My first Fantom!!

[javesike1262]

Hey guys, I just got in my first Fantom vacuum. It's a Fantom Fury, it works really good and I was surprised how strong it is. The motor sounds really good in it too and the seller did an awesome job refurbishing it. Also is there a way I can make the plastic look good and make the bin more transparent. Also what type of bulbs does it take?

 

[madman]

The bin can be polished with power tools. A cotton buffing wheel (probably one for a drill) and some kind of polishing compound, not sure which one is good for plastic. Harbor Freight has a polishing kit that will get you started. But again, not sure which compound to use.

 

[dysonman1]

The headlight bulbs are direct current, not AC. Probably have to go to an auto parts store.

 

[niclonnic]

Hey there!

Glad you're enjoying your machine! I'm very glad to see that it arrived in one piece, considering that most shipping companies aren't that great with handling. I packed the vacuum very well.

As for the headlight, the bulb that was in the vacuum WAS working before I shipped it out. I'm willing to bet that the bulb was damaged during shipping, since it's so small and delicate. I found a replacement Fantom light bulb on EZvacuum at a reasonable price, which I'll include a link to below.

https://www.ezvacuum.com/fantom-vacuum-cleaner-light-bulb.html

 

[fan-of-fans]

For plastic vacuum parts, I usually use Meguiar's PlastX plastic polish on a microfiber cloth. You can find both at Walmart in the automotive dept. I haven't tried it on clear bins though, but it is meant for using on clear plastics such as car headlamp lenses.

You may also want to check auto parts stores like AutoZone, Advance Auto Parts or O'Reilly Auto Parts and see if they have similar plastic polishes and products.

I also usually use car wax on the plastics after I polish them, to keep them shiny and help prevent scratches and scuffs.

A buffer might help as well. But make sure you avoid rubbing or getting polishes on the printed parts as they may lighten or wear off completely.

 

[javesike1262]

Thanks so much. I didn't know that you were the seller of the machine niclonnic!! It sounds like the one from Intellitech Studios and I got a set of two auto bulbs from Autozone Sylvania 90 Mini bulbs and they work really good!!! I have superglued the handle and fixed the handle release plastic and are good now. Brushroll is in very good shape too. I'll have to see if I can polish the plastic and maybe the clear bin too. Feel free to post suggestions. Also have you ever had a Fury before? I've seen some videos where there was one with a motor arcing and fans sounding unbalanced. I'm glad mine sounds really good and it has a good motor.

 

[electroluxxxx]

That was my machine. When Nick bought it, the machine had a brand new motor in it. Don’t ask me what happened to it as it was pretty unexplainable. The motor that is in it now was recently serviced by me and sent back to Nick. As for the bin go to Walmart, grab some tire wet (shine lasts longer), some microfiber cloths and really rub it in. The bin will polish up nicely.

 

[javesike1262]

Cool. It feels really easy to use and I'll thank both of you for doing a good job to make the Fantom sound brand new. I'll likely grab some tire wet shine for the bin and use PlastiX for the plastics on the vacuum. 10 Amp Fury's are rare to find with good motors as they are shot. I'm glad my 12 Amp Fury doesn't sound like that. These are the bulbs I used for the Fantom Fury. They are the same as Fantom light bulbs since that's basically what they are auto light bulbs. My goal now is to find a Thunder and that'll conclude my Fantom collection. Ametek motors on the Fury and Thunder are durable. Both me and Intellitech have had good luck getting Fury's with good motors.

 

[electroluxxxx]

I have a thunder and a destiny plus that I might be willing to sell as I am selling off a decent portion of my collection.

 

[niclonnic]

javesike1262

The videos of the motor arcing and unbalanced fans were my videos; I uploaded them while I owned that Fantom. The arcing motors were from the unexplainable phenomenon that Electroluxxxx mentioned. The unbalanced fan issue occurred last year; I used my machine quite a bit more than usual, and the fans got clogged up with fine dust, causing the motor to get thrown off balance. Later that year, I unsuccessfully tried to disassemble the motor myself, so I mailed it off to Electroluxxxx to have it repaired. He cleaned out the fans, put another fan case on the motor and mailed it back to me, where it now runs smoothly once again.

I miss my Fantom Fury, but I'm glad to see that it is in the capable hands of another collector. Ideally, I'd love to own a 10 amp (dark green) model, as my family owned one a long time ago, but those are near-impossible to find nowadays.

Electroluxxxx, I have been mildly curious about the Fantom Thunder/Kenmore Destiny Plus vacuums; it seems like they have a higher build quality compared to the Fury. I'm not sure if I'd want another Fantom at the moment, though. Several years ago, I came close to buying a Kenmore Destiny Plus at a Goodwill, but passed it up as it looked to be in rough shape and was missing the attachments.

 

[javesike1262]

So far I have not had any problems with the Fantom Fury and it performs really well. It's a nice collectible and I don't use it that much. I will use tire wet shine for the bin and plastix for the plastics. I'm going to buff as much as the scratches down to where you can't see them and being extra careful with the labels. A whistle indicates there is a clog which it whistles when I used the hose but went away. Basically, the Fury is an American version of the DC03