[Royal] Dirt Devil Handy 150 hand vac?

[kirbylover]

I was thrifting today and came across a Dirt Devil Handy 150. I didn't buy it just yet, because I wanted to see if they are any good of if they are cheap like the newer Dirt Devil 'all plastic' models. this one says Royal on the bag, and has a metal rug plate. The hose attaches to the front (not built in like another Dirt Devil I saw there.) For $10 it comes with original box and box with attachments. I was planning on getting a nice all-metal older Royal handvac at some point but are these things any good?

Ebay link with pics of the same model:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Boxed-Dirt-Devi...m_Cleaners&hash=item1c1dbc6838#ht_4579wt_1396

 

[twocvbloke]

Having owned a DD Hand vac, I can't recommend it, my Kirby vacuette, despite the screaming noise of the motor, is a more powerful vac, the DD has a very flat fan which barely moves any air, and the cloth bags leak like a sieve, so, save your money and get either a Royal Prince hand vac, or a set of earplugs and a Kirby vacuette (or one of the similar other brand models)...

 

[kirbyeureka95]

i hate to disagree but...

i have 3, 1 of which is the new bagless classic model, and they kick butt! the attachments suck, but they are great for the car, stairs, etc. and i have the oreck version of the vacuette so i know both just make sure that you use paper bags and if the model you buy cant get an adapter (very cheap)

 

[kirbyeureka95]

and actually...

i have an extra adapter that id be happy to give to you if you need it

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

Wow, I've never seen one with a rocker switch! I have a red hand vac like that (with a slide switch) and it does have the metal bottom plate and wooden brushroll... I hear they have the same motor as the original Broom Vac or Broomy.

It's OK for pet hair on the sofa, but I don't use it much because I tore the cloth bag trying to take it off to empty one time and had to buy a "spare" vac for 3 dollars at a thrift store.... I swapped the bag and threw the vac away (it was in bad shape and was missing the nozzle cover, had tape over the hole)... now I'm scared to take the bag off again for fear I'll tear it. It's just easier to use a turbo nozzle on the end of an upright hose that I'm already using on the carpet. One day I got a wild hair and vacuumed the whole apartment with the DD hand vac really slowly, that was interesting. I appreciated the long cord.

I did try to use it in a really sandy car once after coming back from the beach and it just scattered the sand everywhere, there wasn't enough airflow to carry the massive amount of sand to the bag (which is a really short distance, so that says a lot). A straight suction vac would have been more appropriate in that situation.

I wish I'd gotten a Royal Prince... it looks better, and is probably much quieter and the bag is a "twist" to remove kind of thing so it won't get torn when you try to pull it off. I don't like that there is no way to manage the cord.

 

[kirbyeureka95]

^it is true...

the old metal royal prince is much better

 

[henry200]

I have both DD 103 and Royal 501 handvacs, and the original DD Broomvac as well.   Years ago I also had the Douglas (Kirby Vacuette) handvac which was a fantastic little cleaner but I couldn't stand the screaming motor!  I tried the disposable bags for the Dirt Devil handvac but they're so small and plug up with dust so quickly that I thought it was a waste of money.   I'm also not impressed with the friction-fit rubber cuff on the fabric bag.  It doesn't seal tightly enough to prevent dust from escaping.  The Royal handvac by comparison is a far better investment and trusty little helper for quick pickups.  My Broomvac has a more powerful motor than the handvacs and I'm amazed at how well it performs.  I also discovered that my Riccar upright's bags fit the broomvac so I have the benefit of improved airflow and filtration as well.

 

[kirbylover]

Now that I think about it, I don't think I am going to buy the DD. For one thing, I don't have carpet on my stairs yet (that go to the basement) I just use straight suction on them with either a Kirby or Shop-vac (whichever is out). I have never used a DD but I just don't think that with the hose attached it would have very much suction for real cleaning (I don't even consider my Kirby 510 suction to be adequate). So I think I will wait for a Price, at least that will be a cool collectible if I end up not ever using it.

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