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I have some air powered power nozzles adn occasionally use them on my central units for fun!!They spin so fast they almost levitate!!!Have one old airnozzle that came in the vac shop trade in pile-it has worn turbine fans-When I tried it on the MD unit one of the fans blades spun off!Thing still works-but noisey.Its had a lot of stuff go thru its turbine fans.Has a metal brushroll with beater bars.NSS used to have one like that a while back-worked good on NSS M1 and Designer dry vacuums.The NSS nozzle was designed to work with vacuums that had high airflow rather than suction "pressure" as most central units have.
 
air nozzles and centec power heads

The turbocats have a loud annoying whine to them that drives me nuts. Actually, Sunbeam included an air driven nozzle similar to that on their canister vacuums when they made them.
Does anyone know what the actual difference is between some of the Centec nozzles? I may have these models a bit wrong, but I think there is a ct14qd, ct16qd, ct18qd and a ct20qd. The newest ones are the ct23qd which is designed to clean the high pile carpet better, and there is alsso a CT24 that has a built in hard floor brush. Also, when getting wands for central vacuums, you have to make sure the wand fits the hose, there are two cord systems, flush and recessed, does anyone know what the actual difference is between these? They both have the standard female plug on the hose, but doesn't the recessed hoses have the outlet further inside the hose than the flush?
 
The Kenmore Intuition power nozzle is a rebadged Centec 24QD with the lift out hard floor brush.


I have since discarded the whole mess. It is an engineering disaster, and the power nozzle is deeper and more awkward than a regular power nozzle. Mine had a broken elbow, and I was just not satisfied with it.


Take a look, all the dirt has to go through that circle in the middle of the power nozzle.


 

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kenmore vacuums

I'm not sure what kind of hose your Kenmore comes with, some came with a standard hose end with the standard two proong electrical connector. If yours came with the ct24 nozzle, it's probably one of the newer ones though. Not only do these have nonstandard hose ends, but the electrical connector is nonstandard as well so you can't add a better universal power nozzle to it. I have a Panasonic mc-cg902 and last night I tried pairing it up with my Sebo et2 power nozzle, worked great, cleaned my area rugs quite well.
 
I don't know why manufacturers now offer the “all-in-one” attachment thing. It’s like a doll house toy. Does the mass public really prefer the combination, dusting, crevice, upholstery tool thing? Look at the current lineup of Hoover canisters they all have that all-in-one tool thing. I thought people bought canisters for their variety of attachments.

I guess it leaves the market open for disposable cleaning cloths like Swiffer. Which is greener a vacuum or a disposable Swiffer?

I wish manufactures would offer a complete set of attachments. I think the only current Hoover vacuums that offer a complete set of attachments are the Hoover Tempo upright, and the SP Windtunnel. Please correct me if I’m wrong. I hope I am :)
 
attachments

Electrolux has offered the combination dusting brush and apolstry tool for a while, now there's a tool that has those and a crevis tool along with it. As with many things, when you try to create something that does several things, it usually does those things average at best. When you have a product dedicated to one thing only, it does it very well. I actually really like the apolstry tool that came with my Powr-flite backpack vacuum. It actually is a standard size so I can use it with all my other vacuums as well. It has no brush on it, but a nice long opening that spreads the suction all the way across. I also find that the combination hard floor and carpet tools don't do as well as a dedicated hard floor brush. The one exception to this might be the Wessel Werk rd285 which doesn't use brushes at all, just a squeegee, although I would only use that on hard floors. For carpets, you need a spinning brush, that will always clean better than straight suction. Has anyone tried any of the side winder attachments? They are common with backpacks, but you can get them with a 1.25 inch connection as well. I've thought about getting the side winder hard floor brush. The wessel werk turn and clean hard floor brush is also really good.
 
Sorry this is long!!

Here is my response of knowledge of several common CenTec power nozzles that have been on various Panasonic, Kenmore, Royal, canisters over the years along with several central vacuum kits! There are some Youtube videos in here too which very well explain some of their newer nozzles!!

The CT24QD blue Intuition nozzle posted above was found on the blue Kenmore Intuition canister vacuum which was manufactured with a universal end hose. The suction unit on that Kenmore was actually very nice. Powerful air flow, long hose, dirt sensor built into the hose handle and all controls including variable speed on the hose handle. The power nozzle was a disaster though!!! Too long, terrible bare floor brush with tiny cheap wheels that broke easy and that cause issues reconnecting back into the power head again.

