Electrolux (Aerus) Guardian Ultra

[bimmer740]

I recently read Consumer Report's Vacuum Cleaner ratings and was suprised that the "new and improved" Guardian Ultra did not receive a very good rating. Over the past 15 years CR has never rated Electrolux vacs very well, but they have usually done well in the reliability ratings.

This model has been out for a while now and there has not been much talk here about it. We had a long thread about it when it was first released but not much has been mentioned since. Im curious to hear from someone who has had one for a while to hear what they think about the new and improved unit. By now Im sure a vac collector would have been able to put it up to some great challenges as well as live with it as a daily driver. I have an Epic 6000 and have had a 6500 and Renaissace in the past as daily drivers, and while they were good machines they could have used a little more power. From what Ive read about the machine on the Aerus website and the previous thread here, it sounded like Lux was really stepping it up a notch to bring their machine up to par with the rest of the high end price point. Im really curious to know just how much better the new machine is than its predecessors.

 

[pr-21]

Lux Guardian Ultra

I am a die hard Electrolux fan and have both the Lux Guardian Ultra and the Lux Legacy canisters. This is something I wrote on another forum just a few days ago.

"Enough said...except that I have always been an Electrolux die hard fan and have been disappointed in my last two purchases. The Lux Guardian Ultra from an Aerus Dealer and a Lux Legacy NIB purchased from an Ebay seller. Aerus does not seem to have the same quality controls in place as the old Electrolux had. Also I don't think they do much with research and development. I was expecting great things when I purchased the Lux Guardian Ultra. What I got was a machine so powerfull that it tore the inner lining from the outer lining of the filter bags, which Aerus assured me they were fixing, a very loud machine, and a suction control that was absolutely useless. You cannot use the sidekick unless you have a half full bag or it will stall out......for the price of the machine, it needs a variable suction control similar to the Sebo D4 and/or the Miele vacuums. The middle of the line Lux Legacy is quieter with a piece of muffler stuck between the after filter and the blower port, that supposedly doesn't decrease airflow....The flaw I see in it is that it has an air leak coming from inside the carrying handle. This may or may not be a problem depending on whether the air has been filtered by the after filter first. I cannot take credit for figuring this out, I actually pm'd a couple of people on this forum for help....I also wrote Aerus and expressed my concerns. They assured me they take concerns very seriously and my email would be turned over to their engineers for review. Hope they care enough to listen. If they don't come up to par with Miele and Sebo, I don't know what the future will hold for them and that would be a very sad day for me......"

 

[pr-21]

My review for Consumer Reports

Welcome Ralph - Sign Lux Guardian UltraBy Bud from Middletown, OH on 9/10/2010Pros:Easy To Empty, Easy to Use, LightweightCons:Brush doesn't groom well, Noisy, Short Power Cord, Suction Control UselessBest Uses:Hardwood Floors, Pet Hair, Stairs, Tile FloorsDescribe Yourself:Frequent UserPrimary useersonalHow long have you owned it:More than six monthsBottom Line:No, I would not recommend this to a friendComments about Aerus Lux Guardian Ultra:

I was one of the first in line to get this vacuum. The suction is too powerfull not to have a better way to control the suction. When using the sidekick on my couch it actually stalls out due to too much suction, even using the suction control valve on the handle. This cleaner needs a variable speed motor which would take care of this problem. Other vacuums in this price range have variable speeds. The other bad problem with this machine is the noise level. On a positive note, you will never find an easier bag change bar none. The performance indicators on the machine are great. Thermal heating cutoff, no bag, change bag, and unit has electrical power. Until changes are made to correct the above, I would not recommend this vacuum and I have used this brand since the early 80's.

 

[eurekastar]

It's disappointing to hear that such a great American brand has diminished in quality and performance.

 

[bimmer740]

More Power

Im glad to hear that the new Lux has more power! I was puzzled by the fact that they removed the 3 speed switch from their top-of-the line unit. Its a nice feature to have and it sounds like the new unit could really use it. Electrolux vacuums have gotten a bit louder through the years but its sad that the new Guardian is even louder. I would have thought the engineers at Lux would have tried to make it less noisy since companies like Miele have gone to great lengths to make their machines more quiet. The short cord doesnt surprise me, they have always been too short with the exception of the Renaissance I had, but even still it wasnt much of an improvement.

Research and development doesnt seem to be Aerus' priority, since they have not changed their machines much, other than minor cosmetic changes. From what I can tell my Epic 6000 or the gray 6500 I had, are not much different than the new Legacy. If only they would develop a newer and more effective L-shaped power nozzle and then I could over look some of the machines other short-comings. Wouldnt it be wonderful if a vacuum nut like all of us here were able to run or have an influence on a company like Aerus? I would really hate to see Electrolux go out of business, it would be awful to loose yet another American vacuum company.

 

[floor-a-matic]

I think the short lived Guardian Ultra is what the Lux Classic should have been

 

[djub85]

Technology-wise, the Legacy *should* have been the recipient of the Ultra's HEPA-sealed internals and HEPA filter. Being the mid-range Aerus product, it really needs HEPA (but it does NOT need a price increase to go along with it). The Ultra's HEPA filter already fits under the Legacy's current blower cover, and the internals are obviously plug-in-play since the bodies are virtually identical. Why the Legacy still doesn't have the Ultra's HEPA setup is beyond me. They wasted that engineering money by dumping the technology when the Platinum debuted. The Classic does not need HEPA. As an entry model, it can stay exactly as it is, or maybe even get a price drop.


 


Styling-wise, the Classic could have adopted the Ultra's "roof" when it went out of production. The square "roof" on the Classic is rather dated (1985, in the US) and looks clunky compared to the Ultra. But the Ultra's "roof" chipped very easily, so they'd need to use a different finish.


 


That being said, I don't want to suggest anything about changes to the C-style canisters if it risks them going out of production. The C-style bags date back to the 1952 LX, so that's quite a history in itself. The Legacy and Classic might have their direct roots in the 1992 Epic and the 1984 Hi-Tech 2100, but really they date back stylistically to the 1968 model 1205. They are shaped very similarly and represent 47 years of machines styled roughly the same. The company has been around for 91 years, so they've been making vacuums that look like this for more than half of their company history. I would absolutely hate to see the Legacy and/or Classic go out of production. Aerus can restyle the tools, wands, hoses, "roof" sections, wheels, internals, etc. to their heart's content, and if they so desire, they can ditch the weird 2-piece/trim-connected construction, but they'd better never ditch that 1205 shape. The Platinum is a nice looking machine, but it's a poor substitute for the 1205 body shape if we're talking brand recognition. They ditched their Electrolux name. They'd better not ditch that recognizable shape. What else will people have to identify the brand by?