Patrick
My name is Nick.
I have had an interest in vacuum cleaners for as long as I can remember. There was something so moving about this device that keeps the floors clean. I have had an on and off relationship with vacuums over the time I've lived in my current home. 2005 was the peak of my vacuum obsession. I was in 5th grade, and would hold conversations with my teachers about vacuums. I would ask what kinds of vacuums they had, and they would talk about them, and even bring in pictures and manuals of their machines. After school, I would go on my Windows XP computer and look up all kinds of stuff about vacuums. I was such a nerd back then.
While I enjoyed studying vacuum cleaners, ironically I didn't ACTUALLY vacuum back then, due to a fear of the noise. Eventually, I overcame that.
My favorite vacuum in the whole wide world is a Fantom Fury. We used to own one in our old apartment, but sadly had to get rid of it in the summer of 2001 upon moving to our new house. The Fantom changed the way we vacuumed forever. It operated without filter bags, had continuous cleaning power, was 2 vacuums in one, upright and cleaning wand, and had HEPA filtration. In addition, I think it's the coolest-looking vacuum EVER. It has a sinister look to it.
In my current home, we've had a number of different vacuums. The first one we bought was a Dirt Devil Swivel Glide Vision. This one was somewhat unreliable; while it did a great job cleaning, it was heavy, noisy and stinky. Conversely to the Fantom Fury's dual cyclonic technology, this Dirt Devil had a big, pleated filter in the center of the dirt container. It clogged easily and made the dirt get stuck in the container.
In early 2004, my dad bought a Bissell CleanView bagless vacuum for around $80. This was a great vacuum for the price; it cleaned great and the dirt container was easier to empty than the Dirt Devil. This one was also filter-based, but the primary filter was made of foam, which made it easier to clean, since it was washable. We used that for a few years, and it was reliable. However, in late 2007, the handle release pedal broke; thus the vacuum would no longer lock in the upright position.
Once again, the time had come for us to buy another vacuum. I had been fascinated by the Dyson vacuums for a while, but they were expensive! We couldn't afford one for a few years. So at the end of 2007, my dad and I were at Target, looking for a new vacuum. Looking at the Dysons, my dad spotted a DC07 Animal and asked something like, "Should we get this bad boy?" I said yes, and $500 later, we brought it home. Looking back, I wish we could've gotten a newer Dyson, such as a DC17, as the DC07 was the original Root Cyclone upright. But to be fair, I was only 13, and didn't know any better.
Unlike the Dirt Devil and Bissell that preceded it, we fell in love with this Dyson. It was extremely powerful, built like a tank and had so many attachments! It was the first vacuum to have a turbo brush, which worked really well on the stairs. It was the first vacuum to have an extra-long stretch hose, which was GREAT for stairs. It was the first vacuum to have cyclonic technology in the post-Fantom era. It was just the perfect vacuum. Everything about it was perfect. This was also the first vacuum I was able to finally use, after being afraid of the noise for so long. I've enjoyed vacuuming ever since.
We used the Dyson as our daily driver for about 6 years. Then, 5 years ago this month, my dad was sent a Hoover WindTunnel 2 Rewind Pet from the Amazon Vine program, which is an Amazon program where members get free items sent to them in exchange for a review. Once reviewed, they get to keep them. Anyway, this Hoover he got was surprisingly powerful; it did a better job than the old Dyson. So I began using the Hoover instead of the Dyson.
In May of 2014, my mom announced that she was divorcing my dad; she was moving to an apartment and thus needed a vacuum. So, despite my objections, she took the old Dyson DC07 "Animal," despite the fact that she didn't want pets for her place. And I unsuccessfully tried to convince her to buy a new vacuum; she said she couldn't afford one, which I think is code for liking that Dyson so much.
I had been searching for my childhood vacuum, a Fantom Fury, for many, many years, but had been unsuccessful until February. I was contacted by electroluxxxx here on Vacuumland, and he said he had access to a few green Fantom Fury vacuums and was more than willing to refurbish one for me. So I jumped on that, and on March 17 of this year, I was finally reunited with my childhood Fantom Fury after SO many years of searching.
Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. I joined Vacuumland in May of 2014, and became part of a really cool group of vacuum cleaner enthusiasts! It shows that I'm not the only one having a bizarre interest.
Nick
Such a cool vacuum to me, even though it’s rather heavy, I Loved mine! When it first came out and I bought the MVP I remember several things that (for that time) were very cool and innovative! It had the on board triangular shaped attachment which I immediately had fun cleaning every corner in my house, also the filtration was great and for me, that was a quiet vacuum compared to others from that decade! I like all those you mentioned too and I see you have the Tandem Air brushroll for your Simplicity Wonder! How do you like the Tandem Brushroll? Does it seem a lot heavier than say the deluxe Simplicity Powered Brushroll without Tandem Air? I’ve been debating purchasing one for my Wonder... see my pics of my Wonder.
