CU Jan 2005 issue vacuum cleaner reviews

Gather App
Automatic Washer - The world's coolest Washing Machines, Dryers and Dishwashers

Help Support AutomaticWasher.org:

My views on CR

Hmmmm...hasn't arrived yet. Still won't make me buy a plastic vacuum though. I might write a letter telling them that they should re-introduce durability testing and give manufacturers (mainly vacuums and automatic washers...where the problems are) a wake-up call to put quality back into their machines!

I've had my own subscription to CR since I was 10 (and read every single report), and I thought their reviews were much better (and more fun to read) back in '97. IMHO ever since Rhoda Karpatkin left CR has pretty much gone downhill. Even the smallest things; the cover design and layout, for example: CR had a nice contemporary design until 2000 that I had absolutely no problem with, and the fact that the Product Updates were at the front! If they do away with the humorous "Selling IT" page at the back then that will be the end of my subcription. Now don't get me wrong, there are a few interesting sections, such as "Claim Check" and "Now & Then".

In the future, durability testing is a MUST!

--Austin
 
Wheres the reveiews on TriStar?Filter Queen?WaterMatic?how bout Royal Everlast,Classic and Powercast?Cu seems afraid to try DEALER and other DTD machines.they test the plastic specials.Their vac testing has gone DOWNHILL. And NO durability tests.I too like the "selling it" section.At this piont-best part of the book.After reading their tests-won't buy the plastic vacs either.I have a Kirby trade magazine that has several letters from Kirby customers questioning CU tests.These folks were former Windtunnel owners.Esp the Windtunnel Bagless machines.The pleated filter in it clogs up quicker than a bag.I am with you-a wake up call to the appliance builders is in order-same with some of their new dopey designs that don't work.Stick to what does-esp with washers.If you want good vac reviews-go to "Whats the best vacuum.com"They also have a forum.
 
Test choices

Consumers Union decides which brands/models to test on market share. They have a large demographics/statistics staff that does lots of research.

I am inclined to agree with whomever- Austin(?) about the magazine changing and not for the better since Jim Guest took over.

There are whole categories of products that haven't been tested in decades, like photographic lab equipment, and there seems to be fewer and fewer reports about food.

Consumer Reports seems to be increasingly about expensive electronics, and not as much about the things real people buy every day..the small things that add up to large money over a year.

If you have access to a university or other research library, it is interesting and very informative to look at some really OLD issues--like the late 40s to mid 50s. For all the grousing some do, appliances and many other products really are much safer now.

Just as much as I wish some appliace company executives would read our virtual community, I wish some CU staffers would, as well.

"Selling It" is a hoot, and I always go there first, even before "Front Lines" (Why the heck couldn't they have kept it as "Once Over"?

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
I used to read CU when I was a kid-would have been from the early 60'sOur family subscribed to it-I also thought they used to test various types of sporting equipment as well-like golf,tennis,fishing,bowling and hunting.Remember seeing some tests on .22cal rifles.I have noticed they are testing more new AV products-esp the expensive ones.Some of their reveiwes on those I think are questionable.I would like to "rewind" back to the 50's and see some of their reports from then.I like some of the reveiews on wringer washers on the CU archives on this site-are very interesting and clever-esp on the wringer washers.Yes its true-some products are safer-but how safe can you make it-without making the item too much hassle to use.-like CU's "Deadman" switches on lawnmowers.I see many of those defeated by users-I'm a good boy-haven't defeated mine-The motor on my lawnmower is easy to restart.On some it wasn't.
 
I had a 2002 GE Bagless upright and no matter how often I cleaned the pleated filter, it clogged like this (snaps fingers). Essentially a miniature version of a Shop-Vac filter/tank assembly, except there was less capacity, which made it more prone to clogging. In fact, I use my Shop-Vacs in the house occasionally and their filters are easier to clean than the GE's!

The last Filter Queen report I saw was in 1979, but they could have tested them later than that year. I've never seen them test TriStars, and I last saw a metal-body Royal in 1992.

