Thread Number: 24959
The cost of Rainbow's over the years. 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 280685   5/15/2014 at 21:23 (3,626 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )        

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So I was thinking about this tonight while I was cleaning and getting ready to have my apartment painted.  My landlady was here helping and she brought up a work vacuum for the painters to use in case anything needed to be cleaned up.  She really likes my Rainbow and was asking how much it cost. When I told her I paid $350.00 for it she was shocked. What she doesn't realize is how expensive they are now.  So I was thinking...  I'm not sure what a new Rainbow is going for on the market, but I think that they may have surpassed the Kirby because of all the new technology.  A new Kirby is going for $2000.00.  I know a few of you have the latest model Rainbow and I think someone is now selling them as well.  But how much do you think the first Rexair Model was brand new? I know that the Rainbow D4C which is the model I have brand new was about $1200.00. My first experience with Rainbow was when I was a teenager babysitting and I was cleaning up.  I told the person who owned it I really liked it and her reply was that was over $1,000.00 and she didn't.  A couple of years later she traded it for a Kirby.
Post# 280687 , Reply# 1   5/15/2014 at 23:29 (3,626 days old) by kirbyvertibles (Independence, KS)        

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I saw a reciept for rainbow D2 complete with the power nozzle in 1980 for about $400.00

Post# 280719 , Reply# 2   5/16/2014 at 08:21 (3,625 days old) by ralph123 (Little Rock, AR)        

In 2013, I was quoted a price of $2600 for the amazing Rainbow. That was without the carpet cleaner or the jet mop. Needless to say, the salesman and I had vastly different ideas of the value of the amazing Rainbow.

Post# 280739 , Reply# 3   5/16/2014 at 11:59 (3,625 days old) by dysonman1 (the county)        

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The retail price of the Series A Rexair in 1937, was $89. The Model B (Black Diamond) in 1940 when lauched, was $99. In 1950, with the launch of the Model C, the price rose to $129. In 1955, with the April launch of the gold Model D "Rainbow model", the price went to $189. In 1961, with the launch of the Model D "Chrome Dome", the price was $229. When I sold the Chocolate Brown model D2, in 1979, the price was $599 without a trade-in. The model D3A in 1980 (with Eureka-Built power nozzle) was $699.

Post# 280791 , Reply# 4   5/16/2014 at 21:06 (3,625 days old) by man114 (Buffalo NY)        

My wife and I sell them part time, it is one of the few vacuums she can use due to her asthma. There seems to be some regional variations depending on how far the particular distributor is from Michigan. They're about $2500 around here but I've seen them at $2600 and $2700 further south. Inflation adjusting the models you will realize they haven't increased as substantially as you'd think for a high end product. The early models equate to about $1700 in today's dollars. If you ask yourself if it is worth it, working for the local distributor part time you'd be surprised just how many older ones are working unserviced. Unlike some of the fly by night distributors ours is very customer service oriented and does proper on premise service, so you get a good indicator, the number of D4s and D3s out there is substantial though the D4 especially (our local distributor started around 25 years ago and became relatively large, so D4s would be predominate). You figure you are 18 years out on the D4 and they're still running strong, even ones much older than that. Inflation adjusted the price is not that much different than it ever was depending on what you got with it. Rainbow has also put substantial effort into R&D, brushless motor, new aquamate, new powerhead, Rainjet, Super mop etc. They are not just rehashing the same old product. Look at the changes since 1996. I don't personally own the newest (but I've got the newest here for demo purposes if you have any questions), I have an E Series and a D4. The new powerhead is awesome, it grooms very well, and with the sideways edge brushes you'd be hard pressed to find something with better edge cleaning (this is a fairly recent patent, I think it will be 2025 or so before it expires). If you don't store them on basin and follow the basic usage procedure you are pretty safe for probably 30 years. So you are looking at $83 a year, my wife works at Walmart as a dept. manager over the vac dept. Unless you buy something over $100 it usually only lasts a year at best unless you hardly use it. All those $50 specials every 5-6 months add up and they work like crap. She says the same people are back every 3-4 months on the $40 jobs. Gas, time, performance, filters,bags, replacement costs really do add up. It isn't just Rainbow long term you are better off coughing up cash for any better quality vac.

Same goes for the $99 lawnmower people. Every season $99. You can get a commercial mower for $800 that will run 25 years. So you spend $800 up front as opposed to $2500 over the years. You only think you are saving money.

Aside from collectible vacs I haven't bought a vacuum for regular use in years and never even have to think about it.

So if you think Rainbow and Kirby are bad investments, they clean better and provide with reliable service. The same can not be said of lower end throwaway machines.

