my new Vorwerk VK200

[turbo500]

It really is a great all-round cleaner, I'm very impressed

 

[tolivac]

Interesting.Can the unit be worn like a backpack?For the bag guess after you put it in the vacuum it inflates as it fills with dust and dirt?

 

[tolivac]

Vorwerk from the 70's any pictures of this system?Would like to see it.

 

[turbo500]

Hi Rex, the unit comes with a shoulder strap but can't be word like a backpack. I wish it could, that's one of the few improvements that could be made.

The bag is interesting. It's bottom fill but has a flap that seals it shut. When you turn the machine on, an air-driven leaver forces the flap open. You can hear it pop open and snap shut as you turn the cleaner on and off.

When you fit a new bag, 2 prongs on the back door cut the tape that hold it together. Then the bag inflates when you turn the cleaner on.

Chris

 

[tolivac]

Another possibility for the "canister" unit a wheeled base or dolly to put it on so it can be used like a wheeled,floor mounted canister-good for folks with back problems or don't want to lug the unit around.The bag design is interesting.Would love to see that work.Does the machine have other filters or HEPA filters in it?

 

[turbo500]

The bag itself is HEPA13 so replacing the bag each time is the equivalent of a new bag and filter each time. There is a motor protection filter as a back up but this doesn't need to be replaced often. There is no exhaust filter as the cleaner has a brushless motor so no carbon dust.

 

[tolivac]

Unique-the Vorwerk has a brushless motor-is the speed variable?Good it has a "safety" filter in case the bag leaks or breaks.

 

[turbo500]

Yes, it has 4 settings - soft, medium, maximum & automatic

 

[eurekaprince]

As beautiful and as versatile as this Vorwerk system is, I really wonder about the ability of its small brush roll to deep clean high pile carpet. It may be fine on low pile rugs and for getting surface litter, but removing ground-in dirt embedded deep in the pile requires a more robust revolving brush....like you get with a Kirby or Sanitaire or even the Miele S7/Dynamic upright. Would be interesting to do a comparative test of the Miele and the Vorwerk on deep pile carpeting.

 

[turbo500]

It would depend entirely on the nature of your home I suppose. No one vacuum will ever suit every user, every house and every floor type.

I've got a Kirby G6 and the Vorwerk still picks up dirt and hair after vacuuming with the Kirby. However I don't think that's an accurate test and never have. No vacuum removes 100% of the dust and dirt, you could keep going over and over with different vacuums and keep getting dirt out.

The Vorwerk and Kirby systems are so similar in some ways, but with different approaches to the same outcome. The Vorwerk is smaller and lighter than both the Miele and the Kirby and far better for frequently switching between different floor types whereas the Kirby is far better suited for larger areas of deeper, wall to wall carpets.

 

[eurekaprince]

There is no doubt that converting the Kirby to bare floor cleaning mode is a far more cumbersome process than the simple flick of a switch on the Vorwerk and the Miele. The German vacs are probably far easier to use in general, though you can't beat the deep carpet cleaning provided by a heavy self-propelled Kirby.

 

[turbo500]

But that's only suitable if you have lots of thick, cut pile wall to wall carpets. If you've got a mixture of floor types, lower pile or Berber carpets, the Kirby is a waste of time.

There's no switch to change floortypes on the Vorwerk, it has an ultrasonic sensor underneath that detects the floor type & adjusts accordingly.

 

[myles_v]

Very nice, I really wish we had the Vorwerk in the states. I can't see myself buying a Kirby Avalir new, there just isn't enough change from previous models. The Kobold seems to change frequently and looks very modern.

 

[turbo500]

I finally got around to doing some comparisons between my Kirby G6 and the Vorwerk.

 

[turbo500]

Both are great cleaners. The Kirby wins in the deep pile cleaning stakes and also for wider open spaces of carpet. However it's so god damn heavy and the rooms in our house are not that large, whist makes it very awkward to use. As we have 3 floors, above floor cleaning is important which is really where the Vorwerk comes into its own. The sonic sensor on the powerhead switches between carpet and hard floor settings without me doing anything.

In terms of dry vacuum cleaning, the Vorwerk offers so much more - waterless window/glass cleaning, the Lavinia mattress cleaning kit, motorised polsterboy for upholstery/stair cleaning.

I prefer the tool storage set up on the a Kirby. The hard case caddy is easier to carry around and the tools are more accessible and quicker. I also like that the Kirby fully becomes a cylinder/canister cleaner that can be pulled around on wheels - something Vorwerk could look at doing in the future with some sort of caddy like on the Shark uprights.

 

[eurekaprince]

I imagine the bag in the Kirby is much larger than that in this new Vorwerk, which probably means less bag changes. Also, the top fill configuration probably maintains better airflow as the bag fills. I can't imagine the airflow being that great in the Vorwerk as the air has to fight its way through the collection of dirt in the bottom fill bag.

 

[tolivac]

Is the New Vorwerk a fan first-direct air machine like the early Vorwerk and Kirby?

 

[turbo500]

It's a clean air machine. The digital motor is in the top of the machine. If you read the first post, I explained the bag set up:

The bottom fill bags, I thought, were the dumbest thing I'd ever seen. Bottom fill bags!? What is this, 1974? But they work really well. Basically, if you imagine turning a Lux 345 on it's head, that's how it works - it creates a cyclone in the bag which forces the dust and dirt to the sides, keeping a clear air path through the middle of the bag. It also has a little cover which snaps shut when you turn the cleaner off to stop dirt falling out.

The bag is pretty full but there's been no suction loss as the dust is building up on the side of the bag.

 

[tolivac]

That is what I thought-a clean air machine.Since the bags appear to be cloth-it may not really matter if top or bottom fill-with the cyclone airflow.The Vorwerk would be an interesting vacuum to see-but don't think I will replace my Kirby with one.

 

[sebo4me]

Lush Vacuum cleaner. Was very tempted to buy one last month.

Hope you're enjoying it Chris