Riccar Spirit

[lokisdads]

Has anyone seen the new Riccar Spirit? I had heard that it was coming several months ago. Finally saw a pic of one today. Pretty much the same machine as the new Powr-Flite;but red in color. Hope they made the dual motor system so that you can turn it off and on.

Riccar Spirit

 

[blackheart]

hm?

Your link doesn't work, could you share this picture with us? From what information you've given us i'm guessing it's a a lot like the powr flite borelli?

 

[blackheart]

strange....

It appears a new thread was started as a response? Anyways that's cool to see. I wonder if it'll be marketed towards the domestic or commercial market. I thought when they redid their lines riccar was to be their premium domestic machines simplicity their "retail" domestic lines and then cleanmax and powrflite being their commercial machines.

 

[blackheart]

Found it!

It looks like it's a single motor machine this is a re-introduction of a Vibrance machine which was the entry line before the R25 came alone. I feel like they were better cleaners than the 25

 

[lokisdads]

Riccar Spirit

@ Blackheart

Thanks for posting the video. I noticed a couple of issues about the machine. I would prefer to have seen a metal wand and the pistol grip handle( like the Borelli and the Simplicity in the video). I still didn't see a way to shut off the brushroll; which is sort of a non-starter for me.That's the one thing I really like about my R-25P. Any thoughts anyone?

 

[s2_82]

It's crappy that they took away the headlight, I would have preferred that they bring back the 8955.. (sigh)

 

[panasonicvac]

I agree

I'm disappointed they removed the Xenon light, it made sense for the Powr-Flite models but not for this. Although when I worked for a dealer before, I'd see customers ram their lights onto things that'd break away the lens so maybe that was the reason why. I'm also disappointed that it doesn't have a lifetime belt with the hall sensor, there's no clutch, you have to get a screw driver to replace the belt, and there's no metal sheet on the bottom plate. My biggest criticisms with these that is still true on this new Spirit model is they're using a molded nozzle hose which can easily break and statically attract dirt onto it, forcing you to vacuum the hose off when you're done using it. And the wand can easily pop out when you're in the middle of vacuuming, even if you tried to fit the wand back on really tight, it'd be harder to come off. Anyways with that being said here, I'm very happy they brought these back. They should've never got rid of them in the first place as not many people would buy a pricey R25 over a less expensive Vibrance. But I don't see why I'd buy one over the Sebo in that video. The X4 has WAY more advantages and there's honestly barely if not no handle weight differences at all since I own both a Vibrance and a X4. Plus pistol grips have never been a problem to me.

 

[blackheart]

Spirit plus?

So while doing some more hunting on the spirit I came across this which appears to be a trademark or patent, unsure which, filing for a machine called the Spirit Plus so we may see a more featured model yet.

https://uspto.report/TM/98276282

 

[lokisdads]

Riccar Spirit

@panasonic vacs
I was a bit surprised with the Sebo X4 comparison as well. It didn't seem very accurate
to me. I like the dual motor with a brushroll shut off for work as I am a professional house keeper. I have the Riccar R20P, an R25P, and an 8955. I replaced by home machine(R25P) with the SEBO X7 Onyx.No brush roll shut off, but I do have a full attachment kit. I just like the way the Sebo feels. It seemed to groom the rugs so much better even after I replaced the R25 brush roll with the stiffer version.The R25 has been relegated to a work vac now.

 

[panasonicvac]

Personally

If I could have any upright on the market today, I'd get a Lindhaus HealthCare Pro. It's a dual motor upright that I can convert over to using as a backpack to reach above floor cleaning. Actually I may buy one for our hunting cabin as it had flooded sometime during the winter and we're basically getting a new cabin with some new stuff inside. Although I'm leaning towards on getting another canister instead as I want something that's easier to use on barefloors and can fit underneath the beds more. If I could have any canister on the market today, I'd get a Sebo E3 preferably in the graphite color but we'll see first by how much the insurance will cover for it because I may have to settle for something cheaper instead like a Miele C1 Cat & Dog or at least another Kenmore.

 

[lokisdads]

Riccar Spirit

Hello everyone!
I had a chance to help unbox and test drive a new Riccar Spirit today. I'm sorry to say I was underwhelmed. I can only hope that this machine is a low end entry model, and that a higher end model is coming. We used it on carpet with kapoc spread around. The machine seemed to have a hard time with it. It took several passes to get it all up and the machine left half inch wide streaks where the brushroll wasn't making contact. In addition,the bottom plate was cheap plastic(not metal). There was no brush roll shut off although the brush roll is metal. The wand was plastic and not long enough to comfortably use with a hard floor brush(as their youtube video showed) For a machine at this price point, a Sebo Essential G-4, a Sanitaire EON, or God forbid a Hoover Complete Performance would be a better choice for carpet cleaning(if you don't mind the Hoover sounding like a 747 taking off). I did like the appearance and the two tone paint used. We didn't have a chance to test suction and airflow. I look forward to hearing other view points on this machine.

 

[panasonicvac]

I just one on a website today and definitely noticed some drawbacks. They downgraded the power to 10 amps and the warranty to 2 years at $449. At first I thought to myself that I could get a SupraLite Entry for a better value until I noticed Riccar also downgraded that model to 1 year instead of 3 like it used to be and the price had definitely gone up. So that's been disappointing.

 

[panasonicvac]

They got another one

Mechanically it's still the same but I'm glad they finally put headlights on.

 

[lokisdads]

Riccar Spirit

So Riccar released a new Spirit with headlights and a metal wand that is still to short for the floor tool they have thrown in; and still no brush roll shut off. They are really fighting just bringing back the Vibrance aren't they? They have also discontinued the Prima with no replacement at this time. Their dealers are loving that. I bet Sebo and Miele are smiling right now.

 

[dysonman1]

I'm surprised Tacony is still in business.

 

[blackheart]

Prima discontinued?

What's your source on that? I've been unable to find any other sources so i'm a little curious.
I like the performance of my tandem air canister but i will say having worked on one now it's easy enough to work on but the build quality could be better and the main motor could be stronger. Not quite up to the premium price tag IMO

 

[blackheart]

Prima discontinued

I see. Rumors abound on this board so when i read something that seems....iffy I like to check it out and I've found no other sources. When I mentioned it to another collector who formerly worked for a Riccar dealer he seemed quite surprised by that mentioning the R+D that went into it.

Still, knowing that it came from dealers the knowledge should be good. Makes you wonder what they're going to do then, if the line will be replaced, if it'll be an in house product or a re badge or if they'll drop canisters all together.

Going back to the spirit the plus is a bit underwhelming headlights and a metal wand. I was hoping we would see a dual motor setup but in thinking about it that might put it in competition with the R25 line so not the most practical

 

[lokisdads]

Prima discontinued

The dealer that I mentioned that was top heavy with Riccar only has two Primas left; one TAD and one standard power nozzle. He told me that his rep said Tacony was liquidating what was left, and no more would be available; and that no replacement was available. The rep tried to sell him a bunch of Simplicity Scouts, but he declined. His first batch of Sebo machines just arrived. I suppose time will tell,