Post# 280828 , Reply# 5   5/17/2014 at 07:42 (3,624 days old) by vacuumman206 ()        

I've loved Rainbows since an age where I could only dream of having enough money to buy a dirt-cheap used one. That said, even if I was a well-to-do collector with $2k to throw at a brand new Rainbow, I wouldn't. The Rainbow system probably, at the high end, costs less than $400 to make. What genius thought they were rightful in selling it for $1600 more? That's quite a jump for using the excuse it's the better product. While it is true, I don't see merit in ripping people off like that. And to say you'll save money in the long run is true, but you'll save even more if their price was more practical and fitting to the product. In principle, Rainbow's charging $1200 more than what I think would be considered proper for a TOL vac looks like a case of over-inflated egos in the Executive's office over in Troy, MI. Just because you are better than the rest, does not mean your price should reflect numbers you pulled out of your butt.
Regardless to say, I am still a big fan of Rainbows.I love the Rainbow but I know if I did daily, every couple days, or even once a week cleaning I would tire quickly of the repetitive process of filling, emptying and cleaning the Rainbow basin. I call the Rainbow the "dirty vacuum". Because, it is only practical to set the Rainbow up when you have a lot of cleaning and dust/dirt to pick up, otherwise why waste all that time setting it up to just pick up some carpet fuzz?

Post# 280902 , Reply# 6   5/17/2014 at 22:22 (3,624 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )        

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I will always swear by Rainbow.  Nothing will ever change that.  However I just can't see myself purchasing a brand new model.  The D4C will always be my favorite model.  The new models look nice and I'm sure do a great job, but you just go with what you like. 
Post# 280957 , Reply# 7   5/18/2014 at 14:47 (3,623 days old) by man114 (Buffalo NY)        

The more you use it the less difficult it seems, it really isn't much worse than a dry bagless vacuum in terms of setup and use.

As far as cost, they cost a bit more than you think to make, primarily because they are made in the US. Couple this with the sales model and you have your cost. Even if you cut out all the middlemen it still would probably run close to $1000 if it were sold in stores. Besides profit part of the cost is maintaining the fact that it is a premium product, which is why they won't budge on price.

Post# 281019 , Reply# 8   5/18/2014 at 21:10 (3,623 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center)        
No matter what?

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Even if THIS Happened?Tongue out
Post# 281020 , Reply# 9   5/18/2014 at 21:11 (3,623 days old) by singingrainbow (Texas)        

Oh God, PLEASE NO!
Post# 281023 , Reply# 10   5/18/2014 at 21:27 (3,623 days old) by man114 (Buffalo NY)        

I don't see any reason why they couldn't make an upright Rainbow.

Post# 281025 , Reply# 11   5/18/2014 at 21:28 (3,623 days old) by singingrainbow (Texas)        

Not that, I just mean the cheap china part. 

An upright rainbow would be really cool!
Post# 281030 , Reply# 12   5/18/2014 at 21:50 (3,623 days old) by RainbowD4C (Saint Joseph, Michigan )        

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A upright Rainbow could be possible.  It's just a matter of figuring out how to work with the added attachments like the carpet shampooer.
Post# 281036 , Reply# 13   5/18/2014 at 23:50 (3,623 days old) by man114 (Buffalo NY)        

I know precisely how to do an upright Rainbow, ok I got bored at some of our Rainbow meetings and drew one up. Maybe I'll get in touch with Rexair. Unfortunately I'm a terrible artist.

I don't see Rainbow shipping production overseas, the Made in USA thing is a part of their pitch and helps them justify their cost, they're proud of it and use it as a quality selling point.

I don't know about other distributors around the country and hear bad things about some, but they're not all like that, ours is very upstanding and has refurb/rebuilt units from time to time which while somewhat expensive are warranted (though rarely the newest ones unless they were units used in training getting along into warranty), they have a Rainbow trained tech and the guy does an awesome job.

I know there are some not so hot distributors out there and I'm kind of glad ours is so comprehensive, owning an office building, having on premise service, a customer counter where you can walk in buy fragrances, bigger basins or drop your unit off for service, a marketing dept. that handles booking demos.

It is a comfortable contrast to what you hear about with these fly by night types or super high pressure ones.

I think the most interesting part is that so many Dyson and Kirby owners buy them. I'm not sure if it is because they have the income to do so, or because they are dissatisfied with the performance. Very few of the Kirby owners properly adjust the height, the one demo I did the thing was just skipping along the carpet because it was set too high. Got about a 1/4 inch of pure mud when they test drove the Rainbow. Dyson owners frequently complain about the odor of their Dyson more than the fact that the Rainbow grooms the carpet much better and seems to do a better job of deep cleaning (probably all a result of the narrow brushroller on the Dyson).

