The new Air-Way Ultra Kleen

[kirbylux77]

Mark

You are correct, Godfrey's in Australia does indeed sell this vacuum under the Wertheim brand as the Wertheim 7 Series through their own stores. As for the Wertheim brand being a quality vacuum? Hardly! IF you had done your research, you would have found out that KingClean had previously made the Riccar Pristine for Godfrey's as a Wertheim 4410 with a DustCare PB11 powerhead that had a NuTone/Dirt Devil style powerhead powerhead hood. The Hoover Windtunnel Anniversary Edition was also sold as the Wertheim 4435, again with a restyled DustCare PB11 powerhead. Go ahead and read the reviews for those vacuums on various Australian sites - They got BLASTED for them, BIG TIME, because they ARE Chinese made junk! The reviews on those machines consistently stated they are poorly built, unreliable, and had problems with the powerhead in particular. There was also a Wertheim canister with the same powerhead sold on a home shopping channel in Britain that was a rebadged Simplicity Verve....I can only imagine how poorly the Brits thought of it compared to a Miele or Sebo.

As for your comment about the quality of the bag, since you claim to know so much, Miele's AirClean FJM and GN bags are 9 LAYER HEPA Cloth, NOT 5 layer as you stated in your post. Most aftermarket/generic Miele bags are 5 layer HEPA Cloth, though. So there goes your claim these are the "best quality available". The material even looks like it's just a ordinary Chinese HEPA Cloth bag....nothing special. The ONLY thing I will give it credit for is the bag collar....it appears to be a copy of the bag collar used on Bosch canister HEPA Cloth bags, but with the bag flap and seal like Miele uses on the AirClean collar, very interesting! Looking at the Wertheim 7 Series bag, theirs only uses a cardboard collar with a silicone seal.

As for your assertion that the Riccar Prima, Titan canisters and some Miele canisters are made in China, yes that is correct. However, you forgot to mention it is ONLY the RETIRED Miele canisters and the latest Miele Boost bagless canister that are made at Miele's Dongguan, China plant. And they are made of German components formed into a body formed at the plant and assembled there. So they are not "true" Chinese vacuums, and they get positive reviews consistently. The Titan canisters are made of Chinese parts at a Chinese factory by Cleva, same as current Kenmore canisters. However, their designs are restyled Panasonic designs, from a Japanese company that has been called legendary in their own right by vac shops, same as Aerus Electrolux was, and are already sorely missed by many, including many consumers. The Riccar Prima is also a Chinese canister, but is made to the specifications specified by the parent company, Tacony Corporation. And might I remind you, before you dare try to nitpick and criticize it, that Tom Gasko, Dysonman1, the owner of the shop carrying this Air Way canister, helped in the design of the Riccar Prima and former Simplicity Wonder. I have actually seen the Prima in person once at McHardy Vacuum here in London when I picked up some bags....for a Chinese made vacuum, it is certainly above average. While I didn't like the design of the bag collar and the quality of the paper used in the HEPA filter, I might have bought one if I wasn't happy already with my Simplicity Gusto, Riccar Pizzazz and The Bank Vault canisters. If I was a normal, average consumer looking for a new vacuum, I would take a Riccar Prima hands down over the Air Way UltraKleen!

I looked through the catalogue you posted a link to, and my opinion stands - the Air Way vacuums are cheap, Chinese junk. The uprights are relabeled Bernina/Prolux uprights which are cheaply built Panasonic clones. Even worse than the Cirrus brand uprights. I also find it rather funny they still have the nerve to sell the Air Way Altera and Agilus canisters....those are horrid machines! As for your assertion "Parts are available, and will be available as long as Air Way continues to order parts"....well, newsflash for ya, do you REALLY THINK the Chinese are gonna care how long some silly American or Australian company wants the parts made for? Nope! THEY will ultimately decide how long parts are available for this vacuum, NOT Air Way!

The Air Way UltraKleen is being manufactured by Qinqdao Creation Industry and Commerce Co., Ltd, of China. Hardly a reputable manufacturer. Look further down on Alibaba.com, and you will see the Airway Altera and Agilus canisters, as well as the Bissell Momentum the Air Way is based on. You should also know that the vacuum is also sold in Switzerland as the Satrap Aspira, in Iran as the German brand Rugen RU-1110, and a slightly different version with a knob for the variable speed control as the Persia France. Also note that the Rugen comes with a reusable cloth bag, and the Wertheim has a optional bag saver attachment and a optional Wessel Werk turbo floor brush. So we are certainly getting ripped off for features here in North America.

