The new Hoover WindTunnel Air bagless upright

[vacu-finder]

Has anyone seen this unit in action, looks really smart and good price i think around $180.00

 

[briguy]

It's great! I have had one for about a year now. It was a reconditioned model from Hooever.com. It was only $50. I love that lil thing!! I think I have seem them at Target for $150.

 

[suckolux]

I did the very same purchase, its often used, no problems

 

[suckolux]

My only issue I have with this unit,due to lower back issues, its hard to reach down and get the hose off for anything, for me anyway.Otherwise its first to grab.

 

[seamusuk]

Over here...

This is the Vax version- oddly our hose goes in the back rather than the side...

Seamus

P.S you can normally find it for under half the RRP.......

http://www.vax.co.uk/vacuum-cleaners/upright-vacuum/air-reach-upright

 

[sebo_fan]

I just sold mine! I liked it but the suction hose kept pulling the thing back - mind you, it is so lightweight to lift up, it will still be a good model that I'll recommend to all my friends when they ask me though I much preferred the Reach model as it has a bigger amount of cord and the clip on extendable stretch hose.

Confusingly Vax's new Mach Air 3 models have a swivel neck built in but the hose has now been moved to the side just like the original Hoover Windtunnel Air, which has a fixed position.

 

[sebo_fan]

Wow, the Vax Mach Air Reach has been majorly slashed in price at Argos from £249 to £124!

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerms/VAX%20AIR%20REACH.htm

 

[uksausage]

vax mach air 2

i got my mach air 2 on monday and im very pleased with it the only think i dont like is the bristles do seem to be a bit soft they pull the pile up as much as somer other machines

 

[sebo_fan]

Tesco.com also have the Reach model at £124. Oooh its very tempting!!

 

[uksausage]

tempting

go on be a devil you know you want to

 

[sebo_fan]

I thought about it long and hard tonight after I put that post. The thing about the Reach model is that it has the longer hose extension and the longer cord, but I've used the extension hose I had on my Orange model and it was bulky and time consuming, snapping back all the time due to the force of the suction.

Nah, as much as I love the Vax Mach Air Reach, its the bagless thing again as well. I put up with it for as long as I could when I had the Orange model. Fine if all you do is empty general dust but the cat we have has medium short to long hair. It's a right pain when the fur gets stuck right at the top of the cyclone, meaning that I always end up having to poke it around with a stick or just dismantle the whole bin and loosen the fur out. Always ends up being a mess with me. I've tried being slow, I've tried with gloves on, but still my sweater gets tons of pet hair on it and there's so much you can do with chunky wool knit sweaters, crucial for this kind of weather.

Sad to say it, but I much prefer a dust bag! None of that nonsense when it all goes into a dust bag!

 

[rolls_rapide]

"Sad to say it, but I much prefer a dust bag! None of th

I totally agree.

I have tried bagless designs and the problem for me is that they are just too damn messy.

The bagless shroud always gets clogged, which then needs cleaned. And if there is the slightest breeze when emptying...

The Dyson DC15 I noticed has not got good sealing about the trapdoor. If you thump the canister on the floor to dislodge some of the dirt before emptying, the dirt can actually get past the thin rubber flange seal. Rather disturbing so say the least.

I have been using an old Panasonic MC-E50's upright and a new Vax cylinder, and rediscovering the hygienic methods of disposing of dirt - with bags.

 

[suckolux]

I have a long hair tuxedo, his hair does not stick up in mine, it does in the dc 18 however

 

[sebo_fan]

I wondered about that Vax when it appeared in catalogues - is it any good? Does it have a long cable?

 

[rolls_rapide]

The Vax cylinder...

I was looking for a cost effective cylinder vacuum cleaner, with a bag, in order to clean all the places where an upright might be a nuisance. I got mine from "The Original Factory Shop", which seems to specialise in overstocked items from other retailers.

The machine is compact, with a standard-ish length of flex - I presume six metres - but I have not measured it.

The hose length seems to be a standard length too. A telescopic steel extension tube is supplied. A grey combination carpet/floor head is supplied (much cheaper quality than those black and orange heads that were supplied with the wet & dry machines in the mid-Nineties).

