best cleaning machines

I was using my Hoover 262 and thought I would compare it to a stick vac for the fun of it. I found that the hoover cleaned a lot better as expected, but this sent me wondering, what do you think the best cleaning vacuum is? for me it would have to be out of the following: Hoover 1346a, Hoover 262, Kirby g6, hoover duet deluxe ( New Zealand version of the turbopower total system autoflex), wertheim 7 series and sebo felix. Some of these are New Zealand machines so I apologise for that. All of these machines have either beater bars, stiff bristles or both for agitation. For a straight suction machine an Electrolux d338 with 900 watt motor and metal runner floor tool. Do any of you have experience with the airway-eureka combo, if so I would love to hear about it. I look forward to your replies.

For my money the best vacuum ever made at any price is a Lux 1R D820 with the Ze3 power brush. It is a true buy it for life vacuum, well supported by replacement parts, bags and filters and is among the most powerful vacuums in my collection. I have one I bought in Japan I use with 100 volt transformers. It is exceptionally powerful and silent. Quieter than any Miele and the Ze3 power brush is likewise silent in use. Since New Zealand is a 240 volt country there is an abundance of replacement parts available for a Lux you would buy compared to my Japan market model.

A tip; the last run of D820s were made in Hungary and came with an especially powerful motor from Domel instead of the usual two stage Swedish motor. This is the version to buy if you can find one because the power is truly exceptional. The two stage Swedish motor cannot be serviced. The fan is pressed on and non-removable. Bummer. There is a kit that allows you to replace the original two stage motor with this Domel motor which is the hot upgrade, but expensive. Finding a Hungarian made one out of the gate is preferable. The Domel motor can be rebuilt when the brushes or bearings wear. The other great upgrade is to replace the hose they came with that has the power brush cord clipped to the outside with the K35 hose. This hose has a short pig tail to the canister, the wires inside the hose, an off-on switch on the handle for the power brush and a socket for the power brush cord to plug into. Much cleaner to use this way. It's how mine is set up. A Lux D820 would be the last vacuum you would ever need to buy.

From your list, definitely the SEBO FELIX. One of if not the best upright designs I've ever seen.

panasonicvac said:

From your list, definitely the SEBO FELIX. One of if not the best upright designs I've ever seen.

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Oh no no no no no no ! It's all wrong. The motor is mounted too high, way up above the nozzle and neck in the upper body where a G4, G5 or Mechanical 300/350 puts the suction motor right on the base plate so the center of mass is as low as possible. The Felix is top heavy ( literally double the handle weight of a G4 or G5 ), managing the combination of high handle weight and the swivel "feature" is hard on the back and wrist, they are prone to falling over using the hose, no spotting wand, no on board attachment storage, cheesy outer cloth "filter" and it is blowing hot air on you all the time. It is just all wrong. A G series or the Mechanical series are much easier to use. Their upper bodies are just empty cavities for a dust bag and filter with a handle on the outside. All the mass is in the base. No swivel, so no wrist or back agony. No falling over when using the hose. Just easier to use. For the extra hundred bucks over a Felix buying a G4 is an easy choice.

I never noticed the weight issue being a big deal, yes there is a difference I will say that but it's not that alarming to me. I don't think you've watched the video but it does in fact have a mounting clip to store two attachments on. As for falling over, well both the G and MECHANICAL models have hoses mount around the same height and I seem to recall I did had the XP15 (X5) tip over I'm sure more than once when I was a janitor. As much as I love the other SEBO uprights like the G1 I have, I personally don't think it's worth extra buying the G1 or any MECHANICAL model over the FELIX. Neither model would shut the brushroll off, in fact they both would scatter dirt across the feet since they don't have a squeegee like the X models. The FELIX would fit on the Parquet brush which does a better job on barefloor. The handle telescopes which not only makes it easier for storage but also more compact for using it as a canister, in fact carrying either upright for tall to reach areas like windows would not only be heavier but also awkward to use. Bags are easier to change and you can't put the bag in wrong on the FELIX, people can incorrectly put the bag in on other models and it'd be a huge mess. A design flaw I've noticed on the G models is the exhaust filter cover can get warped over time from the heat, my G1 has that problem. And I don't like where the switch is at on the MECHANICAL models, not to mention you can't easily take the brushroll out like the other two. I'd only buy the other two if it was just strictly used for carpets.