Alex - Even if I wanted to, I couldn't try out the Air Way, I have yet to see a Canadian vac shop distributor offer the Air Way brand yet. And I certainly wouldn't buy a Chinese vacuum that I would have no warranty on.

Rob

 

[kirbylux77]

Luxlife

"Canadian Crank" eh? Live in my Mom's basement eh? Wow, shows how little you know of some of the forum members here in REAL LIFE! My Mom, God bless her soul, has been dead since 1998. I did previously rent a basement apartment when I lived in Orillia for 3.5 years from a retired lady though. At present, I have my own apartment in downtown London, Ontario, have a wonderful partner, and a great life. Guess what, do you REALLY think I care about what a total stranger in another country thinks of me? Hah, you wish!

Next time you might care to keep your opinions about other members personal lives to yourself because now you have egg on your face.

Rob

 

[luxlife]

Why don’t you keep your opinion to yourself before you shame a real member of the vacuum industry over the brands that he chooses to carry in his shop! It just shows more poor judgment on your part, reminds me of the time you told everyone in the forum about how you deflowered your boyfriend and took his virginity. You have poor judgment and live to write incendiary messages. I’ve got enough egg on my face to share with you, so bon appetit!

 

[gsheen]

I always think its laughable that many collectors call Chinese manufactured machines Cheap Junk when  its the USA/European  companies that decide just how cheap and junk it is.


 


When I was in R&D I saw samples of machines from King clean that would make a Miele look like rubbish they were so well made. When you source a product from King Clean, or best clean or any of the other manufacturers you get to choose how well you want it made, you can choose the motor, the types of bearings used in the motor, the lenth of carbon brushes ( life of the motor 500 hour , 1000 hour , 2000 hour ? you decide. The hose , the diameter, the quality, the length, material 


Their has also never been a problem getting spares either from King clean, A problem with the distributing compmanys  wanting to actually have spares Yes but spares are very much available. In Fact you can get any vacuum spares you want from China, want one hundred Hoover 652 motors, They will make them and again the quality will depend on how much you want to pay per unit. 


Just because its made in China doesn't make it junk.


 


The other day I got to drive in a Chinese suv called a Haval Jolion . They are very popular here now and let me tell  you would think you were in something German not Chinese, even outside it looks very cool. My mate you traded in his Audi q5 for it said after driving it he couldn't justify the price difference between this and a New Q5. 


The quality is right up their with the est in the class and light years ahead of anything GM or Ford is currently making 


The Chinese are improving their products quality at a alarming rate automotive field, Their own in house designed vacuums cleaners are now some of the best. I still do some consulting R&D work from a SA firm that imports their own brand of vacuum cleaners and whats exciting to see now is hoe they have gone from merely copying other technology to been innovative and coming up with their own ideas 

 

[luxlife]

Well said gsheen!

We’re surrounded by Chinese made products and they aren’t going away. You also brought up a very good point about how the one sourcing the finished product gets to decide what caliber the final product will be.

 

[marxvac]

Meile Bag vs Air-Way UltraKleen Bag

Some comments here claim the Miele bag is superior to the UltraKleen, so I simply cut open one of each, so you can see for yourself. First of all you notice that the UltraKleen has charcoal for odors. AW 1 / Miele 0. More importantly, if you look at the thickness of the bag itself, there is little if any difference. The Air-way bag actually looks and feels a little thicker. So I guess if you take the same material, and use in thinner layers, you can claim it has 9 layers. This is called "marketing" but I can think of better words for it. Both bags spec out at the typical 99.97% to 0.3 microns, so how is one better? Anyone is welcome to come personally inspect these any time you like. As gsheen said, you can pay more and get whatever quality you want from China. So true.

 

[marxvac]

Rob

Rob,
The dealers who embrace Air-Way are the smart ones, who see where the other manufacturers are headed. Direct to consumer! These companies do not support dealers, rather they compete with their own dealers, selling directly to our customers. They use dealers for free warranty labor, to deal with their headaches from online purchases, so they have fewer returns. Then, after they get the customer's email address, they solicit them with regular emails to steal even more bag/filter/replacement business from the dealers, often under cutting their own MAP prices. Air-Way is not sold direct to consumer. So it may or may not be better than this or that, but they are great vacuums that a dealer can sell at a profit, and stand behind, because Air-Way stands behind their dealers! Loyalty matters more than arguing how many layers you call it.

