Electrolux Guardian Ultra & Platinum - Multiple Qs

[clifford]

I've been reading as much as I can on the Aerus Guardian Ultra & Aerus Guardian Platinum vacuums. I found both on craigslist and will soon go check them out to make a final decision.

The Ultra, from pictures, looks in great condition, however I haven't gotten the seller on the phone to gauge why it's being sold. The Platinum has been well used by a family of 5 with a mountain dog (lots of hair) and the hose is kinked because one of the kids stepped on it -- They are selling it because they need a commercial vacuum for their daily cleaning.

I need a good machine with lots of suction for hardwood floors only. Both are selling for $300. I'm leaning towards the Ultra because it looks like it's in better condition.

My question on the Ultra:

-Did this unit ever come with a black cord/plug? I think this may be a repair / refurb, but unsure.
-Should I be cautious if coming across a unit that has been refurbished?
-Does it have the rotating hose at one end? I know the Platinum has it at both.
-What are the distinct differences between the three Ultras that have been made (Without logo, black lettering, grey lettering).
-I've read some accounts of bags ripping on the Ultra, is this something to be concerned about?

My questions on the Platinum:

-Because it's been heavily used, should there be any concern for motor burn out or other elements that could fail?
-How much should i pay for a new hose, considering this one is beat up?

Thanks in advance!
Clifford

 

[pr-21]

I had an Ultra and....

They did not come with a black cord. If I remember it was light gray. The hose swivels at the handle, but has the same connection to the canister, as the plastic bodied canister. No problems with kinking even though it only swiveled at the handle.

My only problem with the Ultra was it did not have a better suction relief on the handle. The larger motor caused the side kick to bog down on my upholstery. I never had a bag break in it or leak. Just a note, I think Aerus has a real bag problem at this time and I have sent them bags from my Guardian Platinum, I am so frustrated with Aerus at this point I have it stored in my attached garage. I am also buying NOS bags off of Ebay until they correct this, however you will have to get the Guardian Platinum bags from Aerus. Currently have a stash of Sure Thing and Germgrabber Bags for style C. They are 4 ply, while Aerus's are two ply now that state they are better than the 4ply. Bull&&&&. The Ultra has a thermal light, Bag Light, No Bag Light, and Full Bag Light. It will shut off when the bag is full.

As for the Guardian Platinum,


Things I don't like. (I got one of the first from someone who reads our forum. Nice Guy to deal with) Anyway, as I said the bags leak, the power nozzle leaves black marks on my white woodwork, Aerus designed a scent chamber on the side, which was one of my reasons to buy. Talked to Aerus many times and finally they just told me, they had no intention of importing them from Europe, where the first design originated. Aerus people at the home office seem to not care about customer service and were just plain rude. After that I stuck it back in the box and stored it in my garage. I will trade it in if I ever buy another Aerus....

One more thing, when the bag is full the indicator light comes on, but the Guardian Platinum does not shut the motor off.......Also the power nozzle keeps on running even if you turn off the cleaner. I understand that later models have the power nozzle problem running when the machine is turned off has been fixed. I also believe it came with a 15 year warranty....


That is my two cents.....


PR-21

 

[MieLux]

Some meandering thoughts...

Clifford,

Just watch out for those hoses...

The Ultra - I'll bet the cord is an aftermarket replacement - color seems wrong. I wouldnt worry about refurb Ultra provided that you can contact the seller and use your judgement.

The Platinum - It may have been that the dog was a bit much for the Platinum in terms of its smallish bag hence the "need for commercial". I'm not sold on the Platinum at all for many practical reasons - that wand and handle spell trouble for me.

Which brings me to my gripe with respect to these top o' the line models..

Both of these units use wands and hoses that I dislike the most on Aerus. I prefer the classic edition wand and especially love that classic pistol grip. It lasts with everyday use and its not going to break the bank to replace it. The newer "everything on the handle" is best for those that take care of their vacs. It looks great but as a daily driver wait a while and don't be surprised if you have to pay 300+ for a hose...

 

[countryguy]

I got my Platinum a year ago. The power nozzle does shut off when the vac is turned off. The warranty is for 15 years. The bag although it seems small, it does hold a lot of dirt. I've had a bag in the machine for 6 months, vacuum weekly, have 2 cats that shed and although the bag is almost full, it still has lots of suction. I keep waiting to see the bag light come on. The vac does not shut off when the bag is full - only the light is supposed to come on. As for the scent chamber...I bought some scented laundry beads. I just pour a few onto a kleenex, wrap them tightly and stuff that into the scent chamber. Works great.

