Cyclonic vacuums vs Filter in bin vacuums

[man114]

I'm surprised Euro-pro never attempted to simply make new copies of the Fantoms in China as the patents expired. They would still outperform the Euro-pro designs, they could have easily been modified for pre motor filters. I know the Thunder had a high parts count but the other designs were about half, and with cheap labor, I can't see why they didn't. Churning out $99 Furys would still be a winner.

 

[fantomlightning]

I'm...

Still amazed they decided to shut Fantom down and start making the Infinity and Shark Navigator machines under their respective names. I would've thought if you were gonna attempt to be the first real Dyson competitor in the US it'd be better to use an established brand like Fantom. The main reason they didn't/couldn't keep making the original machines is all the patents (I don't know if they didn't want them or couldn't get/afford them) went to Westinghouse for the Wired and Unwired machines, but it was only the Fury, Cyclone XT, and the Wildcat as a cordless machine. Even those were pathetic as they used the single cyclonic "Crosswind" designs. God knows what happened in the end to the Thunder.

 

[mark40511]

Speaking of Fantom

I had a Fury in the late 90s. God I hated that vacuum! I never had the Fantom Thunder - I think that came later after the Fantom. The Thunder HAD to be an improvement over the Fury. The one thing I hated about the Fantom (other than emptying a bagless vacuum and dust flying), was the dirt bin seemed to barely have a seal and when vacuuming along, you could actually see dust collecting on the outside of the vacuum.

 

[fantomlightning]

I haven't had that issue with my Fury, or any of my Fantoms for that matter. The Thunder actually came before the Fury, the model line went like this. Original Fantom, Fantom Thunder (same as the original Fantom but with some cosmetic changes and a HEPA filter as standard), Fury, Lightning, Cyclone XT, Wildcat. The Thunder and Fury both went through motor and cosmetic changes with the Fury having I believe 4 different styling and color changes over it's life, as well as 2 or 3 different amperage motors in the original green model. Later on when Fantom stopped licensing Dysons dual cyclonic system they came out with the Crosswind models, a blue Fury and Cyclone XT with single/filtered cyclonic dust bins and washable electrostatic filters that had originated with the Wildcat. After Fantom went bankrupt the name and trademarks went to Euro-Pro, while the designs of the Crosswind models and the Wildcat went to Westinghouse to be turned into the "Wired" and "Unplugged" machines.

 

[parwaz786]

I would like to now of the best upright Dyson that can handle LOADS of hair and can still work well as the only vac being used in a 3 story multi floored (mainly carpeted) house with a large family

 

[sebo_fan]

So can my SEBO/Task SM2, also known as the SEBO G2 in the U.S...

 

[niclonnic]

Speaking of Fantom...

I had a Fantom Fury when I was a little kid. I never got to use it, but I remember watching my mom vacuum with it in our 2-bedroom apartment with dark brown carpeting and 3 cats. I believe it was the 10 amp version, with the dark green collection bin, teal bumper and teal handle grip. I remember the way that the collection bin worked. This was all when I was a very young child, from kindergarten through 1st grade.

Sadly, my family got rid of it when we moved out of our apartment in the summer of 2001. So the Fantom Fury holds a special place in my heart, and I truly feel that it is a masterpiece of a vacuum cleaner.

I would love to find another Fantom Fury. One of these days...

 

[mark40511]

I think I confused Thunder with Lightning

It was Lightning that came after Fury - at any rate, when you connect the dust cup to the vacuum, it never felt snug to me, like it was BARELY there. It was on properly though! So when I would vacuum, I always felt like some of the swirling dirt would escape and you could totally see the outside of the vacuum getting really dusty as you vacuumed. At the time I was living in a duplex that had a back deck and I would always take it outside to empty it into a shopping bag and I also remember this black SCREEN at the top that would always be caked with dirt that you had to clean off. I hated the entire experience with that vacuum......I did like the way it looked though. It was a pretty vacuum with the black and teal.

 

[niclonnic]

Interesting story!

With my Fury, my mom would dump the collection bin into the kitchen trash can after every use. I also remember the screen that would stay in the vacuum when the bin was removed.

You're right, the Fantom Fury was quite a sleek machine. Funny thing is, black and teal are my high school colors!

It's too bad that Fantom went out of business...

 

[floor-a-matic]

What about bagged cyclonic vacuums like a Compact/TriStar? I think they aren't messy but sanitary to change the paper bag & get cyclonic action that will beat ANY multi-cyclonic vac; & still have great suction/airflow