Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Thought the Dyson discussion board would be interested in reading a small article about the Tacony Museum. Also Carmine's old friend.....

http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/hit-the-road-jack/hit-the-road-jack/2009/08/new-museum-opens-at-st-james-on-historic-route-66/

Venson,

I was referring specifically to the carpet cleaning score of the Rainbow.   I've never owned a Rainbow, but I've had one demoed and I have several relatives who have owned them.   If we limit discussion to the carpet cleaning test, the Rainbow has the absolutely lowest score of all vacuums tested by CR.  Vacuums are categorized as:  Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor.  In the canisters, there was one Excellent, 9 very goods, 10 goods, and only 1 Fair.  The Rainbow scored the only Fair.

If you look at uprights, all of the scores were better than Fair. 

As a former Rainbow owner, do you really think the Rainbow is the worst vacuums for cleaning carpeting of all the vacuums tested by CR?  Or do you think that maybe there is a methodological issue that causes CR to underestimate the Rainbow's score?  

I agree with your assessment of the Rainbow - heavy, expensive, high maintenance, etc.  Even with the not so great power nozzle,  is it really the worst at getting dirt out of carpets? 

Venson wrote:

Severus wrote:
Hi Severus,

The performance aspect depends a lot on the kind of situation you're facing and what you have to work with. Everyone's needs are different. In addition, a rug cleaning test is merely applying x-amount of a dirt and debris mixture and ascertaining how much of it has been gathered within x-time frame by the vacuum in use. That said . . .

If I have to take on carpeting that has a lot of embedded dirt I vacuum more - maybe three, maybe four times a week at least at high traffic spots -- no matter the machine. I keep the practice up until I am satisfied that I'm where I should be as far as the condition of the carpeting is concerned. Namely, little or no areas showing matting or "dead" looking pile with minimal amounts of embedded dirt found down at the backing while bearing normal day-to-day traffic. No machine will get me out of the ditch just by way of one cleaning session in such a situation. (A visit from professional carpet cleaning service would also be ideal.) But -- as long as wear is not a major issue you can bring decent but shabby looking carpeting around again but you have to work at it. However, some vacuums may lessen the overall effort.

Personally I don't think Rainbow is an exceptional performer with the PN provided however if all I had was a Rainbow to work with I'd use it more. Unfortunately, testing entities don't explore that perspective much being the nature of the game is about whose vacuum gets the most one time around. I strongly feel Rainbow's solution lies either by way of a redesign of the brushroll by going for a more effective chevron or auger pattern of its brush strips or using an outsourced piece that has a higher performance capacity. That as worked for other brands.

Being that "clean" is in the eye of the beholder, and often beyond it, CR fortunately broaches the issues of of deep cleaning, something we usually don't think about. "Clean" is a thing that most vacuum users take as having been achieved once they look down and see nothing on the surface of the rug.

My Rainbow SE came with the low-profile PN that offered no height adjustment but just a sliding bleed valve to reduce suction and make it easier to push on high pile. As Rainbow's attachments were pretty much standard I merely switched to a PN I deemed a better performer and was quite happy.

Venson

Venson,

Regarding the Dyson DC28, CR said the following:

 CR's Take
Overall, this is a very good, if pricey, upright that was among the better performers at cleaning carpets and bare floors, and for picking up pet hair. It had very good airflow for tools, and was excellent at keeping its emissions low, but it scored only fair for handling. Dyson has been among the more reliable brands of upright vacuums.

Highs
The Dyson excelled at cleaning bare floors and keeping its emissions low. It was also very good at cleaning carpets and picking up pet hair, and had very good airflow for tools.

Lows
This model is pricey and was fairly hard to push and pull.

******

Regarding the Rainbow's fair score for carpet cleaning, you may be right that the power nozzle is the weak link.  I still think it's odd  that the Rainbow has the absolutely lowest score on carpet cleaning among all vacuums tested.  However, I'm not sure how CR determines how much dirt is removed from a rug.   CR considers that information to be proprietary. 

Severus wrote:

Hello Severus:

When CR rated the MIELE Art series 'good' at carpet cleaning W/O a brush roll, I was floored.  And it further reinforced my view that I expressed above about the CR ratings/rankings:  A guide and not the final word.

Carmine D.

Severus wrote:
Hi Severus,

I believe that the weight of the dirt picked up during the test would be compared against the initial amount of dirt put down for the test. The collection device of the vacuum tested -- dust bin or bag -- would have to be weighed before use and then after.

However, I've no idea of the prescribed time window for the test.

Venson

CarmineD wrote:

So we are to use CR as a guide ======unless it supports your argument.

You have been criticizing Dyson and supporting Oreck.  You hinted that the upcoming CR ratings would support your claims.

Now that it doesn't you brush CR ratings aside.

More BS.

Venson wrote:
I was under the understanding that it was actually the carpet sample that was weighed, both before and after cleaning.

Dusty

HARDSELL wrote:

HS:

I thought we left off at Best Buy extended service plans and product replacements.  Did you do some homework and decide to pick up your sign.  There are alot left.

WRT CR [Consumer Reports], it's a starting place.  Gives shoppers a background and comparison of SOME of the available vacuum products, features and prices.  Retailers use CR as a way to determine what to carry/sell.  Retailers use CR to promote sales of particular brands. 

I made no mention of the October 2009 CR ratings and rankings.  Thank you very much.  The last prediction I made was in Dec 2008 in response to a poster here [Tomas] asking for comparison opinions on the SEARS Progressive upright [$250] and HOOVER WT Anniversary SP [$150] edition at COSTCO.  I said after recommending the HOOVER based on price and performance, that this partilcular HOOVER model may dethrone SEARS in the number one spot in CR in March 2009.  One of the many times, I was right.    I grow weary of correcting you all the time. 

Carmine D.

dusty wrote:

Hello Dusty:

Excuse me for chiming in.  I hope it's not the rug sample, tho I always say a rug can hold its own weight in dirt and look clean to the human eye.  I believe WRT Consumer Reports it's the mass/weight of the test materials before and after the vacuum is used.   

Carmine D.

CR is what it is.  For the most part their tests are really good.  However, they pick some type of dirt or other substance (e.g. saw dust, talcum powder, cat hair, etc) to use in their tests.  For most vacuums, it really doesn't make much difference.  However, there are some vacuums like the Rainbow that fail on non-wettable dirt.  While the Rainbow may perform ok on normal household dirt, certain kinds of dirt substitutes could clog the Hepa filter and kill performance.  Dyson's dirt collection system is a little more robust to different kinds of dirt.  I suspect most bagged vacuums work well on almost any kind of dirt.   Certainly some test dirts could clog bags/filters artificially fast.


HARDSELL wrote: