Views on new Hoover constellation?

[eurekaprince]

I owned one for several years and here are my comments:

Pros -
-very powerful
-very quiet
-very long hose that stretched to almost 10 feet
-excellent turbo carpet nozzle that really cleaned surface litter well (Consumer Reports rated its carpet cleaning as "good")
-very long cord
-easy to change cloth HEPA bag

Cons -
-downward exhaust kicked up too much dust before you were able to remove it
-came with a "kinked" hose that needed to be replaced twice
-so called "horse-hair" bristles on tools were actually very rough and abrasive
-if you used the on-board tool caddy, you could mar your walls or furniture when the floating canister went sailing into the walls because the tools jutted out too far from the machine (the bumper did not prevent damage to your walls in this case)
-when the removable brush part was removed, the upholstery nozzle had such sharp edges as to make it dangerous to use on fabric
-the suction "relief" hole in the bag chamber drew in dust from the air around the machine, allowing dust to accumulate inside the bag chamber (bypassing the bag) and potentially allowing it to be blown out the exhaust

I finally sold the Connie to a newlywed couple for $60. They loved it. But ever since then, I refuse to buy any canister cleaner that does not blow the exhaust upward from the machine like my new Electrolux canister does.

 

[jmurray01]

I admit, up facing exhaust ports are the best.

I was vacuuming the hard flooring the other day with my 2008 JMB SC1056 cylinder and as I pulled it into the kitchen it kicked up lots of fine dirt and dust I was just about to suck up, making quite a mess. It has the exhaust port on the back.

 

[sebo_fan]

Id really like to know who is responsible for the knowledge you've built up JM! I'm really trying here! No Whirlwind is NOT an exclusive name to Hoover vacuums sold in Argos, it is just a sub-name given to many of Hoover's products. Whirlwind branded machines either replaced older machines that were the same save for colour changes on the bodies, slightly higher power and different "livery". The Whirlwind series was first sold through catalogues before reaching Amazon and then Argos.

Exhausts facing upwards have their disadvantages too though - the best one is the Airbelt design on the Sebo cylinder vacs, diffusing air away from the owner. The worst exhaust in my experience is that of the Electrolux cylinder vacs (Powerplus models) where the central vent is on the rear heel of the vacuum. When made to go upright and left there for some time when cleaning stairs, stairs can get hot because of the exhaust.

 

[eurekaprince]

You are correct, Jamie.

It seems that the majority of canister cleaners made in North America in the last 50 years blew exhaust out the back of the machine, or worse, down from the bottom of the machine. North America's Electrolux vacs may have been the only ones not to - even those made by the company that split off from the European "mother" corporation.

It seems that Europe "got wind" (pardon the pun!) of the problem by the 1970's and began to show canister vacs with top-side exhaust ports.

Even to this day, top-rated Panasonic and Kenmore canisters blow exhaust out the back of their vacs (often through their cord reel ports) - sending any surface litter flying!

I even prefer canisters that rewind the cord into a port on top....like the unique design of the Eureka Rally in the early 1990's

 

[jmurray01]

The reason I stated that I thought the HOOVER Whirlwind was an Argos exclusive is because in the Argos catalogue it says "Whirlwind - Only in Argos!".

As for the positioning of the exhaust port, the second worst thing about having the exhaust on the rear is that, as you said, when it is placed in an upright position for stairs etc, the flow of air is blocked and thus it will overheat quickly and easily if left for too long.

That's what I love about having the exhaust ports on the top of my Electrolux Tango, because I can sit it on the stairs in an upright position without fear of overheating.

 

[eurekaprince]

Sebofan,

Just wondering about the Sebo airbelt exhaust diffusing design:

Is the air diffusion so effective as to eliminate any "wind" coming out of the belt? It would seem to me that no matter how well it diffuses the air, there will still be some blowing effect around the sides of the canister. Just curious....

 

[jmurray01]

Hold on, what are you talking about ? A belt on a cylinder ? I'm befuddled...

 

[eurekaprince]

Jamie - Sebo calls one of their canister designs an "AirBelt" design because the bumper "belt" around the perimeter of the canister body is also the exhaust mechanism. It seems the exhaust is directed into a very long "belt" around the canister body which decreases the "blow" effect of the exhaust. Just wonder if it works well or at all.

