MD Flo Master M85 (650)

[iann_nic]

Hello all!

Recently as some of you may know from other postings I have been looking to upgrade my old central vacuum system (Budd). Before. I was going to use a MD 450 but many of you leaned me away from that idea due to it not being powerful enough for my application. I have been searching around calling many people who sell MD vacuums. A vacuum store who I bought my Steath from actually has a M85 for sale!! Immediately I looked online for specifications of the unit been discovered that it’s model name has been changed. One of the main reasons I like the Flowmaster units is because they seem quite quiet. Due to the fact that MD changed your model numbers, I was wondering if any of the specifications has changed. Also if any of you own one of these units would you please be able to tell me some pros and cons about them? Also, he is charging $710 dollars for the unit, is that a fit price for an older unit? I know MD units are expensive but that seems quite much! Thank you all so much in advance!

 

[ocscott3085]

I have the Flo Master 650T or something like that and I remember being concerned when the guy replacing my previous unit installed it. It seemed small compared to my previous unit but the thing has some serious power and it's very quiet. I have nothing bad to say about it. Okay, well one thing that's slightly annoying is that the dealer mounted it pretty high on the wall in my garage. I actually have to use a ladder to access the bag at the top. I would have done it lower but that's just me. My parent's Silentmaster practically sits on the floor of their garage so changing the bags was easier in terms of access. I don't think the price is outrageous for a MD unit. I believe I paid $800 something for mine. I would just buy it and be done with it. You're getting a quality unit that should last you a very long time.

 

[n0oxy]

a good machine, but that is a high price

I have this machine, it's powerful and well made, but there are a few other things to think about. You had said you did not want a bagged machine, this machine uses bags. Also, this machine uses a flow through motor rather than a bypass motor, you can get machines that use a bypass motor that are just as powerful for a cheaper price, the machine I am thinking of is the Canavac cls700, it uses a 6.6 diameter bypass motor which will last longer than a flow through motor. Check out this link and see what you think, again the m85 will meet your needs but you can get a machine with a better motor at a cheaper price. I just checked, the machine I am suggesting sells for $549 and is rated for 10000 square feet, this is a better deal by far.
Mike

http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/...er-units/canavac-700-cls-condo-central-vacuum

 

[vacfan1982]

That looks like a good unit at a very good price!

 

[vacfan1982]

Although filtered is my least favourite.

 

[iann_nic]

I actually have a realitive that used that machine! They say it does have great power, but it is extremely loud! I have heard it and I think that it may be louder than my Budd! They do seem like good machines but central vacuum stores for some reason don’t ship units to my house. They say it’s too far from the distribution center. I’m not sure why they tell me that but unfortunately it’s out of the option! And plus, I could probably negotiate a price for around $500 dollars for the unit and that seems fair

 

[n0oxy]

shipping and a few other links

That is odd that they will not ship to you, I'm not sure if they stock them or if they drop ship but that should be handled by UPS or Fedex. I do have this machine as well, it is loud but you can put a muffler on it, and in most cases you're not in the same area as the machine so this should not be an issue. Here are links to the Canavac machine from two other places, you may have better luck with these, I would go for the Canavac if you can since the motor has a separate fan to cool it. With the m85, the motor is cooled by the same air that is used for cleaning. There is also a valve on the machine that will automatically open if the motor is not receiving enough air.
Here is the Canavac machine at think vacuums web site.
https://www.thinkvacuums.com/centra...r-units/cana-vac-cls-750-6-gallon-system.html
And here it is at e vacuum store.
https://evacuumstore.com/p-22348-cana-vac-compact-cls-750-central-vacuum.aspx
It's a bit more expensive than what central vacuum stores had it for but you aredefinitely getting more for the money. I use this machine along with my other central vac machines free standing, that is, without pipes. This one doesn't have a utility valve built in but I just attached a utility valve to the in-take and it works great.
Mike

 

[iann_nic]

Looks like I will be purchasing the MD unit after all!!