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Thread Number: 40705
/ Tag: Brand New Vacuum Cleaners
Royal All Metal Upright Dethroned by "Budget" Bagless Vacuum |
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| Post# 432496 9/25/2020 at 11:35 (1,302 days old) by Ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
My amazing, unbeatable FrankenRoyal has just been relegated to the museum, instead of being our daily driver. And worse, it's been replaced by a lowly Shark! An 800 series "Duo Clean Powered Lift-away Speed" to be exact. Only $129 on Amazon as a used/ refurbished machine, UV810. Third party seller is "Good As New Electronics". Their reputation is spotty, but I lucked out with this purchase. Worth every cent of $129! The Royal is a stellar performer on rugs & carpet. Not the best for bare floors, which I have about 40% of. Of course tools are non-existent, so I use an Electrolux Ultra Quiet canister for that. Love it, specially its near silent operation, but I don't want my wife using the dainty thing due to fear of overheating. She does quite a bit of the vacuuming, so tools are an issue. Been lusting after the Hoover Commercial HushTone uprights, but not in a hurry to spend $300, and used ones are just as much with shipping. Also, they are not the best for bare floors either. That's why the "Duo Clean" got my attention. Having used it, I'm sold. Even a couple hundred is a fair price for it. $300... Nah. Its small size is actually a huge plus. It gets in places the Royal can't, which are quite a few. Maneuverability is fantastic. Suction is more than enough, and agitation is great. Can't deep clean like the Royal, but the rest of the features make up for that. Quiet, easy to switch to tools, "Power Lift Away" is quick, easy and handy. Dumping the cup is effortless, with no digging for stuck fluff. LED lights are bright and welcome. Bare floor use is its strength. No need to adjust nozzle going from bare floor to rug and back. Wife loves it, I love it and our furry son has no qualms with its quiet operation. Hate to say it, but the Royal will not see much action in the future. Wife asked if I'd sell it? Hell no, I've got way too much time & effort in it! | ||
| Post# 432540 , Reply# 1 9/26/2020 at 01:59 (1,301 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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| Post# 432566 , Reply# 2 9/26/2020 at 11:00 (1,301 days old) by ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Frugality, Indecisiveness and Lack of Concern
Good question! Short answer, frugality. Long answer...
Graduated HS in '75, married in '78, purchased home in '82. This was after Jimmy Carter and interest rates were at 15% and higher! Buyer's market, but money was tight. House we purchased needed work. Kitchen had metal cabinets, painted red, with linoleum tops. Floor had indoor/ outdoor plaid carpet. Yikes! We painted cabinets brown and removed carpet. The machine shop I worked at moved to new facility and offices were carpeted with commercial grade carpet. They gave me a remnant which I used used to replace the indoor/ outdoor, rubber backed carpet I'd removed. This was all just temporary, so we could use it till we had enough money to remodel. In 1986, we had our first boy. Wife quit work to raise him. I worked 54 hours per week as a machinist to support us. Hence, much frugality. Took till 1988 before we could afford to remodel. Papered and painted kitchen. Replaced drywall on ceiling and painted it. Carpet stayed during demo, because we planned on replacing it anyway. When new plywood was installed, drywall dust covered carpet was thrown out on patio. Cabinets were installed and it was time to put new flooring in! Well, I wanted quarry tile, and my wife didn't. We couldn't decide what to put down. Ceramic tile, one piece vinyl, wood... Just couldn't decide, so we "temporarily" put the dusty, drywall compound stained carpet back in till we could figure out what to put down. It cleaned up well, so we were in no huge hurry. Meanwhile, years passed. Had our second boy in 1991. Wife went back to work five years later. We've certainly been able to afford to put a different floor in but... There it still is. And, it looks like new to this day! We plan on moving when we retire. I'll probably slap something in there at that point. Everybody seems to like this new "engineered" flooring. Maybe that, or tile... Who knows? That carpet has more history than the vintage vacuum sitting on it! | ||
| Post# 432582 , Reply# 3 9/26/2020 at 14:33 (1,301 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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| Post# 432585 , Reply# 4 9/26/2020 at 15:12 (1,301 days old) by ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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My poor Royal. Relegated to vacuum races. She is pretty though. Just polished her last week when I replaced a belt and tweaked the height adjuster. I specifically used a model 880 to build on, because of it's pretty color scheme. That powder blue and chrome is my favorite.
