oliveoiltinfoil
Well-known member
I'll start off by saying read through this message if you can bear to, as it is quite interesting.
My father passed away a couple of Saturdays ago, god rest his soul. Since this has happened, I have had literally hundreds of people coming to my house for various things, whether that is family, friends, people sorting out his affairs or all 3 at the same time (this actually did happen. My cat Thor now has depression due to the amount of people in HIS house. The dogs are fine.)
Since I have been using the Dyson DC41 MK2 as my daily, go to vacuum, obviously picking up lots more dirt now, I am once again, disliking bagless vacuums. Now I don't want to sound like a contrarian as I love my DC41 MK2 in so many ways, from performance and ease of use, but the bagless is driving me nuts now. I didn't realise how irritating they are for me now, in terms of stress and my skin when the dust cloud goes everywhere. Eww.
So I am not going to go on too much about this, so instead I purchased a new Felix Vogue eco for a few reasons.
1 - I gave my felix navy to my sister as she had a Morphy Rihcards lift away which has barley lasted two years. Both hoses have split, the plastic around the head has cracked and the motor is making a terrible noise. She has a house full of kids, cats and dogs and uses her vacuum daily and she looks after it as I make sure she does, but it hasn't lasted, so being a good brother, I gave her my 7 month old Felix navy compelte with a box of bags. She says it is the best vacuum she has ever used and wonders why she didn't just buy this in the first place and saving herself money.
2 - I have a slight obsession with buying new vacuums when they come out, especially of late, since the EU regulations and vacuums once again using sub 1000 watt motors. My findings have been surprising as in all, the vacuums are just as, or even more powerful and effective than they were using 3 times the wattage.
3 - I am an Anglo-German, half on each side (father was German). I already have a Numatic George and Dyson, but only one German vacuum, a Bosch (Chinese made though, and you can tell. Sad face) so I thought I should balance it up with a new German vacuum, and Sebo are my favourite German vacuums and quite possibly, my favourite vacuum full stop. Certainly my favourite bagged vacuum. (Sorry Kirby fans, this is Europe, not the rest of the world!)
So I have my Vogue. The pictures I have posted tell most of the story. Sorry about the dirty carpet which has now been Sebo'd. To anyone familiar with the Felix, it is mainly the usual affair when it comes to overall design, attachments, packaging and so forth. The differences I shall now explain.
It has a 700 watt suction motor and the normal ET-1 175 watt Ametek brush roll motor. This is what has been worrying me. I know these EU labels should mean nothing to us enthusiasts, but having it printed in black and white that, according to Brussels at least, a £120 Vax upright performs better than this Sebo, was a bit off putting initially. However, I can report, that the differences between this felix and the normal 1300 watt model are next to nothing.
Look at the photo of the instruction manuals of both vacuums I have posted. The specs are identical. The right hand one is the 700 watt model, the left is the 1300 watt model. I know. Strange isn't it.
What do I think ? I honestly can not tell any difference. The suction seems identical to me. Pick up performance is just as good. The 700 watt one makes no where near as much heat, is slightly quitter, which is impressive as the normal felix was a quiet machine anyway. When you start it up and the motor spins up, there is a pleasant whistle to the new motor that wasn't there on the 1300 watt model.
Other than that, the agitation is just as brilliant, lovely long cord, lay flat to the floor, comfortable handle and all the other nice things I loved about the previous felix.
I phoned up SEBO to register this felix and got talking to a lovely lady who said she had been working their for 16 years. I actually asked her about the specs being the same and questioned weather the specs were printed incorrectly, carried over from the previous model in error, or if those cleaver Sebo engineers have made a vacuum with nearly half the wattage that perform the same, and she said it was most likely the latter. She explained that SEBO's have never been about the wattage of the motors, and said that the first Sebo sold in the UK (she didn't say which one) was 750 watts and that model earned it's reputation being used in Buckingham palace, this White House, hospitals and schools across the west. She said the only reason SEBO started making vacuums with higher wattage motors is because that's what people wanted to see, as this is what the competition were doing, she said it has nothing to do with the performance of the vacuum itself, of course I agreed. She said it is mainly in the airflow design of the vacuum and the agitation. Very knowledgeable woman. I said maybe when they tested the felix, it earning a B for carpet performance, they had the head set too high, she said most probably, or the suction wasn't adjusted properly, or both. She said that SEBO have such a loyal customer base, that people higher up in SEBO have assured the company not to take to heart these rating as to the SEBO customer, it makes no difference, as they know how good the machines are and do not need labels to tell them otherwise.
