Tom, Les, Alex & Antoine
As for the pistol grip hose being better, yes I will agree it might be a little more convenient to use since it makes plugging in the powerhead wire a little easier since it just plugs into the handle. Having said that, I actually prefer the generic hose with the metal handle Alex has on his Compact in the video. One flaw the pistol grip handle on the genuine hose has is the metal tube becomes loose & moves around in the plastic handle & requires replacement after a few years. The metal hose handle on the metal hose handle won't break & is much more durable. The only minor flaws I can see is that you have to plug in 2 wires when plugging in the powerhead, & you have to hold the hose cord in your hand while using the hose with tools or else it dangles. But, I can live with that if it means it's more durable.
The Compact was good for it's time, but I prefer the TriStar CXL & DXL over the earlier Compacts. Since the blower port is built into the metal port & angles up as Alex says in his video, you can't modify the blower port like you can on the later TriStar's that use the plastic blower basket that you can easily modify to take a larger motor like the Ametek 115923/117923 like Miele canisters used to use. Also, the Filter Fresh, while it does improve filtration, severely restricts the airflow on a Compact or TriStar. You could use the HEPA Dome available for them, but you cannot use the Patriot Medik Aire HEPA filter that the Patriot/Airstorm canisters use on a Compact because of the blower port being angled straight up. You can use it on a TriStar CXL or DXL, though, because the Patriot/Airstorm canisters use the same plastic blower basket that they use.
One thing I will say that the Compact canisters got right, though, was using the Eureka Roto-Matic powerhead & adding a air relief vent to it. It seems that the bottom plate on that powerhead allows the bristles to stick out a little farther & groom a little better than the TriStar CXL/DXL version that Interstate Engineering designed to replace it.
Speaking of filtration & the bags, I recently discovered there is FINALLY a HEPA Cloth bag available for the Compact/TriStar canisters! It's about time a company came out with them for these vacuums
Rob
https://www.amazon.com/Vacuum-Ameri...48876645&sr=8-34&keywords=tristar+vacuum+bags