As far as differences between Kenmore/ CenTec power nozzles, they are very slim with exception of the CT12DX.

The CT12DX is a 12" power nozzle. It was available with and without a headlight. The last canister vacuum I saw it on was the fuscia colored Panasonic MC-CG901 along with some Canadian Kenmore canisters. A decent running power nozzle that has squared off ends. The rear wheels and no handle release pedal allowed this nozzle to tilt back and roll easily around the house from room to room. Also due to the lack of the handle release pedal, the nozzle stays on the carpet better before the the wand getting closer to the floor lifts it up. This nozzle was an unusual center belt design that did get dirt caught around the belt area unfortunately, but that was easily cleanable and took quite a build up before becoming noticeable!! This system was a flat stretch belt. Dual row chevron like brush roll. Easy to turn height adjuster for selection and the foot tension operated handle release. Overall an excellent power nozzle in my opinion that cleaned well, had true dual sided brushed edge cleaning and a pleasant sounding motor.


The CenTec CT14DX is the original. Originally was a cogged style belt, rear wheels were slightly off center on either side of the elbow. They were wide all plastic wheels on metal axles that locked into the housing so the wheel actually spun on the axle and the axle would remain stationary in the housing. Originally this nozzle had a completely smooth front entrance on the bottom plate and only 2 rug guards. Original brush roll consisted of a beater bar and rows of soft replaceable brush strips. Modifications over time have allowed for airflow inlets on the front of the nozzle base plate, more rug guards, and a chevron brush roll. The headlight cover is easily knocked off on these units. The sound of the cogged belt motor is louder than many other power nozzles and the tone in my opinion is unappealing!

Next came the CT18DX. This originally debuted on first generation Kenmore Progressive canisters. It is a squared off nozzle on either side, with very thin all plastic rear wheels. Serpentine belt is significantly quieter and more pleasant toned over the CT14DX. There is a white plastic guard inside the machine that encloses the brush roll cavity. Just an extra piece inside the unit aside from the main housing. This is the power nozzle found on current market Panasonic MC-CG902, MC917 and a few others. Wheels can wear away housing.

CenTec CT20DX is the nozzle found today on most Kenmore canisters such as the lime green, tangerine, white and blueberry models. A sleeker, lower profile head over the 2 previous mentioned power nozzles. The rear wheels are rubber or other texture coating that glides better over hard floors. This a T designed head that allows a little better reach into certain crevices. The coated wheels maneuver well. Serpentine belt system with identical motor sound and I believe the exact same brush roll as the CT18DX. These wheels have a tendency to get worn and rock over time as dirt erodes the plastic axles. But they do work well up until that point as the rubberized traction is great over their previous power nozzles.

New to the market is the CenTec CT23QD also known as the Response II. This nozzle is a very sleek, has a headlight is again 14" wide just like CT14, CT18 and CT20 models. This nozzle has vents in the side that make it more versatile for newer style softer fiber carpets. This youtube video by Panasonic explains it best and makes it look quite impressive. I would love to try one myself and perhaps someday own one!!

Also new to the market is the CT10QD power nozzle. This nozzle is a very compact barefloor/ low profile carpet power nozzle. it can be used in various positions. The front opens up to allow the brush roll to completely clean up against base boards, and other things. The Youtube video for this is impressive. I don't know exact width of the nozzle or durability but they look neat, and are very quiet. Very soft bristles primarily are what market this as a barefloor nozzle and the lightweight carpet.
 
great info

Thanks for the info on those Centec nozzles, that's the first comparison I have seen about those. It sounds like the best ones right now are the 18, 20, and 23. Here's a link to another one called the ctb100. I think Tacony may have actually been involved in this one but not sure.
http://www.centralvacuumstores.com/...ec-cpb100s-14in-electric-brush-powerhead-only
Looks like they went from ct14 to ct18, guess there was never a ct16.
I wonder which power head comes with the Panasonic mc-cg937, I'm guessing its either the ct18 or the ct20. There's also an mc-cg957 which I think includes the CT23 but not sure.
 
