Power Nozzle vs. Power Nozzle

[human]

I really didn't set out to do a power nozzle shootout today but sometimes those things have a way of falling in your lap and you just have to go with them. I was vacuuming my bedroom with my newest toy today--Electrolux Super J with a PN5--and just for fun, I ended up finishing the job with my PN1 to see how they compared. The test wasn't completely scientific because the PN1 has a brand new brush roll in it and the PN5's brush roll, while in good shape, does have a few miles on it.

First impressions of the PN5: It's powerful and quiet but it can be a little cumbersome in close quarters. The little 'outrigger' on the right side tends to catch the legs of furniture. It did a great job on the "realtor beige" carpet but fell a bit short on the Persian rug. It got about 95 percent of the cat hair up, but when I shined a strong flashlight on the rug, there was still plenty of hair still visible.

It was at this point that I decided to switch over to the PN1. The first thing I noticed was that in close quarters, its more compact design was much more maneuverable. And having a brand new brush roll, it effortlessly got up all of the remaining cat hair from the Persian rug. On the beige carpet, it got in one pass what took two with the PN5. The other thing I noticed with the PN1 was the noise level. It's a shrill screamer compared to the PN5. It's not the squeal of bad bearings, the motor just has a higher pitched note.

Conclusions: From a performance standpoint, in their present conditions, the PN1 has it all over the PN5. I'm not inclined right now to replace the brush roll in the PN5, but I have no doubt that would even up the odds. I definitely prefer its low purr to the PN1's more shrill voice but I question the functionality of the PN5's L-shaped design.

 

[suckolux]

my #4 is not quiet either, but normal for a Lux to me

 

[human]

PN3?

With all this talk of power nozzles, why did Electrolux skip directly to the PN4 from the PN2? What happened to the PN3?

 

[suckolux]

Not a clue! And I think mine is a pn 4 A, so there must have been more than one 4?

 

[kenkart]

PN

1 and 2 are my favorites, my thinking is the much narrower brush opening concentrates the suction, the Omni Flo is easy to operate though.

 

[human]

After blaming so much of the difference on the brush rolls, I decided to compare them visually and tactilly. It turns out the PN5's brush roll appears to be pretty new. The bristles are just barely softer than those on the brand new PN1 brush roll, nowhere near as soft as those on the brush roll I took out of the PN1 a couple of weeks ago. The biggest difference I see is the PN1's bristles stick out of the nozzle housing just slightly further than the PN5's. That and the more concentrated air flow could account for the difference.

 

[rugsucker]

PN-3 ?

There really wasn't an all different PN-3.I think it was just the version of the PN-2 for the comm CB.Would have longer 3 wire cord,ground wire screwed to lid and comm brush(3 row or later with 1 beater bar).

 

[dysonman1]

PN3 was a Canadian Power Nozzle.

 

[kirbylux77]

Tom

When you say the PN3 was a Canadian model, are you thinking of the 2nd PN that was offered for the 89? Not the PN1, but the second lime green PN that had the brushroll height adjuster on the side & was short-lived since the brushroll height adjuster was problematic. It was replaced with the dark green version which was identical but no brushroll height adjuster.

Rob

http://https//www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5WWt_lEKYU

 

[ronni]

Re: PN-3 (USA)

I was told by a longtime Electrolux salesman that the USA did, in fact, have a Model PN-3 power nozzle. It was manufactured for the Model CB (commercial tank--with a grounded plug).

Succeeding 3-wire pns bore letter suffixes:

PN-4C
PN-5C
PN-6BC
PN-7BC

After the PN-7s the model #s became 4-digits (in 1989) followed by the current alphanumeric pattern used since 1994. It seems to me that since that time separate model #s were used for the commercial pns, but I'm not completely sure since they aren't as common as the 2-wire versions.

It would be interesting to know if the commercial versions of the PN-1s (used for the Model CA and early Model CBs) had a letter suffix or special model id.


________

Regarding the PN-5 I have one, too, but am not as impressed with its performance as I am with the PN-4A. I think it may be due to the floating wheel feature with which the PN-5 was designed. In effect, it seems to skim over the surface more than "digging dirt" (an old Electrolux sales term). That feature was only used on them, so I'm guessing that my opinion shared by many others including Electrolux Corp. executives.

 

[human]

Ronni,

Thanks for your enlightening information. I agree about the PN5. I would have liked to have found a PN4 or PN2 for my Super J, but that PN5 was the proverbial bird in the hand, especially at the price I paid for it. Oh well, maybe someday.

 

[ronni]

You're welcome, Edgar.

The PN-2s and PN-4s do pop up on Craigslist ads from time to time for decent prices. In fact, just yesterday I saw a Super J in a thrift store with its original PN-4 for $20; but since I already have one I passed on it. It wasn't in the best of shape, anyway.

_____

To Rugsucker ... in rereading the thread I came across your comment on the PN-3. I was only quoting tig21er on saying that there was a USA PN-3 and didn't mean to contradict your earlier comment. Had I read it before I would have responded differently. I value your vast amount of personal knowledge and hope my comment didn't suggest otherwise.