Top secret now on the shelf

[isufan11]

About 6 months ago I had two relatively interesting vacuums come into the office, at the time I didn't think much of them and had to sign a bunch of paper work saying we would not talk about them until they were for sale. They hit the shelves so I can talk about them now. They are the new LG vacuums, and they are interesting to say the least. They are kind of like a jacked up Windtunnel 2. My over all impression of them was and still is that they are junk! They are very heavy and very bulky, now that I see the price I also think that they are about $300 over priced as well. Here is the website to see them. They are also now on the shelves at Home Depot.

http://www.lg.com/us/appliances/vacuum-cleaners/LG-upright-vacuum-cleaner-LuV300B.jsp

 

[gottahaveahoove]

In a phrase,

"The cream of the crap!"

 

[joe22]

"The cream of the crap!"

lolZZZ

they do look rather bulky

 

[sanimatic]

Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports rated these in their on-line Vac reviews several months ago. I hadn't seen them anywhere and meant to ask if anyone on the forum was familiar with them. They got decent ratings. I would say they are upper middle in the overall upright list. Scored excellent for bare floors, very good on carpet and most other categories. The lower end one scored very good on tool airflow while the higher end one was only good. I know not everyone agrees with CR ratings, but serves as a good baseline.

Chris

 

[gusherb]

I hate it's looks, not to mention bulky looking.

 

[vacman117]

I was just going to post something on these! I was at sears and they had the LG Kompressor? It was spelled with a K. I got a picture of it with my phone. Very interesting looking cleaner.

 

[joe22]

doesnt miele use the kompressor thingy on some of the new canisters ? new marketing tool

 

[aeoliandave]

So, if I interpret the specifications comparison page correctly, for US$319 I get a bulky heavy (22 lb) overly complicated whizz-bang LG vacuum in Wild Cherry Red, with a rotating scraper blade inside the dust bin that loosens clinging particles of fine dirt which can then fall back into the downstream vortex which ultimately produces a compacted puck of dust clay in the bottom. What fun that will be when it breaks up while emptying. Looking closely it appears that the scraper blade is manually operated?

For US$100 more I get a radio-frequency control in the detachable wand handle, a few more expensive replaceable filters and 10 more feet of cord...and a Riviera Blue paint job. The addition of which somehow adds no further weight to the machine (what do they leave out?) Whoopee!

Oh, I see, LG combines 3 tools into one with the Crevice 2 in 1 (Upholstery Tool+Dusting Brush) in its top model. What a weight-saving innovation! Available only on the model LuV300B.

For that kinda dough I'd expect a motor driven upholstery tool to go with that fancy schmantzy RF control (oh good, another circuit board that runs on a button cell). What this really means is that the hose is non-electric. I also notice that they are making no claims about airflow or suction levels.

 

[aeoliandave]

No thanks. I'll hang on to my infinitely more attractive 15 lb LG/Kenmore Premalite that, run long & hard enough, also produces a puck-like disc of compacted dirt in the bottom of the bin.

Looks like the virtually exact same base with enclosed motor turbine unit and 2nd motor for brushroll.

 

[aeoliandave]

I keep one of these downstairs for serious non-vintage efficient carpet and cobweb cleaning - I have yet to find a single spec of dirt on the washable pre-motor filter in the base - all the dirt stays in the bin and a light tap or a few raps causes the residue powder to fall out of the cyclone cones.
All in all a fine lightweight all purpose vacuum with style that represents LG in an original light.

This new LuV200/300B Scrapervac of theirs is not a progressive step built upon the simplified center-suction Premalite base. It's just another cheapened plastic chinavac with a new wrinkle gimmick, certainly not something I'd want to have to lug up & down stairs.

Dave

http://www.vacuumland.org/TD/ARCHIVE/MODERN/2009/6098x24.htm

 

[eurekastar]

Or maybe LG is trying to imply that their vacuum is in the "Mercedes" class of vacuums because some of the Mercedes Benz supercharged models carry the designation "Kompressor".

 

[eurekastar]

Kompressor Problems in the UK

Found this article on the LG Kompressor.

http://www.current.com.au/2007/11/14/article/TNVOCYNOAX.html

 

[rolls_rapide]

Kompressor

It is actually Bosch.

Bosch and LG's usage refer to different things.

The LG compresses the dust into a cake of dirt, by means of that wiper blade thingy.

The Bosch refers to the design of the suction generation unit.

 

[eurekastar]

How it works.

 

[aeoliandave]

No mention or diagrams of the Kompressor blade mechanism in the User manual. But there is a warning not to touch the gear or button in the bottom of the base when removing/replacing the dust bin, leading one to thinking the scraper blade is enclosed in the bottom lid of the cylindrical bin.

Also, the instructions are to open both side doors of the dust separate compartment in addition to the lower bin and wipe out dust. How exactly is this so much more hygenic or less work than simply opening one bottom lid over a trashcan?

 

[aeoliandave]

This is curious - the lower priced model 200 has an internal 30 ft cordwinder, as shown and described in its Manual. Its hose is also detachable with wand but is a straight shot connection with no bulky handle like the early Fantoms.

Shirley, those are more useful features than a battery operated RF control panel on a large unwieldy 'gas pump' handle and manual wrap 40 ft cord?

 

[aeoliandave]

Humble apologies to all. I jumped the gun. These LG uprights DO NOT use the Kompressor technology. If they did I could see spending $300 for the lower tier model. I stand behind the rest of my analysis, tho.

Noisy damn things, too. The Premalite is hushed by comparison.

Dave

 

[vacman117]

I think I might get this one. I like it a lot. It's time for a *new* vacuum anways

 

[vacuumfreeeke]

David and I played with the blue model at HH Greg. The Dyson Air Muscle and Hoover Platinum light weight bagged, loved them BOTH very much, but that LG thing is pretty awful. It's bulky, the suction doesn't seem great, and that sillly dusting tool is a joke. I'll pass... I've always liked LG hitherto, but I think they missed the mark this time.