madabouthoovers
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2012
- Messages
- 2,351
Today the other of my ordered vacs this month arrived by courier - The very quirky Sebo K3 Airbelt Vulcano. This is a member of the K series of canisters which Sebo intend to be direct competitors to the Miele S6 and former S4 Range.
The machine cost £190 from the seller in the link below. I had the last one in stock, and they do not sell many of these either.
The Vulcano is the second from TOL model in the K range, with the K1, K1 Komfort, and K1 Pet being below it, and the K3 Premium with electric power nozzle being above it. The K range has been out a fair few years now, and in the mid 00's, base models appeared in the Argos catalogues, along with Sebo's X1.1 model.
There is not much publicity about this range, and searches on K3 Vulcano do not reveal many results, especially in the UK. Indeed, even on Vacuumland the K3 Vulcano is mentioned only very rarely. I have used this vac today and can now be in a position to describe its features and give my humble opinion of it, when compared to Miele's S6 model the S6220 that I own. It cannot be compared to the S8 range as the larger Sebo D Range is the direct competitor to that range.
The K3 Vulcano comes with a 3 litre fabric dustbag which is not as good quality as the comparable 3.5L Miele Hyclean FJM bags, but is half the price. The access to the dustbag is from the bottom of the K3, as compared to the lid of the S6. It has a light that glows up orange when the K3 detects a restriction in airflow, and also a bypass relief valve.
The K3 Vulcano comes in a striking orange and browny red colourway, and has replaceable HEPA filters, one for the pre-motor and one for the Post motor which give it true S-Class hospital grade filtration. These filters come as a service pack from Sebo, and generally need replacing every 16 bags used, which is less often than Miele recommend for their S6 range.
It comes with an electric hose and slider control on the handle to vary the suction from 0 to 100%. The hose is fixed at the vacuum cleaner connection end and does not swivel. It will swivel at the handle end, and as commented on by sebo_fan, is slightly more unwieldy than a non electrified hose. I find it better to store the cleaner with the hose detached, as I feel it puts strain on the floorhead connector, where it slides into the back of the cleaner housing. This is not a problem though as I have a suitable place to store the hose, and when in use, I can cope with its limits. Its a small sacrifice to make for the flexibility of having a handle mounted motor control.
When plugged in, and the main On'Off knob pressed, the K3 is put into standby mode, and the bag full lamp glows up green. This then puts the machine at the control of the handle slider, much like the Sebo Felix. The slider is infinitely variable unlike other brands which only offer limited settings for motor speed. No member of the Miele S6 family come with this facility.
The status light glows green all the time the machine is switched on. When the vac detects a full bag or blockage, it lights up a second LED that makes the status light glow green and orange, and I would have expected it to turn the green light off and just glow orange, but it doesn't do this.
The Floorheads are shown in pictures below, and the K3 features the Deluxe Kombi which is the most comprehensive looking head I have ever seen, with very good attention to detail, and 4 wheels. It also features the Turbo Komfort Turbobrush, similar to Miele's Turbo brush supplied on their canister range. It also includes a dusting brush which attaches to the tube, and crevice/upholstery tool which fit on the machine itself. This is because lower models in the K range do not come with the dusting brush as standard. One limitation is that the upholstery tool has to be connected to the crevice tool before it can be connected to the handle or wand, this is so that the upholstery tool can be shaped to fit flush to the top of the machine.
The Wand/Tube is a telescopic, half metal, half plastic affair, which is lighter than the Miele tube, but not quite as good quality in my opinion. It is not electrified, but features a clip halfway down to clip a cable to if using a power nozzle, for which there is a socket provided on the rear of the handle assembly. This socket has been heavily criticised for being an unreliable weak point when the electric nozzle is used, however this is not a problem for the Vulcano if the power nozzle is not purchased for use with it.
The Machine expels its exhaust air via a filter located on top of the machine (see pic) through its orange, spandex/lycra Airbelt, which is replaceable if it gets damaged - but at a high cost, so it will pay to look after this machine.
