Sirena refurb worth it? What about Quantum X?

[lux_luthor]

After some challenging events in life a couple years ago, I had to sell my beloved Aerus Lux Vacuums.
I’ve adopted two kittens and am learning my allergies are starting to flare, and so I need something that gets their shedded hair up and the dander out of my home. Everyone I know recommends Rainbow (even people who haven’t owned one lol), but I don’t want a second car payment to get one.
I’m wanting to get a premium vacuum again but I cannot go over $1k, and really don’t want to be more than $500.
I’ve recently found Sirena sells refurbished vacuums with the newest version of their power nozzle and quick connect.
I’ve also seen a water filtration upright exists now, the Quantum X.

Does anyone have daily use experience with either of these and would recommend either?

 

[crazykirbydude]

If you absolutely HAVE to have a water filtration vacuum, a Rainbow SE is a good choice.

 

[n0oxy]

Sirena and Quantum

I would say the Sirena is just as good as the Rainbow, I have not tried the Quantum upright but I have the canister version of the Quantum and it's very good, again, I would say as good as the Rainbow.
Mike

 

[lesinutah]

Refurb

In Western us hyla has a deal. The sell refurbished machines for $350.
There all good vacuums but hyla rrfurb is best quality for the price.
Les

 

[mark40511]

I have a Sirena and Rainbow

The Sirena was a totally stupid purchase for me since I already had a rainbow. I've used my Sirena a handful of times but it's been stored in the closet mostly and I want to sell it because I like my Rainbow better and use it more.

My thoughts on it are this: Build quality is decent but definitely NOT rainbow quality. I think it's definitely worth it for people who want a Rainbow type vacuum but don't want to spend tons of money. It makes the house smell clean and everything is dust-free when you're done cleaning. I don't like the underneath cleaning as there is a sunken area that surrounds the separator that everything sticks to. I don't think that separator is as good at capturing dirt that the Rainbow. The manual says to fill it to the minimum line for vacuuming but I totally disagree with that. It should be filled between min/max. Min is not enough. The hepa filter is easy to take off and check.

You have to get used to the odd shape of the vacuum, when taking it off the basin. It can fall over on the latches and they will pop off (but easy to get back on).. annoying though. It takes using it a few times to get a feel for it but once you do it's ok. I'm not sure of longevity. I think the airflow/suction is a wee bit better than my gold 2 speed, but just barely.

 

[lux_luthor]

@crazykirbydude after reading your post I did go look for that model. Greatvacs.com sells it but it’s expensive for the age. However they have another brand I’m not as familiar with, “Ocean Blue” that looks very similar, it’s just blue and uses a different hose and PN. It was similarly priced but I worry that it’s a low quality knock off as I’ve never heard of those and can’t find much info on them.

@n0xy I’m glad to see they’re comparable to Rainbow. I’m the type to really research something before I buy it. I don’t want buyer’s remorse. I’d read some of your reviews but they were when you first got your machines. Does Sirena seem to hold up well? Quantum canister is nowhere to be found, and that website for it, quantumvac.com, was decommissioned.

@lesinutah I like this idea. But I would prefer it to be an EST. I’ve read the NST isn’t as strong as the GST and EST. I do like what I’ve read about the EST but greatvacs sells those for around $1k. Do you have a site or point of contact I could use to find out more?

@mark411 sounds like you know the things I would be aggravated with. Lol. I’m kind of disappointed to see debris get stuck like that. I realize the underside of any water vac would be wet when finished, but I would think the stuff picked up would be in the water bowl and not the underside of the machine. I actually contacted a Rainbow dealer who has a store, but he insisted I do an in-home demo, even for a refurb, and wouldn’t give me price options over phone at all. I’m not keen on someone coming to my home for this. I have a significant other and my 2 kitties who won’t appreciate it and I don’t want to have to deal with making someone leave.

 

[vacuumdevil]

@mark40511 I agree with you 100% about the sirena!

my experience was that everyone that was sold by previous company I work for came back at least once under warranty all for different stuff.


I was approached at the VDTA to do a video on the Serena which they've come out with a new version with supposedly. I say supposedly because it looked exactly like the old version. I politely declined and shared with them my experience with their quality control problems.

 

[mark40511]

I forgot to mention

My PN stopped working like the 2nd month of owning my Sirena. I took it to a vac shop here and they fixed it under warranty. Something about a fuse. No other problems. I'm not sure how many times I've used it but I'd say maybe 20 times.

I remember when I first got it and took it out of the box, when using it, there was no fresh smell like Rainbow. All I could smell was the motor and plastics. It took a couple of uses for all of that to wear off where you actually felt like you were using a rainbow with the fresh smell.

I couldn't beieve how dirty the separator got after just one use with not even much dirt in the basin.....with just mop water dirty water and a little cat hair. My Rainbow separator wouldn't get dirty even after using my rainbow to suck the bin of a bagless vacuum clean. I'd get a toothbrush to check the grooves of the rainbow separator to see if they were dirty and they weren't. It takes a few uses of using my Rainbow for dirt to actually start getting on the separator. But 99% of the time I clean it every time I use it when I'm done. Anyway - I started using more water in the Sirena and that made a HUGE difference, but the separator was still a little dirty, but nothing like it was following their instructions to fill it to minimum for vacuuming. I hope they have changed their instructions. I emailed them giving my thoughts that filling to min was not enough.