Gas-powered mowers have gotten a little better; I have a new-model Toro and it starts in 1 pull. I still wouldn't mind having a vintage one though, as they were cool to look at. Electric mowers have gone downhill, however; in 1987 CR tested a Snapper electric mower and it roared through the tall grass better than some gas versions! You won't see that today...can you imagine a cheap Black & Decker doing that???

--Austin
 
Austin:I too have a Shop Vac in my Home-use it to clean out some of the "trade in"vacs.I also use a National Model"M" as well. the model M does better.I do use the large paper bags in my shop vac and use the pleated HEPA type filter as an exhaust filter as it was intended to be.Pleated filters really should be used with a bag or some other filtrer device ahead of it.I use the yellow "dry-wall" bags.Even with those some very fine dust gets onto the pleated filter.Hasn't clogged yet.I vaguely rewmember CU testing Royal machines in the 90's.didn't agree with their review as well.Found royals to be top performers.
You have the new Toro-thats the mower I have-love it.Its motor truely does start on one pull(two or three if its been sitting over the winter)and mulches the grass and debris perfectly.Even the long tough "pine straw" we get out here.I used to have a cordless B&D electric mower-and that machine cut thru tall grass like a small bush-hog!!even better than a 6Hp gas mower.But the hitch-the electric one only ran for about 15min before it needed recharging.Used it to cut a rough tall area behind a freinds house.Cut half of the area before it needed recharging.The cordless mower motors seem to have even more torque than the plug in electrics.Sadly the machine went-the plastic deck(wished it were steel)wore out as I used it here.The pine straw-pine cones,and sandy soil just eroded it away.Had to take it to the dump.The neighbors were fascinated with it when I used it after I first moved to GreenVille NC.they had never seen a cordless electric mower.I really did like it better than the gas one.Was SO QUIET-made a pleasent whirring sound.And it made mowing the yard as easy as vacuuming the living room floor.I haven't seen any more cordless mowers.Sears used to have a really nice STEEL deck machine-saw it after getting the BD one.Bought the BD one at Home Depot in Manassas VA.The BD folks put on a really impressive demenstration at the store.They were mowing tall patches of grass with it to show its power.Some of the gas mowers stalled in the grass they were cutting.That type of mower also appeals to city folks with small lawns and close spaced homes-used it at the townhome I bought there.I do like the Toro-but miss that cordless electric.
 
Vintage Toro mower

At one of the radio stations I worked at they had an old Toro "Whirlwind"mower to mow the tower feild(it was 5 acres!!)They used to hire a kid to do it.The whole feild with that little Toro mower.I did it too-but not the whole thing.They hired a bush hogger to do it.Than the station traded out for a small Jacobsen tractor. I used that-got LOTS of overtime doing their feild.The Toro mower had an interesting "S" shaped blade.You had to keep it sharp to work-otherwise it pushed and swirled the grass intead of cutting it.A big advantage-if it hit a rock ar something-didn't throw it across the feild.A good safety thing there.I used the little Toro with the tractor as a "trim" mower. Sadly one day(I changed the oil in the engine)I was mowing in some very tall weeds-and SNAPPP Its crankshaft went.Engine was totaled.I ordered a "Grainger" mowere instead-couldn't "trade out" a Toro.I also liked the appearence of those old Toro Mowers-esp the "Bull"logo on the front of the motor cover.It seems these are harder to find than old washers and appliances.
 
Another shop-vac user here! I had lots if different types of vacs. Including the piece of crap Phantom, and I do mean piece of crap! ( Dumpster ) I use the drywall bags also. There is only one room in the house that has carpet and it's the bathroom. Having a big dog and a long haired cat it's the way to go! Last year I purchased one of the Hoover floormates. I would never use it for dry pick up! But it's OK for in-between touch ups. Best thing is knee pads and elbow grease!
I am also a Toro user, no problems there either. When I was a kid we use to have a lawn mower called a Flymo. Coolest thing ever! If you have never seen one it floated. One hard push and across the yard it went! I was great for the ditch, you could walk with it sideways.
 
