super silent vacuum cleaners

[servisslimline]

i was thinking to myself the other day, why havent vacuum cleaners been made super silent yet. as we all know washing machines have been for nearly 30 years if you include machines with induction motors from the 80s and 70s. then i thought fans use a type of induction motor and theyre silent, yet vacuums use brush motors just like a washing machine yet there hasnt been a super silent vacuum cleaner yet has there? id like to know why. thanks
phil

 

[hoover1100]

Silent Vacuum cleaners

High end brands like Miele are pretty quiet, as are Numatic (on low power at least)

 

Years ago Electrolux vacuums were always very quiet.

 

Problem is, people have been duped into thinking high wattage motors mean more power, so now we have 2000w vacuums where 800w or less would be more than enough!

 

That and people want either a Dyson or as close to a dyson as possible, which means they're quite happy to be deafened by a screaming banshee everytime they clean up.

 

Washing machines were not particularly fitted with induction motors with the intent of making them quieter, it's just the type of motor some manufacturers chose to use. Ofcourse these days the use of a brushless motor is made out to be some sort of high end luxury, when it was available on very low end machines years ago!

 

Matt

 

[foraloysius]

My Electrolux ZG8800 is a lot more quiet (72dB according to the specifications) than my Miele Silverstar (S240) that I had for around 20 years. I'm very happy witht the Electrolux, it feels like a very powerful vacuum although the motor is only 1000 Watts.

 

[foraloysius]

BTW, the newest Electrolux Ultra Silencer GREEN is even more silent at 61dB.

 

[hoovermatic]

I have a Miele S5211 and I have to say that it's the quietest vacuum I have ever owned. It has a special setting which is designed for optimum performance and minimum noise which is the one I almost always use and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quiet and superbly efficient vacuum.

 

[dustin92]

Possibly another reason vaccums haven't become "super silent" is because they have to create suction (with a fan), and it would take a very large fan to create enough suction/airflow quietly. Most vacuums use a small fan turned a very high rpms to create suction, and even if they could design a quiet fan/motor, there would still be airflow noise. Some vacuums are quieter than others, but I'm afraid they are pretty much doomed to be a noisy appliance.

 

[hydralique]

I think Dustin is right, the airflow alone makes a lot of noise but some vacs are quieter than others - Filter Queens are pretty good. My Balinese cat is sensitive to loud noises and she does not like the Kirby!

 

[maytagbear]

I love

my Miele Capricorn! (top of the S5 series.) Best, most quiet vacuum I've had. Rosa del Gata does not like it, but she likes it more than my Hoover Tempo upright (a gift from a kind friend, when I was between vacuums.)

I agree with the "power = noise" thing, and I despise Jimmy Dyson and all his works. To me, he ruined mainstream vacuums. Plus, I have fairly severe pollen, dust and similar allergies, so a bagless vacuum is a no-go for me.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[iheartmaytag]

Market studies from consumer surveys indicted that people equated noise to cleaning power.

 

[norgeway]

Quiet vacuums are nothing new!!

How about a 1962 Kenmore WHISPERTONE 90!

 

[hydralique]

Whispertone!

When a vacuum looks that good, who cares how loud it is?

 

[rinso]

My Rexaire Rainbow was particularly quiet. I'm guess that because it may have a brushless induction motor. Brush type motors are commonly used because it is a very effective, less expensive (but noisy) way to get a lot of RPMs.

 

[neptunebob]

Actually, look behind me before I change my avatar...

The solution is central vac! Install it anywhere the noise won't bother you and all you hear in the suction.

 

[MrX]

I've always found either Miele or Nilfisk tend to produce the best combination of relatively quiet and good results.

I'm not a fan of cyclone machines as they're always pretty noisy.

 

[mrboilwash]

Could it be weight ?
Not an expert there but I believe an equally strong induction motor compared to a brush type motor would be much heavier and more expensive.
Dragging a vaccum cleaner up and downstairs has never been much fun for the average houskeeper.

 

[hydralique]

I'll agree that lugging a heavy vac upstairs wouldn't be nice, or even possible for some people, but to me it seems like a  good excuse to have more than one vacuum 

 

[coldspot]

The post office here has a canister dont know who makes it. But this thing is so silent you can not even hear it unless you stand next to it. About as loud as a desk fan on low.

 

[neptunebob]

Maytagbear, how did Dyson destroy mainstream vaccuums? Though we do have a Dyson and I agree, it is noisy, heavy, and too much plastic but it does clean the carpet well.

 

[tolivac]

My vacuum cleaner collection includes several Meile machines-all are quiet even at their highest power levels.Same with Sebo canisters-equally quiet-My newest addition a Nilfisk GS80 from the Kirby guy is quiet.My NSS M1-a direct air "canister" is quieter than you think a large diameter fan run at a lower speed.Uprights with larger fans can run slower-thus less noise than ones like Oreck with tiny fans that run at very high speed-the one the janitor uses here at work almost sounds like a dentist drill!