Gary

 

[kirbylux77]

MieLux

The black cord on the Ultra is NOT an aftermarket replacement, it is genuine Aerus replacement. I know this for a fact as I bought a spare cordreel for my Grand Marquise, & the dealer specifically told me the cord would be black & asked if I was ok with that. Also, it does seem like they are putting black cords on Aerus vacuums nowadays....I have yet to see a recent model Aerus that has a cord of gray or any other color.

Clifford, if I was in your position, I would go for the Guardian Platinum. It sounds like the machine just needs a good thorough cleaning, & for the hose you could probably unkink it yourself at home if you are handy with tools. I have successfully unkinked a couple of Filter Queen hoses, so trust me it can be done pretty easily. Plus, the Platinum is much newer & has MUCH MORE power & features than the Ultra had. The Ultra was merely a 2100 with a fancy top, HEPA filter & new-style plastic wands & hose added. I think Aerus should be ashamed of themselves trying to foist that off as a true replacement for the original Guardian, & they finally redeemed themselves with the Platinum. Also, please note the HEPA filter system on the Platinum is much better than on the Ultra, since it has 2 HEPA filters, & when you compare the quality of the filter paper on the Ultra, it is not nearly as good. This is because they slapped a HEPA filter onto an existing old design not meant to accomodate one, so they had to compromise the quality of the filter or else it couldn't be a sealed system & would leak everywhere.

As for the plastic wands, don't worry about them. The same design has been used by Aerus now for nearly 2 decades, with a minor redesign in the early 2000's when the first Aerus-made Tristar EXL came out. Usually the only thing that ever goes wrong with the wands is occasionally one of the plastic clips will need replacement, & those are very inexpensive & easy to do yourself. Also, the hoses for the Platinum & Ultra only have the switch for the PN on the handle, not speed controls, so there should be no worry about costly hose replacements as MieLux thinks. I think he is referring to the original Guardian when he mentions this.

Now, about the Aerus Home Solutions bags....apparently the problem has been fixed? At least that's what has been said on this forum recently in the past few months. I ordered some bags from a local dealer in Brampton, Ontario, & he told me when I had an issue with the bags, had a couple of bags that the sealing strip at the back of the bag broke. The dealer in Brampton says that Aerus is changing suppliers & dealers will be receiving new bags made in the USA in October. He told me that Aerus is actually going to start making their own bags again, instead of outsourcing to Home Care Industries....he said that Home Care Industries had "ripped them off" by making the bags in China, & Aerus had ended their agreement with them. This to me makes logical sense, since there was discussion recently here about Home Care Industries suddenly shutting down for a few months, closing down a factory, & then suddenly reappearing, & now I do believe it was said that they have to deal directly with vac shops now? Think it was said that the vac shop distribution companies won't even deal with them anymore.

Clifford, I honestly wouldn't worry about the bags, other members have reported they had no issues, & even if the paper bags for the Platinum do turn out to be an issue for you, then you could always order bags from Godfrey's in Australia for the Sauber Intelligence, since they use HEPA cloth bags. That machine, the canister is 100% identical, just runs on 220 Volts & has a different hose, wand, PN & tools, but the actual canister itself is the same, including the bags & filters. Except the bags are made of HEPA cloth, though.

Rob

 

[pr-21]

Aerus does have......

The new cloth type bags available now. I checked their website after reading some of the replies.


PR-21

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Thank You Bud

I just ordered them I was almost out You can't order the paper bags any more .

I still have yet to have any leaks since they sent me the improved bags but I am glad to never hear again that Some ones bags are leaking . My Hepa Filter is still Snow White just like day one I was given
3 sets of Filters for my machine from my Aerus guy plus Aerus sent me a set when they sent me the improved bags .


Dan

 

[pr-21]

Your welcome Dan

I think I will order a pack as well and get mine back out of storage. Shame to not use it when they have the bags like the European models. If I learned anything from this, I should have waited until some improvements were made.....before buying since this was a brand new to the USA model.....



PR-21
Bud

 

[kirbylux77]

Bud

Thanks for letting us know that Aerus has introduced the HEPA Cloth bags for the Guardian Platinum. I was thinking of buying one, but the bag problems that have been reported & the fact it still used a paper bag was what held me back. I think I might have to purchase an early Christmas gift though

Rob

 

[clifford]

A lot of thinking and $300 later, I decided to go with the Guardian Ultra.

