Commercial backpack vacuum for household use

[bleb]

Hi everyone!

I'm looking to buy my first good vacuum to help with recently diagnosed dust mite allergies. SEBO and Miele canisters come highly recommended, but I am leaning towards a commercial backpack vacuum because I prefer simpler designs that are easier to repair/maintain, and a backpack seems easier than dragging around a canister, especially for areas like the corner behind my bed which would require lifting the canister onto the bed (assuming a normal ~6ft hose).

I found the Nilfisk GD5 which appears identical to the rebranded Clarke Comfort Pak 6 and Advance Adgility 6 XP. These are 9.3 lb and generate 62 db of noise with 144 cfm of airflow. Those numbers are unheard of among consumer canisters, and more airflow seems like it would help with hard to reach areas if dust is collected from a larger area around the nozzle. Does it seem like a good idea?

I've also been trying to find out about the possibility of aftermarket nozzles or a longer hose for the GD5; anyone know about that, or how I might find out?

The Lindhaus LB4 also looks nice, it's a bit lighter and supports power nozzles and an optional wheeled "canister" mode. But it's louder and more expensive, so I'm leaning toward the other. Both options have battery powered versions, but I would go corded for maximum simplicity and reliability (and because the battery versions are $$$).

Curious what y'all think or if you would recommend anything else.

 

[bisonian]

Nilfisk is the parent company of both Clarke and Advance. Buy whichever one has the lower price and you'll get the same machine.

 

[blackheart]

Options

You've got some options here. You can retrofit most backpacks with a power nozzle thanks to this adapter cord and the wessel werk retrofit hose, you can buy a premade retrofit kit, or buy a unit that includes the power nozzle setup

Pigtail adapter cord $39.99
Wessel Werk Retrofit hose $89.49
1.25 hose 90 degree cuff $23.76
Wessel Werk EBK360+ wand $168
Excluding shipping this about the same price as the kit You could also choose other power nozzles like the Sebo ET1/ET2 Or a Lindhaus head but those will cost you quite a bit more.


There is a kit available from the vacuum factory, for 324.95 which comes with the Wessel Werk EBK340 which is a good nozzle but it does have no height adjustment which if you have higher pile/soft carpet you would wand
https://www.thevacuumfactory.com/product/universal-commercial-backpack-powerhead-kit/

Now all that said I wouldn't go with the LB4 I've found it's suction/airflow to be below many other backpacks. I do like Lindhaus' nozzles but I find their suction motors to be lacking.
I don't have any experience with Advance/Clarke/Nilfisk backpacks but the 144 CFM spec sounds promising

I'd probably chose a Proteam if I were shopping for one They're probably the largest name in backpack vacuums out there. Like the above kit though you will get an EBK340c meaning no height adjustment, and no head light. Unless they've changed the setup on them your power head connection will resemble a computer plug meaning you'll have less flexibility for using other heads. They do have hepa after filters on the triangular shaped bodies and after market hepa bags can be obtained.

I know it's a fair amount of info thrown at you all at once so if you have more questions do feel free to ask. I think the best option for you though would be to purchase a backpack with the power nozzle just to ensure you get all the correct parts.

 

[vacuumdevil]

Here's the rest of the thread elsewhere on the internet.

 

[lesinutah]

Proteam

With the wessell werk power nozzle. I have the aiwrra with a proteam power nozzle and it's awesome. I'm getting the wessell werk ebk360 for it.
Proteam owns the commercial vacuum supremeccy.

 

[bleb]

Blackheart: Very helpful info. I should have mentioned that a power nozzle is not super important since my apartment is 95% hard floors, but it is still nice to have the option.

I am realizing that the CFM ratings I have been basing my research on may not be reliable. For example, the Nilfisks I mentioned are rated for 144 CFM and support an optional HEPA filter, but I doubt that the CFM rating would be the same with the HEPA filter. This brochure has specs for a HEPA model and gives 33 l/sec which is 70 CFM!

https://media.nilfisk.com/media/Brochure_GD5_10-NEW-JPLJENM.pdf

Sites that present specs for different models in a nice format also seem to make this mistake:

https://www.globalindustrial.com/c/..._machines_vacuums/vacuums/backpack_vacuums?p=

This includes some of the Nilfisk/Clarke/Advance backpacks I'm looking at, but it lists HEPA filtration alongside what appear to be non-HEPA airflow numbers. The ProTeam backpacks on that list have the same problem; the ProTeam website shows what comes in the box and it does not include the HEPA filter, so of course the airflow ratings are without it.

So I have no idea how to compare my options. HEPA is apparently overkill for dust mite allergies, but some decent level of filtration seems important (such as "S-class"). But it's been very difficult to find filtration details for non-HEPA vacuums. I guess it can't hurt to filter more than I need to, except that seems to come at the expense of airflow.

I'm also looking at canister vacuums with a 10 or 12 ft hose, which would let me reach everywhere without lifting it up. I've found only a few that come with a long hose (Centaur Silento-30 and others, Elsea X15). I've also found some canisters with shorter hoses for which a longer third party hose is available, but I don't know whether this would put undue stress on the motor and shorten its life. More to say but perhaps this discussion is best left to another thread...

I'm definitely overwhelmed at this point, not knowing if the specs I am finding can even be trusted, etc. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[blackheart]

Oh!

Well I'd just go with a Proteam FS6 then. I have one and it's airflow according to my readings are 123 cfm at the hose end for the 1.25 hose with the electric nozzle kit or about 149 CFM at the end of the standard non electric 1.5" hose. They do have hepa after filters as standard.

So looking at your Brochure for the GD5 those particular units are 780w machines where the ones with 144 cfm are rated for 1300W

 

[bleb]

In that case maybe I am misinterpreting the ProTeam website and their other backpacks also come with HEPA filters.

Thank you for pointing out the difference in wattage among the Nilfisk models; nice to know HEPA filters wouldn't cut the airflow by that much.

Also very interesting to see CFM measurements at different parts of the hose!

 

[kirbylux77]

Bleb, if you are considering canisters with long hoses, put a TriStar EXL on your list. There is a optional 12 ft hose available for them and the MG series. They also have a optional HEPA filter for the exhaust, and aftermarket HEPA Cloth bags. I would only advise a used EXL on Ebay though and put a new motor in it. The MG series used a Electrolux AB single stage motor, later a Johnson Electric single stage Chinese motor, and are nowhere near the same quality as the double stage Electro Motor used in the EXL. Also update the brushroll to the latest style with the extra turn of bristles, that will give it comparable grooming to a Wessel Werk ebk340.

Also note that if you use HEPA Cloth bags, the HEPA exhaust filter is mostly capturing carbon dust. So don't worry as much about the exhaust filtration unless you have severe allergies.

 

[bleb]

Wow thank you for the recommendation, no way would I have found out about the TriStar EXL on my own! Any idea where I might find specs like CFM, noise level, weight?

Normally I would be wary about buying a model that has been discontinued for 20 years, but it seems like parts are still available. I'm finding used TriStar EXLs for around $100 shipped, 70204 motor for $90, and 12 ft electric hose for $200.

This has me wondering if there are other older vacuums like this, maybe with a long non-electric hose that wouldn't cost more than the entire vacuum! I really don't need an electric hose at this point. The other old consumer vacuum that has come up is the Air Storm, but I don't see any 10+ ft hoses for those.

 

[panasonicvac]

I believe you can also still special order a longer 12 foot hose for the Aerus Guardian Platinum.