Vacuums that make you satisfied

[madabouthoovers]

I'll look forward to your video review on it - a nice long one like the D4 Premium! Now that IS an impressive cleaner, with lights like something of Doctor Whoooo! lol

 

[sensotronic]

Yes it will be a long one, ooh err misus!

I had a K3 Premium a few years ago and really liked it, but sold it when I was short of cash, knowing that I would buy another at some stage. Since I had mine, the power has been increased from 1800 to 2100 watts and it has a longer hose. I never really liked the ETH power head and used the head from my Felix with my K3 which gave a better performance. I still have an ETH head with my C3 Power Plus, but I fit the ET 1 that came with my D4 when I use my C3.

The D4 is excellent but rather bulky, and I feel that the K3 Premium will offer similar performance in a much more compact, lightweight cleaner. I have always preferred cylinders with power heads as they are much easier to push than a straight suction nozzle, even if they are a lot heavier.

 

[madabouthoovers]

That's the main reason I didn't go for the D series - its for very large houses, and I live in a 2 bedroom Victorian terrace. Whilst its very good, I do actually prefer the looks of the K series, and its unusual bag loading system, which seems a lot more robust than the bag door on the S6 series. I think the K is an understated and undersold vac - when you've used on for a while you get to appreciate that its a very competent little machine, and with the bags at half the price of Miele's I don't mind that its only a 3 litre capacity, as in my house, with just me and my cat, it will still take a while to fill one up.


What would have made the Vulcano perfect, is if Sebo would use a radio controlled remote handle, like on the Miele versions with remote handles, and that on my S8730. It would do away with the hose internal cable, so that only the K3 Premium would need it.

 

[sebo_fan]

Well, I ended up having to replace the bag door on my first SEBO K1 - a light blue 1800 watt Komfort that I bought from John Lewis many moons ago. The doors tend to last a long time and I had that K1 Komfort model for a few good years before I bought my SEBO Felix. The door however eventually began to wear down and had to be replaced as it began to get difficult to close the door over - it was fairly easy to get a brand new spare door as I found out as I wasn't aware I could get spare parts like that.

The K series is a very competent vac and it is largely understated and probably due to negative reviews in the past from buyers who have reported that the cords got stuck inside the machine.

Another issue seems to be the side on hose mount on the body. It can allow the machine to move "one sided" and not in the way the owner wants the vacuum to go. I have noticed this aspect myself on older K series models before SEBO improved the castors with bigger wheels as shown firstly on the K3 Vulcano before SEBO went and changed the colours with the 2100 watt motor upgrades

Even the base K1 Airbelt has the bigger wheels now.

 

[madabouthoovers]

The only thing I could see that could get worn is the lugs on the bag door that engage the bag holder assembly, which, as you push the door closed, push the bag housing up against spring pressure so that the bag hole presses up to the inlet pipe. I little grease on these lugs would help prevent wear on them. That's the only thing I thought straight away as a future failure point. The other being the failure of the cable inside the hose. Once that fails, the motor will run at full speed all the time, the same as if you remove the hose and switch the machine on.


Where the hose enters the handle, there are 3 copper contact rings with spring contacts, so enabling the hose to twist in the socket through 360 degrees. I don't know why they didn't do this at the other end of the hose where there is no swivel. Possibly cost reasons?


I have noticed though that the orange Airbelt has now developed little black marks over each little hole in the rubber mount underneath, where the air blows through - I presume that it is carbon dust staining, although I don't see how, as the post motor filter is supposed to stop this from reaching the air belt.

 

[sebo_fan]

It could well be the dirt in your home/air. Mine went like that as well, but a damp cloth can remove it, provided you take the air belt off - and is easy to push and fold back on.

The beauty of the SEBO K is that is so much better built than any Miele vacuum that I find rivals, it though. Even when the lid of a Miele vacuum is opened up just after use, the AAC or HEPA filter pops out and if it is removed you get black fingers from the carbon on the underside.

SEBO's filters lack that, so there's no dirt and none of their other filters "pop out," either.

 

[madabouthoovers]

I've never noticed the filter pop out on the Miele, although I've heard stories about it on ebay and reviews, but I assumed that was because the seller had used crap quality bags and they had clogged up the exhaust filter, which is why it blew off in use.


 


I'm leaving my Airbelt as it is - if I clean in, then it will only get black spots over it again in a week or so, so I presume they are meant to do that - what it does show is that there is more exhaust holes down one side of the cleaner  than the other

 

[sebo_fan]

If you still have a Miele cylinder vac, Steve, remove the hose, lift the lid and switch on - the filter on top may well pop off.

 

[madabouthoovers]

Yes, it does, they all do. The lid is designed to hold the exhaust filter housing down in place. As the bag compartment develops negative (suction) pressure, it pulls the lid hard down at full power, which counteracts the positive (blowing) pressure build up behind the (unclogged) filter cassette and holds it down.


The problem comes when the filter is clogged, so not enough airflow can pass through it at higher power, this creates not enough negative pressure in the bag compartment  but enormous positive pressure behind the filter, and even with the lid closed and catched, it is not enough to hold the filter down, and the filter distorts the lid, and dislocates itself from its housing.  The seal between the exhaust housing and the bag compartment is then disrupted allowing air to pass between them, thus the motor breathes again (by recirculating the same air over and over) but the cleaner wont have any suction at the hose, which is the problem that sellers on ebay have when they don't change the exhaust filter on time, or use cheap bags which cause the filter to clog prematurely, and this is more a problem with the Active Air Clean and Active HEPA filters as people often don't realise they need to buy new ones every year, and continue to use the cleaner until the above situation occurs.

 

[sebo_fan]

Or that they have forgotten about the date they wrote on those filters in the first place? No wonder the Super Air Clean filter grid is often fitted as standard.