65%. Reducing suction greatly. Entire machine must come apart to correct it. This blunder put them out if business 90% failure rate and they knew about it but still sold them anyway!

Now that I've stepped on a bunch of toes,to the cheap ones! These are in general the worst overall you can pick any model that dirt devil made! Pick any model that eureka! made. Eurekas have a very strong motor and good design for air flow up to the hose but sharp bends and tight inlets to bagless canisters restrict the passage of debris from passing into areas creating clogs constantly. Also terrible on off switches and the world's worst brushrolls. 9 out of 10 I get used in bulk will have bad brushrolls, melted, or if they're wood warped or unbalanced. I won't touch them anymore. Junk!

Then there's all hoover and Bissell that were made as their first introduction to bagless, every single one made before 2010 was pretty much a joke and had no business even being sold.

With so many terrible vacuums that don't even deserve to be called vacuums I couldn't even begin to dwell on a few very bad models. It's really a sad and sorry lot of vacuums once bagless caught on? I'll never understand it but it is what it is. Not many vacuums made now will last more than 5 years. (For regular owners who do no maintenance even less). I just picked up Hoover's TOTL bagged, floor model brand new, they sell for over $200, not 1 message at $65 with 10 bags included! If I didn't have 300 bags for my 35 year old Kenmore I bought new from sears in 1985 i'd keep that Hoover! Pictures show 2 nice bagged hoovers and the Oreck I'm going to smash!

Sorry if I hurt any feelings but that's how I see it, junk is junk no matter what package it's put in.oh yeah Regina never made a good vacuum and Royal is an embarrassment but luckily they sell commercial or they'd be gone and take dirt devil with them that's the best thing that could happen 🤭👺💩


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Post# 444673 , Reply# 104   8/12/2021 at 16:44 (958 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        

hoover300's profile picture
Agreed. Fantoms, they can sell for big bucks to certain collectors *because* they were so cheaply made, that goes for Hoover Elites and the pre-Swivel Glide Dirt Devils too. The rest are pretty much garbage.

Now, Regina made a couple good vacs... lol the 1920s-50s. www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bi...


Post# 444742 , Reply# 105   8/15/2021 at 13:55 (955 days old) by RegularRett69 (San Clemente California, USA)        
Zinda,

regularrett69's profile picture

I have absolutely no idea what is going through your mind. You just said any vacuum cleaner that eureka made was a bad design? That statement makes me think you've never tried the vacuums you're referring to. You do realise that eureka has been serving America well for their vacuums since 1909, right? They've made interesting and deluxe uprights and canisters in the 1990's, robust and new age designs in the 80's and 70's and all before that metal based, well built, deep cleaning F&G style upright vacuum cleaners.

 

And for you to say what you've said about the Royal company... simply makes me think you've never seen a vacuum cleaner made older than 2005. Maybe consider giving these mentioned vacuums a try some time, they really are a treat! Now enjoy some photos of real, sleek, thoughtful designs from these reliable and well known vacuum cleaner companies of the past. (Shark is really no example of any sort of quality, design, cleaning performance, nor budget. Just thought I'd let you know, and that's a fact laughing)

 

w3


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Post# 444748 , Reply# 106   8/15/2021 at 15:47 (955 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        

hoover300's profile picture
I think he means Eureka!, The version of the company after the Chinese buyout. All vacuums from this era had an exclamation point on the logo, and were mostly garbage. The Royal company only makes rebrands of Hoover, Dirt Devil, etc nowadays, the metal ones were sadly discontinued a couple of years ago.

Post# 444750 , Reply# 107   8/15/2021 at 16:44 (955 days old) by RegularRett69 (San Clemente California, USA)        

regularrett69's profile picture

the royal vacuum cleaner company doesnt exist anymore


Post# 444751 , Reply# 108   8/15/2021 at 17:08 (955 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        

hoover300's profile picture
Yeah but the name does, all they are now are older model Walmart vacs painted orange with a heavy duty cord on them.

Post# 444760 , Reply# 109   8/16/2021 at 02:17 (955 days old) by RegularRett69 (San Clemente California, USA)        

regularrett69's profile picture

Feel free to send me the official Royal website, but I haven't seen anything branded Royal brand new since 2016. Not even the new Dirt Devil's in Walmart say Royal on the label. I've definitely seen the commercial line windtunnels that are branded as royal, and the residential windtunnels branded as royal but as far as I am concerned those were discontinued and there's no website for the company either..

 


Post# 444762 , Reply# 110   8/16/2021 at 07:56 (955 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        
Wow

hoover300's profile picture
Huh. Looks like TTI gave up on the name altogether, as it is not even displayed on their brands list. I did not know that. All there seems to be are surplus parts at sites like Bank's Vacuum.


