New Vacuum Cleaner Shopping

[o0john0o]

I have mostly bare floors with a few dense area rugs. I do have pet allergies. The vacuums I have narrowed it down to are the Sebo Felix, Riccar R30d, and a claimed to have never been used except during demo Kirby Avalir for $700. All seem to be in the same price range. I know that the Sebo doesn’t have HEPA filtration, but I believe it will filter out pet dander. I can’t seem to make my mind up. They all seem like great vacuums. Could you all help me with my decision? Right now I seem to be leaning toward the Sebo. I’ve heard great things about the powerhead. From what I’ve researched, it has the least CFM at the head in the 70s, but the powerhead does a magnificent job of sealing to the floor making the most of it. Thanks!

 

[vacuumdevil]

The Felix is definitely the best by far of the options you listed.
Oddly enough it's also the best filtering of the 3.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I'd skip an upright and go for a canister. An old Electrolux Model L is a great choice, despite being over 40 years old at this point. They are amazing cleaners and are damn near indestructible. If you want a brand new vacuum, a Sanitaire Mighty-Mite is a good choice.

 

[o0john0o]

Thanks for the filtration tests. I didn’t even realize those other vacuums leaked that much! Is $669 a good price to get aFelix? He said they are normally $799, but he can do $669.

 

[lesinutah]

Mm

There is a site called eBay.
If there is a lower price it would be there.
Les

 

[o0john0o]

eBay

eBay is never a good place to market gauge. Some appliances sold on eBay are gray market. If you took the lowest priced gray market item on eBay and compared it to a warrantied dealer unit it would be a totally unfair price comparison. I’m really looking for answers from individuals working inside the business.

 

[dysonman1]

Don't buy the Riccar. All the dirt from the rug is pulled through a fan. Fan is fragile - I worked at the factory where they were made. The Chinese plastic isn't strong. Fixing one is a nightmare (there are a million screws). Avoid the Riccar, go with the Sebo.

 

[o0john0o]

Ok thx dysonman. That sounds like a disaster.

 

[vacfan1982]

I don't know about in the US but in Europe the Sebo Felix has a Pet model that has an F9 Exhaust filter it's thicker than the other filters and is HEPA standard [this post was last edited: 3/17/2020-10:52]

https://sebo.co.uk/felix-pet-410/

 

[blackheart]

Go with the Felix.

I've got a felix, an avalir, and a Simplicity S40p which is similar in design to the R30, but of the lot the Felix is the most bare floor friendly and may fit your needs the best. While it's true that the Felix doesn't have a hepa filter they filter well regardless.

My one concern is your rugs you said they were dense are they a deep pile? I've never used my Felix on a deeper pile carpeting but the 3 wheel design on the head just makes me wonder how it copes with that. I mean you can always turn down the suction and that may be the solution. or perhaps there won't be an issue at all. I would, just in case, check the return policy.

 

[o0john0o]

Thanks for your input Blackheart. It’s about 1/2 inch long 1.5 million points per square meter backless Persian rugs. I have them carpet taped to the floor.

 

[lesinutah]

Ebay

eBay has a markup that's true.
Vacuum dealers markup is in 300-700 percent markup.
eBay cuts out middlemen among other things. Unless you get whole sale cost at a dealer you will find it cheaper on eBay.
You just have to look.
Les

 

[huskyvacs]

Yes - the prices at the vacuum dealer are just like buying a 15-20 year old car at a used car dealership. They add on money over the price it cost them so they make back the commission from what it cost them to buy it and any repairs, then they have to pay the staff, make the dealership money on storage, and all that.

Prices on eBay are wholesale price - so you are paying what it cost to buy it from factory, and without the dealer markup. Why would you overpay money out to strangers so they can buy a new speedboat and vacation in Florida?

Also a warranty is useless because for warranty repair they will fight you every step of the way - I guarantee it. They do not want to lose money - and mostly every warranty you get will not be honored. LG does this with their products. They accuse you that you broke it right off the bat, and if you continue to harass them, then they only pay for 20-30% of the cost or something like that. Utterly useless. The days of "free repair" or "free item for warranty" are over. Too many people have scammed the system. Also nobody has a repair shop anymore so they don't even repair your stuff, they just send you another used one from the warehouse that they cleaned up.

I have never paid over $60 for any vacuum brand new. More expensive doesn't mean better, and vacuums depreciate fast. Sebo and Riccar both do not stock spare parts for their vacuums - so if it breaks might as well put your wallet into the garbage disposal.

 

[vacfan1982]

Sebo in the UK are very good at honouring the warranty and they do have spare parts. Plus Sebo have an excellent reputation for reliability.

 

[vacfan1982]

Devin they do have a Hepa rated filter now. When we had thje EU Ratings this filter got an A rating, the standard filter got a C rating.

Here is a link

https://sebo.co.uk/7095er26-felix-f9-filter/

 

[blackheart]

oh

Well at only 1/2 inch it shouldn't be an issue.

Mark, I don't see anything about a hepa rating on that page do you have a source for that? Not that i'll be changing mine for it, it's fine as is.

 

[vacfan1982]

It says A rating. Do you remember the EU rating we had for carpet pick up ,filtration etc? They went from A to F. Well that filter got an A which is the highest filtration. I'll see if I can find any more info. It's quite a bit thicker than the standard filter Devin. More expensive too. The standard filter is fine for most people, this filter is for the severely allergic I'd say.

 

[vacfan1982]

Annual Energy Consumption 27.5 Kilowatt Hours Per Year
Carpet Cleaning Performance Class B
Hard Floor Cleaning Performance Class C
Dust Re-emission Class A
Noise Level 79 dB

This is all I can find atm.

 

[n0oxy]

go with the Sebo Felix

Of the ones you mentioned, the Felix is the best one by far. This is coming from someone who really prefers canister cleaners, but I love the Felix. It is probably the best upright cleaner you can get.
Mike

https://store.sebo.us/content/felix-1-premium