 

[lux_luthor]

@mark40511 I wonder if yours was an earlier model and they’ve since resolved what causes these issues? Your experience has me hesitant about Sirena. I need something dependable. Everyone I know who has heard of Rainbow or who has ever owned one always raves about how it’s the best. But they’re insanely expensive. I understand “you get what you pay for” but quite honestly a $500 vacuum should be excellent quality and reliable, which is how much the version of Sirena that I was thinking of costs.

I tried calling and chatting greatvacs about Ocean Blue but they must be on holiday, as the chat says leave a message and their phone number is immediately voicemail.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I'd just find another Aerus Lux vacuum. I would use that anyday over a big, clunky Rainbow!

 

[kirbylux77]

Lux_Luthor, can I make another suggestion here besides Sirena, Quantum, Hyla & Ocean Blue?

What I would suggest is buying a used or refurbished Rainbow E Series 1 speed model. If you go on Goodvac.com & you look at the breakdown of the parts for the Sirena, it's VERY cheaply built. I'm not surprised by Vacuumdevil's statement he saw warranty issues constantly. The Rainbow has a HEPA filter just like the Sirena, NO fancy electronics that can break down, & let's be realistic - how likely would you REALLY use the low speed "air cleaning" setting on either the Sirena or Rainbow E Series 2 speed models?

The only "bad" thing about the E Series models was they were still using the old belt-in-the-center powerhead that some feel compromises the vacuum's airflow & cleaning performance. However, you can upgrade the hose, wand & powerhead if you like. GoodVac actually sells 2 powerhead upgrade kits with either the EBK340 or EBK360 universal powerheads, so that would solve that issue if you wanted to.

Airflow/Suction should be VERY close, if not identical, to the Sirena. Quantum, Hyla & Ocean Blue would have slightly less powerful motors. Also note that none of those brands come with a HEPA filter, & in my opinion that should be STANDARD on a water filtration vacuum. It's well known that water does NOT capture all the dust, & that certain types of dirt can bypass the water wash process. Price should be only slightly higher for a refurbished Rainbow E Series 1 speed than a refurbished Sirena, & parts are still readily available. For those reasons, I would personally buy a refurbished Rainbow E Series 1 speed & a stash of parts over the Sirena.

Rob

 

[vaclab]

I Second The E2 1-Speed Recommendation

In Mini Meet #19, I measured the highest Rainbow canister airflow ever from an E2 1-Speed (I have not measured the SRX's airflow yet).

Results: 107 CFM filter in and 127 CFM filter out. The measurements start around the 21 minute mark.



Newer E2 2-Speeds pull about 10 CFM less from the canister itself.

Bill

 

[lux_luthor]

Thank you everyone! I decided to go with the general message everyone seemed to have: “If you want a Rainbow, get a Rainbow.” I took Rob and Bill’s suggestion of an E series 1 speed. Found a decent price for a “mint condition” refurbished version. The seller had 100% positive feedback and I specifically looked that the feedback was about vacuums they’ve sold. I look forward to using it when it arrives this weekend!

 

[lux_luthor]

So far I’m liking the Rainbow. My only gripes are with the power nozzle not being direct connect, it doesn’t swivel when the handle is turned despite the wand turning with the handle, and the other is that the motor unit is noisier than I’m accustomed to. But it has definitely cleaned very well. And I do like using the eucalyptus scent to help add a clean smell to the air. I’m also impressed that the underside of the vacuum and separator are dry when I’m finished using it.

Thanks for the suggestions! It’s definitely fit what I wanted for the lower end of my budget.

 

[mark40511]

I never had a one speed

Glad you like it. Was it really mint? Like did you open the back, take the HEPA off and look inside to see if it was spotless?

 

[lux_luthor]

I did not take off the HEPA filter to see if it was spotless, but the bottom of the motor unit was clean, the intake was clean, basin was clean and clear, hoses looked brand new-no dirt in them, power nozzle had small worn spots near the brush roll but it doesn’t effect performance. The nozzle otherwise looked new too with how clean it was. There were no smells emit from it.

Air flow seems strong. My carpet feels fluffier to my bare feet. The power nozzle really has good agitation, I saw grit bounce up out of the carpet onto the top of the nozzle.

I got a mate mini power nozzle and it did a good job cleaning my CatNapper recliners.

I’m thinking of getting either a 14’ or maybe 30’ hose to do stairs and kind of make it like a central vac, but that will be a little later on in the future purchase if I do.

 

[mark40511]

Ya

I'm sure it's clean inside but my curiosity would kill me I'd have to take a peek with a flashlight.

About the 14 foot hose: I bought the non-electric version a long time ago and it was SOOO WORTH IT. You can park your rainbow and clean all over the place. As much as I like direct connect/one hose vacuums.....I don't like having that big handle (like when you pop a dusting brush on or upholstery brush on them....to me, it's easier to use those attachments with a curved wand than a big bulky handle.

 

[rivstg1]

12 footer

I too found and bought a 12' hose.... It was for the e series model so I had to get an adapter to make it work with my eEUblqck model. Love the flexibility it brings when cleaning

 

[mark40511]

Yep

Even if I had the black E2, I'd still buy this to use with attachments because I don't like using attachments with the electric hose because of that big handle. Same with any vacuum that direct connects. After you've used attachments with a wand instead, it's clunky to me to pop them on the electric hose with the big handle.. So much easier with the handle out of the way and just a wand.

http://www.goodvac.com/Rainbow_E_E2_wet_hose_14_feet_p/r-prt-r9254.htm