Dirt Devil Cruiser

[vacuumfreeeke]

OK, we'll try this again, last time I tried to post this, firefox crashed and I lost everything and it was a lot.... I was trying to add it on to the existing thread that I posted yesterday asking for help instead of making a whole new one, but it didn't work.... thanks for responding that thread Doug and Steve... now about the vacuum.

This vacuum cleaner consumed my whole day off yesterday! I guess playing with a new vacuum is more fun than what I'd originally planned (clean the refrigerator and catch up on laundry).

I have always wanted a Cruiser even though I don't normally like dirt devil (save the original Broom Vac of course) or bagless (especially the kind with paper pleated filters), but I've always liked these. I have a soft spot for self propelled vacuums, and this one reminds me of the Royal Powercast (which I also like even though it isn't self propelled). I check Craig's List every day and have for years, and I check Ebay every now and then and have never once seen a Cruiser, so this must be pretty rare. I knew enough to snap it up when I saw it on C/L even though I had to drive an hour to get it.... it came from a country bumpkin with about 4 teeth who breeds terriers for a living. He said his wife wanted a Dyson so that is why he retired the Dirt Devil. I didn't dare tell him that I was a collector or how rare the vacuum is. I pretended like I didn't know anything about it, just as I did with the Hoover Innovation...

So, on the way home I stopped off at Lowes and Wal-mart... I got a new dremel (I can't find mine and it's only single speed, so I got a better one), plastic polish, steel wool, mothers polish, magic clean erasers, a new filter and belts for the machine. I spent more on stuff to fix it up than I did the machine itself!

Mine says Platinum Force, instead of Cruiser, but it is a Cruiser... the real Platinum force was a different machine entirely.

I got it home and started tearing it apart to clean it. I wanted to wash all the parts to get the dog smell out. The machine runs well, but the metal was badly tarnished and the cord has a bit of electrical tape on one small part.... those are the only problems save the missing dusting brush/upholstery tool.


I am not finished polishing yet.... it's in bad shape so I still have a lot of work to do. I did put some gouges in the metal with the dremel until I figured out how to hold it right... that infuriated me. Even if I had a bench grinder, this machine has too many countours to do well on a bench grinder.

The brushroll is new... the guy said that the original brushroll got hair wound around the ends and the bearins started squealing so he bought a new one a few months ago.... it still had the original 25 dollar price tag from "Sweeper World" on it.

It seems powerful, and it is loud you'd expect a Dirt Devil to be, but not a screamer like the cheap dirt devils.... this one has a nice thoaty sound and the brushroll can clearly be heard slapping the floor.

The drive is relatively smooth, but there is a small issue.... and I don't know if it is a problem with the machine or just the way this machine in particular interacts with my flat carpet. When I'm ending a foward stroke and starting a back stroke, the machine bucks forward and the back wheels come up almost like it's trying to dive into the floor... I don't know if this is just it shifting gears or what, but it's annoying because it doesn't make for a smooth flowing motion.

What I like

Large, straight open non-loop style handle, complete with contours and thumb rest (don't like loop handles)
pedal power switch
aggressive agitation
belt changing is pretty easy, and supplies are easy to find
color and looks.... it is pretty and the metal is nice, will be better when polished
big back wheels... only the outside part turns, the middle "hubcap" part is stationary... very cool!
the dirt in the chamber spins really fast and is visible... I never liked the dirt chamber in the Dyson because it has baffles in it that prevent the dirt from spinning.... if I'm going to deal with bagless, I need some kind of visual reward
screws are all phillips

What I don't like

paper pleated filter
no brushroll off for bare floors
no transmission off (I've never met a s/p vac without a transmission off feature)
no secondary filter... the dirt chamber tower filter is the only filter on the whole machine... there's no pre or post motor filter at all
quick release cord wrap is the bottom cord hook instead of the top... that's just stupid and there's no logical reason for it... the cord hook is too big and even in the "release" position, does not give up the cord easily
no edge cleaning, only fixed brushes on the edge of the nozzle plate
dirt cup not easy to mess with
clear hoses that turn brown when exposed to dirt
no cogged belt, just a regular flat rubber belt that stretches over time
brushroll doesn't stop in the upright position
attachments poor quality
says "platinum force" instead of cruiser
while the belt is easy to change, 5 screws must be removed to get the bottom plate off
brushroll is NOT a chevron style even though the dirt path is in the middle.... the original one may have been, but the one that is in it now is not


All in all, I'm glad to finally have it, but it does have some serious flaws... because I got this I'm going to have to get rid of a machine... I have so many that from now on when I get a new one, an old one has to go... the one I've chosen to get rid of is the Sanitaire SC 887.... it's the dirt cup model and it blows dirt straight out the sides when in use... I have already robbed the brushroll for my 1934A and I have so many F and G style machines that I won't miss it... I haven't even used it in years.

