airway altera vacuum

"To redeem that warranty you need to pack the entire machine up and ship it at your cost to them in AZ, along with a prepaid return label for its trip back. That cost on something as large and heavy both ways I think is enough of a deterrent for most people to simply throw the machine away."

Actually, I think you would be wrong on that point. And Vapamore is counting on your thinking being correct....that most people can't be bothered, & those that do take advantage of the warranty, the machine can be repaired without needing to replace the entire unit. But, here's what they aren't counting on: Most people looking at this vacuum know what the alternative brands are that are the same with a different name & color, & what their warranties are. If they are willing to pay a premium for the Vapamore over the Cirrus that's identical to it, it's the warranty & extra tools they are willing to pay extra for. That consumer that bought the machine due to the lifetime warranty WILL see the value in paying the shipping cost both ways. They know that if it's something major, like the motor or circuit board inside the canister needing replacement, that $100 or so they will pay for shipping both ways will EASILY be less than if it had to be taken to a vac shop for repair.

Now, here's where Vapamore's plan will fail: They are counting on the Chinese manufacturer they sourced the vacuum from, KingClean, to manufacture the parts for a long time to come, so they can repair instead of replace the vacuum. Problem is, it is common for a chinese canister to last 8-10 years on average before something major breaks down on it. By the time the vacuum gets to that age, it breaks down, the consumer notifies them of it & sends the vacuum in for repair, Vapamore will find out quickly that the manufacturer no longer manufactures parts for that model, & frankly, they don't care. Which means Vapamore will get screwed over trusting that manufacturer, & will have to replace the ENTIRE vacuum with one of comparable value....in this case, $500....to honor their warranty commitments they made. If they DON'T replace it with a vacuum of comparable value & features, a case could be made here in Canada that the manufacturer has committed fraud & could be sued in civil court for damages. Which means they will lose money either having to replace the vacuum or by losing a lawsuit against them in court.

That's why I said it was foolish for Vapamore to put that kind of warranty on a Chinese made canister. The only way they can avoid this problem would be is if they had a massive stockpile of parts, anticipating the repairs ahead of time. It would have made far more sense if they were going to put a lifetime warranty on a vacuum to go with a lesser-known German or Italian manufacturer that's known for re-branding their machines for other companies, such as Fakir-Nilco, EIO or Ghibli. At least they would be able to ensure parts support for a much longer period of time, & make the likelihood of replacing the entire vacuum minimal at best.

Mike: If you have ever wondered how good the Vapamore canister is, take your Miele Olympus, reduce the speed control to the position just under Max, & use your GV powerhead & wand with a adapter to fit the Miele hose handle. Most entry-level Chinese canisters, like the Vapamore, JohnnyVac & Cirrus, pull about 90" waterlift. It's the higher end mid-line & TOL European canisters that pull over 100" waterlift. The other problem entry-level Chinese canisters have is their HEPA filters usually aren't sealed well to the exhaust & leak, & the quality of the bags & paper used in the HEPA filter is definitely subpar to their European competitors.

Rob


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Post# 372617 5/23/2017 at 16:06 (2,526 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes Has anyone seen this vacuum? I guess when Airway went out of business, another company tried to continue their legacy. Not too much info about this vacuum, and they also don't tell you where or how to get it, but I thought I would see if anyone has heard of it. Mike airwayvac.com/altera.html...

Post# 372619 , Reply# 1 5/23/2017 at 16:37 (2,526 days old) by myvacsrock (USA)
Checkrate/Likes *Yes..* I have seen this. I posted about this awhile ago. A vacuum cleaner chain down in Cincinnati, Ohio bought the name and had these made from this Chinese based canister. I believe it is Kirkwood Sweeper Shop, or something along those lines. I was there a year or so ago and they had a ton of these. I would not be surprised if they sell it as their top of the line cleaner. There are a ton of broken ones on the Facebook and Craigslist groups around in this area. Mostly it is the power nozzle brush roll melting.

Post# 372620 , Reply# 2 5/23/2017 at 21:24 (2,526 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *quality* Sounds like the quality on this vacuum is not near what airway's quality was, there was another company called air tech that was also making a similar vacuum, but I think they disappeared as well. Kind of a shame, the airway sanitizor was a great vacuum. Mike

Post# 372621 , Reply# 3 5/23/2017 at 22:01 (2,526 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes That's nothing more than a re-badged Oreck Quest Pro canister in blue. Kyle, I think Air Way must have become aware of the problem with the powerhead brushroll melting. Here's a Air Way Agilus canister I found....looks the same, except in brown, & with a Wessell Werk EBK360 powerhead instead. I bet this is their "upgraded" TOL model. www.amazon.com/AirWay-Agi... There is also the JohnnyVac Xclusiv & Cirrus canisters here that use this powerhead, & again the JohnnyVac have the EBK360 as the TOL version. And then there is the Vapamore Vento, which is the same except in yellow & with black trim, & the same powerhead Great Vacs sells, which Mike / n0oxy already has. Except the Vapamore has one unique selling point....the LIFETIME warranty on the canister & powerhead motors. And when you read the entire warranty, it's made clear that it covers the ENTIRE canister's electrical components. Pretty foolish IMHO for a company to put that kind of warranty on a Chinese made canister. And let's not forget the canister that started it all, the Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary Edition, & the Wertheim version overseas. Rob

Post# 372622 , Reply# 4 5/24/2017 at 03:28 (2,526 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC)
Checkrate/Likes Stick with the older AirWay Sanitizer vacuums and the older uprights.The new canister appears to be a piece of China junk.Don't know about the central vacuums.

