I GOT A FANTOM FURY AT LAST!!!

[niclonnic]

I bought this from user electroluxxxx here on Vacuumland, and it came in today. He refurbished it for me, and it looks amazing! I found traces of dust here and there, but it works really well! The only major issue is that the fluff trap had disintegrated due to the amount of moisture this vacuum was exposed to, so it was removed. Apparently, that gave the machine a little power boost. This means that I need to maintain the vacuum well, which I am very good at. I put a brand new lightbulb in, and the headlight works!

This vacuum came with all three attachments: the dusting brush, floor nozzle and crevice tool. The suction through the hose is weak, so I think this vacuum needs to be broken in. It has had a new motor installed, and it works really well! I ran it on an area rug in my family room, and it picked up a lot of dirt! I haven't been this happy about a vacuum cleaner in a long time!

Here are some pics of this fantastic vacuum.

 

[dysonman1]

Congratulations on owning a piece of history. The suction was always weak, even when new, through the hose. The motor and fans are the same size Elux used in the Discovery II.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I hated my Thunder! Glad you are enjoying yours though.

 

[honestjoe68]

@niclonnic

Congratulations Nick!

I LOVED my Fantom Fury and Thunder. I actually wish I’d never sold them, but live and learn. I never had the canister Fantom, nor did I ever get a chance to buy the Fantom Wildcat.. Oh how I really wanted the Orange model Wildcat, but at the time I couldn’t afford it. See my Link if you’ve never heard of the Wildcat... I’d pay top dollar for one if it was super clean condition.

But so glad to see you posting and sharing your beautiful new Fantom!! It’s a beauty! Hey, if you want a tip, the liquid car wax they make specifically for Black painted cars, will make that baby shine. Just check to see that it’s safe to use on plastic and your good to go.

Thanks for sharing and you should post a picture of the dirt canister full for fun. Maybe someone will have a Fury for parts only and you can find a Fluff Trap.

Congrats again and have fun!

Oh, I found a post on here from another member about the Wildcat!

http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?14879[this post was last edited: 3/17/2018-19:14]

http://https//youtu.be/THztM11T8mA

 

[niclonnic]

Update

I used my Fury a little more today; using the attachments, I cleaned part of my laminate flooring and did some dusting. The suction through the hose is actually decent, but not great. I cleaned up lots of dead leaves from herbs.

Then I vacuumed a textured mat by my back door. The Fantom performs great on it!

A few more cosmetic flaws I forgot to mention: The wheels are squeaky. When I took the lower base cover off to install the new bulb, I noticed some rust on the inside of the cover near the headlight lens. But it doesn't affect operation. Also, the hose has some sticky stuff on it near the cuff. I need to clean that somehow.

@honestjoe68 Yes, I have heard of the Fantom Wildcat. I've seen videos of it on YouTube. If I somehow manage to find one in good condition, I would keep it as a collectible, as the handles on them are extremely fragile. Here's a good story: In early 2011, FantomVacuumFan purchased a green Wildcat off eBay and was very excited. However, when it arrived, the handle was broken off! So he had to send the vacuum back for a full refund. Then, in the summer of 2012, he got another green Wildcat, and it arrived in one piece! The seller found a way to remove the handle for shipping, so it arrived safely. And just last summer, one of FantomVacuumFan's friends found a green Wildcat at Goodwill, and bought it for him! So he has two green Wildcats now.

I am putting in a link to FantomVacuumFan's channel.

Here is a pic of the dirt I picked up from 2 rugs, in addition to cleaning on and around a bookshelf.

http://https//www.youtube.com/user/FantomVacuumFan

 

[crazykirbydude]

No bagless for me!

 

[niclonnic]

That's nice

I'm all bagless, all the time. This is where the revolution started here in North America, during a time when bags were your only option. In addition, on the Fantoms, the hose is always ready to go, so you can do any task without having to attach a separate hose or use a different vacuum for a different job. This is how Fantom Technologies changed the vacuum industry.

 

[lux_luthor]

Why is the vacuumed up debris hanging on in the middle? Is that where it separates inside the bin when the bin is removed?

 

[niclonnic]

I don't know...

It may be static electricity. The inner seal is intact. I'll have to look into what's causing this.

 

[electroluxxxx]

Glad you like your machine! as I said to you in a text the machine is a used machine therefore will have some cosmetic flaws and traces of dust here and there but other than that operation was perfect on it and it has been thoroughly gone through. I’m sure it will get quite a bit of use with you! The dirt that was sticking in the middle of the container is caused by static electricity which these machines are VERY GOOD at creating. Basically any bagless is good at static electricity. Also I’m very glad that it made it to you with out any issues considering the post office, FedEx or UPS really aren’t all that great at delivering things in one piece after all i packed it as good as I could without making the box bulge out lol.

 

[huskyvacs]

Powdered graphite on the axles will fix your wheel squeak issue.

