Longevity Of Current Cleaners

[bagintheback]

I read reviews on current vacuums online often and I have noticed two things:
When people describe why they replaced their old vacuum, it is mostly because it won't pick up. We all know that this is a clog or a stretched belt. So they go out and the product they are reviewing and say it pulled out breath-taking amounts of dirt and such. The other statement is some of them reuse bags. So they abused it. There is one other, and that the vacuum caught on fire, and it always seems to be Eurekas too. But that is the manufacture's fault.

So lets say I go out and buy a $100 Target vacuum today and I keep the utmost care of it. I use it regularly as if it was my only vacuum. How long do you think it would last?

 

[twocvbloke]

A year at most, once the warranty's gone, it'll break down, they always do...

Pretty much everything made today is made to fail, it's built cheap, sold cheap, and repairs, no, not cheap, are really expensive, so, they churn out more cheap stuff, so you buy cheap ans start the chain again, very wasteful, both ecologically and financially...

 

[godfreys_guy]

Two Words - HEPA Filter

These filters put too much stress and strain on the airflow of the vacuum, causing it to get hotter. Also bagless, Miele last just as long as they used to... guess what - no bagless.

 

[mark40511]

I thought Miele's had hepa filters? Are you saying they don't?

 

[henry200]

I could tell no difference in how hot my Miele ran with the hepa filter, or the lesser "clean air" filter.   Obviously if either kind of filter was never replaced that would affect the vacuum's longevity but, that's a user issue, not a manufacturing quality issue.  I had a Filterqueen for about 30 years which always ran very hot to my way of thinking but the motor was built to handle it and never suffered as a consequence.  I bet some of these inexpensive bagless machines would last at least a little longer if their filters were properly maintained.  For some reason people read "bagless" and think "maintenance-free."  If it were more obvious from the advertising, packaging and store displays that these machines still have filters that need to be washed or replaced, that might influence peoples' decisions on what to purchase.


 


This is one reason why I've always thought highly of the good old Electrolux automatic shutoff.  The darned thing  won't let you go too long on a full bag and risk burning out the motor.  It seems more idiot-proof when it comes to user negligence.


 


Neil

 

[trebor]

Man's desire...

to make things idiot proof is exceeded only by the universe's capability to make increasingly more clever and more determined idiots.

 

[vacman117]

I believe that if a vacuum is well maintained for its lifetime then it will last for years! There is no reason why it should not. People always say their vacuum is "broke" when it is something so simple and so minor. I know people that are still using the original Eureka Whirlwinds and the first bagless Bissells. Those are about 8-9 years old!

 

[henry200]

man's desire...

Trebor, that is so very true.

 

[twocvbloke]

To quote Einstein:

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."

 

[trebor]

Einstein....

is one of my favorite historical figures

 

[jfalberti]

I believe I said that before

As much as man tries to make everything as idiot proof as possible it is only offset by the Universe's desire to create bigger and better idiots.

 

[kirbysthebest]

I think when they try to make inexpensive, they make cheap. You end up paying the same in the long run.
I have a Kirby Omega that will be 36 years old the end of this month. Everything is still original except belts and brush rolls. My Ultimate G will be eight years old in December, still going.

My sister is on like her 20th Wal-Mart plasticvac. My brother buys his wife a new plasti-vac just about every Christmas. I tried gifting them a new Royal Powercast when they bought their new house. "Too Heavy" My sister-in-law still uses the plasti-vacs, and the Powercast sits in the clost.

 

[Sablekid]

I have plenty of vacs but I even use one of my Ds 50's on a regular basis....around 50 years and still does the job? But I have to fix the one at the restaurant I work at about once every week...a cheap plastivac with a Hepa...and they wont buy one of my Royals because its not bagless.................

 

[twocvbloke]

SPeaking of long lasting vacs, add to the list my Hoover Junior 1334, about 50 years of service, minor repairs over the years, and it's still giving service today...

Compare that to the Vax I salvaged and I highly doubt that in 50 years time that the Vax would even be in one piece, let alone working, that's the problem with cheap plastics, after a while they lose strength, they suffer from "plastic fatigue" and you get those spiderweb cracks appearing, and then the inevitable splits at the most stressed areas, and finally, the thing falls apart, happens to everything using plastic for the casing or structure, not just vacuum cleaners, I've got a Compaq Armarda laptop upstairs that's screwed cos the plastic casing just fell apart around the screen hinges...

So no matter how well you look after it, the problems still lie with the plastic...

 

[bagintheback]

I would not blame everything on plastic. There are many plastic Hoovers, such as Concepts and later Convertibles, that are still very durable. Dysons, Riccars and many other brands use plastic and can last years. I say it depends on the grade on plastic. Very cheap plastic is used on most vacuums today.

 

[twocvbloke]

Well, depending on what plastics are used, some can last longer than others, but like you say, cheap vacs use cheap plastic, and those are the ones that people buy, use, break and throw out only to be replaced with another which they use, break and throw away....

It's not helped with the high prices of some major brands, people look at those and think "What can they do that this one at a quarter of the cost can't?", I get that all the time with people thinking I'm insane wanting "quality" vacs rather than cheap high-wattage screamers, and then later they come to me wanting their vacs repaired, and I like to think to myself "Well, was it really worth you saving all that money for this?", someday I'll say that to them, but for now, I'll let them try and work it out themselves...

 

[floor-a-matic]

Today's Plasti-vacs

Made in China--so 100% P. U! I wouldn't touch any of today's plastivacs (even with 1,000 Lux wands connected together) at all. Thank God I own only vintage vacs; when I need a "new" vac, I'll get another vintage vac.

 

[twocvbloke]

Well, anything made in China is just rubbish, my new phone's charger, made in china, is broken already, and it's not even 4 months since I got it!!! :S

Some say that china has the best engineers in the world, but given what they put out, I'd disagree, they have the best Reverse-engineers yes, but actual engineers that can come up with their own designs, nope...

 

[suckolux]

I bet what they design for themselves is just fine!Probably just think of us as buyers of low price only.