Post# 445360 , Reply# 111   8/30/2021 at 00:54 (941 days old) by Jo (Dallas,TX)        
Well we have one…

My Mom won’t let me delete… it is a Hoover Quik Broom II. It runs and cleans fine but the dirt seeps out where the dirt cup is supposed to seal. She used it to clean one rug and there’s a cluster of hair and dusting hanging out of the top edge of the dirt cup! Deplorable!

I had a Dirt Devil small bagless upright from around 2007. Trash find…it is impossible to push because the rubber strip behind the brush roll designed to prevent dirt from flinging out the back on hard floors gets stuck on carpet. Also the filter and screen clog almost immediately causing poor suction.

Jon


Post# 445362 , Reply# 112   8/30/2021 at 03:32 (941 days old) by Kirbyrama (Pennsylvania)        
The Evolution (or De-Evolution) of Vacuum Cleaners

In a nutshell, There was the Eureka Roll-Easy in the 50s, to the "Fall-Easy" today with its shoddy construction and tendency to "fall over" due to ridiculously short hoses.

Post# 446584 , Reply# 113   9/27/2021 at 15:51 (912 days old) by robsmith1977 (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania)        
Probably already been said.....

robsmith1977's profile picture
Eureka bagless Whirlwind whatever..... Awful awful machines. Use them once and the filters clogged and you were done. You needed to completely empty, clean, rinse, and dry the filters not to mention sometimes replace the HEPA filter on the back to be able to use it to vacuum your carpets again. Absolute worst vacuum I had ever used.

Post# 449383 , Reply# 114   1/20/2022 at 04:57 (798 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        

huskyvacs's profile picture
Shark NH15

Seriously...I have no words for this.


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Post# 449384 , Reply# 115   1/20/2022 at 07:46 (798 days old) by Gvox (Georgia)        
Don't get me started on Dysons

We've had "a plenty" of Dysons over the last couple of decades.  A few uprights, a couple of cordless.  I hate them with a passion.  I pretty much don't like plastic.  I restore and collect cars, and I hate plastic there as well.  I want the least amount of plastic possible.

 

I'm not fond of the whole bagless brigade.  I like things that last, things that can be repaired and returned to service.  Things that just work.  

 

I'm not a fan of our consumer throw-away society, always buying and throwing away in the never-ending pursuit of utility maximization.  Manufacturers across the board cater to this consumer drive for the latest and greatest widget. 

 

All the plastic wonders produced this century are my least favorite models.  I ask you, will this be around in 40 years?

 

 

 

 

 


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Post# 449389 , Reply# 116   1/20/2022 at 12:01 (798 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

dysonman1's profile picture
My Filter Queen will be 30 years old next year. Too bad this was the last good, metal dirt container, chromed hood power nozzle model they ever made.

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Post# 449405 , Reply# 117   1/21/2022 at 02:58 (797 days old) by Thevacomaticiec (Bathurst New Brunswick Canada )        

thevacomaticiec's profile picture

The worse for me wasa  Shopvac all around  canister wet/dry with a done torn fitler no bag  full of  garbage ..........

 

 

Spew dust like mad  loud motor  .... poor thing   .

 

 

So me and my  ex bf at the time put a  new fitler  , hose  wand  paper bag . We  took it outside  turn it on let it run for a few minutes, no bag  ,no filter  after a  clean tub just get the dirt out the motor  . After her Italian tune up ..... it ran good with a fitler bag and cartridge filter  .He had it foa few years  after that  . This was circa  2007???

 

But the aboslute worse of em all must of been  my brother 's   Eureka cordless  stick  vac made more noise than it pick up anything  looked like a toy  sounded like one  your better off  using a broom  loll  MyCc8 would run circle around   it !

 

Thats why i  will always, always run vintage, metal body  , heavy, bulky,  caniter like Fitler Queens  31x  or  Compact& Tristar .


Post# 449420 , Reply# 118   1/21/2022 at 15:58 (796 days old) by luxz80 (England)        

Shark NH15


Are they serious???

Vacuums are just getting uglier by the year.

GOOD GOD!!!


Post# 449423 , Reply# 119   1/21/2022 at 16:09 (796 days old) by Hoover300 (Kentucky)        

hoover300's profile picture
I had an NH15. The design was pretty clunky, but DAMN it had so much power! It would back dirt up into the hose and still have 100% suction. It was such a pain to empty and the bin was really small, but the power made up for that. The head design was nice too, it curled up to get the edges of baseboards and under counters. The only Shark I know of to follow through on the claim - Never loses suction.

It is pretty ugly though.


Post# 449436 , Reply# 120   1/21/2022 at 18:50 (796 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        
luxz80

huskyvacs's profile picture
The NH15 came out in 2009, 13 years ago. It's not new.

Post# 449437 , Reply# 121   1/21/2022 at 18:51 (796 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana)        
Hoover300

huskyvacs's profile picture
Yeah the seller shipped it dismantled to put it in a small box and I had to look up the manual 5 times to figure out where all the parts went together. You need a NASA degree to use this thing. lol


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