New Member Here looking for recommendations

[will77]

Hello all. I’m not a collector yet but am an admirer of vintage and new cleaning appliances. Especially devices that are good for allergies and asthma. I just borrowed my mothers Rainbow D3C that she’s had since 1984 for a few days. I had forgotten how well it cleaned and the lack of any odor emitted from the vacuum. (My current Dyson Animal stick vacuum stinks even after being taken apart and cleaned) I liked it so much I found a very dirty E2 black for $350 and it’s now being cleaned up at having its power nozzle repaired at my local vacuum shop.

However, I was wondering what other recommendations for a secondary unit members might have. Have about 60% hardwood/ 40% carpet in my home. What other well built vacuums might be good to have. Excellent filtration is a must. I have horrible allergies and my significant other has asthma.

 

[eurekaprince]

If you have 60% bare floors, I would recommend the highly rated Miele C3 canister vacuum with a Hepa exhaust filter and parquet floor brush. A friend of mine just bought one and she loves it. She added an air driven turbo nozzle for her low pile area rugs and it's very effective.

If your carpets are deep pile plush, get a Hoover Tempo T-Series bagged upright for the carpets and a Swiffer Sweep & Vac cordless stick vac for the bare floors. Together, these two should cost you less than $400 and you'd have a convenient pair of effective cleaners for all surfaces.

 

[eurekaprince]

Here is a link to the Hoover upright I recommend. It's rated very good for deep carpet cleaning and exhaust filtration by Consumer Reports and has a nice long 30 foot cord.

https://hoover.com/products/windtunnel-t-series-bagged-upright-vacuum

 

[eurekaprince]

Actually, the red version of Hoover's T-Series WindTunnel upright is rated as a "Best Buy" by Consumer Reports - see link below....would make a great companion cleaner for effective cleaning of carpets. The brush roll can be turned off for bare flood cleaning as well.

https://hoover.com/products/windtunnel-t-series-max-bagged-upright-vacuum

 

[will77]

Eurekaprince: I’m kind of wary of Hoover products after as many problems as I’ve had with their automatic carpet cleaner and past issues with a Hooverwindtunnel Bagless vacuum. I was thinking about Miele and SEBO but wondered what might have better filtration and produce less odor over time as I have multiple pets to clean up after.

 

[kirboover]

Sebo Dart

Have you ever considered trying to use a SEBO Dart, it comes with their ET-1 Powerhead which has a shutoff switch for bare floors, and it comes with the parquet tool as well. EDIT: It is a little more spendy but has an extremely long warranty.

https://www.sebo.us/upright-vacuums...ombi-best-lightweight-pet-vacuum-cleaner.aspx

 

[will77]

Yes, I’d had Sebo in mind over Miele. My only concern is the pets and that stale exhaust smell you get from some vacuums. Such as my Dyson animal stick vacuum that even after cleaning and changing filters still smells.

 

[kirbylux77]

Will, since you are a pet owner, I would choose the Sebo Felix over the Miele C3. I just recently bought a Felix, and they are great vacuums.

One nice thing about the Sebo Felix is you can get a activated charcoal pre-motor filter for odors, but unlike Miele you do NOT have to compromise on filtration just to eliminate pet odors. The S Class filtration system Sebo uses consists of the HEPA Cloth bag and the cloth cover surrounding the body of the vacuum. With Miele, you have to choose between the standard AirClean filter included in a box of bags, the Active AirClean filter, and the HEPA AirClean filter. The Active AirClean filter is the charcoal layer and the cloth AirClean filter enclosed in a plastic frame, so you don't get quite the same as HEPA filtration. Yes, there are generic HEPA filters available for Miele canisters, but note that if you use them, you invalidate the manufacturer's warranty by using non-OEM parts. There are also generic HEPA Cloth activated charcoal bags for Miele canisters if you wanted to use them.

Since you already have a Rainbow for a canister vacuum to clean under low places and for attachment use, the Felix would be ideal to have a upright for those times you want to grab a upright to use, like for quick cleanups when company is coming over. You should also look at Kirby and Oreck, as well as reconsider Hoover Windtunnel bagged uprights as Brian suggested. All 3 of these brands have the option to use HEPA Cloth activated charcoal bags, and there are also generic versions of the HEPA Cloth bags and HEPA Cloth activated charcoal bags as well. Since you are a pet owner, and would be filling and going through bags more frequently, the availability of generic bags and bag and filter costs is definitely a factor to consider. That's actually one disadvantage of the Sebo Felix, is there are generic HEPA Cloth bags available for it, but they are harder to find than some other models.