Yeah, the rest of our house is tongue & groove oak. Can't believe everybody put carpet over that. We rescued ours and refinished it. Quite a few rugs collect the dust and dog fur. Just broke out the much maligned Shark for the second time. I will be certain to post about even the slightest problem with it in the future, but (knock wood) it's looking better by the minute. I NEVER thought I'd EVER bother with one, let alone own one! I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks. | ||
| Post# 432590 , Reply# 5 9/26/2020 at 17:05 (1,301 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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| Post# 432674 , Reply# 6 9/28/2020 at 03:38 (1,299 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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| Post# 432676 , Reply# 7 9/28/2020 at 05:26 (1,299 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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Sharks are great vacs, especially the older ones. But on all mine I noticed they all seem to have a mysterious issue where they get vacuum leaks somewhere in the system after about 3 months of use and they do not seem to pick up as good or stick to the carpet. Filters washed and inspected, connections checked and undone and redone, brushroll clean, and washed the seal gasket on the bin and still nothing. Also on the models with a comb like the Rocket stick vacs, the hair just all gathers on the fuzzy brushroll and the comb and never goes in the suction channel. Unless they sneakily hid another filter screen somewhere I can't see, I don;t know what else it could be.
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| Post# 432681 , Reply# 8 9/28/2020 at 06:47 (1,299 days old) by Ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Vacuum Engineering
The evolution of these recent plastic vacs has been pretty interesting. Not the least of which has been the Dysons. The first time I saw one, my first thoughts were, "Total gimmick." When I finally got my hands on one, I couldn't believe the "engineering" or, should I say over engineering? So many intricate levers and latches to break. And, talk about reinventing the wheel. Sheesh! But, I'm sure some of those designs have migrated to other manufacturer’s bagless vacuums. Hell, like the bagless technology itself! Gawd, you can hardly even find a bagged vacuum anymore. The consumers have spoken. Either they've all drunk the bagless hype Kool-Aid, or they really do hate bags!
Me? I just want the right tool for the job. No qualms about paying good money for quality. But, if I'm to pay several hundred for a tool to do a simple job like cleaning floors, it damn well better do a VERY good job, and quickly. It also better last quite a few years, and be easy to service with parts available years down the road. I consider these plastic vacuums to be disposable. But, with price tags in the $250 - $300 range, that’s kinda pricey for "disposable". This "Duo Clean, Powered Lift-away" ticks quite a few boxes for getting the job done right, and quickly. Oh, and quietly. That's a biggie on my list as well. Knock wood, I've had pretty good luck getting cheap vacuums to last past their normal lifespan. Hope to do the same with this one. The day I got it, and used it for the first time, I immediately ordered one for my 86 year old dad. Kind of funny. He sold Kirby’s around 1960. After selling one to everyone in the family, he bailed. Said he just couldn't bring himself to sell such expensive units to people who couldn't really afford it. I recently gave him a Sanitronic 80, that has been converted to F&G bags. He gave it back a few months later. He had replaced it with a cheap, cordless stick vacuum. Just sent him off with the Shark last night. I know he'll love it. If not... No idea what will suit him! | ||
| Post# 432689 , Reply# 10 9/28/2020 at 07:57 (1,299 days old) by Ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Sounds Like A Challenge | ||
| Post# 432696 , Reply# 11 9/28/2020 at 10:24 (1,299 days old) by EurekaFanSquid (Sacramento, California) | ||
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| Post# 432699 , Reply# 12 9/28/2020 at 10:39 (1,299 days old) by Ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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| Post# 432708 , Reply# 13 9/28/2020 at 12:54 (1,299 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
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Post# 432711 , Reply# 14 9/28/2020 at 13:06 (1,299 days old) by KirbyClassicIII  (Milwaukie, Oregon) |
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ornery | ||
| Post# 432717 , Reply# 15 9/28/2020 at 15:40 (1,299 days old) by EurekaFanSquid (Sacramento, California) | ||
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| Post# 432718 , Reply# 16 9/28/2020 at 15:47 (1,299 days old) by huskyvacs (Gnaw Bone, Indiana) | ||
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At the start of the millennium when Euro-Pro bought Fantom Tech and rebadged themselves as Shark and started selling 3AM late night ads for battery powered carpet sweepers and really clunky uprights with a giant cord spool on the back that looked like a clothesline tacked on, yeah people thought it was funny. It's took about 18 years but they are slowly making their way up the rungs. They keep getting better but they are still designed like iPhones where it is "illegal" to service them and they do everything they can to erase the secondhand market.
