Hello everyone!

     I ended up getting two Watermatic Vs and a 2008 Filter Magic.  One Watermatic is going to my sister, the other two are mine, including one complete shampoo kit.  I plan on making a video showing a solid comparison, including performance.  I do recall that the 2008 edition produced over 90 inches of water lift (I think closer to 100) and the Watermatic V was around 80.  I will have to confirm later.

Things to note:

The 2008 is a flow-through motor as can be seen by the lack of vents on the top for a bypass cooling fan.  The cord has also been dropped to a two-prong and made thinner.  I suspect that SMI decided to drop the water pickup ability.  It was likely a feature not used much and the 2008 would have been cheaper to produce.  There are air leaks from the power switch, speed switch, and cord exit on the 2008.  Oh, and it has a speed switch, for some reason.  "Would you like to clean, or clean but not as well?"

The filter material has been greatly changed.  The 2008 main filter reminds me of the filter bag of a Tristar and is held loosely (and is red).  The Watermatic has white material held taut which is fairly smooth but has very fine ridges in the weave.  The secondary filter on the 2008 is a porous, soft, almost fluffy white material.  The Watermatic has another taut filter that is a bit rougher than its main filter.  I place hepa Silverking filters UNDER the main filters so that the main filters are kept clean.  I also put a cellulose filter in the traditional location.

The post filters have been taken apart, washed, and charcoal filters replaced.  I'll talk about that more in a video.

The Watermatic had been upgraded at some point in its life to use a later power nozzle, so they both use the same model.   New hose and extendable wand too.  My question to you folks is this: Where can I find a replacement brush roll?  One of them has worn bristles that don't go past the base plate.  I am not sure if it is based upon a Douglass model or maybe something Filterqueen produced.

Enjoy the photos and please tell me everything you know about the final years of Watermatic/SMI!  I believe that SMI bought Watermatic in 2006 or so.  I also believe that the "Stealth" model may have been produced around that time and may have already switched to a flow-though motor, which would make it more quiet.  The decals are in the Watermatic color scheme, but the word "Watermatic" is no where to be seen.  I have never handled a "Stealth" but have seen a picture or two.