Picked up a Fantom Thunder

[longlivefantom]

... and was surprised to see the following these had! I know there are some fans on here, what makes these vacs so special?

The one I have runs well but is missing all of its attachments. It also needed the 20+ years of dust and hair removed from the brush roll. Unfortunately one of the bearings in the brush roll is a little chunky but overall I'm very impressed at the way it performs! Still has excellent suction and watching the crap you pick up spin around in the canister is very entertaining.

 

[gj3476]

Awesome vacuum find! I have a Fantom Thunder too! Right now it’s in storage but I got an original floor tool and all it needs is a holder for the floor tool and an original dusting brush. And you’re also right watching the dirt spin around the dust cup is entertaining!

 

[huskyvacs]

Well they were powerful and stylish vacuums and they had the potential to be an excellent vacuum if not for their poor design and the fact they used ABS plastic which does not age well at all past 10 years. If you got one that works, consider yourself very lucky!

The Wikipedia article on them boosted their popularity a bit, but they are well known as being rare and collectible due to the aforementioned problems. Not many were made and not many are left. Trying to buy one on eBay will usually set you back well over $100. I guess you could say they have a cult following among vacuum enthusiasts, they gained appreciation after Fantom had long since went bankrupt.

I've got one of these on my dream list, and unless I find one out thrifting, it will be some years before I can get ahold of one!

 

[justjunque]

11 or 12 amp

Hey guys,

I know nothing about Fantoms. Nothing.
That being said, I regularly check vacuums on the local Craigslist, and there are two Fantoms on there currently.
One clearly says "Thunder", and it's a 12 amp.
The other one doesn't seem to have any model markings, and is an 11 amp.

It just got me wondering if either one is more desirable to Fantom fans, or perhaps even a "Holy grail" machine.

Just thought I'd throw it out there, to folks who know these vacuums.

Barry

 

[fan-of-fans]

The 11 amp was the original Fantom in about 93. The 12 amp Thunder was a few years after. I don't think there's much difference other than minor color changes and badging plus the HEPA filter came later. It doesn't seem like one is more desirable than the other.

They're one of the first cyclonic bagless uprights so I guess they are a bit of a novelty. I think they sold a lot of them but I only knew one person who owned one back then. I've only seen two Thunders and one Fury in all the years so I'd say they are rare here.

 

[longlivefantom]

Cool! Well I'm planning on using it since it does a great job, any preventative maintenance I should do to prevent anything from grenading? The only thing I have noticed so far is the carpet bar bearing, may add some oil to that.

 

[justjunque]

Thanks Cole

I don't know why there's a part of me that's tempted to buy the Thunder.
I have so many reasons not to.
I don't do uprights, because I don't have carpet.
I don't have room for another vacuum.
I'm not a fan of bagless vacuums.
My wife is getting ready to toss me and all my vacuums out on the curb!

But, I've seen a few times on this site that they're not that common to find, especially in good working condition.
And this one supposedly is in good working condition, supposedly has all its attachments, and is only $20.
Even if all I did with it was stick it away somewhere, so I will have one, even after more of them have fallen apart.
I don't know. People think that owning a bunch of vacuums is weird anyway.
So why am I trying to make sense of this? Lol

Barry

 

[fan-of-fans]

I'm the same way with some vacuums. I always liked the Fantoms because it was the first vacuum I ever saw that you could watch the dust spin around like the other poster mentioned. This was before Bissell and everyone else made their own versions. I would probably accept a Fantom if I had the space and one came along for a good price. Right now there's no way I'd get one because I don't have the space to acquire any more machines.

I'd really like to have a Dyson DC01 from the UK because of the novelty of it.
Otherwise I don't really collect cyclonic uprights because they're basically all there is these days in most retailers and don't really appeal to me from a collectible standpoint.

Most of my family doesn't understand my vacuum collecting either, and my mom really detests it. She sees them as dirty and just a waste of space. After the last one I picked up, I started to see that there's just too much stuff here, so I'm probably going to stop getting more. Which I probably said before too. lol

As for the Fantoms I always thought they were pretty good units. They used two stage Lamb or Ametek motors which are great motors and used in a lot of high end canisters too.

As far as maintenance, I'd probably take it apart and give the air paths a good cleaning. Blow out the motor and make sure it's clean and windings look good. Lots of dust can accumulate in there over the years. I'd look over the armature and brushes and make sure they're in good order too. Otherwise if the belt is good I think it should be like any other machine, just make sure the filter and air paths aren't blocked and it should be good to go.

 

[broomvac]

Hey, Nice Thunder!

You can count me as a follower of Fantom. I've come to really like their machines! Cyclonic separation fascinates me, so naturally I like Fantom vacuums. Their history only increases my level of interest. These vacuums were made by Iona, later called Fantom Technologies, under license from Dyson before he sold cleaners bearing his own name in the US. You can clearly see Dyson's designs not only in the cyclone setup, but also in the hose system. To top it all off, the machines look striking and perform well!

