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Cyclone XT It’s far worse than the Thunder in terms of build quality but nicer looking. It’s far simpler to work on. The two motor setup is a good idea but the circuit board tends to have issues that shuts off the brush roller. I had to resolder one of mine. The 11 amp Thunder is actually the...

Still quite common in this area Got two Thunders from thrift stores and garbage picked a Fury pretty recently. The Thunder is a decent machine. USA made Thunders were really just refurbished here in Buffalo.

I watched the spindown of the video of it arcing again and it sounds pretty darn normal. I found a motor with the fan shroud slightly bent around the hole but it doesn’t rub and I’d assume you’d hear it if it did. Having worked on many of these I’m just not seeing the issue. I’m half tempted...

Liquid car wax will shine these up like new

Junk My friend had one, terrible vacuum, noisy, lousy build quality. Even a Fury weighs about twice what one of these does.

Unless the plastic housing of the machine is warped badly, at which case you’d likely have trouble getting the motor in, I don’t think it would be possible to put enough pressure on the motor housing to do damage to it. The motor just kind of rests inside like a clamshell snug but not overly so...

The Armor All was a Black Friday Special at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Pep Boys or one of those places within the last 10 years I have one, used it for a while, burnt the filter accidentally when I thought my stove had burned out but there was still a hot coal. It’s been in my shed or basement most of...

Bissell has decent end consumer customer service so long as they don’t cheapen things out.

Sears is the only place around here I ever even see people testing vacs at. Our Sears recently put up a lighted display wall for the vacs. Usually the appliance people let people test out the machines. Oddly a large part of this seems to be because they carry canister vacs.

Fragrances I used to sell these with my wife so we got to try all the fragrances. Honestly Pine, spice and Orange are my favorites. I’d recommend just trying them all to see what you prefer. Berry was the one I enjoyed the least.

Dirt inside is usually a lack of maintenance. I have several D4s, two single speed E Series and the newest E2 Black. Some of the D4s I don’t think the Separator was ever cleaned when I got them (I bought all my machines at thrift stores). As far as how often to clean the separator it’s more a...

I’ve got over a dozen Fantoms. The Thunder, especially the earlier ones are actually quite durable. I don’t see why people have such issues with them. My mom still uses the Kenmore destiny I bought at their liquidation 17 years ago on a daily basis. Unless you’re really abusing them they last...

Hard to find I’m honestly surprised more haven’t turned up more Fantoms in the Rochester area. I garbage picked a Fury just about two weeks ago. I passed on a Thunder at the goodwill in Brockport because it seemed to expensive. I usually only buy Thunders though, they’re the most durable and...

I may have told you when you were up here that Fantom inventory was being liquidated through various local places. About a year after they closed at the Erie County Fair, they were selling these for about $99. I picked up a NOS 11amp Destiny for about $45. Best Buy was the only retailer I knew...

Rainbow and the Fantom Thunder. While some other Fantoms were lackluster the Thunder (domestic, Vectron as well) were a tank of a vacuum.

I’d take a few brush rolls if available, I have like 20 Thunders/Domestics/Destinys some are near mint and will outlast the existing rollers.

Just looks like a bad motor, dirt won’t kill these that fast. I’ve got at least a dozen of them. After a few years they get clogged with larger lint and if you don’t take em apart and take a pipe cleaner through the vanes they get filled with lint and efficiency decreases, then they die. If this...

Sonwil I tried to do some digging into what happened when Fantom closed. I did find a ton of patents that were sold off for some money to another company. The may have inherited rights going forward for due to the licensed patents from Dyson. Presumably if the refurbishment work was effective...

Yep the wax works These were super super easy to find here in Buffalo in the late 1990s early 2000s, so after I got a job and car I used to pick them up out of the garbage, or get them at thrift stores, clean and polish them with car wax then sell them for $50 to co workers and online. Fantoms...

Thunders were made right up until the end in 2001. I have one made probably weeks before they went bankrupt. They also rebuilt them right up until the end too.