Vorwerk KOBOLD VK150 - My new toy!

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Mark...scroll up about 20 posts and Roger describes his ideal Vorwerk in-home demonstrator and salesman....Mr. Sensotronic has a wonderful "sense" of humour. I must come visit all you guys in the UK one of these years: we could have fun with vacs then watch ESC!
 
"Turbo Tool - couldn't escape if I wanted to,
Turbo Tool - knowing my fate is to be with you,
Turbo Tool - finally facing my Turbo Tool"

Mr. Madaboutsebo...so sorry this thread has slid so off-topic! Enjoy that gorgeous vacuum cleaner! Now that's industrial design!!!!
 
Thank you spiraclean, I like want you put there! The new brushless motor is very good runs nice and cool too. I will agree with you there the Kobold tool kit is very good and very well designed and thought of and as you say a joy to use. I didnt think I would use much of the tool kit especially as there is no onboard tools but I have to say there is only 2 tools&#92accessories I have not used so far. I've even used the shoulder trap!

Gosh that is a price difference, be interesting if the prices change or come down. You are correct Vorwerk UK as they are called are relaunching in the UK as of now, that is where mine came from. Not sure what is happening to VKDirect and the VKDirect website. You could order direct from VKDirect as I enquired a while ago about the VK140 but the prices where similar to the VK150.

The bag does fill as you say spiraclean as I've been checking mine. There is a trap door which I can sometimes hear open and close as you power the vacuum on and off. Like a clicking sound! The HEPA bags have charcoal chips loose inside the bag as well so the trap door helps keep them in. I wondered at first what was in the bag. I have to say these bags have been great for pet hair odour I'm yet to get a smell of pet odour coming out of the vacuum. That is without having a scented chip clicked to the outside of the bag collar.

Eurekaprince, the only thing I can think of is Vorwerk want to keep the air path short and simple and not over complicate things. If it works for them why change it!

Thank you Marcus, I am happy with my VK150.

Sptyks, it is a lot of money agree with you there but I think its worth it. Bare in mind I went for the complete system not just the main unit. I'll be honest it could be a little cheaper though. I see it as an investment for my home as a complete cleaning system. I've not done a comparison but having been using the Vorwerk I would say it can clean excellently even with a bottom fill bag no drop in performance that I notice. I've noticed a slight difference in carpet grooming too so far. Hard floor cleaning I will say it cleans better than the Felix but I put that down to the hard floor head Vorwerk has designed which gives it an edge. As I said I love my SEBO Felix and that is not going anywhere. They both have their pro's and con's like everything else does.

Sebofan, that not good from a Miele vacuum, hopefully I will not see that on the Vorwerk!

Thank you Miskini, it is quite nice looking!
 
Thats ok Mr Eurekaprince I've enjoyed reading everyones posts especially the ABBA ones.....keep them coming. No need apologise. Thank you I will do.

Loving your vacuum lyrics, I feel a Vacuum ABBA Album coming on....
 
sptyks,

There are many other vacuums which are that sort of price which people do pay big money for, and just because it looks like a felix, doesn't mean it is similar or just a pretty looking version.

It has a large brushless motor which is rare amongst vacuums, a special brushroll design with two separate brush rolls and a very well design and engineered tool kit, so all these things go along way to justify the price. No doubt it will last years and years as well, especially that motor, which only has one moving part.
 
sptyks and Oli

Respectively though, sptyks is just offering up an opinion.

But, when considered on the info that Jon has supplied here, it is good to know Vorwerk offer various packages without footing the total cost

For example, I love the idea of the Vorwerk mop but having seen a video about it on You Tube, I think I will stick to my humble, cheap steam mop that leaves floors dry in seconds and doesn't involve much time setting up; each to their own.

Would I have this Vorwerk model over a Kirby upright? Given that in the UK most Kirby uprights brand new top out of the range from some £800 to £1300 dependent on whatever salesperson you have to deal with, I'd say Vorwerk are offering a better deal.

End of the day we are all entitled to our own opinions, but the versatility and the approach that Vorwerk offer here sounds like a better deal to me than other vacuums that may be similarly priced. IN THE UK.
 
I've seen a 2012 Kirby Sentria on Ebay for £250. The seller lives close by. It's just the weight and bulkiness that puts me off buying it.

If I could get a used Vorwerk for a similar price I'd go for it, but £1500 or even £700 for the basic package I couldn't justify paying that for a VAC.

They just won't sell in any great numbers in the UK.
 
I'm sorry Olive, but I would never pay $2200 for a plastic vacuum no matter what kind of motor it has in it. For less than $1500 I can get a brand new Kirby Avalir with all the attachments including the carpet shampooer and hard floor care system. That Avalir made of mostly aircraft grade aluminum will still be fully functional when my Great Grandchildren use it in their first home. Can Vorwerk make that promise for the VK150?


