Metal or Plastic Fan?

[vacmaster0000]

Replacing a fan in my friend Oreck because it dosent seem to have much airflow, and the fan is chewed to bits, so would a metal fan withstand coins and stuff better than a plastic? Stuff gets swept up all the time on accident, so would a metal be better or plastic?

 

[jmurray01]

If you can, fit a metal fan! They are so much better.

I have a metal fan in my 1977 HOOVER Ranger, and it is the original from when it was new, not that you'd know, as it looks 100% new, not a single chip.

Unless it is a clean fan motor, metal is the only way to go!

 

[bravokid]

Metal is always best where availible lol but the real question is what the fan chamber is made out of and will it hold up to the projectiles picked up.

 

[tolivac]

For Orecks-the FANCASE is the weakest part.It will break if you hit something with either the metal or plastic fan.Overall-I prefer METAL fans and FANCASES all the way.

 

[jmurray01]

That is the problem with new dirty fan cleaners - They are all plastic!

The older dirty fan cleaners were made when quality was all that mattered, and thus fully metal.

 

[tolivac]

Notice how a lot of the older metal direct air vacuums still work-the all plastic ones----imagine having an Oreck that would be 50yrs old?Other plastic direct air vacs are waiting their date in hydraulic hell in the dumpster.

 

[jmurray01]

Personally, I think if they can't make a Dirty Fan motor of all metal, like they did in the "good old days", they should just stop making them and focus on making Clean Fan motors with better carpet cleaning abilities.

A plastic Dirty Fan motor is a ticking time bomb for shearing fan blades.

 

[eurekaprince]

I don't know guys - I used a basic, bottom of the line, Eureka Dial-A-Nap upright (model 1925 I think) for over 20 years and never had a problem with the plastic fan blades. I guess I never abused it..... "Eureka. The very best in vacuum cleaners."

 

[rolls_rapide]

Metal

I had a Hoover Junior U1104 that had a plastic fan and metal agitator, and it was useless at picking up particles of grit, particularly the larger pieces of 2-3mm.

Yet older metal fan Juniors coped fine - with a metallic "ping" as the grit was sent on its merry way to the bag.

 

[broomvac]

Metal Vacuum fans are NOT always superior...

One thing for you guys to consider is that metal is not ALWAYS best for ALL fans in vacuums. Virtually everybody on this site never hesitates to say metal is good and plastic is bad (or cheap). In instances beyond household vacuums, plastic is frequently MORE strong than metal. Take for example those yard vacuums that Stihl and Echo and Poulan make that are gas powered and used to vacuum up yard debris such as leaves, sticks, pine cones, acorns, and frequently rocks that are mixed in. Those vacuums are a LOT more powerful than any house vacuum could even dream of being, and vacuum up enough stuff in seconds that would ruin any household fan-first vacuum (all metal or not) for GOOD. What are the fans and fan cases in these yard vacuums made of? Plastic, not metal! Why? Those materials are stiffer and won't bend, rust, or corrode, and they are much lighter. Nor do they shatter or even so much as crack whey they suffer serious impacts repeatedly. I have worked with these yard vacuums for years (I collect them as well as household vacuums), and I have NEVER seen a broken plastic fan or fancase, but I have seen older aluminum fans bent from large branches.

Bullet proof vests are not made of metal, either. Just thought I'd point that out.

I am not saying this applies to all Orecks (although it might), and I am not trying to stray off topic, I just had to point this out.

 

[tolivac]

HMMMM-some of the yard blowers and vacuums I have seen-like B&D,Lowes generic,and Troy Built-have been going to METAL fans-because the plastic ones break or erode from the dirt and debris.The Troy-built has a Titanium blade ahead of its plastic fan.I have an older B&D yard blower-vacuum-and its plastic impellor is eroded to almost useless.Note on the very large truck mounted-or truckloader debris blowers-their fans and fancases are STEEL-blades-quarter to half in thick.So--metal is better here,too.For Kevlar-its VERY strong as a fiber-like for a bulletproof vest-but remember----bullet proof-not 100%If you are wearing one-better know its capability and what is being shot at you----TAKE REAL COVER-that means behind something that can stop the bullet.For the Kevlar fan-its rigid instead flexible as the fiber.I think someone fired bullets at one time at kevlar Oreck fans--they broke.

 

[broomvac]

The only metal fans I have seen are from Toro and one in a B&D, both companies considered to be at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to leaf vacuums.

 

[tolivac]

The Lowes brand blower has the metal fan-and at the Lowes place I saw them at the metal fanned Toro was the higher priced one.And the B&D Leafhog with the metal fan was a higher priced machine.The machines that I saw with plastic fans were the low priced ones made to be blowers only-not vacuums.

 

[kirbyclassiciii]

Electric Lawn Mowers w/ Metal or Plastic Fans?

What about electric lawn mowers? I mean, did you like the electric lawn mowers of the '50s-'80s when they had metal fans as opposed to plastic fans?

What I am talking about:
Black & Decker steel-deck single-blade electrics (1970-1987) and all twin-blade electrics (1967-1978)
Sunbeam/Aircap/Mastercut single-blade and twin-blade electrics (before 1986)
NOMA (Canada) single-blade and twin-blade electrics (before 1992)

~Ben

 

[broomvac]

Echo and Stihl blower/vacuums outprice them all, and are commercial equipment as opposed to homeowners equipment, and they don't use metal fans.

 

[vac_whisperer]

Metalmetalmetal METAL! They can take a lot more abuse than a plastic fan. Heck, my next project is to fit my Sanitaire with a metal fan, (if you can do that)
Heck, I love anything metal.

 

[jmurray01]

Oh I love that pinging noise!

I find myself steering into bits of grit just to hear it bounce of the metal blades on the Ranger!

Yes - I am a bit strange...

 

[blackheart]

I can see either side

I like metal fans and i think they increase power (at least on a kirby) but i feel that a well made plastic fan can withstand a pretty good amount of abuse, growing up we had a Kirby Legend II we had both plastic and metal fans in it, i think the plastic ones lasted us a while longer my parents have never taken great care of the Kirby, i've seen plastic ones destroyed i've seen metal ones destroyed.

I know the G3 i gave them in exchange for the Legend II has sucked up a lot of loose change i want to say it had a grey fan in it and when i came home i would shake out the emptor finding all sorts of change and metallic objects, eventually the fan gave way, i think i once found about 3 nickles 4 dimes and 7-8 pennies in the emptor

While i feel the metal fan is the superior performer i feel that the plastic ones are made to withstand the abuse from neglectful users a bit better.

 

[tolivac]

Yes,for electric lawnmowers-prefer the metal motor fans in those-since the fan is in the blade-cutting compartment-it is subject to abuse from lawn debris.I have a cordless B&D electric lawnmower with a plastic motor fan-one blade from it is broken off.Metal mower fans may BEND blades-but you can fix them.Another Toro cordless mower I own has the metal motor fan on the TOP of the motor-out of the blade chamber.It can get clogged with grass,though-but can be cleaned out.To sum up--ANY fan metal or plastic will not take abuse.Yes,I too like the dinging noises from the metal fans-and its instant feedback-the debris has been picked up!so far of the vacuums in my collection--the NSS M1 fans have held up the most-these have eaten just about everything the machine picks up!The blades are quarter in thick on the trailing edges and the M1 fancase is steel strip lined.the real industrial grade lawn-garden equipment-deck vacuums,truckloaders and such have the STEEL fans and fancases.Only one--Cyclone Rake-has a SOFT plastic fan.the fancase on the machine is steel lined.This machine is a mower deck vacuum.