She said that the "team" they have in the UK tested the eco and standard felix side by side and couldn't tell any difference other than the heat and noise emissions.
Anyways. I am very happy with my felix vogue. It was already a good looking machine, but this colour combo does it justice. The black parts on the navy are now a cream colour on this one.
I also have some tips and tricks for current felix owners if you are interested.
1 - I have mentioned this already, but the exhaust filter is machine washable. I have washed the exhaust filter on a relatives Felix royale 3 times over the 2 years she has had it and it has not got damaged at all. It hasn't shrunk or sagged of fluffed up. Put it in a fast wash, 40 degrees with a small amount of detergent and it comes up spotless and dry enough to put straight on the vacuum. I put mine in a small items bag to protect it somewhat. I found this out by curiosity as I had purchased a new exhaust filter for the felix roayle (you can actually get them from sebo direct if you phone them up) but thought what if I put it in the washing machine, what have I got to lose as I am going to replace it anyway.
2 - Lubricate the handle. This maybe obvious for some people, but on the Felix's in this family, I have lubricated the aluminium handles with petroleum jelly or Vaseline. Goes up and down as smoothly and as easily as anything and protects the aluminium from scratches. If you can get some form of grease, paint it on with a small brush or rub it on with your finger. It doesn't accumulate dust or dirt, but if it does, you can easily wipe it off. I have done this to my Felix Vogue already. Also would be a good idea to lubricate the bearings in the cap at the floor head. Picture will show this.
3 - Getting rid of the metal bars at the head. This requires careful attention, but is straightforward and harmless to do. I stripped down the felix navy before handing it to my sister and found that the metal bars at the brush roll can easily be removes just by opening up the head. I have posted pictures as clearly as I can, showing how to do this. Pay attention to the length of screws, but it is very easy to do. The point of this means you get a clean sweep when you vacuum, uninterrupted agitation. The only reason this is there, I can think of, is for light weight rugs, to stop them being sucked up, but as I and my sister do not have any rugs or mats, it is not a problem. It isn't there for strength I don't think at least.
So there we are. My felix vogue eco. Just as powerful as the previous Felix's. A very good all round vacuum!
P.S - Sorry for the poor quality photos. Something to do with my rather poor internet at the moment.
My father passed away a couple of Saturdays ago, god rest his soul. Since this has happened, I have had literally hundreds of people coming to my house for various things, whether that is family, friends, people sorting out his affairs or all 3 at the same time (this actually did happen. My cat Thor now has depression due to the amount of people in HIS house. The dogs are fine.)
Since I have been using the Dyson DC41 MK2 as my daily, go to vacuum, obviously picking up lots more dirt now, I am once again, disliking bagless vacuums. Now I don't want to sound like a contrarian as I love my DC41 MK2 in so many ways, from performance and ease of use, but the bagless is driving me nuts now. I didn't realise how irritating they are for me now, in terms of stress and my skin when the dust cloud goes everywhere. Eww.
So I am not going to go on too much about this, so instead I purchased a new Felix Vogue eco for a few reasons.
1 - I gave my felix navy to my sister as she had a Morphy Rihcards lift away which has barley lasted two years. Both hoses have split, the plastic around the head has cracked and the motor is making a terrible noise. She has a house full of kids, cats and dogs and uses her vacuum daily and she looks after it as I make sure she does, but it hasn't lasted, so being a good brother, I gave her my 7 month old Felix navy compelte with a box of bags. She says it is the best vacuum she has ever used and wonders why she didn't just buy this in the first place and saving herself money.
2 - I have a slight obsession with buying new vacuums when they come out, especially of late, since the EU regulations and vacuums once again using sub 1000 watt motors. My findings have been surprising as in all, the vacuums are just as, or even more powerful and effective than they were using 3 times the wattage.
3 - I am an Anglo-German, half on each side (father was German). I already have a Numatic George and Dyson, but only one German vacuum, a Bosch (Chinese made though, and you can tell. Sad face) so I thought I should balance it up with a new German vacuum, and Sebo are my favourite German vacuums and quite possibly, my favourite vacuum full stop. Certainly my favourite bagged vacuum. (Sorry Kirby fans, this is Europe, not the rest of the world!)
So I have my Vogue. The pictures I have posted tell most of the story. Sorry about the dirty carpet which has now been Sebo'd. To anyone familiar with the Felix, it is mainly the usual affair when it comes to overall design, attachments, packaging and so forth. The differences I shall now explain.