 


 


 
I did wonder sebo_fan if you where an ABBA fan from the shoes lol.

Nice SEBO Felix very pricey, never thought I could if got 2 of them Felix's for my Vorwerk!
 
"...For less than $1500 I can get a brand new Kirby Avalir with all the attachments including the carpet shampooer and hard floor care system. That Avalir made of mostly aircraft grade aluminum will still be fully functional when my Great Grandchildren use it in their first home. Can Vorwerk make that promise for the VK150?..."

The Vorwerk may well last as long, as do a number of bottom fill bagged Hoover classic uprights from the vintage period.

I doubt your great grandchildren will do manual vacuuming though. By the time they get to the stage of using anything with a stick and cleaning, it may still just be brushing their teeth "the old fashioned way."

One never knows what the future will hold. But I hedge my bets that manually pushing a vacuum around may be a thing of the past.
 
I'm not sure I would personally compare the Felix and Kobold together. They are both of what I call hybrid upright design but after that I would say they are different apart from they both vacuum.

Vorwerk do offer options and packages depending on what you want out of the system. One thing I like about Vorwerk there is no pressure selling, its up to you if you want one or not and what package you go for if you do go for one. They cater for the individual needs of what the system can do for the person they are demostrating it too in their home! I will say one thing look out for Vorwerk Kobold UK.

Sebo_fan amongst other things it was the SP vac and mop head that sold it for me. I've tried mopping, on my hands and steam cleaning glossy tiles but the results from this amazed me, like you say it's what suits individuals what works for one doesn't for others that's what makes the world interesting!
 
Sebo_fan and Marcus, You both may be correct about the future chore of vacuuming. (I am one of those who do not find it to be a chore).  Robotic vacuums have a long way to go before their performance equals that of a Kirby or Felix.  I was merely trying to make a point about longevity. As far as the VK150 goes, only time will tell.
 
I can't comment on Vorwerk I've never seen one in person but I know Sebos can last 20 years, for an outlay of £200 that's fantastic value.

But I like to get something new every year or 2 anyway as I get bored.
 
"... I was merely trying to make a point about longevity. As far as the VK150 goes, only time will tell...."

Respectively there are brands and models out there that just keep going; not just Kirby withstanding. The SEBO 360 that I rescued from a church/school was bought brand new originally. All it needed was a decent clean out and a new brush strip. It is 28 years old and still cleans to the best of its ability.

It isn't exactly all metal!
 
Some plastics are VERY durable and have the advantage of being lighter than metal.

I think Kirby claim their plastic fan is more durable than metal.
 
Sebo_fan, you must be thinking of the older Lexan fans witch tended to get brittle after a few years and would sometimes develop cracks over time. When hit by a large object, they would break apart.


 


Actually, Kirby conducted a demonstation of the Amodel fan several years ago. They sucked up a bowl full of nuts bolts marbles and pebbles a few at a time. After opening the fancase, the fan was found to be fully serviceable with only a few nicks in it.


 


The Amodel fan was developed with the aid of NASA and is 3 times stronger than Kevlar. NASA used Amodel in the construction of the Space Shuttle. It has not only the properties of Kevlar, but also the properties of hard rubber so it can absorb the shock of a large object such as a bolt or a pebble and bounce back into shape. This makes it more durable than metal fans which may be harder but more brittle.
 
I've probably taken a personal risk as to how long the VK150 will last but I've got a 5 year gaurantee as well for some peace of mind. The brand seems a good strong company still family owned and the products mainly previous Vorwerk products have lasted well and all of their products seems to be made of great quality. I love it as it is so lite to use and lift. To give you some idea the main unit without anything connected is 3.00kg and with the carpet power head attached 4.60kg in total. One of the new Dyson V6 cordless stick vacuum is 2.7kg. So that gives you an idea of how lite it is which is a pleasure to use.

You could look at it from a different angle the Kobold accounts for quite a large proportion of sales for the Vorwerk company world wide (detailed on the main German website) so if they get this product wrong sales would drop world wide and brand image and confidence in the brand would be lost. So you can look at it from that prospective but as the VK150 isn't that old who knows how long it could last....going on previous products hopefully a long time.

One thing the demo units are the same units as what a customer who buys one gets. I don't mean you get the demo kit if you buy one just there is no difference. The demo kits get some use from all the demos they carry out of the full system. So from that angle they seem to be very robust and reliable in that sense.
 
Jon, your VK150 is a very good looking machine and I'm sure it incorporates the latest technology. I hope that it lasts you a long time of trouble free use.


 
 
Thank you sptyks very kind of you. I do hope so.

Thank you to everyone that has posted on this thread so far enjoyed reading all the comments both vacuum and ABBA related.

I will get some more pictures on here of the full kit etc....and make some videos of the machine, we'll have a go at some. Won't be anywhere near as good as sensotronic vacuum videos but hopefully will show the VK150 in use!
 

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