Riccar uprights are good, but their canisters are Chinese-ma
Their uprights look to be really good quality- perhaps a bit pricey, but very good quality nonetheless. I would take a Riccar anyday over a Panasonic upright, considering that Panasonic has reduced the quality of their vacuums considerably. Now, back in the 80's & up to mid 90's, when Riccar vacuums were still made in Taiwan, I would have said to go with Panasonic, but nowadays even the Chinese-made Fuller Brush & Carpet Pro vacuums that Tacony makes are better quality. I would even take one of those over the Panasonic. And thats a real shame in my books....
However, the canisters, such as the 1500P, Pristine, Impeccable & Immaculate, are nothing more than overpriced, Chinese-made garbage. Now they do claim the Immaculate & Impeccable are made in America, BUT they clearly state on the box "Made in America with globally sourced components." Anybody with a brain knows that means they mold the body & assemble the vacuum in America, with Chinese-made motors & electronics, & import the hose, wand & powerhead from China. So who cares if it was an American or Chinese worker who molded the body & assembled it if it still has crappy Chinese-made parts in it? I don't care HOW LONG they make the warranty-they WON'T last as long as a Miele!
As far as the 1500M & 1500P are concerned, the 1500P is made in Korea by Daewoo for Riccar; they also make the 1500M for another company under a different name, called "The Bank Vacuum". The Pristine is made in China. The real damning part too, is that these Riccar canisters share components with other vacuums. The wand on the Riccars is the same as found on the Eureka Complete Clean, Shark Infinity canister vacuum, Shark Professional canister vacuum, Verilux canister vacuum with germicidal UV light, The Bank Vacuum, Royal Lexon S20 & Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary Edition. The wand is obviously outsourced; all they have done is change the plastic ends at the bottom where it meets the powerhead & at the top where it meets the hose handle to accomodate each manufacturer's specifications. The 1500P & 1500M use the same hose handle as The Bank Vacuum, Eureka Complete Clean, Shark Professional canister vacuum, Shark Infinity canister vacuum & Verilux canister vacuum with germicidal UV light; again, all they have done is change the tube coming out of the handle to 1 3/8" European standard & changed the receptacle to each manufacturers specifications (with the exception of The Bank Vacuum, as it is identical to the 1500P & 1500M).
If Riccar is going to make their vacuums with cheap, outsourced Chinese components, I don't give a damn if they assemble them & mold the body in America! I would much rather take a Miele with good German engineering & components ANYDAY over a Riccar if I'm gonna pay near $1,000 dollars for a vacuum! Even if I was going to buy a Miele copycat, I would take a Shark Professional canister vacuum over the Riccar. It may be made in China & may have a couple of shortcomings, such as not having True HEPA on the exhaust & not having a closing system on the cloth HEPA bags, but considering they have the same cleaning performance as a Riccar at less than 1/2 the price, I would jump all over it.
Rob
