Brian
That Eureka powernozzle you refer to on the Wertheim canister is actually a Chinese-made copy called the Dust Care PB11. It has a long history so far....it was first used by Euro-Pro on some of the Fantom & Euro-Pro branded canisters, & it is still being used to this day on the Dirt Devil Jaguar, Jaguar II, & Royal Lexon S17 canisters, Fuller Brush-branded canisters (although early on they asked that the hood be redesigned so that it was "unique", as they knew it was a widely-used powerhead), & Metropolitan Vacuum Company includes it with their powerhead canister models. Nutone also used the version that the Wertheim & Dirt Devil use for a short period of time, but they have since changed to their own exclusive power nozzle. It is also used by some central vac makers as a budget powernozzle, & offered online by many retailers as a replacement generic powernozzle. The PB11 is really bad quality, it is not good at all! What tends to happen with them is the screw mounts the screws screw into on the hood will crack & break very easily. The other problem they have is that they use an Ametek 3-wire motor, instead of the Ametek 2-wire motor Eureka used before they changed to the Electrolux AB-made motor. They use a 3-wire motor as they use a krypton bulb, same as Kirby uses, & the motor acts as a power transformer, so the voltage is lowered & the bulbs won't burn out prematurely. But the drawback is that the motor has a very short life expectancy- you're lucky to get 3 or 4 years out of it. For these reasons, I would rather replace the PB11 with a Eureka powernozzle instead of repair, just better to replace it with something better-made without lots of problems.
As far as where The Bank vacuums are being made? I suspect that The Bank & Wertheim are outsourcing the vacuums to Kingclean in China. I also think that TTI is sourcing the Dirt Devil canisters & Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary canisters from them, as well as Tacony for the Riccar & Simplicity canisters, & I know for a fact that Euro-Pro is sourcing the Shark Professional canister sold in Canadian Tire from Kingclean. If you look at the hose handle on the first silver The Bank vacuum they started out a while ago with, the hose handle on it, the Riccar 1500M (which uses the same compact PN as The Bank vacuums do), Riccar 1500P, & Shark Professional canister vacuum, they all use the exact same hose handle....only difference on the Shark is that it is 1 3/8" European diameter, as that's what they have specified, & the hose material isn't crushproof but rather has a wire running thru it (like the Hoover Anniversary & Miele hoses do). I know that Daewoo was originally responsible for manufacturing the 1500M & 1500P in Korea, & I'm almost certain I had seen a Made in China label on it recently, but they could still be made in Korea though. The Bank Vault, as well as the red Simplicity Verve it's identical to, are 100% FOR SURE Made in China though, as well as the Riccar Pizzazz & Pristine models. I had seen it's makers label earlier this year. Also, another clue is if you look at the nozzle neck on the power nozzles, & the wands....notice how they are all nearly identical? And of course, the tools onboard the Riccar, Simplicity, Hoover, Wertheim, & The Bank vacuums....only difference being on the Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary, the brush on the upholstery tool is nylon fibers, not horsehair, & they don't include the multi-tool & wand holder. Also, the Hoover wand is slightly different, as it has a buttonlocker instead of a clip, & the floor tool has a groove in the neck to accomodate the buttonlocker, instead of a clip like the others.
A couple of things I noticed that were rather ironic about The Bank Vault video, in addition to Brian's point about foolishly showing the Dyson not cleaning barefloors well, yet not being plugged in: 1. They point out at first that bare floorbrushes don't work well & shove dirt around, & that the powernozzle included excels at this. Well, if that's the case, then WHY do they totally blackball themselves & ruin their credibility by later showing the EXACT SAME floorbrush is included that they used earlier to bash floorbrushes?! That's pure marketing genius on their part....NOT!! 2. They make the claim that the vacuum will last 20 years, same as Miele, & they offer a 5 year warranty. Hmm, well lets see how quickly consumers believe that claim when they find out it's Made In China! The reason they're making the claim it will last 20 years is they know they are trying to compete with Miele, & that Miele is making the claim their vacuums last 20 years. They also show how the seals in the bag compartment & on the HEPA filter make it a Sealed System, without also pointing out that the motor compartment has to be sealed to the filter housing - which it is- to make it a Sealed System & ensure ALL THE AIR goes thru the HEPA filter. Another thing I have noticed with respect to the HEPA Cloth bags....the bag in the video is the bag that Riccar & Simplicity include with their vacuums in the box when a consumer purchases their vacuum. Although it is a good quality bag, the Riccar/Simplicity bag, of all these Chinese Miele copycats, is superior quality....even to Miele! The Riccar/Simplicity bag has been described by Tom Gasko as being so thick, they call it the "Baby Diaper" bag, because the HEPA Cloth material is so thick. Any consumer who notices that it's the same as the Simplicity Verve & Riccar Pristine should also purchase the Riccar/Simplicity bags to use in the vacuum. And about the powerbrush....WHY include that wimpy powerbrush when the Riccar/Simplicity powerbrush, with the metal brushroll, is a generic Central Vac powerhead, & they could offer it & fit & work fine with the vacuum & wand? If they are gonna compete successfully offering a Chinese-made Miele alternative, this would have been better. In fact, a Simplicity Verve or Riccar Pristine is a better buy than The Bank Vault, because of the better powerhead.
It's also notable that Riccar/Simplicity have also discontinued using the compact powerbrush offered with The Bank vacuums, & now offer a Chinese-made copycat of this Wessell Werk powerbrush that also has a headlight, & looks "unique" & can't be found anywhere else. Since it has the headlight, I would prefer this over The Bank compact powerbrush.
Rob
http://shop.centralvacuumfactory.com/dust-care-model-pb11-electric-power-brush-p-1146.html
