Hi,Actually Rexair did use the fact the Rainbow would not loose suction as part of their marketing campaign!I collect vintage Rexair products and have a 1961 Model D "chrome dome" which still has its original Parents,Good Housekeeping & Better Homes and Gardens hang tags intact and attached to its handle!
The back of the better homes and gardens tag has a Rexair Ad which shows the cleaner and bears the text....
"Sick and Tired of Cleaning Dust?,Rainbow will curtail your annoying dust problem!,All cleaners use airflow to clean,but because they force dirt through bags and dry filters airflow is reduced and decreases thier abilty to pick up dirt,as dirt clogs bag and filter pores airflow is further impeded!,thats why they clean much better with a new bag or filter...RAINBOW USES NO BAGS OR DRY FILTERS! the dust is trapped in Rainbows turbulent water bath which has no pores to clog.there is never a reduction in airflow,never a drop in cleaning efficiency..WITH RAINBOW YOU DONT CHASE DUST,YOU TRAP IT IN WATER!"
Its interesting to note that Rainbow didnt get a power nozzle option until 1974!,I dont understand that..RCA Whirlpool vacs had them in the late 50's..so did Lewyt...and of course the Electrolux G had one in 1960! What took Rexair so long?
The Hepa filter added on the current models was done because water doesnt trap all the dust,some things such as talcum powder,plaster and ash,blow right past the water and out into the exhaust air.
When Rainbow came out with their D3 model in 1980 this fact became quite obvious as they had routed the exhaust under a transparent dome,before long all the dust that blew past the water had clouded the inner dome and owners started complaining and asking why there was dust buildup when the water was supposed to trap it all.
Rainbow quickly dropped the d3 after only a few years and came out with the d4 in 1984 which deliberatly routed the exhaust air under the bottom of the cleaner so it never passed through the translucent dome...clever huh?!
The current models have a Hepa filter..(or hepa "neutralizer" as the slick salesman call them to avoid questions ) because they got sick of taking a beating in the consumer reports tests which placed rainbow at the bottom of the list when it came to blow by!...so now by the addition of this filter,the cleaner doesnt really have "constant suction" because the hepa DOES become blocked with dust and impedes the airflow.
I have to agree with a previous poster,I think the price of the current Rainbows are out of line and the slick used car salesman type high pressure tactics used to sell them are ridiculous.
Why not just drop the price and market the cleaner in normal fashion?
I went to a Rainbow dealer recently looking for old parts for one of my d2's and couldnt believe the fast talk and buzzwords that were being thrown about to sell the machine. It was like the old snake oil salesman bit.
They would'nt even call the e2 a vacuum (which it quite obviously is) they would only call it "the rainbow system" the salesman are also told not to use the word "suction" but rather "airflow" instead. suction is airflow!
Its all pretty pretentious.
That being said,I love the classic d & d2 series of Rainbow,in my opinion that was the best cleaner they ever made and they should never have changed it.
It really was the machine of tommorow,today! todays vacuums arent futuristic. Modern technology isnt fun like it was in the 50's and 60's when everything looked like something from the Jetsons.
I dont mind the wieght of the machine or the "work" it takes to use and care for it. I enjoy using my Rainbow D2 and like the unique water filtration system. Its never a chore. Its an amazing machine!
Rexair even markets Rainbow fragerances which smell incredible.just a few drops and your home smells great!
Today all the vacuums are ugly plastic throw away piles of crap,made for todays ugly plastic throw away culture....our culture declined when the fins came off our cars.
