Riccar Pristine.. being discontinued??

[dysonman1]

That's a good question. The swivel neck of the Tandem Air power nozzle has a somewhat unique size, as do the wands and hose end. I will have to ask the marketing department what their thoughts are, since all new products start with the marketing department's desire for something particular.

As more and more central vac installations are going with hose management ( hide a hose ), the cordless tandem air power nozzle is selling in much greater quantities. We are selling dramatically less of the "kits" that run to standard or electravalves. With hide a hose, you must use a cordless power nozzle, as the hose is non-electric.

In my personal experience, I have a sixty foot Hide-a-Hose in my home, along with three electravalves, a Vroom (in kitchen), 2 Wally Flex units (over workbench, and in laundry room), and a garage inlet. It's a very rare day I use my 30 foot electric hose and Premium Riccar power nozzle. So much easier to use the Volt tandem air cordless power head with the Hide-A-Hose.

 

[panasonicvac]

I have a question. Since I don't pay attention to canister vacuums and I always forget to ask my current vacuum store about this but what's the difference between the 1800/S36 and the Gusto/Immaculate?

 

[dysonman1]

The hose, and now the circuit board, was changed from the old 1800 style to the new Immaculate model.

 

[n0oxy]

canisters

I much prefer canisters over uprights, they are far more flexible, and with a good power nozzle, will clean carpets as good as an upright, if not better. I'm not a big fan of things such as speed control in the hose, that's just extra electronics that could fail. I think the speed control in the Prima is just a riostat, similar to a light dimmer, although it's probably a bit different since motors have a different inductance than light bulbs. I always leave the motor at full speed though, if I need less suction, I just open the suction relief control. I like the idea of the universal power nozzle becoming a tandom air unit. I have the universal central vacuum power nozzle with a pig tail cord, I think it's similar to the mid range power nozzle for the prima and wonder. Sounds like the Volt and Hide a Hose CX 1000 have been very successful, that's awesome. I used it last year at the convention, it's a great nozzle, and the idea is actually ingenius. If I make it to the convention this year, I would love to bring one of my backpack vacuums and try the volt with that.

 

[panasonicvac]

One last question here. When exactly did Tacony first introduced Central vacuums and what's the difference between all the models that were made? I guess this includes Cyclovac as well because I can tell they're the same machines.

 

[s2_82]

Glad to hear you like it, Rob.. didn't know Tacony products were available in Canada. You definitely got for the biggest deal ever. Miele never really impressed me (uprights especially) much but they still are worth considering for some people.

 

[n0oxy]

woosh and immaculate

Just wondering what the woosh was like, sounds like it's been discontinued but they are working on an update for it, so wondering what kind of machine it was, was it straight suction or power team? I have a Prima, it's a great machine, at the convention in ST. James later this year, I may add an immaculate to my collection, does it offer any advantages over the Prima? Is it more powerful or about the same? I'm assuming it uses a different motor than the Prima. Also, what's the difference between the immaculate and impecible? Is the main unit the same but with a different power nozzle?

 

[kirbylux77]

Mike, if I remember correctly, the Simplicity Woosh was a compact straight air canister, like what Oreck has to go with their uprights. But of course much better quality.

Rob

 

[mixman]

Rob

Are the top of the line Simplicity/ Riccar canisters as quiet as the Miele C3's? Also, do their current top power heads swivel? I heard from a dealer they do not.

 

[n0oxy]

sound of Riccar and Miele

I have a Miele C1 Olympus and a Riccar Prima. As far as I know, all of the Miele canisters use the same motor. I can say for sure that the Riccar Prima is quieter than the Miele C1. Now, the C3 may be quieter than the C1, I think the C3 models may be more sealed. But the Riccar Prima is a very quiet machine, you can have a normal conversation while it's running.

 

[mixman]

I believe the C2 and C3 are more quiet than the C1. They are supposed to have more insulation around the motors than the C1.

 

[kirbylux77]

Mike/Mixman - Well, I can't say for certain that compared to the current Miele C3 canisters that the full sized Tacony canisters are just as quiet. But, I don't find it that loud, & if it IS louder, it's not by much. The real noise comes from the powerhead, it does make quite a racket! And yes, the powerhead neck does swivel on the Tacony powerhead. Having said that, I think Miele's powerhead necks on the SEB228 & SEB236 may be slightly nicer swivel than the Tacony powerhead. But, IMHO, the Tacony powerhead is the better choice. Why? Well, you can take the brushroll out by removing 2 screws & taking the bottom plate off, & the entire powerhead is easy to take apart & service & repair. Anyone who has ever owned a Miele SEB236 powerhead will tell you that thing is a nightmare to take apart, it's WAY too overengineered & complicated. Then there's the metal brushroll, & the fact that the TOL powerhead has a dirt sensor & more height adjustment positions. And finally, I like that the Tacony powerhead has a powerhead neck cord on the outside of the neck, NOT thin, brittle wires like Miele's powerheads use that break way too easily & too fragile to withstand regular putting in & taking out the wand. My problems with my S558 Miele Red Velvet was the powerhead neck wiring & the cordreel, & although I might buy another in the future, those 2 areas would make me hesitate to buy again.

Mike/n0oxy - The Miele C1 canisters are just as sealed as the C3 canisters, don't buy into Miele's marketing BS! Their sleazy little tactic to claim the C1 canisters aren't a "sealed system" is on the C1 body, around the bag chamber, there is no seal where the bag door meets the body like the C2 & C3 series have, it is just hard plastic there on the C1 series. However, that would affect suction & airflow, NOT filtration, since the bag door tube carries all the dirt into the bag before the air can escape & go into the pre-motor filter & then into the HEPA filter. Ask a dealer to install a HEPA filter into a C1 & run a particle scanner on it while he's demonstrating it, it will go down to zero just like other Miele canisters. GoVacuum.com did a demonstration video back when the C1 series came out that shows this, I will see if I can find it on YouTube. The reason why Miele makes the claim the C1 isn't sealed is they want people to upgrade to the C3, & I think it's a shame they make their dealers lie just to make them more profit.