Kenmore Progressive

I have the Kenmore Progressive canister/power nozzle, and am very happy with it. I use the 3M filtrete bags and the emissions seem really clean. At some point, the review states that motorized upholstery attachments are no better than manual attachments - with which I majorly disagree (my cat would too). It's very handy.

Pete
 
At a mower repair shop I saw a tech there fix and try a Flymo mower-was very interesting.He started it-and spun in a complete circle-made a neat cut circle in the grass.Now we know how they cut the patterns in the lawns!They are still made-trying to think of the maker.Maybe under John Deere-its now JD green.and the same "hovercraft" deck.Would love to see Toro build a cordless electric mower thogh-and have it with removable battery packs so you could be charging one and using the other.That would be good for folks with large lawns.I helpted a tech at one vac store-it was an older Phantom "thunder" vac-the user used it for picking up dog hair-and long hair at that-all of the clog check points were clogged-wouldn't happen in a bagged machine.Was nasty-we sure wanted to throw it in the stores dumpster that had a "Vert-i-pack" compactor.Threw some vacs in it and yes you heard the crackling platic crucnhing sound.Ones that couldn't be fixed-Dirt Devils mainly.I haven't used my Shop-Vac for wet pickup yet-Its a 22Gal size-has a SS drum.I would imagine the SV's would be good for picking up the long dog and cat hair.Those long peices of hair will tear up ANY roller brush equipped machine.
 
Pete, we have a Kenmore upright on one level of our house that I really like as well. I bought it for my roommate for Christmas before we were roommates, to replace a deplorable Dirt Devil he had and wasn't getting rid of fast enough to suit me, LOL. I don't think you can go too wrong with Sears vacs. I use the 3M bags as well with excellent results, and replace the inexpensive filter annually.

I know CU used to do Kirby a fair bit, and I think even Rainbow once or twice. Usually their big complaint on this type of machine is the cost, and they are right about that. I like some of these machines but never buy them new.

I use a 3.5 amp Royal in our basement family room which I love. Cleans great, it is light and small enough to get around some tight corners down there. Kirby Legend on the upper level, and primarily a Miele for bare floors and above the floor cleaning. These are the primary machines that are used, I also have a collection of vintage cleaners that I use from occasionally.
 
I do love my Kenmore Progressive upright that CR has highly rated. It has direct drive, so no belts. Also the brush rotates forward so it is easy to push. It seems like it has power drive, but it doesn't. Clean exhaust and powerful suction make this the BEST vacuum I've ever owned!! I also think it is manufactured by Whirlpool.
 
scott55405:

Is the Dirt Devil you use in your basement the upright with the 9-inch path? Dirt Devil discontinued those, but I always thought they were cool - sort of retro. What I like about my Kenmore Progressive canister is that it's a high-end model, with the best of the old tried-and-true technology (superb suction, a good carpet nozzle, several attachments, clean emissions and a clean design). I also have a Eureka straight-suction canister I bought in '91, and a Dirt Devil deluxe hand vac that I use on the stairs.

Pete
 
The beltless KN upright vacs may have been built by Panasonic.Panasonic has built many of KN vacuums these days.I beleive the WP vac manufacturing facility was bought up by Panasonic.Remember those old KN WP built canisters-were pretty solid machines.Used them at a radio station-they did a lot of "trade outs" for Sears.Used one to vacuum out their transmitters.And those vacuum departments at Sears-pretty much a vacuum cleaner store by itself.
 
Was the 9" wide DD machine a Broom Vac?-I had one of those years ago-was a powerful little machine-but I killed it when it tried to pick up a nickel-tore up its fan.You could use the machine with paper bags or use the cloth bag alone as a dump bag.I did like it though.also had an adjustable length handle.The machine was the usual bright red DD color.
 
Your Kenmore Progressive beltless upright was made by Matsushita(Panasonic). Whirlpool left the floorcare business in 1994 when they sold their remaining interest to Matsushita(Panasonic).

The Kenmores, made by Panasonic, are very good vacuum cleaners that clean really well. They are pretty good for the price.
 
Our Sears (made by Panasonic) upright is not a direct drive, but my sister has the Panasonic version of the direct drive and really likes it. Her first Panasonic lasted nearly 20 years.