That is a great machine you have. I own a 12 Fantom Thunder myself--one which was apparently factory refurbished in 1999. I like to joke that I own the only classic Fantom made in the USA, not Canada. It says so right on the tag!

It's funny you mentioned the brush roll bearings; the ones in my Thunder needed attention, too. For just a couple of bucks, I replaced both of them. Now the roller spins silently and effortlessly! The details of the treatment I gave the brush roll are in my thread linked below. See replies #23 and #26.

Do not oil the bearings. Rolling element bearings, such as the ball bearings used in this brush roll, require grease, not oil. I hate to say it, but oil will only make a bad situation worse, thinning out whatever grease remains in your old bearing, accelerating, wear, and potentially making a mess on the carpet. A high temperature grease is the correct selection for these bearings. I recommend a product called Mobil 1 Polyrex EM--great stuff.

That said, I'd still recommend just replacing the bearings. It's so straightforward and cheap--626-2RS bearings are just a couple of bucks on eBay--that replacement is the clear choice.

Good luck! Let us know how it works out.



http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?35501

 

[broomvac]

Whoops!

I meant "12 amp Fantom Thunder," not "12 Fantom Thunder." My bad.

I also thought I should give a few details about the bearing replacement, should you decide to go that route. The brush roll can be removed from the machine by removing the hood and pulling up on the roller, as I'm sure you know. From there, at least one of the end caps of the roller should be able to be just pulled off. Remove the screws on the belt end of the roller to remove the edge cleaning brush ring. Now, you can pop out the bearings using the same steel rod which passes through the center of the roller. Pass the rod through the roller and simply perch the end of it on the edge of the inner race of the bearing you wish to remove. Give the opposite end of the roller a firm hit and the bearing should just pop out. Simply press/tap in the replacement bearing and you're back in business!

Feel free to ask me any questions if you run into trouble.

 

[dysonman1]

I'm old enough to have watched the entire thing unfold with IONA, Fantom, and Scamway (amway). First, Scamway ripped off James Dyson and had Bissell make the CMS 1000 (copy of the Cyclon - James' first dual cyclonic upright). After the law suit, IONA made the Vectron upright (Fantom Thunder basically for commercial use) as well as the Dry Tech carpet shampoo system for Sears. Then, SCJohnson discontinued the Vectron after two years, and the Fantom appeared for domestic use. No Hepa filter yet. In 1991, James Dyson and the President of IONA were in St. Louis at the Vacuum Dealer Trade Association's trade show, and introduced American vac shop owners to the Fantom. The contract to use James' patents ran for 10 years, which is why in 2001, James did NOT resign the contract with IONA, and Dysons came to America.

 

[chicagomike]

clean the bearings in the brushroll as I bet they are jammed with hair, thus the little clunky bearing you mentioned.

 

[fantomfan57]

Wow!

...the whole machine dismantled.....I am so tempted to do this with my last remaining intact Thunder.

When we get these vacuums, we usually don't thing about the trapped dust....someone else's dust.

But before tackling the Fantom, I will clean up an Oreck Upright.

Take care.

 

[man114]

Still quite common in this area

Got two Thunders from thrift stores and garbage picked a Fury pretty recently.

The Thunder is a decent machine. USA made Thunders were really just refurbished here in Buffalo.

 

[broomvac]

@man114

You’re lucky. Fantoms are quite difficult to find in my neck of the woods. I’ve yet to come across a Fury or a Lightning.

What is your opinion of the Cyclone XT? I recently bought a nice example of one and spent this evening cleaning it up. While the Thunder is a great vacuum, I feel the Cyclone XT is almost entirely better. Its relatively smaller diameter cyclone should separate fine dust more efficiently and the pre-motor screen is far more protective than the Thunder’s lint trap. Of course, the two-motor setup is superior, too.

I like both of my Fantoms, but the Cyclone XT strikes me as the more thought out design inside and out.

 

[man114]

Cyclone XT

It’s far worse than the Thunder in terms of build quality but nicer looking. It’s far simpler to work on.

The two motor setup is a good idea but the circuit board tends to have issues that shuts off the brush roller. I had to resolder one of mine.

The 11 amp Thunder is actually the best in terms of dust separation of the entire lineup.

The Fury isn’t too bad if you maintain it.

 

[longlivefantom]

This Thunder was absolutely clogged when I first received it, it took me quite a while to get the brush roll moving again... thus when I discovered the bad bearing. A result of cleaning, a bushing made entirely of hair was removed and now the bearing makes quite a bit of noise when the machine powers down. Broomvac- thank you for the information, I may just do that bearing replacement. So far I have replaced the lights.

Side note, if anyone knows where I can find a set of accessories (or just the floor tool or fabric brush) for this thing I would appreciate it! It appears those are harder to find than the vacuums themselves!