It has 3 good quality castor wheels, with one attached to the bag door itself, and moves freely across all surfaces. It is about the same weight as the S6, but the handle is smaller, due to the offset hose socket, which makes the machine move slightly skewed when pulling it along, but this is not really much of a problem as the Airbelt protects the vac and the furniture from contact damage.
My verdict is that this is a very good quality machine, very quirky with a colour scheme that may not appeal to some - you will either love or hate the colour scheme, and I love it, as I love quirky colours in my vacs. I like the design and also the Airbelt feature. I think the wand is lighter than the Miele S6 range, but has a weaker joint where fixing the wand to the machine, so care will need to be taken not to shear the parking bracket off the back of the floorheads, or damaging the parking slots.
The hose I do find more limiting in movement than that of the S6, but am prepared to accept this as I wanted the handle operation, which is a more convenient feature that the S6 does not have, so its a case of give and take a little here. Another point is that the vac cannot have its power varied on the machine itself, unlike the lower models, on which the power knob can be turned to vary the power.
Tool storage is better than the S6, as at least 2 tools store on the machine, and the wand mounted dusting brush is not as obtrusive as the Miele tool caddy.
All in all, the Sebo K3 Airbelt Vulcano is a very good alternative to the Miele S6 range, and has some good features lacking from the S6, but I feel that the quality of the Sebo machine itself is actually slightly higher than the S6, and the tools are on a par quality wise. The one area I feel the S6 is better is in the cord rewind facility which is a tug operation at full cable reel deployment on the Sebo, much like the Bosch and Siemens machines, but a pedal control on the S6 which can be used regardless of whether all the cable is deployed from the cable reel.
My final verdict is that I would give the Sebo Airbelt K3 Vulcano a score of 9/10, with the lost point due solely to the lack of a cable rewind mechanism pedal. I cannot fault the quality of build - it is typically well engineered by a very reliable German company.
I would also give the Miele S6 a score of 9/10, and this is only because it does not offer the facilty of handle control. It is also excellent quality German engineering - but a lot more popular than the Sebo K series, solely due to the fact that its more widely available, and maybe not such a quirky design as the K series.
Here comes the Pics:
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2014-14:10]
http://www.freenetelectrical.co.uk/sebo/vacuum-cleaners/k3-vulcano-9684gb/product-2377/
The machine cost £190 from the seller in the link below. I had the last one in stock, and they do not sell many of these either.
The Vulcano is the second from TOL model in the K range, with the K1, K1 Komfort, and K1 Pet being below it, and the K3 Premium with electric power nozzle being above it. The K range has been out a fair few years now, and in the mid 00's, base models appeared in the Argos catalogues, along with Sebo's X1.1 model.
There is not much publicity about this range, and searches on K3 Vulcano do not reveal many results, especially in the UK. Indeed, even on Vacuumland the K3 Vulcano is mentioned only very rarely. I have used this vac today and can now be in a position to describe its features and give my humble opinion of it, when compared to Miele's S6 model the S6220 that I own. It cannot be compared to the S8 range as the larger Sebo D Range is the direct competitor to that range.
The K3 Vulcano comes with a 3 litre fabric dustbag which is not as good quality as the comparable 3.5L Miele Hyclean FJM bags, but is half the price. The access to the dustbag is from the bottom of the K3, as compared to the lid of the S6. It has a light that glows up orange when the K3 detects a restriction in airflow, and also a bypass relief valve.
The K3 Vulcano comes in a striking orange and browny red colourway, and has replaceable HEPA filters, one for the pre-motor and one for the Post motor which give it true S-Class hospital grade filtration. These filters come as a service pack from Sebo, and generally need replacing every 16 bags used, which is less often than Miele recommend for their S6 range.
It comes with an electric hose and slider control on the handle to vary the suction from 0 to 100%. The hose is fixed at the vacuum cleaner connection end and does not swivel. It will swivel at the handle end, and as commented on by sebo_fan, is slightly more unwieldy than a non electrified hose. I find it better to store the cleaner with the hose detached, as I feel it puts strain on the floorhead connector, where it slides into the back of the cleaner housing. This is not a problem though as I have a suitable place to store the hose, and when in use, I can cope with its limits. Its a small sacrifice to make for the flexibility of having a handle mounted motor control.
