Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Howdy all,

Per a New York Times story,  Halo ( http://www.gethalo.com ), the upright vacuum with the bug and germ killing UV light, as of last week has committed to a 20 million dollar advertising push over the next year in behalf of the new UV-ST model.  This is a little less than half of what Hoover shells out in the same time window.  The Halo UV-ST -- a fan-in-dirt- stream upright -- is priced at $499. 

The interesting part of the effort is that this may well be merely word play. Phil Smith who is president of BooneOakley, the firm devising the add campaign, states that, "Any vacuum, by Dyson, Hoover, Bissell, can't kill germs while it vacuums.  We're not going after any maker or model.  We don't see any competition."  An ambitious approach but to the best of my knowledge, though UV technology is used for disinfecting water and for sterilization, Halo has not put forth bona fide test results as to how well its product actually works in regard to rug cleaning or disinfecting.

Here's the link to the story but please note that you may have to apply for a free subscription to view it -- http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/26/business/media/26adco.html    Interested consumers may also call 866-638-4256 and request an owners manual.

Best,

Venson

Hi Trilo,

Check out Mike's post on the "Reviews" page here.  The Halo V-ST performs well on carpeting and is not sensational but adequate above the floor.  (By the way, it does have a stretch hose.)  Also, there is not the usual belt drive but gears that drive the brushroll by way of that second motor.

Those two points alone might begin to prove enough to stimlulate a possible buyer's desire to investigate but neither is what the manufacturer is pitching.  The selling angle remains the UV light feature.  Gotta get those germs. 

Due to price, an attachment kit is called for just to make the purchase seem a sensible one.  I should mention that the UV-ST is a follow-up of Halo's UVX model and the star in Halo's crown for the present.  I'd imagine the soft bag style allows more filtration area.all around than the hard-bodied version.

Regards,

Venson

I still find it odd that a softbag model is touted as being the superior machine.

Traditionally in the UK, the softbagged models were always the lesser machines from the 1980's onwards. (Hoover Turbopower softbag, Hoover Turbopower hardbag, Hoover Turbopower Autoflex, etc).

Anyway, I wonder if, now that TTI own Hoover USA, a Hoover branded robotic cleaner will make an appearance?

Hello guys,

The HALO vacuum made another television appearance today, which I uploaded for your viewing.  Here.  Venson, thanks for the UV link (above).

DIB

Trilobite wrote:
This "soft bag" upright still has very good filtration, because it uses a "hepa type" bag, plus a high filtration outer bag.  A "fan-first" deigned vacuum cleaner can still be a great contender if it is designed well.

Interesting, the design seems to have changed since the original. 

  <  Researchers suspect that a vacuums beater brush beats more that carpeting...  it beats fleas to death too.  Here.        DIB

Hi,

I wonder if the findings will set the folks at Halo to shaking in their shoes.  Has any actual information regarding Halo sales been made since the launch of the new campaign?  Anyway . . .

Though this sounds like something as sweet and simple as getting run over by a lawn mower, they didn't make mention of what to do for the ones you miss.  Fleas, though tiny, are fast and can leap far in comparison to their sze. I wouldn't want to have to high-tail it after one around my living room with just a Hoover and my glasses. 

As well, by the time you become aware that these itty-bitty unwanted guests have come to call there are usually far too many to merely sweep away. I know that larger insects like house flies and the common roach can often survive a trip through a straight suction vacuum but the trip might prove even easier for a tiny flea .  The fan-in-dirt-stream upright is more the sure killer as everything it inhales collides with its spinning fan blades as well as the revolving brush.  Two points for Halo.  As for the UV light, I want to believe it really is killing the little buggers and not just giving them suntans.

Your picture of the "creature" reminded me of a summer of fun I once had with my dear long departed dog Calvin after we took a fateful trip to the park across the street. I was a bit supicious of flea collars due to worries over needlessly exposing him to harmful chemical compounds.  So there we sat, man and beast as one -- in that we were both scratching.  Nothing solved the flea invasion in my apartmentt except insectide and a special shampoo for the pup.  The vacuum method would have required more time than I was prepared to wait. -- or itch.

Regards,

Venson

Venson,your sense of humor really makes me wonder why your not a comedian. As far as the HALO vacuum the problems will come to surface as soon as an object blows off one of the fan blades,THE VIBRATION WILL CAUSE MOTOR DAMAGE AND MOST LIKELY TAKE THE U-V BULB OUT ALSO,under warranty NO,This comes under misuse and negligence..........

MOLE

 Hello,

.

"Science or Spin”? -  View the Halo Vacuum press release here.  The Halo PR video seems a bit deceiving with their self produced "News Update".  This "fake news update" as well as some other claims (science or spin?) and/or play on words has made me loose respect and support for an American startup and their innovation (however large or small this innovation may be).        DIB

.

Note:  Halo says they are spending $20m on marketing and they want to grow to be a $200m company.

Hi DIB,

Great, interesting article, I never knew that the brush action of the vacuum would kill fleas.  I always heard that there was some possibility of the fleas being alive in the bag (and worse, reproducing!).  Glad to know that's not true, at least for motorized-brush machines anyway.  Now I wonder about the possible effects UV light has on fleas? 

Hi Mole,

You bring up an good point about fan-first machines.  I've heard stories before about picking up objects with disastrous results, one in particular stands out, told to me by someone who has a cleaning business.  He was vacuuming a client's house with an 80's Eureka Widetrack upright, and didn't notice the penny on the floor.  Not only did it break the fan, but the sheer force caused it to go all the way through the plastic fan chamber and out the headlight lens, breaking the headlight bulb in the process!  It's a miracle it didn't fly out any other direction and hit him, which it could have very well done, knowing how powerful those 7-amp Eurekas (or Sanitaires) are.  According to what he told me, all of a sudden there was a loud "BANG!" and the machine stopped dead in its tracks.  Looking closer he noticed the hole in the headlight lens and the penny on the ground...and you can see where it went from there ;-)

So it seems there's always the possibility of picking up a hard object with the Halo and having it hit "just right"...it could very well take out the UV lights underneath!


Take care all,
Motorhead