Vacuum cleaner pick up tests on carpet

VacuumLand – Vintage & Modern Vacuum Enthusiasts

Help Support VacuumLand:

vacuumdevil

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 8, 2017
Messages
1,352
Location
Vacuum Hell
I've done a small video explaining why you can't accurately weigh a bag or dustbin with debris during a pick up test on carpet.




Actually I did two videos because good "scientific theory" is repeatable.
I'm only making one public because I don't want to start the debate bypass vs direct air that's not what I wish to discuss.
also I'm expect to have a few "hurt feeling" replies from some locals in "New balance shoes.
Enjoy or cry whichever "brings you Joy"
Second video with similar results.






 
I saw the video, but I don't think your argument was very convincing. You weren't even running a fair scientific test. You didn't even reference any valid scientific test methods. All tests have their limitations, and much thought goes into ones that are truly scientifically valid. Tests are repeated to measure variability in results. Certainly I appreciate that many of your videos are entertaining, even when they lack scientific rigor. Thanks for posting them.
 
ralph123

But in the video he addresses the concerns you brought up. He said ideally you would need multiple models of the same machine to get truly accurate representations. He wasn't trying to pull a fast one on any of us. And he purposely used a lower power vacuum with no rotating brush and just a couple of passes to show that you will still be able to suck up material from a very clean carpet.

Maybe some people don't care for his sense of humor but I find it refreshing compared to the almost patronizing tone of another channel.
 
weighted sand in the carpet test

This will make things clear.
Key to these test is VERY thorough pre vacuuming before the test.
In my test I got tiny bit of carpet pick up and even much bigger piece of carpet only weights 0.07 grams.
So I did put down 10 grams of sand and vacuum picked up 5.79 grams.
Even big piece of carpet is not going to mess up the test.
NOTE that typical carpet pick up in these tests is way less than 0.07 grams shown here.
Smaller piece of carpet was so light that scale didn't even show it.
Video in the link shows everything clearly.


 
6 Pairs of New Balance Shoes Here in the Lab

VacLab Response Part 1

In 1982, I took my first advanced placement (re: College level) Physics course as a junior in High School. Many years later I submitted term papers and received an “A” in a graduate level (i.e. 500 level) Physics/M.E. lab course in which I performed detailed mechanical/electrical labs. These papers were graded by a PhD professor.

My formal degree is Math, but I have 9 credit hours remaining and I would earn a B.S. in Physics as well.

With that being said, 6 pairs of New Balance shoes should definitely sway any naysayers in the right direction (see, I made a funny there).

Let’s boil down his video into two fundamental arguments.

1)The theory of “if you weigh a vacuum bag, it will tell you how much you have picked up.”

His observance that there will be “error” in pickup in 100% true and I’ve been making videos to that effect since 2017 when I started my channel. At this time, I’ve posted innumerable videos in which I separate erroneous carpet fluff from the test dirt, wherever possible

But it gets better. Beginning in January 2020, I started a playlist called “Dry Pass (Carpet Shredder) Test” in which carpet tear out is specifically quantified. To date, 14 results have been posted, ranging from a low of 0.01g to a high of 0.65g. So all 14 machines (which were tested up to 5 times to obtain consistent results) had “error rates” of far less than 1 gram on my medium pile test carpet. While every carpet will certainly be different, all one needs to do is measure the extraneous pickup and properly quantify it, a simple task provided you have a sensitive scale. A scale that only measures to 1 gram should never be used.



Once the “error rate” is properly measured, it can now be used in a simple formula.

(Raw Bag/Bin Pickup) MINUS (Error Rate) = Cleaned Pickup

I specifically designed my tests to give highly accurate results regardless of the error rate. Here’s how the Math works out:
If I test one of my “carpet shredder” vacuums with 5 grams of sand and I have a known 0.5 grams error, I can merely subtract that from the pickup. If the shredder picks up 4 grams, subtract 0.5 grams and now you have 3.5 grams, a 10% reduction.

If I test one of my non-shredder vacuums with 5 grams of sand and I have a known 0.1 grams error, I can merely subtract that from the pickup. If the non-shredder picks up 4 grams, subtract 0.1 grams and now you have 3.9 grams, a 2% reduction.

It should also be mentioned that all testing typically has varying margins of error caused by a wide variety of factors. Many industries recognized that plus or minus 3% is an acceptable range. You should never buy another vacuum because some test shows it to be 5% or even 10% better. The difference will be nearly impossible to notice for the average user.

Around 9:38 the statement is made “You can’t use carpet for a weighed pickup test.” <- Totally false claim as proven above. Alex, you need to watch how proper testing is performed, which is why I named my channel “VacLab.”
 
VacLab Response Part 2

2)Vacuum Wars Erroneous Testing

Unfortunately Vacuum Wars does not know how to perform proper scientific testing and he has posted many hilarious results showing near and well over 100% pickup. I have posted many rebuttal videos but ALL testers need to specifically watch this one:



Testing with 50 or 100 grams in a small area is downright irresponsible. Think about how many pounds (kilograms) or dirt would be picked up if multiplied out for 1000 square feet? You might fill a large Kirby bag every time you vacuumed! Totally unrealistic unless you reside in a massively filthy home.

Vacuum Wars obtains near and well over 100% due to at least two factors:

1) His carpet is still dirty (must be flipper over) to remove previous build up and
2) Shedding (which he has never quantified).

For my tests, I clean and verify a typical dirt error of around 0.01 grams. Read that number again very slowly. Yup, that’s one hundred times cleaner than what can be measured by a 1 gram scale. If I were to have a dirt error of 0.05 grams and was performing a 5 gram test, that would only introduce a 1% (one percent) error. Obviously, also take into account the carpet shredder results as stated in the first response above.

Want to see an “unclean-able” carpet that has not only has never ending dirt but also massive tear out?



This carpet was eventually thrown out because it could not generate accurate repeatable results.

Final thoughts

Any tester that obtains results near or over 100% should be ashamed of themselves period. They have either not done proper vetting of the test itself or the test is useless because all vacuums get about the same result. To that end, I ceased most of my bare floor tests years ago because the results were fairly boring. Bare floor/surface pickup is easy compared to carpet extraction tests.

I can't tell you exactly how many hundreds of hours (maybe 1000+) I spent in College labs (Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, Programming, etc.) performing precision experiments with full write-ups that were scrutinized by professors and even periodically peer reviewed. ALL results had to be explained including all errors encountered (even broken equipment). Now combine that with a degree that includes probability/proofs and statistics and you have the makings of someone that is well qualified to create and complete proper testing.
 
Regarding the uncleanable rug on the concrete floor, I have to wonder if the problem is the concrete releasing dust rather than never ending dirt in the rug?
 
Well point of this thread has been proven.
These tests are very accurate where you measure the bag or bagless bin content.
Just compare it to tests where people judge vacuums by inspecting the carpet by eye after unmeasured dirt put down to the carpet.

I don't show my shoes because they are mixed bag :D
 

Latest posts

Back
Top