Your comments are amusing. You mention " a rebadged Simplicity Verve . . . I can only imagine how poorly the Brits thought of it compared to a Miele or Sebo." and then say you're "happy already with my . . . Bank Vault canister." SAME VACUUM! You love the Bank Vault then trash the Air-Way Altera and Agilus - THEY ARE ALL THE SAME CANISTER FROM THE SAME FACTORY. And it's not King Clean, or those other trading companies or Alibaba scammers you mentioned. The Verve, Charisma, Johhny Vac/Cirrus, Vapamore, Royal Lexon, one old silver Hoover, and the Altera/Agilus are ALL re-skinned versions of the same canister, from the same factory. Parts are all interchangeable.

You say "I have actually seen the Prima in person once at McHardy Vacuum here in London" which tells me you are not a dealer. I have had several stores for over 40 years, after selling Kirby door to door from the time I was a teenager. Yes, I am an old fart. We sold several hundred Wonders/Primas, and I have had them apart. They are OK, but very few features. We dropped them 2 or 3 years ago for selling too slowly.

I made a separate post on the bags, if you want to see a comparison.

The Air-Way uprights are an old design made in Taiwan, not China, by people who made the original Riccar and Simplicity uprights such as the first 8000's and Simplicity 5000's & 7 Series machines. You know, back when a vacuum was made to last 20/30 years. We sold thousands of those vacuums. They were all great. We still see these come in for service; some over 30 years old. (trade in time) After Tacony moved production to the states, they continued making these vacs and Cirrus. I started the Cirrus brand, before I sold it to Essco, so I have known that factory for a long time. These vacuums perform and hold up quite well. They are good basic upright vacuums, with no frills, that have very few problems. Plus they are super easy and quick to repair, which dealers like.

BTW Canavac actually distributes some Air-Way in Canada. Couple dealers in Toronto carry them. There will be more sold there soon.

I am curious Rob, how many times you have been to China? Or Taiwan? How many factories have you visited over there?

 

[luxlife]

Those bags are more than acceptable

I don’t understand why everyone uses Miele as a benchmark for comparison. I don’t think that’s very fair, no more than comparing to any other brand with HEPA because everything that Miele knows about making HEPA machines was learned the hard way and the consumer paid the price more than anyone. Miele made HEPA filters for their existing S300 and S400 series in the 1990s before they ever released a new model designed from the ground up to use HEPA. This afterthought filter was flawed too. I remember putting HEPA on my S314 and watching the filter move out of place from the being pushed up by the restricted airflow. My White Pearl did the same thing. I don’t put a lot of stock in HEPA filtration because everything is fallible at one time or another and also because most of us don’t have time in our lives to worry about it. I think most of us are too busy to run around behind our vacuum’s exhaust to take readings with a particle meter. Even if the bags aren’t perfect, they’re still better than paper. That’s enough for me.

Personally, I’m eager to try one of these machines and especially because of the charcoal in the bag. It looks as if the charcoal is in a central pouch and not permeated in the material of the entire bag, the way other manufacturers choose to do. [this post was last edited: 6/23/2022-18:52]

 

[electromatik]

Are we supposed to celebrate China??

@gsheen:

That's not entirely true. The Western companies can tell them HOW to assemble the products, and how it should be styled, but they don't always have much control over the often still-shoddy COMPONENTS that China uses. It isn't THAT simple.

And you think that Jolion is "light years" ahead of GM and Ford?? Pleeeeease. It doesn't even match a Cadillac Escalade or a Lincoln Navigator, let alone the forthcoming Lyriq. It for sure doesn't look as high-tech or modern as a Tesla either. GM and Ford are only two of the 27 US auto companies. Many observers and drivers consider the Lucid sedans superior to Mercedes. And, by the way, GM and Ford still hold the largest share of global technology patents. Your claims fall rather flat.

Let me remind you. China is a TOTALITARIAN society, with murderous despotic leaders. Imprisonment, torture, murder, and disappearance are common fates of China's OWN CITIZENS. They threaten nearly EVERY neighbor with constant war, have sunk other countries' fishing boats, make false claims of ownership of vast chunks of open ocean (which has never happened before), and is supporting and abetting other murderous despotic regimes around the world in Africa, N. Korea, and Russia.