Anytime I run into someone who is dumbfounded by cleaners, I send them right to Sears. I think for the average person they have a wonderful selection, good quality and good prices, and it's just like the good old days where you can see everything and try it out.

Pete, it is not a Dirt Devil that I use in the basement. It is a regular aluminum Royal with a blue bag and cord (looks kind of like an older Kirby) I love it!
 
wp/km vacuums

The whirlpool plant in St. Paul MN used to produce the Kenmore vacuums. My friends dad worked there and we went to the open house there in the '70's. Whirlpool built all the powermate canisters and the hard body uprights that sears had years ago. Sears soft-bag uprights were made by Singer. They moved the vacuum cleaner plant from St. Paul to suburban Cottage Grove. Then around '80, they pulled out of the St. Paul area completely and opened operations in Kentucky some where they could pay people less. Lots of hard feelings toward Whirlpool 'round St. Pauls east side to this day.. The St. Paul plant also produced freezers.

For a short time in the mid '80's, Whirlpool marketed vacs under their own name, as they had in the '60's (Remember the Whirlpool Bambi?)I guess it didn't really fly for them.
 
WP Vacuum Cleaner Beginnings

Whirplool got its start into vacuum cleaners by purchasing Birt-man Electric in 1957, who made vacuum cleaners. They started making vacuum cleaneres under the WP name. Later, they discontinued their WP line, but continued making them for Sears. WP made a comeback with their own line again. They made powerteams and uprights.

WP later discontinued vacuum cleaners under their name again, but continued their upright models under the Kenmore name, as well as Kenmore PowerMates. They also added a power drive version of the upright for Sears. These would have been in competition to the Hoover Concept series. I liked the Kenmore Self Propelled better than the Hoover, because the vacuum did not need an adaptor for hose use and the cleaning raised off the rug when the handle was in the upright/stationary position.
 
Yes, WP was the first to have what is now the Oreck upright. David Oreck worked at RCA WP at the time. He later made the vacuum his. He gets vacuum cleaners from other manufacturers, makes them his, then charges a high price for them.

Singer and General Electric had their versions, but they were more like thin-bodied uprights and looked nothing like the WP/KM/Oreck.
 
Oreck Story

My parents bought a brand-new Oreck setup in 1995, after a cheap Eureka Bravo died and my mom was forced to use an Electrolux XXX for a week...LOL. Paid $299.95 for an Oreck XL upright (foot switch, regular handle, dual headlights) and Buster B minicaster. Upright worked GREAT; very powerful. Picked up pretty much anything; wish they made a set of attachments for this instead of that da*ned minicanister...YUK! Seemed OK at first, but then the front cover plate snapped in half a year later, causing suction loss. My dad reinforced it with a metal plate and it was back in use. The cheap hose ended up with a hole near the canister end; a little duct tape fixed that problem. It was so weak it couldn't even drive a turbine brush, AND it didn't even come with a wide rug nozzle! One of the headlights burned out on the upright but other than that, we didn't have any problems. When we moved to Bellville from Houston in 1998, we had laminate flooring installed in our current house, so we gave the upright to my grandmother, which was a bad mistake; THAT was the one we should have kept! Used the canister for a while, then threw it away when we bought a brand-new Kenmore Progressive upright that year.

I'd have an Oreck again, just the upright this time. The canister is a JOKE.

--Austin
 
My sentiments exactly-the Oreck upright works well-but the canister"hip vac" doesn't-I tried it for my above floor cleaning jobs--that machine blew back out what I just picked up.Its filters are a joke.The oreck upright is the modern "broom vac of the 21 century"It doesn't work real well on my thick carpets-but still fun to use.It WORKS GREAT on bare floors-the only roller brush machine that can.At my neighboring vac store-see ALL TOO MANY of the "Buster" vacs the motors die from their poor filtering system.Sadly the uprights just get abused by users-esp commercial ones.The Oreck won't ingest coins and gravel-if you insist--fan replacement and fan housing replacement are required.Most Oreck uprights in the service place I know just need belts and roller brushes.Those wear quickly.With the canister vacs feeble air movement-you can see why it doesn't come with a floor tool.also its tiny dust bag would fill quickly.The Oreck machine is an imatation of the Hoover "Porta-power vac" a much better machine if you want a "hip" type cansiter vac.You can use it with a cloth dump bag or disposable paper bags.And it has better filtration than the Oreck model.
 