I feel like they peaked with their Navigator line and now they are just trying to perfect perfection and it's just becoming a mess. The mission is lost. A lot of them now look like a janitorial cart with half a dozen tools all riding on the unit. If Shark would add agitation or beaters to their rollers, increase the brushes on the roller, have a hair cutter on the brushroll, and a powered height adjustment, there would be no question in the matter. But no they are not bad vacuums at all. I would prefer getting them secondhand because they are not worth the retail markup that is $200-$350. If you can get one for under $80 then yes it is definitely worth the price. Maybe I should get my Halloween fog machine out and do a test on them and see if there is any leaks. lol | ||
| Post# 432735 , Reply# 17 9/28/2020 at 19:23 (1,299 days old) by ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Hey Ben, I was looking forward to your input. Fear not, my 880 will be used by my great grandchildren, if for no other reason, simple nostalgia. I bet it will still outperform anything else on the market... Unless you want to measure HEPA filtration.
Isn't it ironic, Japan crushed Detroit's quality land yachts and muscle cars with tiny front wheel drive econoboxes in the late sixties? It was downhill from there as American cars got ever smaller, and Asian cars got larger. Now, Detroit makes front wheel drive almost exclusively, while the best Asian cars are rear wheel drive, on par with BMW. Ironic? Hell, it's sickening! All metal, indestructible Royal only started making money when they switched to the all plastic, disposable Dirt Devil. Meanwhile, Kirby engineered their venerable flagship into a bloated barge. And, the only other direct air, bagged vacuum left making money, Sanitaire, will make your ears bleed. I blame consumers for all the aforementioned disasters. Manufacturers build what sells, and marketing seems to drive that. Who's going to bother building a quality vacuum when marketing can sell your gimmicky, shiny, plastic vac instead? That said, as a tool fanatic, with quality power and hand tools coming out my ears, I've still purchased Harbor Freight tools on occasion. Usually used as the disposable junk they are. You generally get what you pay for. The real crime is when you pay the price of quality, and the tool turns out to be junk, or gets outperformed by cheaper competition. Is that the fault of the consumer for not executing due diligence? YES! | ||
| Post# 432749 , Reply# 18 9/28/2020 at 20:59 (1,299 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah) | ||
Sharks
I bought a shark from the thrift store . It cost me $7. It took me hour or so to clean it up. I let the filters dry for a day. I dare say it runs as good as a new or refurbished one.
Their was a Riccar and a Hoover at the thrift store. They were heavier models. They were bagged units and require more upkeep. I say upkeep for the general public. It's for my wife's work. She works with handicapped people. You empty the dump bin and that's about it. They have had a simplicity and a sanitaire. They spent $600 on simplicity. They spent $350 on the solitaire. They trashed both pretty quick. I have a 7 year old shark K the second navigator that came out. I keep up on maitenance on it. It still works great. I love sharks. I love it because a penny won't ruin the vacuum. You just dump the bin. | ||
| Post# 432765 , Reply# 19 9/28/2020 at 22:18 (1,299 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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I own two Sharks now. They were both free, courtesy of some random people putting them in the trash. Consumers do consider them disposable. Neither had anything wrong with them, really. A fool and his money, I say. Or one man's trash... or whatever adage you like. If you are REALLY bothered by the fact that you can't use the machine for all of two hours when the filter you just washed is drying... just buy a second filter and keep it somewhere handy.