The Platinum was really beat up, dented, dusty, and heavily used by a family of 5 + a mountain dog. The Ultra was in excellent condition and the owner didn't know what she had. She knew she liked her kenmore better because all the attachments fit on the vacuum, so the Ultra needed to go. lol

Through some more investigation, I've gotten some answers to questions asked above.

As far as I know, there were three iterations of the Guardian Ultra:
1st - No lettering
2nd - large dark lettering / center of bumper on canister
3rd - smaller light lettering / towards back & above wheel on canister

The first two iterations had a grey cord. The third did in fact come with a black cord.

The power nozzle on the 3rd iteration also has LED lights.

The only thing I don't like about this vacuum is the wand. I have 100% hardwood floors in a small apartment. The wand is bulky and cumbersome.

This may sound silly, but does the Classic hose fit onto the Ultra Canister? I'm tempted to buy a new Classic hose and wand.

Thanks for all your help!
-Clifford

 

[kirbylux77]

Clifford, yes the Aerus Classic hose will fit on your Guardian Ultra. However, unless you buy a new wand set & powernozzle, you would not be able to use your powernozzle that came with your Guardian Ultra, even if you changed the PN neck. Why don't you try buying a set of metal wands & using the attachment adapter with it? That would save you the expense of a second hose, & also wouldn't have to have that second hose take up storage space.

Rob

 

[countryguy]

I believe the hose connection is common to all of the models, new and old with that type of connection so the Classic hose should fit.

Gary

 

[clifford]

Rob,

The same attachment adaptor used for the brush?

 

[kirbylux77]

Yes, the attachment adaptor is what I was referring to, Clifford. It should be long enough that it would work with a set of slotted steel wands.

Rob

 

[clifford]

Thanks, Rob! I'll swing by the vac store and pick up the wands today. I still may end up buying a whole new hose because the top handle on the Ultra hose is gigantic. Overall, i want something lighter and smaller...and since i only paid $300 for this vacuum, I've got some money to burn to make it exactly what I want.

 

[countryguy]

Bag Door Close

To all Guardian Platinum owners....does the bag door close WITHOUT a bag in place? My manual states that the door will NOT close however on my machine the door does close without a bag in place. I'm wondering what/how the setup is for the mechanism which is supposed to prevent the door from closing?

Thanks,
Gary

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Gary

FOR THE SECOND TIME THE BAG CHAMBER DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE WITH OUT A BAG IN PLACE !!!

Take it to Aerus and have it looked at .

Dan

 

[jayelux]

Owner's Manual Issue

My Guardian Platinum does indeed allow the door to shut without a bag, but it will not run. I checked two different printings of the manual, and they are both incorrect.
Love the machine. A bit disappointed with the Aerus parts of it--the heavy and clunky hose handle, the attachments that fall off the wand, the continued reliance on an adapter to use the combo upholstery/dusting brush tool, the heavy wands.... I do think they made some good improvement to the power nozzle, but it screams relative to the quiet vacuum. I wonder whether the Sauber hose, power nozzle, etc would compare.
Oh, just had to change my first bag that was barely used because of the amount of dirt on the filter under it. It is the bag with the seam, and it appears a small hole was poked into it by the red filter guard under it.
Jay

 

[jayelux]

I am so wrong.

The Guardian Platinum will indeed close and even RUN without a bag. It will not run without the filter under the bag. Sorry for passing on bad info.
Jay

 

[countryguy]

Thanks Jay! You have confirmed exactly what is happening with my unit. If I remove the filter behind the bag, it will not run either.

Dan, just because yours is working that way, does not mean that everyone else's is working that way which is why I was asking other owner's results.

Gary

 

[jaker15]

My Electrolux Ultralux LX's bag door closes without a bag installed, but it has a switch inside the bag door that prevents it from turning on if there's no bag. Instead, a light on the top of the door illuminates when the unit is switched on. 

 

[funeraldirector]

Guardian Platinum Tools

Jay,

I added the Tristar dusting brush (black version of original Guardian/Renne) and the Tristar furniture tool to my Lux Platinum. The crevice tool you have will work with the Tristar tool caddy. Just order the caddy and the other two from Tristar/Lux Bristol Customer Service and you will not have things falling off or use the Mickey Mouse adapter for the combo brush. It is hard to find the black caddy as most of the new ones are like gun metal gray but I did finally get the right color if that matters. It took an Ebay transaction to do what Bristol could not seem to get right. The caddy that comes with the Platinum will not work for the Tristar dust brush or upholstery tool as the inside diameters are a different size.

Brian

 

[jayelux]

Great idea!

Thanks. Same number of pieces, but all the pieces would be useful!