Hoover Porta-Power

I have a Hoover Porta-power. Really noisy but has good suction. I purchsed the optional wheels that snap onto the body so it can roll around. The only thing that got to be a painis that the hose attached to the cleaner with a "Bayonet" action like an car light bulb. PRoblem was that only friction kep the hose from turning and eventually the hose would fall out while being used becuase the two tabs would twist around and line up with the notches. Solved that problem by cutting a very thin piece of gasket material and putting it on the hose. Now the hose stays put.
 
efficiency; sound levels; old vac reconditioning?

Here's a question or two (or three:-). How does one compare the electric power consumption of a vacuum to its suction power? And are there ratings or standard numbers of this type to be found for newer vacuums? The point being, all other things being equal, a more efficient machine is preferable to one that wastes electricity relative to work performed.

About reconditioning machines, and which are worthwhile:

Without even trying, I managed to accumulate four canister-type vacuums here (and I'm not even an appliance collector!). Understood that some of the folks here think that any vac made of plastic is inherently inferior, but my goal here is primarily practical rather than historic.

One is a Sears Kenmore, model number on the bottom is 116-4695, looks to be mid 1960s, light brown bottom half, white plastic hinged cover, with a bag full indicator light and, interestingly enough, a 2-speed motor switch on the back. I recall my family had one almost identical to this when I was a kid, but it had a retractible cord; it looks like the cord reel may have been installed inside the machine. Retractible cords are a useful feature; does anyone here know of a source for the internal cord-reel component so I could install it on this machine?

A couple of years ago I found a Hoover Tempo, model S-1323, sitting next to the neighbor's trash out front. No way in h*ll a potentially working machine should go to waste, so I put that in service. It seemed more powerful than the Kenmore, but it's so noisy as to make vacuuming an acoustically painful task.

A couple of months ago I was visiting a friend, whose housemate was cleaning out the garage. An old Electrolux was sitting on the trash pile. "You're not going to let that go to waste, are you?" "If you want it, you can have it." OK. Two days later I saw another one sitting next to a trash can and figured, "take two & make one," as we used to do with partially-damaged telephone equipment. I haven't even started trying to get either of these working yet; they are in pretty serious disrepair (are they worth having reconditioned, and if so, does anyone here do that kind of thing, and what's the price range?). These machines are in the garage and I can get the model numbers tomorrow; they appear to be 1960s to 1970s models, one is beige/brown, the other is dark blue.

So now that y'all have me thinking about vacuums, I've recalled something I read that the manufacturers' market research found that people "say" they want quiet vacuums but "actually" buy noisier ones on the basis of the assumption that noise means power. Suddenly it dawned on me that I might have been making the same silly mistake about the quieter Kenmore vs. the noisier Hoover!

Here's something I just thought of as a rough way to measure suction power: Get a piece of thick flat plastic of appropriate dimension that it could be "stuck" to the end of the suction pipe. Attach a hook to the center of the piece of plastic, and hang increasing weight on the hook (a bucket of water, keep adding water) whilst the flat plastic piece is stuck to the nozzle. When the weight finally pulls the plastic piece away from the suction pipe, that's the limit of the suction. Water has a constant ratio of weight to volume, so knowing the number of gallons of water would enable calculating the weight that finally caused the plastic piece to be pulled free of the suction pipe.