 

[jmurray01]

I see!

 

[sebo_fan]

Eurekaprince et al (who are interested)

The vacuum air exhaust is diffused to the sides of the Sebo canisters - even the old C larger canister has the Airbelt. As you will see from the diagram it diffuses air outwards to the sides. SEBO did this for two reasons - one to provide a viewable thick cloth bumper to protect the home and the machine from scrapes, two to diffuse the air to the sides so that you don't ingest a face full of "clean air" from top exhausts like Miele and other brands.

It's quite an ingenious design though because the bumper is a Lycra cloth that is stretched over a foam bumper with viewable vents. You can replace the Airbelt quite easily but must be cut to size for the smaller K canister, so air gets through the foam vent holes and further absorbed by the Lycra belt. There are various colours you can buy too, so you don't have to put up with the default blue.

 

[jmurray01]

Very interesting!

 

[JDrums0789]

I actually just bought one on Craigslist. Ill be picking it up tonight.

 

[jmurray01]

Let us know what it is like!

 

[JDrums0789]

So I got it home. It looked very clean but man was the inside dirty. The previous owner used the paper bags, Im gonna look into getting the hepa bags. The premotor filter was caked with dirt, but it washed out pretty good. My biggest complaint is the turbo brush! I took it apart, cleaned it out and lubed it up, but it still stops as soon as it touches the carpet. The impeller seems very tough to spin, compared to handheld turbo units Ive used. Also, the post motor filter is very dense. It reduces airflow dramatically.

Does anyone have any experience with the turbo brush? Also, since the post motor filter is just held in place by being sandwiched together in the base, think I could replace it with some HEPA filter media instead of the super dense foam chunk?

 

[sebo_fan]

If the Turbo brush supplied is the same as shown as here, then it's based on a generic design that Hoover also used (code J19) and other brands, like Numatic. I had one and it is easy to get the brush moving again. Check that the toothed wheels have been lubricated, but also check that when you open it up the turbine moves freely - if not then the holding bolt (usually a small white or black square bit of plastic) will need to be cleaned as this can clog up easily. If you've lubricated the small toothed wheels already, then it should move freely with just your finger. If you have another vacuum sitting around that has a 3.2mm sizing, try the turbo brush on that to test if it is working. It is possible to get this turbo brush working again but it also requires a lot of cleaning if it has seized up.

 

[sebo_fan]

Argos - they lie and misprint!

Here is a screenshot of an interesting claim that you won't find on any other website who sell vacuums, currently the Miele vacuums. As you will note, Argos claim that this Miele vacuum has "no loss of suction," yet they all use bags and they do eventually lose suction. Argos better watch out as Dyson could easily get in on the act and do another court action. So you see, JM, Argos may well claim "Whirlwind," is an exclusive range to Argos - and they could well have been BASED on the fact that Argos are a high street franchise compared to the online only sales that the catalogues and Amazon.co.uk can't claim.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4068220.htm

 

[JDrums0789]

Well, I put it all back together today, after washing all the filters and the insides. Floats much better now, and the turbo nozzle is working much better! I guess the WD40 soaked in to the turbine driveshaft. Moves very easily now.

This thing is going to be great for my area rug.

 

[sebo_fan]

Oh that is good news! I must admit when this new Connie came to the UK, the asking price of £250 was a bit steep at the time and eventually it fell to £199. I very nearly bought it because I was so excited that Hoover had at last come to their senses and re-released the similar design with a modern take. However, I knew (by reading reviews and reading posts by those on Yahoo group hooverland) who had bought it that it wasn't all it was made up to be. Of course this wasn't the first time that Hoover had gone down the route of bringing a "similar design by looks" model to the masses. Anyone remember the Galaxy? It was like the Connie by shape but had castors underneath.

(see thread http://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?13568)

 

[jmurray01]

I wouldn't personally bother with HEPA bags, I don't have a problem with paper ones, but it's up to you!

As for that Argos screen shot, that isn't the first time (and I'm sure won't be the last) that there have been errors in what they have said.

Even in the catalogue there are discrepancies, such as the heading saying something but the description saying something else.

 

[rolls_rapide]

Miele "No loss of Suction"

Argos are probably alluding to the synthetic dustbags not reducing suction as they fill. Which is reasonable.