IEC Tristar CXL

[panasonicvac]

Here I'm showing is my new Tristar that I just recently got a few weeks ago. At first I thought I wasn't going to bothered sharing this but I later decided what the heck because I would like to see more discussions about this vacuum.

I got this vacuum refurbished from Great Vacs. At first I was going to get my Kirby Ultimate G and my Tristar MG2 restored from them but after a long conversation with them, I got a way better deal to trade in both my Kirby and my Tristar for this CXL that I have waited a very long time to get. Originally this was marked at least $300 but with the trade in, I bought this for only $100 and it was just something that I could not pass up. I also did considered either getting an Electrolux or a Filter Queen that I wanted as well but I ended up choosing the CXL.

So these 2 pictures show what came with it when I picked this up. The tank, the powerhead, two wands, a brand new non Tristar hose, brand new non Tristar attachments, extra bags plus one already inside the vacuum, and a new filter.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Attachments

Unfortunately this didn't came with genuine Tristar attachments but that's okay because I don't need them. I have since already given these attachments away.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Filter

I'm really impressed with this filter, not only do I think it filters well but it makes the vacuum really quiet. I think it's even better than the filter on the MG2.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Hose

Unfortunatly this is not a genuine CXL hose but that's alright because one upgrade I am doing is I've ordered another hose that has a switch on the handle.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Powerhead and Wands

I can tell that the brushroll is used on this but that's alright because in the future, I will put in a Eureka VGIII brushroll, a Eureka flat belt, and a Eureka PN motor for better performance. Other than that, I think this is a awesome powerhead. I think it has about the same performance as the MG2 but I'm sure it will do better when I upgrade the powerhead in the future.

 

[panasonicvac]

The Tank

I think this has WAY better suction and airflow than the MG2, not only that but I think it's overall better built than the MG2 as well. Although I liked the the quick cord release on the MG2 since this doesn't have one. I can tell that the outer bag is a replacement but it does fit in really tight. One thing I don't like about these is that this is a open bag system, just like on those MD central vacuums, they are a mess to change out. I wish these used something similar like those bags used on the Metropolitan canister vacuums where it's mostly closed. Another thing I don't like is because these only use paper bags, it can lose airflow as the bag fills up.

 

[panasonicvac]

So that's about it for now, I will post pictures when I get the new hose in a few weeks and I will later upload a video of this on YouTube. Overall I'm really glad that I got this. This has been a dream machine for a very long time now, I have been wanting one of these when a former YouTuber and Vacuumland member ttuee2006 (Later known as tristarcxl) would post videos about this in his comparison videos on YouTube. Before that I've seen a few of these but I didn't really pay attention to them until when I first discovered YouTube. I wish I got one that would come with a gold nameplate instead of silver and a main nozzle housing with a gold cover as well but I can live with that. So far I have been very impressed with this, this is actually alot quieter than I expected but that's mainly from the filter.

 

[blackheart]

Mg2 vs CXL

The CXL definitely has more flow. the MG2 uses a single stage vm3 motor and will pull about 1.5 on the baird meter A CXL with a crushproof hose pulls a 7 if i recall.

 

[tolivac]

YES!Got one of these NEW-and still have it.This was TriStars BEST machine.The only beef about the "pignose" filter is that it can come flying off the machine and comes apart if bumpted.

 

[compactc9guy]

reply

dont use that white plug filter thign it plugs up the exhaust dont let enough air out your better of whit hte filter cap i won a Comapct Electra i dont liek the big white filter to restrictive the air is suppose to go out the machine lie a loud whoosh sound

 

[kirbylux77]

Alex

Looks like you got a really nice TriStar there.

However, I don't care for Great Vacs. Back in 200, my ex Craig bought a Dyson DC07 from them, & it was represented as having genuine tools. Not only was it misrepresented & came with generic tools, the internal powerhead hose was damaged & required replacement. IMHO, that company is a bunch of scam artists who hide online on Ebay to sell their vacuums so they don't have to deal with angry customers in a store setting.

I think you got scammed here. If you had a Kirby Ultimate G & a TriStar MG2 already, you should have been able to get at least $200 for the Kirby, even without tools, & $500-$600 for the TriStar, assuming it was complete, functional & in good condition. You could have sold both on Ebay & probably made more than enough to buy a TriStar CXL, all the parts needed, & restore it yourself. If I was negotiating with Great Vacs, I would have been making them pay ME, not them, to do this trade. They made quite a bit of profit off you this time.

Furthermore, you could have restored your MG2 & have a machine that cleans just as well. The motor mount from the EXL will fit the MG Series, that allows you to put any double stage motor you want in it. If you wanted a powerhead with better performance than the MG2 or CXL offers, you could have modified a Electrolux hose & wand to work with the MG2. It does appear that the machine end can be taken off the hose, so not much trouble to transplant the hose material from a Electrolux hose onto a TriStar machine end. And that Electrolux wand will work with any powerhead designed for 1.25" standard wands.