Also, bear in mind that if you choose a vacuum that uses normal HEPA Cloth bags and no charcoal filter is available for it, what you can do to eliminate odors is to buy activated carbon in granular form at the pet store to make fish tank filters. When the vacuum starts to get smelly, take 2 or 3 tablespoons, put it on a flat surface and suck it up with the hose. That will quickly eliminate the bag smell.

If for some reason you prefer to buy another canister over a upright, the Aerus Guardian Platinum incorporates a charcoal filter layer on the pre-motor HEPA filter, and the Riccar Prima canisters also come with a charcoal filter as standard on the higher end models and available as a option to buy for the lower end models. However, both these vacuums would have the disadvantage of generic bags being harder to find. Also, just so you know, if you want a vintage upright to collect and use, the Hoover Convertible and Hoover Elite uprights take the same Type A and Type Y HEPA Cloth activated charcoal bags.

Rob

 

[kirbylux77]

By the way, Will, you might want to take apart and clean the cyclone assembly on your Dyson stick vacuum. I helped out a friend recently with a smelly Dyson V6, and it was the dirt built up in the cyclone assembly that was making it smelly. There are YouTube videos you can watch to help you do it yourself.

Rob

 

[cbird]

Consider a Filter Queen. I have two Rainbows and one Filter Queen and love all of them, but the Filter Queen ends up getting used for vacuuming carpets a little more. I don’t know that it’s better (all seem excellent), but it is more convenient in that it doesn’t have to be cleaned out after each use, can go several sessions between emptyings. The Rainbows not only clean the air, but provide a little humidification, so the air seems a little fresher, but the Filter Queen does provide a nice clean air sensation, improved with their scents that are added to a little pad in the exhaust area. The Filter Queen does have hardwood floor attachments (one features a dry microfiber pad), but the Rainbows have the advantage of a squeegee cleaner and wet microfiber attachment. A Filtet Queen would be good in a house with allergies and is impressively powerful. They also make the Defender air cleaner, which definitely has high quality filters and has air cleaning advantage over the Rainbow in that it can be left on continuously, even for months at a time.
In summary, I think Filter Queen would be more convenient for vacuuming carpeting, while Rainbow can clean hard floor surfaces more effectively and has carpet shampooing capability. Both are great for allergy situations.

 

[will77]

RE Kirbylux77

Rob,

Thanks for your reply. I do think an upright might be nice to have for quicker clean ups when I don’t want to take out the rainbow. I’m curious what other vintage vacuums could you recommend that would still be available with HEPA bags? I’m a love or vintage appliances or current appliances with the same high level of quality and simplicity. This is why I gave three Austin Air Healthmate air purifiers. They are exceedingly simple and last forever.

 

[kansasking]

If you want a cordless perhaps the Oreck Pod?

I know you want clean filtration and simplicity and I feel like you might like the Oreck Pod cordless stick if you want something simple to go around with. They are a direct air and have hepa bags, so I feel like there would be less to get stinky since it's not a bypass system. Another cordless option would be the Hoover Onepwr, cordless direct air HEPA bagged vac but I don't know how good it is on hard floors but they do advertise it for hard floors. I know you have your reservations with Hoovers but the Onepwr stuff isn't horribly expensive and it doesn't seem to be terrible although the reviews on some of it is mixed. There are also some higher voltage commercial cordless vacs that may perform a little better but at a higher price. You may not be interested in these but just a few thoughts if you did like having a cordless vacuum.

 

[kirbylux77]

Will, first of all, let me say it's nice to hear you are open to a vintage vacuum. I will make some recommendations below for you later tonight.