Rob

 

[n0oxy]

cord on tacony power nozzles and miele seal

Wonder if the Miele c3 has more suction and airflow than the c1, probably not much difference. Actually, one reason I got the c1 was because it doesn't have the push button speed control like the C3 does. Those features are controled by a circuit board, and that's more components that can fail. I think the speed control in the c1 is more of an analog control since it's controled by a knob. Personally I think speed control is useless anyway, if you want less suction, open the valve on the hose. I don't have any allergies so I have no interest in getting the hepa exhaust filter. The standard exhaust filter that is included with the GN bags works just fine. Miele does do some odd things with some of their models. For example, the C3 Allise and C3 Colima are the same price, the Colima has a turbo brush, but the Allise supposedly has better wheels and the automatic suction control. I'm quite happy with the C1 olympus, and I don't use any of Miele's own attachments anyway. I have a 35 mm to 32 mm adapter on the end of my Miele hose so I can use standard size attachments.
I always thought the Tacony power nozzles were direct connect, do they actually have a pig tail cord on them? I realize with pig tail cords it's a bit more work to connect and disconnect them, for example when switching to a hard floor brush, but I actually prefer this since this makes the power nozzle universal and it can work with just about any vacuum with an electric hose. I know the power nozzles for the Prima are direct connect, the wiring is all internal, this may be different for the full size canisters such as the immaculate.
The power nozzles for Miele vacuums are basically rebranded Wessel Werk nozzles, but they use a different neck and connection to fit the Miele hose.

 

[s2_82]

The thing about Miele..

I've heard countless stories about how the electrical connections fail in the wands that supply power to the power head, and how the wands themselves become "stuck" by no longer being able to extend/ rectract them after a year's worth of use. It really is a bummer.. since replacing them is about $115 for a new wand assembly.

I've also seen people complain about power nozzle necks breaking, including the foot release pedal that makes the connection (direct connect) between the nozzle and the wand.

I don't see how Miele rates their vacuums to have a 20 year+ life expectancy when many parts are vulnerable to expensive repairs.. and some on a fairly regular basis.

I agree with Rob.. the Tacony powerhead is far superior to the Miele PN. I tested the 236 PN and to me it felt quite weak comparing to Tacony.

This is an interesting video I found that talks about Sebo vs Miele power heads

 

[mixman]

Tacony, Miele and Dealers

Rob - thanks for the comparison not much info on the Tacony vacs from dealers. More on that below...

n0oxy - I feel just the opposite about electronic suction control. I will pretty much not even consider a vacuum without it, both for loudness and control over the suction when I vacuum my rugs and curtains. The open, close valve control is too imprecise and a PIA too. I would think in this day and age vacuum manufacturers should be able to get the circuit boards reliable enough to create long lasting electronic suction controls.

S2_82 - Question...Why is it I am having such a hard time getting info about the Tacony vacuums? I have spoken with about 5 or 6 dealers throughout the country and not one would recommend Riccar/Simplicity over the German brands. I went to a local dealer and they would not even show me their Riccars. Every time I bring up the Riccars and Simplicity's they always try to steer me to the Miele's and Sebo's even though I usually ask for the top of the line Riccars/Simplicity's, which in some cases cost more than the German vacuums I am asking about. It's tough buying the Riccars, that's for sure.

 

[s2_82]

@ Mixman PROFIT.. that's why. The dealers make a bigger profit by selling Miele/Sebo versus Riccar/Simplicity.

I know exactly what you mean from your experience because I pretty much went through the same thing. I really felt pressured in buying an S7 upright.. and I just didn't like them, and they didn't wow me the way Riccar did.

Tacony doesn't spend money on advertising the way Dyson does, they instead focus on building a better vacuum, and hope you'll tell your friends/family about it.

Both Tacony brands including Maytag have their own websites where you'll be able to find information on the latest models, etc. However, in order to fully discover these machines, you have to test drive one out at the dealer. They should also be able to explain the technology and features to you, that way you trully know what you are buying as it relates to the type of flooring in your home.

Rest assured that you are buying a high quality product with any Tacony machine, despite what some dealers will tell you.

 

[n0oxy]

selling Tacony products

Rather than advertise, I guess Tacony prefers to let their dealers and users promote their product. They also choose not to sell their vacuums on line for a good price. If you purchase them from the riccar site, you will pay the full retail price. Personally I think Tacony should get more in to the on line market, either sell their products directly from their site at a good price, or sell through a large on line seller such as evacuumstore.com. I think by not doing this, you limit your sales. Tacony makes great products, but you also must sell them in the way that consumers want to buy them.

 

[mixman]

Tacony Online

Unfortunately, dealers are not advertising the Tacony products much, thus limiting their sales. It seems like they will only sell you the Tacony lines when you say you want to buy American or you say you want something less expensive. One dealer told me he stopped carrying the high end Simplicity products because it didn't sell as well as the German vacuums and will only sell the mid and lower end products in the future.

I do do agree in the long run they will have to go online because outside of those that have visited vacuum shops, no one has ever heard of Riccar/Simplicity vacuums.
When doing an online search of vacuums you may encounter Miele and Sebo, but not Riccar/Simplicity, so an online presence will be a must for the future.