Forgive me if I don't sing the praises of Communist China. The West is superior in every way. China, like Russia, needs expelled from the modern world like the pariah nation it is.

 

[dysonman1]

Well:
I like the new Air-Way Ultra Kleen. I have a small 3600 square foot vacuum shop where I get to come everyday for work that I enjoy. I don't have to work for anyone else. I get to decide what brands and styles of new vacuum I want to carry.

At my age, the most important thing is I sell vacuums I like. I like the Air-Way uprights because they don't give me problems. I like the Lamb motor in them. I like that I can easily fix one of them if I have to.

When I've used all six disposable bags that have come with my Air-Way Ultra, as long as no problems develop along the way, I'll be happy to sell them in my store. And why not?

If it can clean MY house, it can clean the houses of my customers. The folks at Air-Way (from the President to the sales rep) have all been kind and above-board with me. Unlike the 'german kenmore' reps who pissed me off. I may not be a big huge dealer selling hundreds a month but I'll throw my hat in the ring with a Company who treats me with kindness and respect. That's Air-Way.

 

[gsheen]

@ electromatik

Should we celebrate China , No and everything you say about the country themselfs is true BUT 


 


Sorry but you are completely wrong on the quality control. The western companies have complete control over the quality of the products they import from China. They know that its cheap , they know that because they chose it. 


I still do R & D for one vacuum company locally and another company that does small appliances, ( kettles, toasters ext ) 


We have complete control over the quality but quality comes with a price. when we test samples we will often pic up problems  which is totally normal, ( our market is unique and harsch ) we will go back to them and they will always improve the product, change the bearing quality or whatever we ask. But those changes often come at a cost and this can move that product out  of its intended price point, Choices are made, sometimes the product is accepted as is and we get lucky and have very low returns rates, Other times the product is completely scrapped. 


 


As for the Jolion, have you driven one, Cause I have.


 


As for western manufacturing, Oh I do wish it would come back but it wont, Not soon 


We have not China to blame but ourselves, 


We shop at huge big box chain stores and Buy off amazon instead of local shops because its easier 


We tell young people to go to collage to get a deg they will spend half their life paying back instead of a Blue collar job because those are looked down on in society,  


Its our very western CEO's and upper management that move production to China because it cheaper than making it locally ( I lost my first good job because of this ) 


Their are more people alive today than in the years past so why cant Hoover, Eureka, Royal, Dirtdevil , sustain production in your country with more people than ever buying them. Greed 


 


 

 

[gsheen]

I'll throw my hat in the ring with a Company who treats

This is a very True statement. 


Like you I own a small vacuum shop, and to me its the relationships with the suppliers that really matters. Their is a Local brand that I like to sell, ( also sourced from China 

) but are really well made. what I like about them is I know the CEO really well and he never misses a chance to go the extra mile for a customer. I handle their warranty work for Cape Town but their seldom is any. I never battle to get spares, OUr market is unique in that most home owners have a domestic worker that handles the cleaning but these ladys have a reputation for being very heavy handed on appliance, vacuums and ions are the NO1 destroyed household appliance in SA, On cylinder vacuums you wil be lucky to get a year out of a floor tool. 


I often get asked why i sell this brand over Miele for example and its really simple, Spares. If it breaks , when you need a floor tool I have them, I can get them easily, 1 day order wait time, Miele never has stock, the parts cost a fortune, I have started to use this brands floor tools on the Miele because they last as long, and cost around a quater of the price, they just happe to fit which helps too.


 


If a customer buys a machine from me and it breaks I need to be able to sort it out asap. Its my name on the line, not the brands as I sold them the vacuum. Made in Germany means noting when I have to tell the customer sorry no stock of the part we need to fix your vacuum 

 

[vaclab]

Went to Godfrey's Website and...

Perused their online catalog.

https://www.godfreys.com.au/wertheim-7-series-w9000

My greatest niggle is that it's a re-badged machine. Yeah, I know a lot of sellers do that, it's quite commonplace, but a name as legendary as Air-Way now being a $1299 re-badged plastic vac kinda twists me in the wrong direction.

Link to the manual:
https://www.godfreys.com.au/media/catalog/product/file/series-7-manual.pdf

Since I'm a performance guy, the manual states:
1300W (cleaner only), 1500W (with PN)
No other specs listed like suction or airflow.

Tom, I'm glad you will fill up 6 bags and then partially disassemble the machine to check for weak spots. One owner did have the wand break shortly after purchase.