It has a 700 watt suction motor and the normal ET-1 175 watt Ametek brush roll motor. This is what has been worrying me. I know these EU labels should mean nothing to us enthusiasts, but having it printed in black and white that, according to Brussels at least, a £120 Vax upright performs better than this Sebo, was a bit off putting initially. However, I can report, that the differences between this felix and the normal 1300 watt model are next to nothing.
Look at the photo of the instruction manuals of both vacuums I have posted. The specs are identical. The right hand one is the 700 watt model, the left is the 1300 watt model. I know. Strange isn't it.
What do I think ? I honestly can not tell any difference. The suction seems identical to me. Pick up performance is just as good. The 700 watt one makes no where near as much heat, is slightly quitter, which is impressive as the normal felix was a quiet machine anyway. When you start it up and the motor spins up, there is a pleasant whistle to the new motor that wasn't there on the 1300 watt model.
Other than that, the agitation is just as brilliant, lovely long cord, lay flat to the floor, comfortable handle and all the other nice things I loved about the previous felix.
I phoned up SEBO to register this felix and got talking to a lovely lady who said she had been working their for 16 years. I actually asked her about the specs being the same and questioned weather the specs were printed incorrectly, carried over from the previous model in error, or if those cleaver Sebo engineers have made a vacuum with nearly half the wattage that perform the same, and she said it was most likely the latter. She explained that SEBO's have never been about the wattage of the motors, and said that the first Sebo sold in the UK (she didn't say which one) was 750 watts and that model earned it's reputation being used in Buckingham palace, this White House, hospitals and schools across the west. She said the only reason SEBO started making vacuums with higher wattage motors is because that's what people wanted to see, as this is what the competition were doing, she said it has nothing to do with the performance of the vacuum itself, of course I agreed. She said it is mainly in the airflow design of the vacuum and the agitation. Very knowledgeable woman. I said maybe when they tested the felix, it earning a B for carpet performance, they had the head set too high, she said most probably, or the suction wasn't adjusted properly, or both. She said that SEBO have such a loyal customer base, that people higher up in SEBO have assured the company not to take to heart these rating as to the SEBO customer, it makes no difference, as they know how good the machines are and do not need labels to tell them otherwise.
She said that the "team" they have in the UK tested the eco and standard felix side by side and couldn't tell any difference other than the heat and noise emissions.
Anyways. I am very happy with my felix vogue. It was already a good looking machine, but this colour combo does it justice. The black parts on the navy are now a cream colour on this one.
I also have some tips and tricks for current felix owners if you are interested.
1 - I have mentioned this already, but the exhaust filter is machine washable. I have washed the exhaust filter on a relatives Felix royale 3 times over the 2 years she has had it and it has not got damaged at all. It hasn't shrunk or sagged of fluffed up. Put it in a fast wash, 40 degrees with a small amount of detergent and it comes up spotless and dry enough to put straight on the vacuum. I put mine in a small items bag to protect it somewhat. I found this out by curiosity as I had purchased a new exhaust filter for the felix roayle (you can actually get them from sebo direct if you phone them up) but thought what if I put it in the washing machine, what have I got to lose as I am going to replace it anyway.
2 - Lubricate the handle. This maybe obvious for some people, but on the Felix's in this family, I have lubricated the aluminium handles with petroleum jelly or Vaseline. Goes up and down as smoothly and as easily as anything and protects the aluminium from scratches. If you can get some form of grease, paint it on with a small brush or rub it on with your finger. It doesn't accumulate dust or dirt, but if it does, you can easily wipe it off. I have done this to my Felix Vogue already. Also would be a good idea to lubricate the bearings in the cap at the floor head. Picture will show this.
3 - Getting rid of the metal bars at the head. This requires careful attention, but is straightforward and harmless to do. I stripped down the felix navy before handing it to my sister and found that the metal bars at the brush roll can easily be removes just by opening up the head. I have posted pictures as clearly as I can, showing how to do this. Pay attention to the length of screws, but it is very easy to do. The point of this means you get a clean sweep when you vacuum, uninterrupted agitation. The only reason this is there, I can think of, is for light weight rugs, to stop them being sucked up, but as I and my sister do not have any rugs or mats, it is not a problem. It isn't there for strength I don't think at least.
So there we are. My felix vogue eco. Just as powerful as the previous Felix's. A very good all round vacuum!
P.S - Sorry for the poor quality photos. Something to do with my rather poor internet at the moment.