Post# 372627 , Reply# 5 5/24/2017 at 10:14 (2,525 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *greatvacs power nozzle* I do have the great vacs power head, it actually came with a kit that allows you to use a power nozzle with a backpack. It's China made I think, it's an ok power nozzle though the ones from Wessel Werk, Lindhaus and Sebo are better I think. The backpack adapter also works great with my CT10 which is a nozzle designed for hard floors. If anyone is planning on coming to the convention at the vacuum museum in a couple weeks, I plan on bringing all of my power nozzles, hopefully we can have a power nozzle shoot out. Mike

Post# 372634 , Reply# 6 5/24/2017 at 14:57 (2,525 days old) by FantomLightning (Ohio)
Checkrate/Likes *Vapamore...* They actually aren't all that foolish. If it's anything like what the warranty is like on the Steamers we sell here at work there's a nice little catch to that. To redeem that warranty you need to pack the entire machine up and ship it at your cost to them in AZ, along with a prepaid return label for its trip back. That cost on something as large and heavy both ways I think is enough of a deterrent for most people to simply throw the machine away. Not to mention the hassle of having to pack it up and get it shipped in the first place.

Post# 372637 , Reply# 7 5/24/2017 at 16:42 (2,525 days old) by kenkart ()
Checkrate/Likes 2 *Blasphemy* AirWay my foot!

Post# 372638 , Reply# 8 5/24/2017 at 16:52 (2,525 days old) by n0oxy (Saint Louis Missouri, United States)
Checkrate/Likes *vapamore* I've actually wondered how good the Vapamore canister vacuum is, sounds like it's not too good, and this Airway knock off is similar to it. Mike

Post# 372653 , Reply# 9 5/25/2017 at 00:26 (2,525 days old) by kirbylux77 (London, Ontario, Canada)
Checkrate/Likes *Zach* "To redeem that warranty you need to pack the entire machine up and ship it at your cost to them in AZ, along with a prepaid return label for its trip back. That cost on something as large and heavy both ways I think is enough of a deterrent for most people to simply throw the machine away." Actually, I think you would be wrong on that point. And Vapamore is counting on your thinking being correct....that most people can't be bothered, & those that do take advantage of the warranty, the machine can be repaired without needing to replace the entire unit. But, here's what they aren't counting on: Most people looking at this vacuum know what the alternative brands are that are the same with a different name & color, & what their warranties are. If they are willing to pay a premium for the Vapamore over the Cirrus that's identical to it, it's the warranty & extra tools they are willing to pay extra for. That consumer that bought the machine due to the lifetime warranty WILL see the value in paying the shipping cost both ways. They know that if it's something major, like the motor or circuit board inside the canister needing replacement, that $100 or so they will pay for shipping both ways will EASILY be less than if it had to be taken to a vac shop for repair. Now, here's where Vapamore's plan will fail: They are counting on the Chinese manufacturer they sourced the vacuum from, KingClean, to manufacture the parts for a long time to come, so they can repair instead of replace the vacuum. Problem is, it is common for a chinese canister to last 8-10 years on average before something major breaks down on it. By the time the vacuum gets to that age, it breaks down, the consumer notifies them of it & sends the vacuum in for repair, Vapamore will find out quickly that the manufacturer no longer manufactures parts for that model, & frankly, they don't care. Which means Vapamore will get screwed over trusting that manufacturer, & will have to replace the ENTIRE vacuum with one of comparable value....in this case, $500....to honor their warranty commitments they made. If they DON'T replace it with a vacuum of comparable value & features, a case could be made here in Canada that the manufacturer has committed fraud & could be sued in civil court for damages. Which means they will lose money either having to replace the vacuum or by losing a lawsuit against them in court. That's why I said it was foolish for Vapamore to put that kind of warranty on a Chinese made canister. The only way they can avoid this problem would be is if they had a massive stockpile of parts, anticipating the repairs ahead of time. It would have made far more sense if they were going to put a lifetime warranty on a vacuum to go with a lesser-known German or Italian manufacturer that's known for re-branding their machines for other companies, such as Fakir-Nilco, EIO or Ghibli. At least they would be able to ensure parts support for a much longer period of time, & make the likelihood of replacing the entire vacuum minimal at best. Mike: If you have ever wondered how good the Vapamore canister is, take your Miele Olympus, reduce the speed control to the position just under Max, & use your GV powerhead & wand with a adapter to fit the Miele hose handle. Most entry-level Chinese canisters, like the Vapamore, JohnnyVac & Cirrus, pull about 90" waterlift. It's the higher end mid-line & TOL European canisters that pull over 100" waterlift. The other problem entry-level Chinese canisters have is their HEPA filters usually aren't sealed well to the exhaust & leak, & the quality of the bags & paper used in the HEPA filter is definitely subpar to their European competitors. Rob