However, I would STRONGLY suggest you look at the Sebo Felix and buy that first as a upright daily driver. It fits your needs well as it has a charcoal pre-motor filter for odors, and it's one of the few uprights that can take a bare floor brush and actually do bare floors well once you remove the front brush strip. In addition, it has the filtration both you and your partner require and more importantly, it's one of the few modern vacuums that is not overpriced, high quality, built to last, and actually WORTH SPENDING THE MONEY AND BUYING! Personally, I am a consumer who not only expects high quality and willing to pay for it, but DEMANDS it. I won't spend the money on garbage! And when I say I look for quality, I mean REAL QUALITY....not just vacuums that *look* like they are high quality, but really aren't or have obvious design flaws that are unacceptable for the price. The Sebo Felix is a perfect example of a vacuum that is REAL QUALITY, and worthy of the prices they ask new for them. I would suggest looking only at the Felix though, not the Sebo Dart or Karcher CV300....those are nice too, but when you factor in that you get less features, the floor brush isn't included, and they are pretty close in price to the Felix anyways, just go for the Felix.

You could look at a vintage vacuum as a daily driver, but most of those choices I would recommend would be canisters. For your purposes, it would be best to look at uprights since you already have a Rainbow and the upright you add to it would balance out the times when you need a upright to use for times hauling out and setting up a canister is too much of a hassle. Also, bear in mind that parts availability would be a big reason to have 2 modern daily drivers and a few vintage vacuums that work for your needs and see only occasional use.

I would not look at the Oreck Pod or any cordless stick vacuums. You will pay nearly as much as a modern upright or lower-mid range canister and get way less cleaning performance, quality and reliability for the money paid. I would also rule out cordless canisters and uprights for now....yes they are nice, but these products are still relatively new to market and needs time to mature and improve their performance and reliability.

Rob

 

[will77]

RE: Kirbylux77

Rob,

Thanks for the input. Good to know that about the Felix versus Dart. You’re right an upright makes more sense as a daily driver since I already have a canister. What are your thoughts about a Riccar upright versus Sebo? That’s another brand I’ve heard good things about but have no experience with.


However, I’d still be open to a good canister as an occasional use or vintage unit. What vintage units have the best filtration?


I don’t really care about having another stick vacuum. I haven’t been that impressed with my Dysons cleaning ability or the battery life that only allows me to get to one floor of my 2500sqft house before it dies. It also seems that most are bagless which I’m also kind of over.

Thanks

Will

 

[kirboover]

Vintage Units

Most all vintage units have had HEPA bags developed for them like kirby, hoover, electrolux,tri-star/compact, etc. My personal recommendation would be either a G3-Sentria Kirby (with self propel and great filtration aligned with amazing carpet cleaning capability.) Or an old hoover convertible with a top fill bag setup. These machines are great due to their power, ease of use , great airflow, and cleaning ability (especially w/attachments). Not to mention it is easy to get bags, belts, etc. for both.

 

[kirboover]

RE: Will77

Riccar is a great brand, and they offer many great options. I would recommend the R25 Deluxe or Premium for your price range, but I would take the premium. They both have easy-to-change HEPA bags and great allergen filtration, as well as a low-speed brush and brush-off mode for bare floors. Though all 3 R25 Series Machines are great, they just (understandably) Get better with more money. But that is economics. EDIT: I forgot to mention that the R25 P comes with the optical dirt sensor headlight (lit when the carpet is dirty) and the Fur-B-Gone pet hair tool which picks hair up like nothing else and goes great with the 13-foot hose on the machine.

All the Best,
Avery

https://riccar.com/products/uprights/clean-air-vacuums

 

[will77]

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Simplicity Symmetry as an upright vacuum for hardwood floors and carpet? I ask because there’s one at my local goodwill for $10. Would this be a worthwhile purchase?

 

[kansasking]

Can't go wrong for $10

You can always try it and if it doesn't fit your needs, give it back. At a minimum it should be really good on carpets.

 

[n0oxy]

go with the Sebo Felix

I totally agree with Rob on this one. I think the Sebo Felix is probably the best upright vacuum you can get. I would also suggest the Felix over the Dart, the Dart does not have as many features and is more designed for the commercial market I think. The Felix is one of the only uprights that I know of that allows you to remove the power nozzle and attach a hard floor brush. The quality of this vacuum is excellent. I much prefer canisters and central vacuums but the Felix is one upright that I love having in my collection and I love using. I would avoid anything bagless other than a water vacuum, all bagless vacuums will have the issue you described with your Dyson.
Mike