I use a D4 upstairs and an E Series downstairs. The other day I did a run with the DC07 upstairs maybe a day after using the D4 and got maybe a coffee cup worth of fluffy dog hair. I was amazed at how little came up.

I own dozens of Fantoms, a few Kirbys, two Dysons, two Bissells and the two Rainbows. With my wife's asthma she only uses the Rainbows and occasionally the Fantom Thunder (but I have to empty it), the Bissells one is a garage vac, the other I use to vacuum ash dust from a wood stove because it isn't good for the Rainbow.

I think a lot of people shy away from the Rainbow because they think it is much more work. The difference between adding water to the bin and a dry bagless is maybe a minute. Fill it, vacuum, dump and rinse.

In my honest opinion I prefer the E Series to the D4, I think it is better designed and more ergonomic. Those D4s are workhorses though. You'd be surprised how many close to 30 years old are still running strong and have never been serviced.

Post# 283009 , Reply# 14   6/3/2014 at 22:17 (3,607 days old) by starryblues4u (Charlotte, NC)        
Found this in a dealer bag

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I bought my rainbow at a garage sale and it came with a second power unit and a dealer bag full of goodies.

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Post# 338008 , Reply# 15   11/23/2015 at 22:11 (3,069 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)        

My parents bought our Rainbow SE from Environmental Concepts in Findlay OH (that location closed the following yr) back in 1992; they paid $1500.00 INCLUDING the:
Power Nozzle R-4375C
AquaMate shampooer (also included extra Rainbow wet/dry hose)
Deluxe Accessory Pack
RainbowMate PN
Salesperson even shampooed the ENTIRE living room carpet
The ONLY $ spent over time just on the Rainbow are the belts for the PN; I change the belt every 6 months or once a yr; depending on how much the PN had been used. Sometimes I used the rug tool (lost during a move) instead of the PN. However I noticed LOTS LESS dust all over the furnishings & pulled out mostly deep down dirt under the carpet backing that the Electrolux 1205 & TriStar CXL couldn't get out

Post# 338063 , Reply# 16   11/24/2015 at 18:48 (3,068 days old) by mark40511 (Lexington, KY)        

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It's interesting how much easier a my Gold 2 speed is to setup/store when you use ANOTHER water vacuum. I have a Sirena as well.

2 things I've noticed in comparison:

1. The Sirena's separator is no where NEAR as good as the Rainbow's. I bought my Rainbow new in summer 2006. I think it was 1400 I paid. In a few months, the fans on the Sirena looked dirtier than the Rainbow's after 9 years. The Sirena separator gets visible dirt on it even if you're doing cleaning that's not that dirty. Rainbow separator is definitely better at keeping dirt in the water and off the fans/hepa than the Sirena is.

2. It's harder to clean up because of the way the water splashes lint/dirt/hair into this rubber area that surrounds the separator and it's so hard to clean that area because it sticks to it like a magnet. I took the hepa off the Sirena and it shows dirt already, but it's easier to wash than the rainbow hepa. With Rainbow, that rubber area doesn't attract dirt/lint/hair and if there is any on there, it's easier to access to wipe it off. The Rainbow hepa takes years before I see any visible dirt on it. Additionally, the Sirena dolly is not as user friendly nor is cord management.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good vacuum and it does it's job. It's just after using it and then turning around and using a Rainbow, it's the same feeling as grabbing a vacuum to do a fast cleanup instead of having to get on the Rainbow (same kind of feeling)

setting up/storing my Rainbow has gotten so much easier over the years.

I've gotten to where mainly I use my Rainbow for dusting. I have the 13 foot non electric hose that I pop the dusting brush on and you can dust floor to ceiling so much easier than any other vacuum (when it comes to dusting) because the wand and dusting brush can get into tight places whereas a big pistol grip handle with a dusting brush on it can't.


Post# 338390 , Reply# 17   12/1/2015 at 22:00 (3,061 days old) by vacman1961 (North Babylon, New York)        

I sold new Rainbows for a short time in 1980, the D2 with the power nozzle sold for $649.00.


Post# 338982 , Reply# 18   12/10/2015 at 01:33 (3,053 days old) by floor-a-matic (somewhere)        

In 2009 I bought a blue E2 & paid $1799.99 INCLUDING:
Power Nozzle
RainbowMate
New style AquaMate 3 PowerBrush
12ft non-electric hose
Deluxe Accessory Pack
TWO RainMate air cleaner/aromatizers

Sadly it still sits in a storage barn since I bought the new onyx E3 in 2012; later I sold the onyx e3. hopefully I can buy the E3 with the new & improved PN

What is the MSRP for the SE back in 1992? I think we paid a bit more than expected back then


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