Expert advice needed.

[sebo_fan]

Spira- and to anyone else- you are aware that you can manually disconnect the sensor and the LED faceplate? Thus you get the setting you want, but rather, having to make do with guess work for everything else.

 

[spiraclean]

Yes, but why would anyone want to? Sensor height adjustment is supposed to be the X series' main selling point, and disconnecting it would leave the user with a cleaner permanently stuck in one position. That's even less useful than a cleaner with manual height adjustment, which can at least be fine tuned by the user to each surface type.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well there are plenty of other uprights on the market with so-called auto adjustment that are hard to push on carpets. My Hoover Slalom is a good example. Only time it is light to push is if the silly suction air outlet valve on the underside is opened and then pick up is impossible the first time around.

If we're going to go down the "main selling point" of many a vacuum cleaner, especially an upright, then there are a few inaccuracies when it comes to cleaning hard floors, alone. Beater bars for example are a general no-no because they can mark hard floors.

Furthermore, if you use the "hard setting" on a Hoover Purepower upright, the setting lifts the floor head completely off the hard floor and dirt gets little chance of being actually sucked up with the beater bar constantly spinning. The Purepower isn't alone here - plenty of manual height adjustment vacs do this, which isn't exactly helpful to the owner.

Frankly I'm shocked to hear about the SEBO's inability to clean deep down. I've never found the SEBO not to deep clean AND not protect the carpets I use my vacuum on. The main selling point of the X is that is it lightweight to push DUE to the sensor adjustment and it is for carpets - hence why the Felix was introduced with a manual height adjustment and brush roll on/off function.

Infact, when it comes to performance, very little is said of protecting carpets - not many brands will go to the bother of designing a brush roll that protects a carpet as opposed to ripping tufts out of the pile - cue our old Dyson for doing that.

I find the suction strength to be pretty good on the SEBO uprights - particularly when the bag is near the end and there's still enough suction - this is more apparent with the synthetic dust bags of late rather than the paper ones.

 

[sebo_fan]

The other thing is, the later SEBO X uprights have a thin metal plate that can be easily removed. I believe a plastic lining is behind it. Can't do that with the old X1A though as it is all metal.

 

[madaboutsebo]

I'll agree the new synthetic bags are very good in the SEBO's. The one I have in my SEBO Felix at present is about full and the suction is still as good as when the bag was empty! Much better than the paper ones. They seem to hold more and compact the dust and dirt more too from personal experience.

 

[sebo_fan]

Ive said this before but I'll reiterate - the beauty of the Synthetic dust bags is that they can be used a second time, provided you vacuum out the dust or shake it out. Unlike Miele, the SEBO bags are flexible enough for shake out to occur.

Of course I wouldn't suggest that you do this all the time as it means the other filters on board are thus compromised/get dirtier. I've only done it once on my Felix and once on my X series when I ran out of the bags.

I have a mix of paper bags and synthetic ones since some sellers online have massively dropped the price on the paper dust bags. So its a win-win situation even if the paper ones aren't as prolonged as the synthetic disposables.

 

[sebo_fan]

Oreck or Vax bagged

Dave - another model you could consider (but you'll have to buy it online along with the bags) is the current "daily driver" I use in between my SEBO uprights; The Vax VCU02 upright. It has massive dust bags, dirty fan style and is like an Oreck with its general design. I picked up one for £39-99 for not so long ago at a local thrift store and I use it primarily at the holiday home my parents had.

Link shown for EBAY UK.

My video review:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Upright-L...118?pt=UK_Vacuum_Cleaners&hash=item19e845a296

 

[madabouthoovers]

That Vax is an Oreck copy. Orecks are very popular with the elderly, and my Aunt had one for years till she got the Dyson bug, and now wishes she had the Oreck back again.


Personally I don't like them - they look like motorised antique Ewbank sweepers with bags on them

[this post was last edited: 2/4/2014-13:16]

 

[dave]

I've looked at an Oreck whilst Kirby hunting, I've my eye on a few Kirby's on fleabay etc at the moment, so I feel a recon G model is iminent.

 

[madabouthoovers]

You wont get a better carpet beater than a Kirby, but make sure the brushroll is adjusted correctly - they go into the head 3 ways to account for brush wear, and if the brush is worn and hasn't been re-seated in the head, it wont beat the carpet properly, and you will think its crap.


Get some scented oils and some cotton wool balls - put a few drops of scented oil on a wool ball and place it in the outer bag of the Kirby - it will help deal with the doggy smell that will develop, as Kirby bags are large and take a while to fill up, so inevitably start to smell very doggy if you have big GSD's. (ie - Mr Spangle)

 

[sebo_fan]

The Vax may well be a copy but it doesn't use the same Oreck dust bags - I had an Oreck XL - they are very similar but they're not the same as - for a start the Vax has open wheels at the back that allow the Vax to be wheeled away, the handle isn't as comfortable as Oreck's own "HelpingHand" handle and there's no wooden brush roll.

For the price compared to £250 brand new for an Oreck XL upright, the Vax VCU 02 is a bit of a bargain.

I was never that taken with my old "passed down" Oreck because I knew how much my parents paid for it and I can tell you, I haven't declogged this Vax yet unlike our old Oreck that had a narrower dust channel.

These upright only vacs are great if you are after "vintage" upright only appeal but with slightly better filtration and no beater bars.

 

[dave]

Well, 12 months later, I still haven't bonded with my X4 Pet. I did list it on eBay twice, but it didn't sell at what I wanted for it so it went back in the box (where it still is). I did use it occasionally, more for a bit of vacuuming variety than anything else, but always much preferred to use my DC14, which thankfully kept going and still does. I tried a friend's Kirby and then got offered a decent G5 at a decent price, but my flat just isn't big enough for me to swing a Kirby around in, so I dismissed that idea. Looked at a few other machines over the past 12 months but other than a new DC41 mkII, nothing really appealed to me, until I saw this brand new C12 on eBay, so I bought it! It's not here yet (auction only ended today) but I'm so excited about it, I love it already! I believe bags and belts might be a bit scarce or expensive, but this is going to be the one that finally sees me take my DC14 to the tip!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electrolu...ue&si=nniUn%2BtZ9pM7HqQJt%2BIkLK0D53A%3D&orig

 

[marcusprit]

Hi Dave sorry to hear you didn't get in with the Sebo X4. How much did you want for it?

 

[stricklybojack]

The Sanitaire..

.
is a great choice. One of America's best designed consumer goods products ever.
No matter how many i find i can't pass one up at the right price.