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My Windtunnel in my video was a recalled model that was recalled because the handle switch could fail and catch fire. It's not happened and was never replaced.

Also about Dirt Devil recalls - don't forget the Dirt Devil Kone which was recalled because small debris could get past the filter when the vacuum was tilted at a certain angle, go into the motor, and be thrown out the motor exhaust into your face and eyes.
 
About the Kone...

Although it looks stylish (designed by Karim Rashid), I've never used one of those myself. However, I have heard reports about it spewing dust out of its exhaust.

In late 2006, Popular Mechanics did an "abusive lab test" where they pitted the Kone against two other then-new handheld vacuums: the Black & Decker Pivot Vac and the Dyson DC16 Root 6. I'll share the video here.

 
When I was living down in the Grand Canyon state a few years ago, one of the vacuums I used down there was this Eureka The Boss 4D Pet Fresh. That thing felt very hot on the fingertip switch like it would almost burn my thumb. I was surprised those never got recalled because I saw other online reviews at the time with consumers having the same issue as I did since I thought something was wrong with the one that I had used. I liked that vacuum overall but that hot fingertip switch was a deal breaker for me.

panasonicvac-2022071523350106788_1.jpg
 
I still don't know how the switches can get hot like that. Were they just using cheap switches that couldn't handle the current flow and started melting from the current draw?
 
RetrObright

Is that the name of a product you use to deal with aged and discolored plastics? If it is, then I've got some shopping to do real soon!
 
Ordered!

Went online and ordered a bottle. Any tips? I saw that it can take more than one application to achieve results. Someone wrote that it can sometimes make the plastic more brittle. Depends on the type of plastic and age/condition of said plastic I would guess.
 
Sorry for the late response.

Retr0bright is the name of a process using H2o2 (Hydrogen Peroxide) and a heat source or UV light. You can retr0bright things without a UV light using Sunlight and if you wanna be less wasteful, you can use some Salon Care Volume 30 and some cling wrap.

Since you bought a bottle, what brand did you order? I’d like to look up the brand for tips..
 
Ditto on late response from me

I actually bought the 16oz. bottle of Retrobrite from Amazon.com 19.95 per spray bottle. There were 239 reviews and the majority gave 4/5 star results. There were many

recipe's for making your own batch. I haven't had the time to go through all that was mentioned about using and results. Other brands are available. One key point I took

away so far was you have to keep the solution wet after applying as it stops working once it dries out so there are things you can do to prolong the process.Patience is prudent!
 
That's what I'm going to do

One guy said he wanted to submerge his whole plastic part in the stuff. He used about

a gallon and a half of 3%h.peroxide and what ever else he mixed in. I'm going to just

spray,spread if needed and either wrap plastic wrap or use a seal able plastic bag,

depending on what I use it on first. My gray Kenmore canister would be a good thing

to try first. They say you can even do white sneakers! Don't have any but maybe a

white or beige bumper on an upright. It doesn't have to be white either, just some-

thing that has darkened, could be blue or red. What color was your part you worked

on?
 
About collecting

I'm curious if you have any idea how large a collection you would like to have of

vacuum cleaners? I didn't have a pre-set number in mind. I decided to take inventory

because it was getting a bit cramped, and I was at 63!Never paid a cent for any of

them except one new Hoover in the beginning. So I decided to clean house and got it

down to 50. That's my cap now and has been for a few years. If I bring another home I

have to part with one here already. Since I have duplicates of some models that's not

as hard to do , but when doubles or triples are gone, I'm really going to have to

want the new vac to replace an old soldier. It would be different if I lived on

some acreage, but I don't. If I did I'd be up to 200 easily so I'm not moving

anywhere bigger! What are your thoughts on how big a collection you'd like to have?
 
I have about 20 Vacuums. I may get a Windtunnel Twin Chamber and/or a Fold Away since I found those on Offerup for cheap. I may go for 32 vacuums when I’m older and have my own house..
 
Here's something

I like to keep a file on every vacuum I've owned from the day I acquire it. All
the pertinent info, any background history if available, like if I knew the person who gave it to me. I've clipped ads or downloaded anything pertaining to a specific model I have. Reviews by other owners, testing results from various sources. Then of course any parts lists and also the names of places I can bring a machine to if I can't do a repair etc.

I actually keep all this in hard file in a drop folder in a file cabinet. I've thought
about transferring to a USB drive or such but I'll always keep the original stuff in a file cabinet. Too much work to put owners manuals on a thumb drive so that's out. Any money spent for parts and repairs goes in the file and I also add my comments about the condition of each and any plans for work to be done in the future.

I also have a list of spare parts that I get and to which vacuum they would be for. As your collection grows it really helps to have this info and to keep track of all the parts and where they go. Sorry this went so long, thought it might help.
 
Regarding the Hoover WindTunnel Design

I find it fascinating that Hoover’s engineers delved into the aerodynamics of the air flow surrounding a spinning brush roll. It makes a lot of sense that the blow-back from the spinning roll could actually work against getting dirt and debris safely into the airflow of the suction. By creating segregated suction channels protected from the blowing created by the brushroll, you have a better chance of grabbing the dirt away from the brushroll chamber. And it indeed seems to work because all the WindTunnel uprights tested by Consumer Reports scored very well in deep carpet cleaning. Even the Hoover Platinum Lightweight upright has a WT brush roll chamber that helps get dirt off the carpet and into the suction airflow.

There also seems to be some benefit to adding a bit of a “shelf space” either in front of or behind the brush roll. Kind of like the physics of a carpet sweeper, these “shelves” provide a protective place for dirt to land after being flicked out of the carpet nap. I think the early Panasonic power nozzles benefitted from these “landing shelves” which helped make them excellent carpet cleaners.

Hope Hoover continues to offer WindTunnel brush roll chambers on their cleaners in the future.
 
eurekaprince

Is that what the extra plastic curved piece of plastic is used for? It comes out easily for cleaning. I thought it had to be something that funneled the air in to a more concentrated flow out of the roller area. Makes since. Glad you mentioned this. It does seem to rattle a little adding to the general noise of the machine. I really like this machine. Nothing has gone wrong with this vacuum in the time I've had it,acquired in 2003.
 
Yes....in the original WindTunnels, you could remove several of the plastic covers - using a screw driver - to clean out the suction channels. One of the segregated suction channels goes over the brush roll chamber to bring undisturbed suction to the front edge of the chamber. This is actually very very effective because a spinning brush roll often flings dirt forward to the front edge of the cleaner and away from the source of suction. The WT front edge suction channel sucks up the dirt that is flung forward. Imagine running a broom over the surface of a carpet - a lot of dirt gets flung forward - opposite from the direction you are sweeping.

This channel often needs clearing as it can easily clog with dirt. Whenever I used to change the bag on my parents SP WT Ultra, I would also remove the brushroll to clean out all the segregated suction channels.
 
This cleverness

By the time the Windtunnels came to be, TTI was calling the shots right? Do you know if Hoover or TTI designed WT's originally? Sorry if this is naive, I'm not up on when Hoover no longer had anything to do with Hoover products after TTI took the reins. Thanks for your input, I've learned a lot already.
 
As much as I really like the self propelled Windtunnels, I honestly don't think they are that great all around. A big major design flaw with these is that the idler arm can break if you're not too careful with it. I had to replace mine when I first got my Windtunnel. And unfortunately I'm passing up on this one that my local thrift store has, it's got the same problem which is a shame cause I love the looks of these newer green Mexican versions. I'm not replacing another idler arm ever again.

panasonicvac-2022072423284703259_1.jpg
 

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