If you want to improve performance from your CXL, try using a Kenmore 5055 generic HEPA Cloth bag or Numatic Henry HEPA Cloth bag. They don't clog like the TriStar single ply paper bag. Also, what Antoine says above about the Filter Fresh filter you received is correct....it does cut the airflow drastically on the TriStar. If you order the Medik Aire filter from the Patriot/Airstorm canisters, it will fit right in, not fall off like the Filter Fresh can at times, not restrict the airflow at all, & filter much better. It is a pricey filter at $199, but it will last over 5 years before you even need to think about changing it. As for the powerhead, I would leave it alone & leave it for show if you would have to change the motor & brushroll. On top of that, modifying the Eureka VGIII brushroll to work would be difficult. What you could do is buy a Sweep & Groom powerhead & a set of wands, & have a local vac shop put a 2nd hole into the top wand to work with the TriStar buttonlocker on the hose handle. That way you get the performance you want, & you can use the TriStar wands as a second set for the floor brush.

Rob

 

[panasonicvac]

Responds

Um I didn't get scammed if that's what you think. I've been dealing with this company for quite a while now and I think their service is terrific. One of my Electroluxs for example that was serviced from them not only cleaned it up at a fair price but they also replaced the bag, the filter, and brushroll at no charge and I even told them that I wasn't interested in getting those replaced. A week or two later after it had gotten serviced, they emailed me wondering how the vacuum was doing and if it had any issues lately.

For the Kirby, that one was traded in for only $80 because it wasn't in good condition but they told me they would still take it and it didn't even come with any tools. The Tristar was traded in for only $120 because it was dirty, smelly, and there was a rip on the hose.

Why I ended with this CXL than the other CXLs on ebay is because not only it's clean and that it's got a new hose, attachments, bags, and a filter. It's also because I have a one year warranty from them and I can simply return the vacuum to them within 30 days without having to pay any shipping since I live close by to them.

If you think that I was paying them, well guess what? I actually sold them a Hyla NST that I found at the thrift store for only $13, I ended up getting about $220 since it was in fair condition and I wasn't bothered of restoring it myself because I couldn't find the time to do it.

I don't really care about the newer Tristars that are made by Aerus, I wasn't going to keep the MG2 in the first place when I got it or even put a better motor in it.

As for the brushroll, turns out it was just a VGII brushroll with VGIII brushstrips. Yes it will be tricky but I think I might find a way to do it, similar to what Erik had done before. Otherwise I'm not interested in upgrading anything else on the vacuum besides the powerhead and the hose. I have a Beam Rugmaster powernozzle similar to the Sweep n' Groom so if I wanted to, I could use that

As far as the filter goes, it does fit in really tightly and I'm always careful when I use a canister vacuum because I worry that the tank would bump and tear off of something so I don't think I would have a problem with that. Yes I did notice that when I was playing with this, the vacuum did indeed loose airflow when the filter was on so that's one thing I don't like about the filter. However I don't want to use this without a filter because I don't want carbon dust to come out from the brushes. I wish I got one of those filters that Erik had because I thought that would've been perfect for this but they don't make those anymore. I didn't think that Patriot parts would fit into this but I'll pass on the filter because not only it's very expensive but I won't be using this often because I don't prefer using canister vacuums except only when I would like to play around with this.

 

[compactc9guy]

reply

your tristar should not loose air flow i own a compact c9 and mine never loose power or air flow PAPER BAG CLOTH BAG MOTOR FILTER EXHAUST CAP and voila wonder why your loosing air flow so fast

 

[panasonicvac]

Respond

I have to disagree with you. The MG2 that I had before did indeed loose airflow when I used it to clean off my rug out in the garage at one time and the bag didn't even get to more than a quarter full. This was mainly because the rug had a bunch of sawdust on it and most of it was very fine dust like baking soda. Had it used a cloth bag instead of paper, it would've handled it much better.

 

[kirbyvertibles]

I love all vacuums even ones that aren't very good so there's not many I would say this about but if I had to pick just one vacuum to use the rest of my life I would be pretty happy choosing a Compact or Tristar. I absolutely loves them. My other choice of only vacuum to use would be a Fairfax.

 

[panasonicvac]

I finally got around to do a video of this.

Enjoy!

 

[lesinutah]

Nice

That's a very nice vacuum. If you lose airflow I'd check the lid seal.
Mine performs well too. I have the vg3 for mine and i have the same power nozzle.
Greatvacs I noticed doesn't sell tristar on their website. I did buy my hose off eBay from them. I think they're focusing on their prolux line.
Les

 

[thevacomaticiec]

I jsut got my cxl 50 edition love itt

 

[kirbyklekter]

I know two people who

purchased Tristar EXL's back in the early -mid nineties. I house sit for both and remember using the cleaners brand new. I was impressed with their performance and even with the exhaust filter not installed, the machine was quiet enough that you could have a conversation with someone and not have to raise your voice. I'm not sure who makes them now, I think I saw Interstate on one of the boxes. If they are as good as they were back in the 90's, I'd consider buying one.In your opinion which model and from what time frame is the best you can buy, not for accessories ,just the machine and the build integrity. Thanks for any tips and enjoy your new toy, very nice!