Where this is leading: Based on some of what y'all said about Kenmores being good machines, and my recall of the item about noise vs. suction, and the fact that my Kenmore has a 2-speed switch (lower power consumption in low speed mode, useful for certain tasks), I think I might just do a decent refurbishing job on that machine and put it back into service as my primary indoor vac. (Ha, unless someone here manages to convince me to buy some classic mid 20th century cleaner in a metal housing; one never knows!:-)
 
Might as well jump in

I remember when I was little, we had an RCA Whirlpool canister vac. It was light green plastic and rectangular. That's the only thing I remember, other than it being loud.
Right now I have an Electrolux Discovery upright that I got off ebay. Got tired of buying a cheap plastic Eureka every couple of years and figured this would last a while. It was used, and needed some minor repairs, but with any luck, it'll be the last one I'll ever buy.
As for Consumer Reports, I think they've gone WAY downhill. They only seeem to test high-end stuff; nothing, certainly, that *I* would ever buy.
And I'll admit that I'm spoiled. I have all the bound issues from the 60's (except 60 and 64) and most of the 70's, I think. The 60's issues had lots of pictures and information. Starting in the 70's, they went through a period of almost no pictures at all, then they moved into line drawings instead of photographs. Bleah.
 
Vac power consumption versus "air movement" or suction.-In my collection-I have an old Royal 3A upright that can outclean most of todays 10-12A(posted on nameplate of vac)machines.It has to do with the design of the filters-the airpath(how far the air and dirt have to go thru the filters and motor)The "direct" or "traditional" design uprights win in efficiency.The fan is close to what is being cleaned-usually the floor.In newer "clean air" designs the motor and fan work harder becuasde of the longer "airpath" and the motor and fan are further away from the item being cleaned.I also have some older Kirbys that will outperform a newer 12A machine.
If you want cord reels-these are usually sold as replacement parts.-and usually the cord comes with it.They are kinda like an old fashioned window shade in how they work.
I too-have run into the Quiet versus noisey vacs.I used to have an Areos "Lux" Guardian vac-When you ran it-sounded like a B-52 reving for takeoff-usually 'Lux vacs were so quiet but powerful.I commented about that to the salesman-he mentioned about the market preference for the "noisier" vacs.I like the quiet type.That Guardian made a pretty annoying racket-and the cleaning power was less than the Tri-Star-Compact machines that I sell part time and are more powerful with a smaller motor.The TriStar has a more efficient design.The idea of seeing how much weight the vac can lift is a good one. Usually the suction "pressure" is measured with a Manometer type device in inches of water.For example-most twin fan canisters can lift a pressure rating of 90-100 in of water. A Kirby configured as a canister can lift 55 in. The big diffrence is the Kirby has more Cubic Feet Per minute. This can be more important that suction "pressure" alone.The high CFM machine can move more dirt in a given period of time.The other measurement for vacs is Cubic Feet Per Minute" of air movement-like fans or blowers.however-there is a catch-some vac makers state the CFM of the motor alone-not in the vacuum.Look for it stated as "at the hose attachment end"There is a limit as to how much air you can force thru the typical inach and a quarter vac hose openings.-Kinda like how much light you can force thru the film gate in a projector.
there is some truth as to metal better than plastic-esp poor grades of plastic-As the plastic looses its Plasticizers-chemicals that give the plastic streength and flexibility-leach out with age-it cracks and looses strength.Esp bad is plastic vac fans-in some Kirbys that experimented with plastic fans-(Heritage)the plastic fan cracked from age -it worked OK in the floor nozzle mode-but in the higher motor speed hose mode-the fan exploded!A metal one wouldn't do that.I have seen too many older plastic items like that-A metal one wouldn't do that-no age cracking.I do have some plastic body machines in my collection-some perform very well.Just wonder how long they will last.Reinforeced plastic is very good-almost as good as metal-power tool housings are made of these.
 

Similar threads

panasonicvac
National Vacuum Day
Replies
6
Views
376
panasonicvac
panasonicvac
Chetlaham
New Kenmore Vacuum
Replies
16
Views
836
panasonicvac
panasonicvac
Unimatic1140
CU's Very First Dishwasher Issue - 1952
Replies
13
Views
1K
gansky1
gansky1
W
4.3 cu ft VMWs: How did they Hold Up?
Replies
2
Views
412
whirlpool862
W
H
Siemens WR47B2C40 - A review
Replies
6
Views
937
logixx
logixx

Latest posts

Sponsored
UnlistMe
Back
Top