 

[djub85]

I will confirm what the others are saying about the Lux Guardian Ultra... it DID come with a black cord. Mine has one The last years of the Ultra and the white body Legacy both came with black cords. Presumably, Aerus was shifting over production bit by bit for the black Legacy and the Platinum, both of which used black cords. They also may have switched due to complaints about the light gray cord getting black scuff marks on it.


 


Fyi, Ultra vacuums with black cords also have the updated Power Nozzle--it has dozens of tiny circular ventilation holes instead of the older style line vents.


 


Also, I know that people like to ditch the Ultra, but it really was a big step up from the Legacy with which it shared a general shape. The Ultra came with an unprecedented 20 year motor warranty; even the new Platinum doesn't come with that. The Ultra's motor is stronger than the motor in the other current C-style machines (Legacy and Classic). And the Ultra is a fully-sealed system, versus the Legacy and Classic which are not. And though they look the same, the Ultra and the Legacy/Classic don't share the same body mold. The Legacy/Classic have always been (and are still) textured. The Ultra was untextured. To my knowledge, the Ultra is the first and only C-style machine to have an untextured body since the early years of the 1205.


 


IMHO, Aerus should have gifted the sealed HEPA system to the Legacy after the demise of the Ultra/rise of the Platinum. They wasted money designing a fully-sealed system for the C-style canisters, and now it's gone. There's no reason to not give the Legacy the old internals from the Ultra. The HEPA filter will fit under the Legacy's tool storage as-is, and the Ultra's sealed internals would fit, too. Idk why, in this day and age, Aerus would want their mid-range vac to not have a sealed HEPA setup, especially when one is readily available.


 


I do like the Ultra though. I prefer it to the Platinum because it looks so much like a classic Electrolux. The Platinum, a byproduct of mutli-company collaboration, bears little resemblance to any old Electrolux models. I wish the Platinum would have been at least a little more retro. But oh well. If you need a state-of-the-art vacuum and prefer to remain loyal to the Electrolux/Aerus brand, the Platinum is the right choice. If you are nostalgic for the Electrolux brand and don't need superfluous bells and whistles, the Ultra is much more true to the company's origins while offering more than sufficient HEPA and carbon filtering.


 


...and because I always put a plug in for C-style machines in case Aerus representatives are here, I have to say, I really hope that Aerus never discontinues the C-style line of vacuums. They can make all the Platinum machines they want, but they really need to keep a rectangular, protruding hose connection, C-style machine in production. Without it, there's no proof that Aerus is the original Electrolux.

 

[electromatik]

Jayelux it sounds as though you have damaged your machine... Aerus tools do not "fall off" the wands. They have a click lock feature and you must press the release button to release the tools. The new power nozzle doesn't "scream" either. It was noise reduced and is now one of the quieter ones. The adapter exists because people loved the combo dusting/upholstery tool. All combo tools usually use some sort of adapter. I'd rather have that more advanced tool than the other ones that are basic. I don't find the handle/wands to be bulky but if you want Lux International's power nozzle and ancient short woven hose I think you can get it. It'll take you a lot longer to clean though because their PN is very small by comparison. I'd rather have Aerus' L shaped slim PN anyday.

I went to Aerus' website and could find no sign of the new bags...

 

[countryguy]

The synthetic bags are on the website but it takes some searching to find them. Go to www.aerusvacuums.com, then click on the Shop tab, then Buy Now and then Guardian Platinum Cleaner Supplies.

I just got the new bags but I have not tried them yet as I am still waiting to see if the bag full indicator light is going to turn on. The bag is almost packed full.

I do not find the power nozzle to be any more quiet than the previous power nozzles.

Gary

 

[electromatik]

Thank you countryguy

I did see them finally. That sweetens the pot for me when I get ready to buy one. I'm sorry you don't find the power nozzle quieter... That's very odd since they specifically claim it is. I've heard it in videos and in the store and it didn't seem anywhere near as loud to me. Perhaps it has to do with the size of rooms and acoustics and echo? That's weird.

 

[countryguy]

I have owned the 6500 and 9000 models with the same type of power nozzle to compare to which is why I don't find the Platinum's nozzle any more quiet. In fact I also mentioned it to the dealer that I felt it sounded like it was squealing...more so on the previous type of carpeting that I had in the house.

Gary

 

[electromatik]

Hmmmm, that does sound very wrong countryguy. When I visited the Aerus store near me he had a Guardian Ultra that he turned on to demonstrate the Platinum's power nozzle improvement. The Ultra nozzle was clearly louder. This was demonstrated on a square sample of average thickness carpet. I do hope there is nothing wrong.