Suction seems to be reasonable for an 1800W motor, and the variable power is easy to adjust. A piston bag check indicator is fitted in the lid.

There is ONE small tool: a short crevice tool, with flip-out "dusting brush". This has to be a joke, as the brush is as much use as a toothbrush!

There is no small tool storage on the machine at all. Not even a clip on the hose or tubes, to store the jokey crevice tool.

And we come to another problem...tools from other machines will not fit. This is because this Vax accepts 35mm diameter necked tools. The usual size is apparently 32mm. (So the older, better quality carpet/floor head, from my old Vax, doesn't fit!)

Doing a bit of Googling, it appears that 35mm tools are fitted to some Mieles and Sebos. So if it came to the bit, I could buy the odd tool from Miele or Sebo - but I would need to check beforehand. Qualtex do a set of tubes and small tools for a reasonable price.

Vax's website for spares is another joke. The tools listed on it don't even have proper photos of the parts in question, any old photo is used to "illustrate" the part, the descriptions are dire and they lack proper sizes: (is it 32 or 35mm? Will it fit?).

Three paper bags are supplied. I measured the cardboard collar: 11cm x 10cm, with a 3.5cm hole. Hunting in the local lo-cost store, I came across dustbags for a Dirt Devil cylinder, with the same collar dimensions. These bags though, might be slightly smaller, they're certainly of a different shape.

Ryan:
Can you check your Sebo tools diameter (internal), just to satisfy my curiosity?
And anyone with a Miele machine?

Cheers.

 

[sebo_fan]

Yep no problem, Calum. The only Sebo attachment that would fit would be the extension hose because of its rubber neck - and then you'd have to consider Sebo tools on the other end. Sadly the measurements go from 36mm to 40mm depending on the specific tools.

However, I have a spare Miele 3 part clip on tool holder that clips onto most 35mm suction pipes. You can buy them from Miele UK direct in their tools/parts link.

Recently, I bought a Panasonic 1300 watt cylinder vac that uses 35mm tools and ended up using a main size Bosch turbo brush I had from an older Bosch vacuum (the BSGL5000 range) and it fits perfectly. The Turbo brush also fits Miele's standard 2 part telescopic suction pipes but because the Bosch floor head is friction fit it has to be jammed on mighty tightly to avoid it becoming loose in use, thus inclined to either fall off or become so loose that the floor head does more than just the left/right angle. Not a problem when used on Panasonic's height adjustable tubes though as the metal seems to be thinner than Miele.

Your best bet for other brand tools are from Bosch, Miele, Karcher or Panasonic as their current line up have the bigger 35mm tools. Miele and Bosch are the safest bets as all of their tools are 35mm against Panasonic who make some machines that have the smaller 32mm fitting and good luck finding Karcher other than their long crevice tool and avoid the plastic suction tubes as they're no good IMHO. Also, the Panasonic dusting brush is no good as a general design - Miele's rotational round dust brush is a better bet. To be on the safest side see if you can pick up a second hand brush or flat upholstery tool second hand from EBay, thus you'll know whether it can use Miele or not.

OR.. get to Wikos. I found their budget range of vacuum dust bags on sale there and they also sell vacuum cleaner attachments - their mini turbo brush comes with a bigger 35mm adaptor and the design of the brush mimics the Electrolux mini pet hair brush with the risor visor.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Thanks for that. Serves me right for buying cheap.

The nearest Wilkinson shop, apparently, is Falkirk. It's too far away.

 

[uksausage]

the tools

if your intrested i do have three miele tools going spare if you want them i have the main floor head turbo head and small turbo head from a miele cat and dog as i have an electric powerhead on mine so the tools are sat in the cupboard doing nothing
david
x

 

[sebo_fan]

The large floor head wouldn't fit friction fit suction tubes - unless of course you want to continually tighten the neck each time you use it. Miele friction tools are better in this respect - seems to work better with tubes and hoses without the buttons/locks.

Also Calum dont be hard on yourself. Buying cheap doesn't always mean the raw deal. My old Argos bagged upright used 32mm tools and thus was really easy to use with other tools not designed for it. Getting the bags for it however was a major pain!