I'll go ahead and share some pics...

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

the metal

bad shape!

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

more metal

so sad

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

brushroll

brushroll... very stiff and aggressive and spins freely.... I like that there is only one way to put it in and it is very obvious

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

belts

New belt inside the old one, I like to compare to see how much they stretched.... even with the stretched belt, this thing still had plenty of power. It's truly a bagless beast.... can't wait to see what happens to the suction when the filter starts to clog....

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

the mess

This what the place looked like while I was working on the machine... looks like a crime scene... and just look at that filthy water in the the dish pan where I washed some of the parts (most of that came from the hose).

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

after

This is an after picture of the cleaned up machine. The hose was still drying, so when I tested the machine, I just put a piece of tape over the hose hole so the suction would go to the floor.

By the way.... the problem I posted about yesterday, not being able to remove the small hose to clean it out, I just gave up on trying to remove it and cleaned it another way. I used the Dremel to cut an old plastic coat hanger into a dowel and then put a sock on the end of the dowel and sprayed an enzymatic pet stain and odor cleaner in the hose.... then I ran the dowel with the sock up and down the hose and got it to where I could see through it... not perfect, but much better.... the hanger was the perfect balance between flexibility and rigidity for this task.

Of course I still have a LOT more polishing to do before the machine even looks decent, but it is much better than when it came in.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

this is the dirt

this is the dirt that I got from the machine's maiden voyage around the living room after I got it all back together.... this surprised me because I'd just vacuumed with the Rainbow SE and the Self Propelled Windtunnel (both with relatively new belts) the day before and hadn't really been home much until then... I knew I'd get some dirt, but that was more than I expected, and that was about 2 minutes of vacuuming... and that was just what was in the bottom of the chamber, not anything that was stuck to the paper filter.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

the headlights

One final picture of the headlights... they look much brighter in the picture than they do in person. I like that it has dual headlights because they are almost like eyes, but I don't like the dark place between them.... it looks like it's dirty or there's another light out... I removed the lens and cleaned it and the whole headlight area... I almost broke the lens because I thought it was the kind that you pry off, and it isn't.... it has two screws. Thankfully, I figured it out before I did any real damage.

Thanks for looking guys!

 

[vacman117]

Very nice! Here is my Dirt Devil Cruiser. I got it around 8 months ago for 5 bucks at a flea market! I still haven't gotten around to clean it though. That's odd that your's says Platinum Force, I've never seen one labeled as that! I remember seeing this on the shelves at Home Depot when I was little! I always thought it looked so much like a futuristic Kirby back then, and I badly wanted one. I can't remember how much they sold them for though. But congrats on finding one! They are almost impossible to find. They are very aggressive and I just love the sound for some reason.

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Chase, I remember watching your video when you first got the machine.... it sucks about your handle release...

Yours is in much better shape than mine and the color of the plastic is so much prettier! I wish mine was that color! I wonder which one is older?

Does yours have a chevron brushroll?

I used the attachments today for the first time.... dusted the a/c filter cover and then used the turbo tool on the recliner.... the DD turbo tool stopped spinning as soon as I put it up the the surface... I put the Hoover turbo tool on and even though it was slower than it is on the Windtunnel, it did not stop like the DD one did. The hose suction seemed pretty good, but it's probably much less than it seems because of the small diameter hose... the Eureka Victories are like that too (the ones that take the AA bags). I can't believe the machine came with no upholstery tool and only one extension wand.... that hose is really short!

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

I just wanted to share one last picture of the machine.... I just finished putting the final touches on the polishing job. Lots of hours (1 hour a night for 4 nights) with the dremel and some 000 steel wool and of course mothers polish and the dremel compound and this is the result. A mirror finish! So satisfying... makes me want to do the Kirbys and Royals now. I love this vacuum so much! It is so powerful... I'm getting deep sand out of my carpet that I've never been able to access before.... this thing cleans circles around my Dyson, no question about it.... plus it's just so pretty. The filter is starting to collect debris and change color, but it is still very powerful. Just look at this! My hands are sore, there's black all over everything, but it was worth it. I did put quite a few gouges in the metal with the Dremel while I was learning to use it and the sticker peeled in a few places.... sadly, the original brushroll for these are NLA, and I don't want to use it too much and wear it out because when it goes, I likely won't be able to find parts for it! It will probably be my daily driver for a month.

 

[kenmore81]

Nice job Bobby. It looks good. I had a Dirt Devil bagless s/p for a few months and I did notice the kinda jerk at the end of the forward stroke. Mine did have the shut off for the s/p it didnt last long though and neither did the vacuum lol. It was quite powerful for a bagless even when the filter started to clog.

 

[jodan3399]

Actually the first I've seen of these, I want one. : )

Very pretty.

You did a great job cleaning it up!!