I have also thought about a machine like a vacumaid with the p400 motor pod or a cyclovac 7515 to go with a hoover powermatic for example, or maybe a sebo et-1. I got the sebo felix for next to nothing because it was a floor model at godfreys when they were closing. It also helped that I had met the CEO of Godfreys. The duet deluxe and wertheim 7 series are very good deep cleaners. I love using the duet deluxe.

panasonicvac said:

I never noticed the weight issue being a big deal, yes there is a difference I will say that but it's not that alarming to me. I don't think you've watched the video but it does in fact have a mounting clip to store two attachments on. As for falling over, well both the G and MECHANICAL models have hoses mount around the same height and I seem to recall I did had the XP15 (X5) tip over I'm sure more than once when I was a janitor. As much as I love the other SEBO uprights like the G1 I have, I personally don't think it's worth extra buying the G1 or any MECHANICAL model over the FELIX. Neither model would shut the brushroll off, in fact they both would scatter dirt across the feet since they don't have a squeegee like the X models. The FELIX would fit on the Parquet brush which does a better job on barefloor. The handle telescopes which not only makes it easier for storage but also more compact for using it as a canister, in fact carrying either upright for tall to reach areas like windows would not only be heavier but also awkward to use. Bags are easier to change and you can't put the bag in wrong on the FELIX, people can incorrectly put the bag in on other models and it'd be a huge mess. A design flaw I've noticed on the G models is the exhaust filter cover can get warped over time from the heat, my G1 has that problem. And I don't like where the switch is at on the MECHANICAL models, not to mention you can't easily take the brushroll out like the other two. I'd only buy the other two if it was just strictly used for carpets.

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With the G4 and even with my 370 I do hard floor cleaning with the 9 foot extension hose, wand extension on the spotting wand and the standard parquet floor brush. Easy.

On the Mechanical 300/350 you don't need to remove the brush roll. You remove a small hatch on the side of the nozzle housing, grab a tab on the brush strip to slide the old brush strip off and slide a new one on. Replace the hatch and you are done. Nothing could be easier. The brush roll and brush strip on the 350 is literally the same part used on the ET-C and ET-350.

The Felix isn't light. It is almost as heavy as a G4 but because the motor is high above the nozzle base it's handle weight is exactly double that of a G series machine. But worse the swivel feature means the user has to control that weight in two direction, fore and aft and side to side. The G is much easier and lighter to use. I have disc problems from my years flying helicopters and a bad knee from a running injury so I have problems using many vacuums. The G and the 370 are pretty painless but not the Felix. A G4 is only a hundred bucks more than the Felix and worth every penny. I see the Felixes that come into my friends shop and they are generally hammered. Even his personal Felix he uses in the shop is broken from falling over. High hour Gs and Xs used by house cleaners and business aren't half as beat up. I'll take a G over a Felix any day.

But if that configuration is what floats your boat, don't overlook the Lindhaus Valzer. Better filtration, no hot air blowing on the user, better hose, spotting wand, great attachments, same ability to mount a hard floor brush underneath and the Lindhaus hard floor brush is one of the best if not thee best. Given a choice between the two the Valzer gets my vote. Now if I want to spend money I would go with the Diamante and run a Kenmore Style O synthetic HEPA dust bag. The Diamante has it all including a felt sole plate attachment for hard floors that is an industry best. And you can shampoo with it.

You can also get an extension hose for the FELIX. Also with the brushroll shut off, I don't need to worry about the brushroll spinning on the carpets while using the hose. From experience it's much easier taking the brushroll out than taking out the brushstrip. When it comes to servicing, taking the whole brushroll out besides the strip is an extra step. Again I don't see the weight an issue for me personally since I've tried it out when I worked at a SEBO and Lindhaus dealer, I pretty much know what I already like from the store. My overall preference for a SEBO are their powerheads because I like central vacs the best. But if central vacs were out of the picture, I'm still not convinced that I should pay extra on a G4 or even a X4 which I definitely do like better than the G4. For someone like me who takes the best care of vacuums unlike an average consumer, a FELIX would last just as long as the other two from my end. The VALZER you shared has already been discontinued, I recently spoke to a rep from the west region of Lindhaus in Idaho. The LINDA is the current replacement which I wouldn't buy over the FELIX because there's no hose on-board. The HEALTHCARE Pro however does, but I still wouldn't buy one over the FELIX because of the price. I would however buy one over any Diamante or even the Activa. I own a Diamante and as much as I love that machine, I also don't think it's worth the extra over the Activa. In fact I'd take the Activa over any MECHANICAL model from SEBO. No brushstrip and no awkward foot pedal switch. Plus the wand telescopes out and there's a squeegee underneath.

