vacuum followed me home today!

[eurekaprince]

Thanks Norm!

 

[bagintheback]

Sometimes I like to look at old forums so I happened to read this one. One thing I'd like to say about the VG I. I have a Perfect P101 (Sanitaire clone) that came with a VG I with all 4 brushes. So I don't think someone replaced the beater bars with brushes. I was even able to put the VG 1 into my Eureka Precision, which also came with a VG 2. (I'm thinking an early 90's vacuum?) I've vacuumed with both of those brush rolls and here's what I've noticed.

VG I:

*Grooms carpet better than the VG 2
*Beats pretty hard for only brushes
*Allows MUCH more suction to come to the carpet. MUCH MORE
*Carpet feels more clean after vacuuming

VG 2:

*Beats carpet better than my Hoover Convertible
*Has stiffer brushes
*Less hair gets caught on it
*REALLY good at vacuuming up pet hair

I hope this helped.

Nathaniel

 

[eurekaprince]

Hey Nathaniel - thanks for the review of the Eureka Vibra Gr

Your Eureka Precision is a model from around 1988. Would love to hear a review of the Vibra Groomer Three which was installed in the Eureka Express Power Nozzles. These were designed to compete with Hoover's Quadraflex agitator, and had four strips of bristles reinforced to give them extra sweeping power. I really wonder if the whole idea was just a marketing ploy, or if "reinforced bristles" actually make a difference on all carpets.

I still think that stiff bristles on an agitator hitting the carpet gives it as much of a "beating" as a steel or plastic bar. If anything, a rounded bar might even be gentler on carpets than prickly bristles.

Eurekaprince Brian on the north shore of Lake Ontario......

 

[bagintheback]

You're welcome eurekaprince! Sadly, I don't have a vacuum, or ever used a vacuum, with a VG 3. Until I got my Convertible, I had never used a vacuum with beater bars. My experience with them is better with shag carpet than the one in my house, which is really short. Really stiff brushes work best with the carpet in my house. My Halo UV-ST has such stiff brushes it can pull itself!

 

[vintagehoover]

'If anything, a rounded bar might even be gentler on car

Eurekaprince, you're absolutely correct; a polished, smooth beater-bar is a LOT less damaging to carpet fibres over time than a stiff, rough brush. They don't snag or yank at the tufts of the carpet like a stiff brush does.

If you had to choose between running your finger back and forth over a brush-strip for an hour, and over a beater-bar for the same period, which would you pick? Most people would pick the smooth beater-bar, because the brush-strip is a much rougher surface which creates more friction - and thus, more wear.

Hoover door-to-door salesmen used to give a great demonstration of how gentle the Agitator's action was - the Kapoc-Yarn test. They'd take a test-rug, and loosely thread several pieces of yarn through it. The housewife would be invited to pull a couple of strands out by hand, to see for herself how easy it was to remove them. The salesman would then smear the rug with kapoc, and run the Hoover over. The Hoover would remove every trace of kapoc from the rug without ever pulling out any of the loosely-threadded strands of yarn.

 

[eurekaprince]

Cool story Jack!

Thanks for that.......I imagine Eureka's Vibra Groomer II is actually very gentle on carpets, since it has many small beater bars along the length of the brushroll, rather than two long continuous ones.

This is now very interesting - beater bars versus stiff bristles. In reality, that is where the corporate research should be going - the design of the brushroll. I like the idea that Dyson is looking into better ways of designing the fan motor. I'm sure they have their eyes set on the brush roll next!

Brian

 

[eurekaprince]

Addendum: Panasonic's innovative brushroll

Actually, the last manufacturer to take a shot at rethinking the brushroll was Panasonic. Their Direct Drive brushrolls are really cool - the motor is actually inside the brushroll, allowing it to be beltless.

The best part about this brushroll is the ability to slow down the rotation separately from the suction motor. The Panasonic and Kenmore uprights that have this beltless, direct drive brushroll offer the user a "gentle" setting which slows it down for delicate carpets. It's a really smart invention.

EP Brian

 

[lux1521]

Although its been a while since I've used a VG3, I do remember it being one of the best designs I have ever used. It does a great job lifting the pile, and like the VGII it has a satisfying brush roll noise. The thing that comes to mind about the Express PN is it sticks to the carpet and can be difficult to push under some circumstances, but it gives the impression that it is working hard.

 

[vintagehoover]

Brian - I agree. We had that brushroll in the UK in the wonderful Panasonic Icon. It was a fantastic cleaner, and I really wish it was still on sale. It was just too heavy, too complicated to repair, and the bagless versions were hopelessly flawed.

But the TOL bagged version is one of the most beautifully-styled cleaners in recent years!

None of the Icons had the 'gentle' setting though - although the TOL bagged and bagless models had an infra-red dirt sensor!

What would also be useful - and perhaps someone's already done this - would be to have the option to temporarily reverse the direction of the brush-roll's rotation, so you could vacuum up to the edge of a rug without pulling it in!

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[eurekaprince]

Those Panasonic Icons look so beautiful! Love the white and mauve version!!!!

Yes - it is the Kenmore Direct Drive upright (both bagless and bagged) that are continually getting top ratings by Consumer Reports over here in the colonies. That Panasonic beltless brush roll must have something to do with the high score for cleaning carpets and "ease of use".


Okay, I'm hopping in a boat to join you for a playdate!!!!! Can we go over and offer to vacuum Buckingham Palace?

 

[vintagehoover]

You're welcome to drop by if you're in the area

Here's a full-page Argos catalogue ad for the two main Icon bagged models. At £250, the TOL version was obscenely expensive at the time - which also now contributes to their relative scarcity. The Icons are already becoming collectible. I'm lucky in that despite being almost ten years old, both my black bagless and black-and-silver bagged models only have only ever had about 2 hours use between them!

 

[vintagehoover]

Here's another one...

 

[eurekaprince]

Thank you VH.....those Panasonics are really beautiful.

Have a good week.....

Brian