Also I haven't experienced the loss of suction Husky describes. Maybe it's the first screen, the one in the cyclone or whatever. On many Sharks, it's hard to get at and not removable for cleaning. Not sure. | ||
| Post# 432781 , Reply# 20 9/29/2020 at 08:24 (1,298 days old) by Ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Cordless Is The Future
Just saw a 7 month review of the Dyson V11 Torque cordless:
I thought, "Man, that looks like a winner!" Love the sensor, that changes power, based on what type of flooring you're vacuuming. I thought that might be nice for my dad, or my wife, so I looked up the price... cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blog... | ||
| Post# 432955 , Reply# 21 10/2/2020 at 11:20 (1,295 days old) by EurekaFanSquid (Sacramento, California) | ||
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To Huskyvacs | ||
| Post# 432967 , Reply# 22 10/2/2020 at 13:07 (1,295 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah) | ||
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Okay | ||
| Post# 432980 , Reply# 23 10/2/2020 at 20:52 (1,295 days old) by EurekaFanSquid (Sacramento, California) | ||
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| Post# 432986 , Reply# 24 10/2/2020 at 21:27 (1,295 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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| Post# 432988 , Reply# 25 10/2/2020 at 21:39 (1,295 days old) by EurekaFanSquid (Sacramento, California) | ||
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| Post# 433041 , Reply# 27 10/4/2020 at 00:52 (1,293 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
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I think part of that is to do with relative expense. Back in ye olden times, buying a vacuum cleaner would've been like buying a car. It was a huge investment and the owner of it would obviously want to care for it properly. Now, though even plastic vacuums can be quite expensive, the relative expense is small, buying a vacuum is like... I dunno, buying a pair of pants. You want them to look nice, and work for you, but you don't expect to maintain them.
But that's everything that's become disposable. | ||
| Post# 434682 , Reply# 28 11/7/2020 at 19:25 (1,259 days old) by ornery (Northeast Ohio) | ||
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Quick Update
Been wanting to give impression after using this toy for a month. Unfortunately, I rarely get to use the silly thing. My wife literally loves it. So much so, that she's been using it all the time. Far more than she ever used our other vacs.
When I do get my hands on it, it's a pleasure. Quiet, first and foremost. Love that. It's very quick and effective. Blows through the whole house in short order. Very easy to dump the bin with nothing to pick out of its nooks or crannies. It gets in between chairs, tables and walls easily due to its narrow width. The few times tools are needed, they're easy to access, quick to attach, use, then stow away. These new "Soft Brush Roller" paired with conventional brush roll is a game changer and the future. Really easy to access and clean, but my next one (years from now) will have the self cleaning feature. At first it feels frail and flimsy, but as it's used and banged around I feel more confident about its build quality. Nowhere near as sturdy as the Royal, and actually a bit heavier, but more maneuverable and it somehow just gets the job done quicker. I feel certain now, it will be around for several years. Asked my dad what he thought about it. Not much of a review from him. Said it worked fine, and is looking forward to cleaning under the fridge with its fancy tools. He's more of a hand tool kind of guy, so I guess that's the most I'll hear about it... Unless it fails in some way. Whoa, then there will be something to share! When the Dyson's first arrived, I was disgusted with whole design. Had no use for a plastic bypass vacuum and convinced the "bagless" feature was a total gimmick. When I got my hands on one years later I was not impressed with any part of it. Frail, plastic, overly complicated, less effective than my Royal, of course. But, I like the direction these Sharks are going. At first, they seemed like cheap knock-offs of the Dysons, but if they can keep up these improvements and innovations, and I can keep getting them at disposable prices, well I'll just enjoy the ride. | ||
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