If the U.S. price remains at $1300+, it'll have stiff competition I believe.

Best of luck and let us know how your trial period turns out,

Bill

 

[electromatik]

Some questions about the Ultra-Kleen

I have not found this for sale online anywhere as of yet. I do think it is an attractive machine. I like the black faceted paint scheme. This is now under consideration, and I would likely buy one if I can find a good deal. I would appreciate it if someone can answer the following:

Has anyone tested the filtration performance with a particle counter as of yet? If so, what are the results?

I can't read the cord length, how many feet?

Can you park the power nozzle on the machine?

Thanks for any help.

 

[dysonman1]

The cord is 25 feet, which is nice compared to the cord on my Electrolux Classic.

I believe the watt figures are different on the US model, but not by much less.

The bag chamber is black, making it very easy to see any escaped dust. My first bag is almost to the extremely full point but the airflow is still like new so I'll wait for the full bag light to show first before changing it.

Basically, I'm treating it like a customer would and not a collector. I don't think those electric wands can be fixed, I think you just replace them. The warranty is fairly long. I noticed they were using three rivets to lock the wand necks to the aluminum wand, making it stronger than the similar Tacony wand.

 

[electromatik]

Is there a parking slot for the power nozzle anywhere on the machine? I think that makes it easier when you have to stop and for storage.

 

[kirbylux77]

Mark

I am going to address the comments you made about the bag first, as you made a separate post about them.

Ok, so the bag is 5 layers and has a "fluffy polypropylene" material like Miele uses. That DOES NOT make them as good as the Miele AirClean bags! You should also be aware that EnviroCare Technologies makes their generic GN and FJM canister bags this way, and Qualtex makes the Miele U uprights bags like this. I have used both, so can attest to their performance. Sure, they do filter the dust out of the air and keep the bag chamber clean, just as any HEPA Cloth bag does. I actually bought a pack of the EnviroCare FJM bags back in 2018, and was expecting them to perform similar to the Miele AirClean bags because of their construction. Boy was I ever wrong thinking they would!!

The big difference, and what makes the Miele AirClean bag superior, IS those additional layers of bag material....even if it is thinner. Those additional filter layers allow for fine dust storage within the walls of the bag. They are literally the ONLY BAG the market that you can fill up to 3/4 full without losing hardly ANY suction or airflow. Also, the cloth bag straps inside the bag cause the dirt to bounce around inside the bag and make the ENTIRE bag material absorb the dust and dirt evenly, not just the bottom and sides of the bag as a conventional bag would. Any other HEPA Cloth bag, if the walls of the bag become clogged with dust, the only way you are going to restore suction and airflow to the cleaner using that bag is by taking it outside, giving the bag a good vigorous shake to loosen the dust from the walls of the bag, and reinstalling it in the cleaner.

As far as the Air Way bag having the activated charcoal in a pouch in the bag material, they actually copied that idea from Miele. Miele introduced a bag in Europe a few years ago called the Miele HyClean 4D Smell Protect bag, which is exactly identical to the AirClean bag material, but with a pouch of activated charcoal right above the plastic bag collar.

So, now the score is Miele 3 / Air Way 0. Unless you have laboratory testing that PROVES the Air Way bags can be filled to 3/4 full without a appreciable difference in the suction and airflow of the cleaner while in operation.

Rob

 

[kirbylux77]

Link to the Miele HyClean 4D Smell Protect bags on Amazon before Miele pulled them off the market:



https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Miele-Hyclean-Protect-Vacuum-Cleaner/dp/B0749WDQ6K

 

[dysonman1]

There are two parking spots on the back of the canister. So far, I've only parked the combination tool which has its own post for the parking slot. The wand has the same post for the other parking slot.

One of the things I think MY customers will like is how easy it pulls on carpets. Many vacuums don't. My Miele Aquarius has such small wheels they sink into the rug and you literally drag the canister.

I had fun this past weekend experimenting with different power nozzles, wands, adapters and pigtail cords on the Air-Way. The hose end is 35MM, so I have adapters for that diameter. My EBK360 from the Ritello really is quite the nozzle connected to the Air-Way.

 

[n0oxy]

suction motor

What kind of motor is in the new Air-way? Is it a two stage motor or one of those one stage screamers? Also, what's the electric plug like on the hose? Is it standard? Converting 35 MM to 32 MM is easy, adapters are available to handle that and I have several of them.
Mike