Do manufacturer made belts REALLY last longer ?

[jmurray01]

The belts in question are flat belts.

When the genuine HOOVER belt in my 1994 HOOVER Turbopower started slipping (I don't know how old it was as that was the belt that came with it), I replaced it with a generic cheap belt from eBay.

That was September last year and now, 7 months later it is still working perfectly fine and shows no signs of drying up. The only thing I could mention if I were being pedantic, is that it is a little bit narrower than the genuine belt now it has been in use for a while, but that hasn't affected its performance at all.

Another Vacuum Cleaner which has a generic belt fitted is my 1982 Electrolux 502S. The belt in that was also fitted in September last year and is working fine also.

So my question is, do manufacturer made belts really outlive generic belts and even if they do, does the higher cost of genuine belts outweigh the longevity ?

 

[gsheen]

I have always found that they last longer. 


 


We only fit genuine belts in my shop

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Only genuine here

YEARS ago, my mom bought 'anything'. No good. The N Canton HOOVER rubber was always Goodyear, as Goodyear was local as well. They always lasted.

 

[rolls_rapide]

I always found that genuine Hoover round belts lasted longer than those mickey mouse generic belts.

Flat belts, I found not much difference to tell you the truth. However, I was warned by an Electrolux engineer to only use genuine belts on the 550 upright (I did!), but still the motor pulley got worn down - twice!

On the U1104 Junior, the flat belt lasted ages, but the motor pulley wore down in double-quick time.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I usually use generic 'whatever' belts on my TriStar PN; I really can't tell the difference between the real McCoy & imitations.

On the uprights, I use genuine on the Kirbys; generics on Eureka F & G & Hoover Elites & Convertibles.

 

[sebo_fan]

My Hoovers have genuine belts but then that was because at the time of purchase I always bought genuine ones when I started collecting and would often buy in bulk.

The only time I bought cheap belts were for Panasonic uprights and these tended to last a few years. Sometimes it is hard to find genuine versus cheap copy but I think it comes down to the machine's mechanics. Whereas undoubtedly the classic Hoover uprights are built to last and have bigger bearings, heavier brush rolls, the Panasonic's cheap brush roll and bearing points are far lighter and the machine only benefits from an auto height adjustment compared to the Hoover generic 4 height position.

When it comes to dust bags I use genuine. I was completely shocked recently when I read in one of my recent Which magazines that Which are condoning the use of copy dust bags. I should scan the results and post them on here - they suggest the copy bags are just as good as genuine dust bags for a lot of brands - including Miele.

 

[vinvac]

I have purchased from Hesco belts for both my Hoovers and Eureka's that were not Factory...and had horrible luck with them...the Hoover generics were awful.

Eureka's last about half the amount of time as the factory belts.

Just my two cents.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

They're

intended to do that.

 

[jmurray01]

"When it comes to dust bags I use genuine. I was completely shocked recently when I read in one of my recent Which magazines that Which are condoning the use of copy dust bags. I should scan the results and post them on here - they suggest the copy bags are just as good as genuine dust bags for a lot of brands - including Miele." Well actually, in my opinion, generic Dust Bags aren't all that bad.

I have used Genuine HOOVER bags and ElecTruePart bags on my 1994 HOOVER Turbopower and both retained good suction all the way to half full and both kept the Pre-Motor filters dust free. I can't fault them.

 

[twocvbloke]

I've been using generic poly. bags in my Miele, and they're not leaving the same "skidmarks" on the base of the bag chamber like the genuine FJM one did that I bought after using up the generics that came with the vac when I got it...

I try to use genuine parts for vacs I care for, but there are cases where I can't use them because I can't get them at a cost-effective price, or am using an alternative that works better than the original, so it just depends on what there is... :&#92

 

[jmurray01]

Oh well, that's an occasion when generics are BETTER than the originals then!

 

[sebo_fan]

Talking of generic versus copy, has anyone ever used a permanent washable dust bag in a Miele canister that uses the FJM? Is there one from another brand that can be cut to slip into the holder?