I'm back with more

I was coming back from vacation this week and had to stop by at my uncle's vacation home for overnight. This was actually my very first time I have ever been inside in his house because this house is VERY far from me so I don't think I will ever do a video of this. This home is only a few years old, I asked a while ago what kind of vacuum they have down there when they got this home and they said they couldn't remember what it was called but they said it was like a white and grey unit with a white hose, ok I was thinking it may have been a model from "Thinkvacuums" because there is a thinkvacuums dealer not far from there and I thought it was Duovac because it was close to describe what vacuum this was with a SEBO head. But soon as I discovered when I went inside, I was WAY off. It's an MD FLO-MASTER I think the model was M85 and it uses a powerhead that is made by Dust care from ESSCO/Buckeye. I've used this powerhead before and it's a pretty good powerhead cause it has a metal brushroll with replaceable strips so it does a really good job on carpets. Only downside is that it is a bit noisy and not to mention that the headlight was burned out as well. The unit is very powerful concerning this does use a 14.5 amp motor with very powerful suction and airflow. I think our old MD Silentmaster we used to use at our old cabin before we sold it, It was a little bit more powerful and it was alot more quieter than this one. Overall it is very powerful system even tho this house only has just one floor, and it's alot better than his other vacuum at his main home. I know my uncle and his wife wants to sell their main home and move down to their vacation home so it's very possible I'm going to get my hands on his Panasonic MC-V6255 which I will say it is my favorite vacuum of all time.

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CenTec CT14DX

I decided to break it up into separate posts

CenTec CT14 DXQD

2.4 Amp motor
Newest model is as shown with base plate below sporting the chevron brush roll.

Early Kenmore canisters- many called the Kenmore Whispertone, Nutone CT600 power nozzle, Panasonic MCV9644 all had the CenTec CT14DXQD nozzle.

Last photo, is the best I could find on Google of the older style brush roll system for how this power nozzle was originally. I'm sure someone on Vacuumland has a better photo!!

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CT18DXQD

2.4 Amp motor
14" cleaning path
Plastic rear wheels

Panasonic MC-CG902, MC-CG917, MC-CG983, 1st generation Kenmore Progressive canisters, BOL Kenmore guacamole and teal models.

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CenTec CT20DXQD

2.4 Amp motor
14" cleaning path
wider rear wheels-- rubber coated
Serpentine belt

Current model Kenmores: Lime green, Tangerine, white and Blueberry. Many Kenmore Progressive canisters. Panasonic MC-CG937

The blue Kenmore below is a Canada model. Very similar to the U.S. Lime green.

The red Kenmore below is one I used to have. It's from roughly 2004. Model number is 25513. Similar to it is model 25512.

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Other CenTecs

CenTec CT23DXQD
newest version- known to Panasonic as the Plush Pro nozzle
Panasonic MC-CG957, Kenmore Plush canister


CenTec CT24QD
CrossOver/ Kenmore Intuition nozzle
This one I do not recommend!!!
It was originally featured on the gorgeous blue Kenmore Intuition canister below. The suction unit for this was fantastic!! Long cord, long hose, dirt sensor in the hose, headlight on the wand, telescoping wand, quiet, variable speed, very powerful airflow, easy rolling wheels.

The power nozzle was the flaw!! Bare floor brush was a single strip of bristles on either side of the air duct. Tiny plastic rear wheels broke and ruined connection back into nozzle. The over all nozzle was very deep and awkward to maneuver. The front of the nozzle would lift off the floor once the wand was lowered to about 15" from the floor.

Kenmore has replaced the Intuition nozzle and I've never tried but have heard that it is better!


CenTec CPB100
This nozzle does look like CenTec bought rights from Tacony to brand one of their nozzles CenTec.
All of the exterior components look identical to my Simplicity Verve. CenTec I believe offers central vacuum hose kits with this power nozzle. Riccar and Simplicity also have central vacuum kits with this power nozzle. Of course there are numerous Riccar and Simplicity canisters with this power nozzle.

However, Riccar and Simplicity maintain the TOL of this version which includes a dirt sensor, 3 row bristle brush roll and possibly other features.

Riccar 1700 blue canister pictured below which belongs to a former cleaning client of mine.

Red Simplicity Verve of mine below and I have installed a 3 row agitator that I got from Tom Gasko who works at Tacony! I also have a perfect condition metal 2 row brush roll for it as well. I'm still debating which I like better!

