Thought I'd post about a new machine on the shelves at Lowe's I picked up today.
I was at Lowe's to get a few things and of course I had to check out what was new (if anything) in the appliance area. Laundry & kitchen appliances pretty much unchanged; vacuums appeared to be the same as they were the last time I had to go here (August) until I glanced upward near the top of the shelf. Couldn't tell much by the box but I saw enough to notice it was a lightweight upright by Shop-Vac, something I had not seen before. It must have arrived there recently as there was also no floor model present or any boxes near the ground. I got one of the nearby employees to get one down and I was able to look at the box up close. Noticed the name, EasyLift, and that it definitely was designed to compete with Oreck...there was no mistaking the appearance! It was also a design I had not seen before, either. I need another vacuum like another hole in the head, but this one looked neat and I thought it would be interesting to play with for a little while, so I headed toward the register with the box. The price was $149, not the cheapest vacuum I've ever purchased, but by no means the most expensive and figured what the heck. Headed out and I was $150 lighter, but with a new toy.
I had also heard about the TTI-made lightweights being introduced under different names as well; the only one I had seen was the Aerus Lux Lite which I also had a chance to use and liked. So after I left Lowe's with the new purchase I then headed to two different Wal-Marts (each in different towns) in search of a possible Dirt Devil-labeled version. No such luck, same offerings as last time, although I was able to come away with some bags for my Sharp EC-3320. Perhaps in a couple of weeks it will be there; we shall see. At any rate, I want one badly as I think it's a great machine and a breeze to push...maybe I'll just have to drive to the nearest Kohl's or OfficeMax for the Hoover or Royal labeled version in a couple of weeks. Those I believe list for $250 though some stores will probably mark them down.
So, after a couple of hours of running around, I brought the EasyLift home. Opened the box, removed the papers, and pulled the machine out. Removed the cardboard from the base and there it was, no assembly needed. My first thoughts were A. This handle grip sure is cheesy, B. The nozzle is smaller than I thought, and C. Why did I buy this thing again? I examined the machine more thoroughly and noticed it had an interesting bag arrangement. It attaches to the bottom of the outer bag like a canister bag would, and I believe the bag is self-sealing though I did not remove it. That would all be normal except the machine is direct air. Strange! And that was my main concern right there: how hard are the bags to locate, and how hard
will they be to locate in the future...I'll probably go to Lowe's again and see if I can find any, and if I do, stock up. Not that I plan on using this machine often, but still. I opened the outer bag and made sure the paper bag was attached, then plugged in the reasonably long cord (which is also fairly thick for a low-amperage machine).
I've used many vacuums, both loud and quiet alike, and this one puts out quite a racket (especially for a power nozzle with a fan and bag) which holds true to the Shop-Vac name! In fact it would not surprise me if they took an original-series Shop-Vac motor and simply mounted it to a direct-air fan, because that's what it sounds like (albeit at a higher RPM since there's less drag). Of course like any lightweight the sound also resembles an Oreck somewhat. I got down and could feel the brushroll against the carpet (to me the brushroll resembles that of the Tacony-made lightweights, with fairly stiff bristles), although I wasn't sure how much it was picking up. The back room is a high-traffic area and there's quite a bit of sand in the rug, but I didn't hear any going through the machine while I pushed it, probably because I had used my Hoover 634 with a fresh bag the previous day and picked up a considerable amount of sand. Continued going around the back room, and then moved to the large rugs in both the living room and one of the bedrooms. Later on, I noticed some fresh cat hair in the back room, so I decided to go over the back room again, this time more slowly. It was definitely picking up, because the dust and hair I collected formed into a ball and I could both hear and feel it flying around in the bag. We'll have to see how it does over the next few days. Overall, it isn't the worst machine I've used and *is* a better value than the Oreck, though it could certainly use some improvement in some areas. One thing I notice is that it is difficult to push, especially if you're going against the direction of the pile...this could be due to the small rear wheels, those need to be larger. The handle grip could also be beefed up. If you're wondering what it looks like, I don't have any pictures yet, but it's blue, with a blue bag, and an LED headlight powered by the brushroll (in similar fashion to the Kirby indicator light). The main handle is aluminum, and a flexible 11/4" hose connects the nozzle to the bag, interesting for a direct-air machine. The height adjustment is 2-position for carpets or bare floors; strangely enough, when you move the selector over to the bare floor position, it raises the front wheels up, probably to keep the brushroll from touching the floor.
Has anyone seen this before, and if you have, what are your thoughts on it?
Happy Thanksgiving!
-MH
This message was modified Nov 21, 2007 by Motorhead
