Vacuum Cleaners Discussions

Looking back over the past year, one thing conspicuously absent from this forum is a rabid Rainbow enthusiast.  Perhaps it is difficult to justify the outrageous price of these door to door wonders.   To some extent, a Rainbow owner has to believe in the Rainbow sales pitch and doesn't want to be confronted with any negative information about the Rainbow.    I also noticed that overstock.com is no longer selling the refurbished Rainbow SE's with the Wesselwerks small power nozzles.    Given the economy, it's got to be tough selling $2000+ vacuums - even if they can purify one's home. 

Severus wrote:

SEVERUS:

News reports coming out after the production suspensions have first hand admissions by Ray LaHood the Secretary of Transportation that he/White House staff put pressure on toyota management to take decisive actions.  Hence, the announcement of the production suspensions 5 days after the latest round of more recalls.  Time for toyota officials to mull over their plan of actions.  This is a nightmare for the car company with repercussions throughout Europe too.   To their credit toyota officials are saying now that they stretched the company too thin and sacrificed quality control in the process.  Maybe this admission will help IF the company and dealers can get their act together with customers.  The toyota help line is out of date and the dealer personnel are telling customers all number of made up excuses.  Competitors like GM in particular are sensing that the timing is right to profit themselves from the toyota debacle.  If toyota recovers from this major fiasco, and it may not, it will be one for the history lesson business books. 

Carmine D.

I dont know if this is applicable but I just found this on the net tonight regarding a household appliance news search on Google and affects all who own Filterqueen machines.

www.appliance.net

http://www.appliance.net/2009/recall-hmi-industries-floor-cleaners-due-to-burn-hazard-1188

vacmanuk wrote:

Hi vacmanuk,

This is the first I'm hearing of this.  I wish the article had been more specific as it is a little difficult to determine if the problem is in the hose wiring or within the cleaner itself.  Filter Queens have always run hot due to the material used for dampening sound (at one time cotton batting) at the top of the machine being mainly responsible for FQ's famed quiet.  If I am correct, I would also think that higher power motors used to keep the machine competitive would also up the factor.  That I assume was the reason for the introduction of the plastic grillwork on top of this all metal machine a good number of years ago.

Nonetheless, the older models lasted and served quite well.  My best guess is that the kids in charge now are looking to save money and are cutting their own throats by cutting corners.

As for the hose, etc., the new attachment set-up is totally different from anything FQ has done before.  The PN as I understand it is an improvement over past ideas which made FQ no wonder on carpeting.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi Venson:

I believe prior to your tenue here this FQ issue was posted.  Frankly I completely forgot about it when the HOOVER WT switch and Electrolus Pronto issues surfaced but Vacmanuk's posting jogged my memory.  Interesting too that HOOVER had about 100 plus of these defects reported prior to recall while FQ reports 44 thru May 2009.  Considering the mass sales of the HOOVER WT's one would expect many more vice the FQ.

Carmine D.

CarmineD wrote:

Not too bad as the article says 44,000 of this model were put out between 2004 and 2006.  Statistically thinking, the number is quite low if the number of reports/actual incident is correct.  Nonetheless, the article is not very informative as far as offering a clear description of what overheated and where overheating occurred.  I've replied to that effect.

Venson

Venson wrote:

Hi,

Following is a link to FQ's website and a PDF regarding the issue.  I would note that it was not conspicuous nor easy to find as I had to do a search for "recall" at the FQ site.  The problem reported is stated thus, "The recalled cleaners’ wiring can overheat, causing electrical arcing and melting."

http://www.filterqueen.com/pdf/HMI_Press_Release_042909.pdf

Venson

Thanks Venson.

Carmine D.

It has been FOREVER since I have been on this forum. I moved and got a new computer and I guess I just forgot to bookmark it. I still have my Rainbow 2 speed that I have had since 2006. I still use it on and off. I did want to share something.......U know the hepa exhaust on my Rainbow is still brand spanking new looking.....I still am confused as to if the fine dust/dirt goes past the water and onto the hepa, then shouldn't mine be really gross by now. Still white and smells new.

I still think the vacuum repair stores that open up Rainbows and see mud and dirt on the inside are seeing Rainbows that folks would use and not change the water....and letting it turn to mud while they keep right on vacuuming..Thus, of course you're going to see a muddy inside of a machine and a muddy hepa....The key has to be changing the water often......The hepa five years later on mine speaks for itself.........

I used my Rainbow a lot the first two years......I would use it more if it weren't for the crappy PN that chokes off the airflow. I still use it at least once a month, but not everyday The PN is well built and attractive but something in the way that it's designed just doesn't perform as well IMO

At any rate.......I will be the first to say these are overpriced and somewhat of a pain to use......I only get it out when I do heavy duty deep cleaning up on high areas and places I can't get with the Kenmore can since I have the 14 foot non-electric hose.....As for the PN, I'm currently looking for one that is designed better but I'm not sure which one's will fit........But I'm sorry, if these things are used properly, they filter EXTREMELY well.......

I messaged Venson

But if anyone knows which PN's will fit the e2 with stainless wand and electric hose without any modifications, please let me know.


Thanks

Welcome back and glad you still like your Rainbow, except for the PN, a typical complaint by many Rainbow users/owners. 

Carmine D.

My family suffered through a 2.5 hour "no obligation to buy" Rainbow demonstration as a result of my wife signing up to "win" a prize.  Of course everyone wins the opportunity for a token prize.  Note - it's not really a prize when you have to do something to earn it.  Our "prize" was a Rainmate - essentially a small humidifier comparable to the $15 ones at Walmart.  For the low price of $20, we can buy some aromatherapy chemicals.   I wasn't particularly impressed with the Rainbow, and the nearly $2600 price tag plus $350 if you want to buy the aqua-mate (carpet cleaner - alternatively you can sell out your friends if they agree to suffer through demos and get a "free one.") 

I would agree with the posters who say that the power nozzle is poorly designed.  It felt clunky to use.   Forcing the consumer to hold a trigger switch to avoid having to include a safety reset switch is a design flaw.  Having the belt in the middle of the nozzle with a 1 inch or so gap in cleaning coverage seems like a major design flaw.  I wonder if that's the biggest reason for Rainbow's poor performance in carpet cleaning in CR testing. 

I was absolutely amazed at the attempts at deception and outright lies in the demonstration.   Perhaps the most blatant example is how they rebox the Rainbow after the demo so they can pretend that it is brand new for the next demo.  I happened to take the cover off the power nozzle to look at the belt protector, and saw remnants of red and brown carpeting - not from my house.)  

To beat it all, the SOB thought we could be bribed to give him names of our friends/relatives who might want to suffer through demos.   I like my friends.   Friends don't sign up friends for Rainbow demos (at least not without prior approval and warning).  

The smart tyrant writes his own story to ensure that it is favorable.  The lazy will repeat lines from the book without fact checking.