When plugged in, and the main On'Off knob pressed, the K3 is put into standby mode, and the bag full lamp glows up green. This then puts the machine at the control of the handle slider, much like the Sebo Felix. The slider is infinitely variable unlike other brands which only offer limited settings for motor speed. No member of the Miele S6 family come with this facility.
The status light glows green all the time the machine is switched on. When the vac detects a full bag or blockage, it lights up a second LED that makes the status light glow green and orange, and I would have expected it to turn the green light off and just glow orange, but it doesn't do this.
The Floorheads are shown in pictures below, and the K3 features the Deluxe Kombi which is the most comprehensive looking head I have ever seen, with very good attention to detail, and 4 wheels. It also features the Turbo Komfort Turbobrush, similar to Miele's Turbo brush supplied on their canister range. It also includes a dusting brush which attaches to the tube, and crevice/upholstery tool which fit on the machine itself. This is because lower models in the K range do not come with the dusting brush as standard. One limitation is that the upholstery tool has to be connected to the crevice tool before it can be connected to the handle or wand, this is so that the upholstery tool can be shaped to fit flush to the top of the machine.
The Wand/Tube is a telescopic, half metal, half plastic affair, which is lighter than the Miele tube, but not quite as good quality in my opinion. It is not electrified, but features a clip halfway down to clip a cable to if using a power nozzle, for which there is a socket provided on the rear of the handle assembly. This socket has been heavily criticised for being an unreliable weak point when the electric nozzle is used, however this is not a problem for the Vulcano if the power nozzle is not purchased for use with it.
The Machine expels its exhaust air via a filter located on top of the machine (see pic) through its orange, spandex/lycra Airbelt, which is replaceable if it gets damaged - but at a high cost, so it will pay to look after this machine.
It has 3 good quality castor wheels, with one attached to the bag door itself, and moves freely across all surfaces. It is about the same weight as the S6, but the handle is smaller, due to the offset hose socket, which makes the machine move slightly skewed when pulling it along, but this is not really much of a problem as the Airbelt protects the vac and the furniture from contact damage.
My verdict is that this is a very good quality machine, very quirky with a colour scheme that may not appeal to some - you will either love or hate the colour scheme, and I love it, as I love quirky colours in my vacs. I like the design and also the Airbelt feature. I think the wand is lighter than the Miele S6 range, but has a weaker joint where fixing the wand to the machine, so care will need to be taken not to shear the parking bracket off the back of the floorheads, or damaging the parking slots.
The hose I do find more limiting in movement than that of the S6, but am prepared to accept this as I wanted the handle operation, which is a more convenient feature that the S6 does not have, so its a case of give and take a little here. Another point is that the vac cannot have its power varied on the machine itself, unlike the lower models, on which the power knob can be turned to vary the power.
Tool storage is better than the S6, as at least 2 tools store on the machine, and the wand mounted dusting brush is not as obtrusive as the Miele tool caddy.
All in all, the Sebo K3 Airbelt Vulcano is a very good alternative to the Miele S6 range, and has some good features lacking from the S6, but I feel that the quality of the Sebo machine itself is actually slightly higher than the S6, and the tools are on a par quality wise. The one area I feel the S6 is better is in the cord rewind facility which is a tug operation at full cable reel deployment on the Sebo, much like the Bosch and Siemens machines, but a pedal control on the S6 which can be used regardless of whether all the cable is deployed from the cable reel.
My final verdict is that I would give the Sebo Airbelt K3 Vulcano a score of 9/10, with the lost point due solely to the lack of a cable rewind mechanism pedal. I cannot fault the quality of build - it is typically well engineered by a very reliable German company.
I would also give the Miele S6 a score of 9/10, and this is only because it does not offer the facilty of handle control. It is also excellent quality German engineering - but a lot more popular than the Sebo K series, solely due to the fact that its more widely available, and maybe not such a quirky design as the K series.
Here comes the Pics:
[this post was last edited: 2/5/2014-14:10]
http://www.freenetelectrical.co.uk/sebo/vacuum-cleaners/k3-vulcano-9684gb/product-2377/