panasonicvac said:

You can also get an extension hose for the FELIX. Also with the brushroll shut off, I don't need to worry about the brushroll spinning on the carpets. From experience it's much easier taking the brushroll out than taking out the brushstrip. When it comes to servicing, taking the whole brushroll out besides the strip is an extra step. Again I don't see the weight an issue for me personally since I've tried it out when I worked at a SEBO and Lindhaus dealer, I pretty much know what I already like from the store. My overall preference for a SEBO are their powerheads because I like central vacs the best. But if central vacs were out of the picture, I'm still not convinced that I should pay extra on a G4 or even a X4 which I definitely do like better than the G4. For someone like me who takes the best care of vacuums unlike an average consumer, a FELIX would last just as long as the other two from my end. The VALZER you shared has already been discontinued, I recently spoke to a rep from the west region of Lindhaus in Idaho. The LINDA is the current replacement which I wouldn't buy over the FELIX because there's no hose on-board. The HEALTHCARE Pro however does, but I still wouldn't buy one over the FELIX because of the price. I would however buy one over any Diamante or even the Activa. I own a Diamante and as much as I love that machine, I also don't think it's worth the extra over the Activa. In fact I'd take the Activa over any MECHANICAL model from SEBO. No brushstrip and no awkward foot pedal switch. Plus the wand telescopes out and there's a squeegee underneath.

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I have the G4, a Mechanical 350, a 370, a couple of ET-1s, an ET-C and a couple of ET-350s ( Miracle Mate and Patriot ) and think find removing the brush strip from the Mechanical 350, 370, ET-C and ET-350 to be about as easy to do as possible. You only touch the brush roll to rotate it to line the brush strip up with the opening in the nozzle base. Unless you manage to break something you never touch the brush roll on one.

With the Sebo uprights I set the height on 4 and no worries about the rotating brush roll on hard floors when using the hose and parquet floor brush. It's a non problem. There is just nothing about the Felix that works for me but I tend not to like uprights in general though I have a number of them in my collection. Give me a good Swedish Lux canister vac like a D795 or especially the D820. Best vacuums ever made.

Everyone definitely has different tastes, I even have a friend who likes Shark better than SEBO or anything else she's ever used for her realtor business. When we were having a friendly discussion one day, she thought I didn't knew what I was talking about with vacuums until I showed her pictures of how I fully service my machines like this X4 for example. I don't agree with her that Shark is the best, we both however agree that we prefer using uprights over canisters.

panasonicvac said:

Everyone definitely has different tastes, I even have a friend who likes Shark better than SEBO or anything else she's ever used for her realtor business. When we were having a friendly discussion one day, she thought I didn't knew what I was talking about until I showed her pictures of how I fully service my machines like this X4 for example. I may not agree with her that Shark is the best, we both however agree that we prefer using uprights over canisters.

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I see people do that but I never would. Don't want anything to do with vacuums in our dishwasher. Too unsanitary and I don't trust the dishwasher to remove all the contaminants from inside. Also ours heats the water with a coil on the bottom and I worry the heat would distort plastic. It gets super hot in there and we use the air dry setting, not the heated dry.
I hand wash in a mixture of Big Orange, clear cider vinegar, alcohol and a wee bit of dish detergent in hot water. That mixture sanitizes and kills all the odors. If the part is really smelly I soak it for a few hours. No substitute for cider vinegar for odor removal. I have old paint brushes for scrubbing. I do it in a sink we only use for cleaning yucky things or dumping out the mop bucket. Vacuum parts never touch a kitchen sink. Don't want those germs anywhere near my kitchen.

I think a majority of people who dishwasher vacuum parts have a dishwasher in their vacuum store specifically for that. I may be wrong though.