Also I just got a brand new bagless vac and it is a total hair magnet too on the ountside of the vacuum. It's just the plastic they made them out of, running it across the carpet charges up the plastic and everything sticks to it. Wonder if there is some kind of plastic wax you can use that will counteract the static? I think it will wear off over time though.

 

[honestjoe68]

@huskyvacs

I have a simple trick that (temporarily) helps rid Bagless vacuums of the dreaded static issue.

Get a box of any dryer sheets, you gently wipe the outside of the vacuum cleaner around the brushroll head and all around the outside of the dirt canister. Then you take another fresh Dryer Sheet and place it inside the dirt container. This will greatly help reduce static from whatever it is in the sheets they use to reduce static in your clothes, etc.

Just be careful to wipe gently and use dryer sheets that feel smooth... if in doubt, check a small area on the bottom of the vacuum to make sure you wont cause scratches on newer or mint vacuums.

Hope this helps.. plus pick a dryer sheet with a pleasant scent that appeals to you and it helps keep the vacuum smelling fresh too. Just a hint I’ve learned about years ago and have used this trick before.

One last thing.. Dryer sheets are also great in bagged vacuums.. you can place a dryer sheet in between the paper bag and cloth bag (like in a Kirby) or in side the bag by simply pushing one inside the opening hole of a new bag. Makes such a nice fresh smell as you vacuum.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I don't do bagless because it is messy, the filter are expensive and bagless cleaners have less airflow. They also lose suction. I'd much rather replace a bag. Since the bag acts as a filter, you're getting a new filter every time you change the bag. I really did hate my Thunder. It was loud, bulky, uncomfortable to use, and there is no pre motor filter, so the thing was covered in dust. I might just trash it, as I have other vacuums I would like more than some dirty old Fantom.

 

[lux_luthor]

I’ve seen static cause stuff to stick on the outside of the vacuum (when I had a Dyson Ball Allergy and DC 50) but I’d never seen it do that on the inside of the bin. Glad it’s not an issue for concern. With Dyson I found that if the hose is extended the vacuum power is lessened but it was still enough to do the job. I do enjoy being able to see what was picked up which is a bag less perk.

 

[broomvac]

It's normal for some debris to get caught around the rubber gasket where the cyclone meets the fine dust collection chamber in the bin. Both my Fantom Thunder and my CMS 1000 do what yours does; long hairs get wound around that section. It doesn't hurt a thing.

I prefer the look of the early Fantom Furys like yours over that of the later ones with the redesigned hood.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[niclonnic]

Today

I decided to put my Fantom Fury to a real test. I brought it over to my mom's place and did a quick comparison to a distant cousin, her Dyson DC07 Animal. I saw some similarities between them! They both have cyclonic technology; the Fantom has dual-cyclonic technology, while the Dyson has Root Cyclone technology, consisting of 8 cyclones.

Both have a quick-draw hose and wand; the Fantom has a short hose that doesn't stretch very far, and the Dyson has a much longer hose. With the Dyson off, you can stretch the hose to a very long length. But turn the vacuum on, and the very powerful suction causes the hose to "pull back" during use. So you have to fight the hose while using attachments; on the other hand, the Fantom has much weaker suction, so you don't have to fight it! However, the Dyson has the added perk of a reversible wand, which the Fantom lacks. On both machines, you can take the wand off of the hose and put the attachments right on the end of the cuff if you want to vacuum something close by.

I'm aware that there is a 7-foot extension hose available for Fantoms, which allows the hose and wand to be used up to 17 feet away from the vacuum, compared to 10 feet. I don't recall us having it on our original Fantom Fury.

Anyway, my mom had just vacuumed yesterday with her Dyson. I ran the Fantom over the carpeted apartment, and it pulled out a lot of dirt that the Dyson somehow left behind! I dumped the debris onto a paper towel on the floor afterwards, and we were both astounded at what was picked up!

I used the wand with the crevice tool to vacuum some edges, and Mom remembered this from our original Fantom Fury back in the day! She said it was so convenient, compared to our old Eureka, which had a separate hose that clamped onto the bottom of the vacuum.

Here are a few pics of two distant cousins.

 

[niclonnic]

Here's the shocker

This is how much dirt the Fantom pulled out after having vacuumed yesterday with the Dyson. What a furious vacuum! (pun intended)

 

[myles_v]

Nice Fury! I'm not surprised that it picked up a decent amount of dirt after the DC-07. The brushroll on the Thunder that I used to have was more effective than the DC-07's brush, I don't think the design of the floor head that Dyson used on the 07 and 14 was very effective.

 

[crazykirbydude]

My Thunder always picked up nothing. It was fully functional, clean, and the height was set right. If I was lucky, I would get a tiny ball of carpet fuzz. I would go over the same area with another cleaner and I would get a sizable amount of dirt.