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centec and panasonic nozzles

I wonder if the version of this nozzle that comes with the panasonic mc-cg902 is the exact same version as the ct18qd, for example if the neck is the same. If I got the right wands, I wonder if I could use it with a central vacuum hose. In general, there are two ways to connect a power nozzle and they both have their advantages and disadvantages. The direct connect method, which is used on the Centec nozzles and is used by many canister and central vacuum kits either has the cord built in to the wand, or an external cord on the wand, but the connector on the wand goes in to the power nozzle directly. The advantage of this is that you can switch attachments very easily by removing the power nozzle and putting on the new attachment without having to disconnect cords. The disadvantage to this approach is that the power nozzle will only work for certain vacuums, and you need a wand that will mate properly with the connector. On the other hand, there are power nozzles such as the Lindhaus, Wessel Werk ebk340, Sebo power nozzles with the central vacuum adapter, and the Riccar universal power nozzle which has two brush strips, these nozzles have a cord attached to the nozzle with the two prong mini connector at the end. These will work with any electric hose that uses this connector which most do. The only ones I know of that don't use this are the electrolux square neck hoses and some of the new Kenmores. The nice thing about these nozzles is that they are very universal and will work with many vacuums. I've actually used them on my panasonic mc-cg902 and Riccar Prima, it's kind of interesting to pair up different power nozzles with different vacuums to test the performance. The disadvantage here is that in order to switch attachments, you need to remove the nozzle and also disconnect the cord from the hose. Still, I really like the universal approach. I wish the Wessel Werk ebk360 was available in a corded version, but so far, I've only seen it as a direct connect nozzle.
 
There's another Panasonic powerhead that Centec doesn't use. It's mainly used on Hayden central vacuums and some of the Panasonic canisters as well. However, I heard that Hayden discontinued these powerheads which sucks cause I've used one of these in a grey color at my nieghbors house with a Vacuflo unit before and I thought it was a very fun kit to use.

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n0oxy,

There are wand sets available to make the MC-CG902 work on a central vacuum system. The standard set up that comes with that canister vacuum is the foot pedal release power head. There are wands available for this to either have it set up as a quick disconnect at the hose to fit a Kenmore/ Panasonic style hose, there are also pig tail cord sets with no quick disconnect for the hose but rather you can plug the cord into the hose yourself. Wherever you shop for your central vacuum could help you get the proper wands.

Panasonicvac

The Hayden nozzle you posted is essentialy the CenTec CT14DX. The top hood is different which repositions the headlight too for a 1 piece cover but the wheel base, brush roll and other components are that of the CT14DX. Same as the power nozzle for Royal Power Tank Deluxe models. Early Royal Power Tanks had a Filter Queen nozzle and the last ones made had the CT14DX nozzle just a different top hood. The hood used for the Hayden and Royal is actually very very similar to the Panasonic MC-9644 posted above. I couldn't find a better photo, but this video shows it perfect!!


http://www.centecsystems.com/ct-18dxqd/
 
panasonic power head on central vacuum

I may look in to getting a set of wands for that power head. I may go to centec systems web site, they actually carry lots of attachments, wands, and other parts. Interestingly, I was at my girl friend's last night and we used the Electrolux ultra one that I got her last Christmas to clean her place. She has mostly bare floors so I got her the straight suction version, it actually did come with a turbo brush which she uses for her area rugs. I'm beginning to think I should have gotten her the next level up though, it would have included an electric power head. She has a cat, and the litter gets in to one of her area rugs. While cleaning it with the turbo brush last night, a piece of the litter jammed the turbine. I know with turbo brushes, the hole is very small so all the air goes through the turbine, and that's why these kinds of things happen. Next time we need to clean that rug, I'm going to bring one of my electric power nozzles over, I've got a cord that will allow you to connect a power nozzle directly to an outlet, and we'll see how that works. I was at our local home and garden show a few weeks ago, and the vacuflo dealer there was telling people that turbo nozzles will clean as well as an electric power nozzle and they are cheaper. That's nuts. An electric power nozzle will outclean a turbo nozzle any day, and will not get clogged near as much.
 
I highly disagree with the turbo nozzle and electric being equal!!

There are Youtube videos that show otherwise. Turbo nozzles send the dirt through small breaks in the fan and they choke on some dirt. Electric nozzles have a wide opening that will not choke unless the user is picking up inappropriate material such as a juice bottle cap!

The agitation by many power nozzles is quite impressive!!
 

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