Thread Number: 14162
How does a vacuum die? 		[Down to Last]

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Post# 149747   8/31/2011 at 14:09 (4,620 days old) by Sanifan ()        

Hi! This is my first post. Glad to be here!

First off, my question: how does a vacuum cleaner die, in terms of performance? I'm wondering if the older vacuums we acquire are capable of performing up to their full potential in their worn state, or if a decrease in performance is a given.

I can think of a few issues a used vacuum might have: worn seals leading to less suction due to leaks; dried up bearings, leading to friction and heat; worn belts and brushes, a given that these should be replaced when needed; clogs, obvious to look for and remove these; worn out motor.

Are there any others?

If I get a used vacuum and I insure that the seals are tight, there are no clogs, the rotating parts spin freely, and I replace the belts and brushes, will that bring me close to the full performance of the vacuum, like when it was new? What are the chances that I'll be hobbled by a worn motor (does that happen a lot?)?

I never thought about vacuums too much until I picked up a barely used floor model Dyson DC23 turbine head canister for my girlfriend for a good price. After that, I started looking for good machines to get for my mother's apartment rental business (we used an old, crappy, beat up, GE canister with an ancient shake-out bag for nearly 30 years. The thing had trouble with the hoses collapsing and barely had any suction. We used that, and a handful of hardly working, discarded plastivacs that tenants tossed out. Can you believe it? Time for some good, reliable, durable vacuums).

Since then, just about 4 months ago, I've been on a bit of a binge. Picked up 2 Sanitaire blueline pro-grade uprights, a Sanitaire commercial-grade cyclonic bagless upright, a couple of red commercial-grade Sanitaire Mighty Mite canisters, a Carpet Pro CPU-1 with attachments, a Dustcare (Bernina) 5600C Commercial vac, a Windsor Versamatic, a Lindhaus Healthcare Pro, a Hyla NST, a Sharp Twin Energy with a variable power switch, a slightly beat up Kirby G5, a Clarke Filtrapac backpack vacuum (which has a power port for a power nozzle, btw), a couple of those Kenmore Intellicare vacs that were Consumer Report top picks, and a Sebo Felix Premium Fun with power and parquet heads. Holy cow.

I only paid full price for the Sanitaire bagless upright and one of the red Sanitiare Mighty Mites, which were also the only two I bought brand new.

My best deals were on the Lindhaus Healthcare Pro ($7, and in great shape!), the Kirby G5 ($10), the Dustcare 5600C ($10, well used but still works great), and the Sanitaire blue line S670 ($25, barely used, looks almost new). At the same time I picked up the Sanitaire S670, I also saw that they had a newer model Tristar for sale. I looked at it, thought the logo and the name were really cheesy, and passed on it. Only later did I know enough to realize what I missed. I bet it was priced at something like $15. Dang!

I like all my vacs a lot. Some need work, but they all perform really well.

I was never a big fan or detractor of Dyson one way or the other, but we're really happy with the cleaning and filtering performance of the DC23. The bagless design is messy to empty, and it is a bit of a hassle to keep all the seals wiped and clean, but it picks up very well, and the air feels very clean after we use it. My GF had an old Panasonic-made Kenmore before that, and every time we used it, we could feel the micro dust on our skin and in our lungs. She told me to keep it for my mother's business after we used the Dyson several time. I wonder if the Dyson canisters are more robust than the uprights, as they have a much simpler air path and seem to have far fewer seals.

Glad to be here!

Sanifan





Post# 149782 , Reply# 1   8/31/2011 at 21:14 (4,620 days old) by Floor-A-Matic (somewhere)        
Dyson DC23

 I own one & love it anyday over any other Dyson vac or most other plastivacs made today. It does a nice job grooming carpets & pulls out more sand than the other Dysons (even the DC26 City, which I now own too)

A TriStar is an excellent choice for canister because its a very powerful, basic style & durable vac.

For an upright, a Kirby or Sanitaire SC888 are great choices.

Post# 149785 , Reply# 2   8/31/2011 at 21:17 (4,620 days old) by Floor-A-Matic (somewhere)        
Used vacuums

 Very likely you'll get a lot of life on them, if taken care of properly.

Longevity depends on how vacs are used & maintained; & quality.

Post# 150408 , Reply# 3   9/4/2011 at 22:14 (4,616 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)        

kirbylux77's profile picture
Erik, couldn't agree with you more if I tried! One little suggestion....perhaps it might be a good idea to consult your local vac shop, & ask them which brands & common models they cannot get parts for anymore, when shopping around. That way you will know what to avoid when going online on Ebay, garage sales, etc.

Rob


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